Aquaman was far from a storytelling masterpiece, but it proves that you can have a tough, macho lead without falling into toxic masculinity.
From the moment Jason Momoa was cast as Arthur Curry, we knew what we were in for with Aquaman: no matter what the plot or cinematography was going to be like, our hero would be the toughest, strongest hero in today’s cinema… and he would look great while defeating his enemies.
I had low expectations for Aquaman, which turned out to be a good thing. The plot was pretty contrived, the dialogue was lacking, and the musical timing was frankly laughable (I’m still not sure if that was intentional). However, it was so much fun visually… and most surprisingly, thoroughly impressed me with its handling of Momoa’s character.
Arthur checks all the boxes of your classic action hero: he’s buff, he’s single, has tattoos, has a tragic past and a heroic future, and can beat up pretty much anyone with his superpowers (and non-super physical powers).
But despite all this, he doesn’t go the way of Wolverine or some Fast and Furious character. Instead, Aquaman crafts a character that proves that a character can be masculine and tough without keeping to the toxic behavior usually ascribed to this kind of man.
Acknowledging vulnerability
One of the most striking things about Aquaman was how many times it acknowledged Arthur’s emotional vulnerability in a way that is straightforward, honest, and even empowering.
The first sign of this is his relationship with his father. They share a strong bond that is tender and loving in a way we don’t often see in movies. Far from being gruff and at-arm’s-length with each other, they hug, spend time together, talk about their emotions (including Arthur’s insecurities related to his mother), and are proud of their love for each other.
And when in the boat with Mera, Arthur opens up about feeling out of his depth (no pun intended) in this quest to become king, especially because his experience is mostly limited to solving things with his fists. He’s afraid that he won’t be enough precisely because he fits the macho stereotype so well.
And finally, when he faces the Karathen, it’s his acknowledgement of his own fears and insecurities — and his willingness to press on regardless — that persuades the Karathen to let him pass.
Strong men respect women
The most striking aspect of Arthur’s character, which definitely contradicts the established stereotype of the “tough man,” is that he isn’t a womanizer. We’re used to seeing action heroes undermine women, objectify women, and have careless/objectifying sex with countless women… which is the greatest proof of how insidious toxic masculinity has always been in cinema.
But Aquaman goes against the usual action film tendencies. Arthur is not like this. We don’t see him with other women, but from his interactions with Mera, we can discern a lot about his personality. He isn’t dismissive of her at any point, and when he disagrees with her, he never reduces the argument to sexist remarks.
And even as the “chosen one” in his own story, he doesn’t have a weird hero complex where he thinks he has to protect Mera from everything, or stop her from being her awesome self. He doesn’t try to establish physical dominance over her, as unfortunately so many action heroes disgustingly tend to do with their female counterparts. While they have plenty of arguments, Arthur consistently treats her like an equal, takes into consideration her feelings about things, and deals respectfully with her grief.
The result is that Mera keeps her agency throughout Aquaman, even when her role in the story is to facilitate Arthur’s own triumph. All her decisions, her skills, and even her romantic relationship with Arthur, come exclusively through her volition — not due to a story that prioritizes Arthur’s will and comfort over Mera’s.
Physical strength does not win the war
A fascinating and unusual thing about Aquaman is how Arthur gets defeated by the main villain almost at the very beginning of the movie. As an established physically strong character, he still loses the big physical battle at the start of the film, defining him as physically weaker than the villain.
His journey as a character is not to prove himself stronger than his enemy, but to prove his worth through his values rather than through violence.
This all culminates in the final battle, where he punctuates his fight with mercy: a trait not normally associated with macho characters, and which is further elevated through his association with the two main female characters of the movie, Mera and his mother.
Aquaman is a lot more thoughtful than most films with heroes of Arthur’s style are, and succeeds in proving that to be a tough male lead, a character doesn’t have to be a picture of toxic masculinity. He can also be thoughtful, respectful, and compassionate.
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