Mermaid Man

Mermaid Man is a recurring character and a semi-retired superhero in the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. He and his sidekick, Barnacle Boy, are the stars of a show-within-a-show called The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, but they are also real superheroes within the series of SpongeBob SquarePants. The two are now very old, and currently reside at Shady Shoals Rest Home, Bikini Bottom. However, their two biggest fans, SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star, convinced them to come out of retirement. Mermaid Man was voiced by Ernest Borgnine until Borgnine's death in 2012.

The young Mermaid Man is voiced by Adam West.

Description
Mermaid Man is a parody of both Aquaman and Batman. He wears a nearly identical costume, and his powers, which include being able to control the creatures of the sea, are also similar to those of Aquaman. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's TV show and method of fighting crime are based on the campy 60's Batman TV show, their secret headquarters, the Mermalair, is a parody of the Batcave, and their vehicle, the "Invisible Boat-Mobile" is a parody of both the Batmobile and Wonder Woman's invisible jet. Of note, he and Barnacle Boy are virtually completely human in appearance, save they are the same size as the other characters of SpongeBob SquarePants. He has been fighting crime for 65 years.

Appearances
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy first appeared in the episode of the same name. This episode spawned several "sequels" (II, III, IV, V, and VI), all of which featured the duo. Originally, they appeared exclusively in episodes bearing their name. Their first appearance of any kind in an episode not bearing their name was in "Have You Seen This Snail?", in which SpongeBob receives a Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy-themed paddle ball set. However, they do not physically appear in this episode. Their first full appearance in a "normal" episode was in "Night Light", and since then, the rule of them only appearing in numbered "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy" episodes has been abolished. In season six, they appear in three episodes, more than in any other season. He also appears in "Mermaid Man Begins", "Night Light","Back to the Past" and "Mooncation".

Character


Mermaid Man is an old man who is overweight with very round in shape. He exhibits several typical characteristics of an old man, such as white hair, poor sight and hearing, crankiness and memory loss, often forgetting what he is thinking about or doing. Elements of his costume not shared by Aquaman include an M-shaped belt buckle, a purple star-shaped mask, a scallop-shell bra (which is also a cell phone), and a pair of pink fuzzy slippers. It is unclear how Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy can survive in Bikini Bottom, as they are some of the only true humanoid characters on the show; an origin special, however, explains that Mermaid Man was given a special starfish covering his nose that allowed him to do so. Mermaid Man has a sidekick, Barnacle Boy, who he still treats like a child even though Barnacle Boy is 68 years old (according to "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V"). Mermaid Man notably becomes irrational and hysterical upon hearing the word "evil".

Abilities
According to Mermaid Man, his powers all come from his costume. His abilities include summoning and controlling sea creatures, high speed swimming (used to create the "Raging Whirlpool"), water balls, Super Strength and the ability to survive underwater. While Mermaid Man retains all of these abilities, they are not as powerful as they were in his prime.

Belt
In addition to this, his belt features a wide array of abilities, similar to Batman's utility belt, as seen in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy IV". These abilities are usually manifested as a beam or ray. The only one specifically named on the show is the "Small Ray", which shrinks things, but various effects were created when SpongeBob tested various buttons on Squidward in an attempt to reverse the Small Ray's effects. These include several bizarre mutations and effects, such as causing the victim to suddenly catch on fire, turn inside out, or to be cut in half by scissors.

Enemies
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy have several super-villain enemies. Their two most notable foes are the Dirty Bubble, their arch nemesis, a sentient giant bubble, and Man Ray, a Manta ray-themed villain who is a parody of Black Manta, the arch nemesis of Aquaman. Other villains include the Atomic Flounder, who is now retired, the Sinister Slug, the Jumbo Shrimp, Kelp Thing, the Moth, a humanoid moth who steals light and was seen in "Night Light". Mermaid Man claims to have been trying to catch The Moth for 57 years due to his very small size. The Mermalair features a "villain containment chamber" where villains such as Man Ray and Prawn are imprisoned in frozen tartar sauce, as seen in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III" and the video game Battle for Bikini Bottom. It is unknown whether Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy imprison all their enemies in this manner.

Parodies

 * The Invisible Boatmobile is a parody of the Invisible Jet of Wonder Woman and the Batmobile of Batman.
 * His friends and enemies are similar to Batman and Aquaman's friends and enemies such as: Barnacle Boy, Elastic Waistband, Miss Appear and Man Ray being parodies of Aqualad, Robin, Plastic Man, Elongated Man, Mr. Fantastic, Wonder Woman and Black Manta.
 * In "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy V" the I.J.L.S.A. (International Justice League of Super Acquaintances), a parody of both The JLA (Justice League of America) and JSA (Justice Society of America) is introduced. It was stated that it contained Mermaid Man, Barnacle Boy, The Quickster, Miss Appear, Elastic Waistband, and Captain Magma as the original line-up. It would later be revisited in "The Bad Guy Club For Villains," a flashback episode of a classic Adventures of Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy episode called "The Secret Meeting" though it was referred to in this instance by a slight variation as the International Justice LODGE of Super Acquaintances instead with Captain Magma appearing drastically different from the costume worn by Squidward in "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy V."
 * In Back To The Past, Mermaid Man's younger self is voiced by Adam West. Adam West portrayed Batman in the TV series.
 * The fight sequences have scenes with words like POW!, BAM!, and NAP!, another possible nod to Adam West's portrayal of Batman.
 * His Utility Belt seems to contain gadgets for any situation, much like Batman's.
 * His sidekick, Barnacle Boy, is a parody of both Aqualad and Robin.
 * The casting of Borgnine and Tim Conway as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy is a nod to the duo's work as co-stars of the 1960s TV series McHale's Navy, which like SpongeBob is set around the islands of the Pacific Ocean.
 * His supposedly fake origins (Shown in Ditchin') suggests he's from outer space not unlike Superman.
 * He and Barnacle Boy spring into action after they "say the oath" while touching the tips of two golden rings. This is an obvious parody of The Wonder Twins both with the rings and the oath "WonderTwin powers activate!".