Mermaid Man

...Evil!!
—Mermaid Man

Mermaid Man is a semi-retired superhero living in Bikini Bottom. 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 universe of SpongeBob SquarePants. The two are now very old, and currently reside at Shady Shoals Rest Home. However, their two biggest fans, SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star, convinced them to come out of retirement. He is voiced by Ernest Borgnine.

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", and "Back to the Past" and mooncation. He also appeared on the packaging of "Have You Seen This Snail."

Video Games

1.SpongeBob SquarePants: Operation Krabby Patty-Mermaid Man makes a cameo with Barnacle Boy in Boating School 101

2.SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge- SpongeBob wants Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy to sign a photograph for Patrick's Birthday. However they want to get rid of SpongeBob and sent him on random tasks around Bikini Bottom.

3.SpongeBob SquarePants: Employee of the Month-Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy are in Rock Bottom when Patrick and Mermaid Man have a soda drinking contest. Patrick wins but Mermaid Man gets injured and SpongeBob finds help to get him in the Invisible Boatmobile. Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy later leave Rock Bottom.

4.SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom- Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy appear in the Mermalair but Plankton's Robots have invaded it.

5.SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Avenger- SpongeBob aquires Mermaid Man's powers & has to defeat all his enemies

6.SpongeBob's Boating Bash- Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy appear when SpongeBob & Patrick want to borrow the invisible Boatmobile. They later appear when SpongeBob gets his "license" from Seymour. Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy later arrest Seymour and Mermaid Man calls him evil.They are also unlockable characters who drive in the same boat during the races

7. SpongeBob Squarepants ATTACK OF SPONGEZILLA- he is a playable charactar ounce unlocked via a special code to be typed in Karen

Character

YoungerMermaidMan — Mermaid Man when he was younger

Mermaid Man is an old man who is overweight and 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 (although they could be Atlantean or otherwise super-powered). 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 also notably goes crazy whenever anyone says "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 Sternght 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

File:Mermaid man's belt.jpg

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, get a clump of snakes covering their head, or to be cut in half by scissors. Also contains the power of Wumbo. Wumbology is the study of everything wumbo. Wumbo means the "opposite of mini" as seen on the show.

Merchandise based on him

In the episode "Ditchin'", a Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy origin comic book is shown. One panel features a man resembling Barnacle Boy and woman resembling Mermaid Man in a spaceship. The woman has two children in her arms resembling Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, implying that Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are brothers. However, this book was advertised as being brand-new, so it is likely that this story is false. More merchandise can also can be seen in "Mermaid Man Begins," thus causing a dispute on his and Barnacle Boy's backstory. In "The Card," trading cards have also been made as entertainment for fans. Toys were manufactured as part of a Krusty Krab promotion at "Mermaid Man vs. SpongeBob."

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.

Similarities to DC Superheroes

The invisible boatmobile is a parody of the Invisible Jet of Wonder Woman and the Batmobile of Batman.
His younger appearance and his powers are highly similar to that of Aquaman; it is possible that he himself is based off on Silver Age Aquaman.
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.
His supposedly fake origins(Shown in Ditchin') suggests he's from outer space not unlike a certain Man of Steel(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!".

Appearances

Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy (as current and younger self)
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy IV
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (seen on a poster on SpongeBob's wall)
Have You Seen This Snail? (image/mentioned)
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy VI: The Motion Picture
Night Light
Mermaid Man vs. SpongeBob
The Card
Ditchin'
Shuffleboarding
Back to the Past (as current and younger self)
The Bad Guy Club for Villains (as younger self)
SpongeBob's Last Stand
Mermaid Man Begins
Mooncation (cameo)

Trivia

Mermaid Man's name may seem inaccurate. The correct term for such beings are "merfolk"; a female is a mermaid, while a male is a merman. However, it is revealed in Mermaid Man Begins that he was given his powers by mermaids. Thus, since his power comes from mermaids, his name is fitting.
A common stereotype of the elderly, Mermaid Man is easily confused, falls asleep often, and has trouble remembering things.
His exclamation of "EEEEEVVVVVIIIIILLLLL!" could be a reference to Grampa's quote in The Simpsons episode, Treehouse of Horror III: "That doll is evil, I tells ya! Evil! EEEEEVVVVVIIIIILLLLL!"
When it comes to mermaids, seashells are used in place of bras or bikini tops (as seen with Ariel from Disney's The Little Mermaid). Mermaid Man sports a seashell bra, thus continuing his mermaid motif.

"Quotes"

"If you don't get out of here, then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife!"
"EEEEEVVVVVIIIIILLLLL!"
"Up, up and away!"
"Haven't you two idiots done enough damage?"
"Remember, kids...no one can imprison you for reading!"
"Evil can't park here between the hours of 6:00am and 12:00pm!"
"Keep your tounge out of my tartar sauce!"