Aquaman is the protector the seven seas, he battles villains who are both monstrous and regal. From the flesh-hungry King Shark to the ruthless Black Manta, the opponents who swim in Aquaman's waters pose a challenge. One villain may seem silly, but his secrets lay just under the surface. Today's Z-Lister is the villain known as The Fisherman.
The Fisherman's true roots date back to "All-American Comics #69" in 1945 as a petty thief used the name in a Doctor Mid-Nite story. The name would be used again in 1961's "Blackhawk #163" before the character was creatively expanded on in 1965's "Aquaman #21". Jon Greene and Stan Aschmeier crafted the name in his 1945 appearance, but the Aquaman villain interpretation was created by Henry Boltinoff and Nick Cardy. While no name or origin had ever been provided, The Fisherman appeared to be an expert thief who stole rare treasures and technological inventions. After swiping his target he'd sell it to the highest bidder on the blackmarket. He did this with the use of his own tech, specifically a collapsible fishing rod with a razor-sharp hook and several specialized lures. Basically, his lures were similar to Batman's Batarangs or Green Arrow's Trick Arrows. Once he even provided weapons to a group of rebel Atlanteans with the hopes that they'd overthrow Aquaman. Along with coming to battle with Aquaman, The Fisherman also battled The Blue Devil and G'Nort The Green Lantern.
The Fisherman reappeared in the title "Gotham Central" which focused on the Gotham City Police Department. In that series The Fisherman had gone on a killing spree and almost killed a GCPD officer with a fishing line, but he was shot dead by other officers. After an autopsy it was revealed this Fisherman was not the same man as the original Fisherman. This would become a returning trait for the villain.
The final appearance of The Fisherman was within the title "Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #48" in 2007 when Arthur Curry was considered dead and his son Arthur Joseph Curry became the new Aquaman. Among his swashbuckling adventures, Arthur Joseph found The Fisherman attempting to gather cult members. As it turns out, the helmet every Fishermen has worn is actually a parasite from another dimension. A Lovecraft-like creature that drains the life of it's host to power a portal to it's home world. With enough power the portal can carry "The Masters" of that dimension into our own. The Fisherman's helmet had forgotten it's mission and lost it's power when it attached to it's first host in 1965, but it knew well enough to only attach to natural born hunters. With it's memory returned and full power granted, the helmet provided this new Fisherman with enhanced strength and speed, underwater capabilities and the ability to grow tentacles. Arthur Joseph was successful in preventing the portal from opening, but The Fisherman escaped.
Though he isn't much of a big deal-by any margin-I like The Fisherman in concept. At first he seemed like a costume with no filling, but the lore behind the helmet and it's true purpose at least explains why the character has been stop-and-go in his appearances. And the element of this parasite only attaching to hunters is pretty interesting. It's like Alien and Predator mixed into one undersea monster. In a world where Aquaman is more popular, I could see The Fisherman being a really mysterious and dangerous villain. Though with the Aquaman we're getting on screen, I'm worried they won't even get the shape of the trident correct.
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