A household name associated with lame powers. It doesn't matter if you didn't think they were lame because most people clearly did and many still do, despite the multitude of Aquaman's incarnations since then that have been undeniably badass. People who actually read his comics or watch cartoons where he gets a cameo every now and again know that, but people who don't still see him as "that guy who talks to fish".
I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum, myself. I'm very much tired of DC trying to make Aquaman look like an uber awesome badass to prove that he really is competent. I get it already. What was the problem with having a lame superhero for everyone to laugh at, anyway? I mean, I know that image isn't great for selling comics, but I wasn't under the impression that Aquaman's readership is very large regardless.
There's plenty of jokey characters in DC. There is no reason why Aquaman should fill the spot when there are people like Plastic Man and Booster Gold to laugh at. It isn't like Aquaman has a long history of being looked down upon, in-series. DC isn't trying to make him "cooler," they're just writing the character well.
Why I don't think aquaman should be a lame superhero, I do see how they are trying too much, having the same issues as superman.
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Aquaman / Super Friends
Aquaman was a founding member of the Super Friends, along with Superman, Batman, and Wonderwoman. He appeared on every episode, and of course was prominent in all the intros and theme music. This wasn't just a cameo - this went on from 1973 to 1986. Actually Aquaman and Superman had their own show before the Super Friends. The key thing here is 'name recognition'. Some people think his powers weren't strong enough. This article I just read goes so far as to call Aquaman's time on the Super Friends 'disasterous'. NOTHING COULD BE FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH. Sure he participated mostly when water was involved; so what. He wasn't a goofball or screw-up or anything. He was very respectable. Watch clips from the show - you'll probably see Superman getting captured more often than Aquaman. Bottom line is Super Friends made Aquaman a household name.