MermaidBarnacle

MermaidBarnacle is the slash ship between Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy from the SpongeBob SquarePants fandom.

Canon
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy were a semi-retired superhero duo living in Bikini Bottom. They have matching rings that when they meet each other, they can receive more power to defeat the enemy. In their youth the duo were the greatest heroes under the sea, popular enough to earn their own TV series and comic books inspired by their adventures. The accuracy of their show and comics to their real lives has not been made clear. The two retired in their old age, relocating to Shady Shoals Rest Home where they shared a room. Most of the time they are shown to be watching TV on the sofa. Though the two had retired, they were periodically pulled out of retirement for various reasons. This was usually in relation to SpongeBob, a huge fanboy who still idolized them even as they had faded to obscurity.

The two are parodies of both Batman and Robin as well as Aquaman and Aqualad, both duos consisting of characters from DC Comics. Visually their designs are based more on Aquaman and Aqualad, with abilities being based on the duo as well. However their dynamic, use of gadgetry, and many gags involving the duo are inspired by the 60s Batman series starring Adam West. Even the TV series they have in-universe is based heavily on the 60s series. This is reflected in the fact that like Robin is to Batman, Barnacle Boy has been referred to as Mermaid Man's young ward in narration. The invisible boatmobile, on the other hand, seems to be a reference to Wonder Woman's invisible jet.

Despite no longer being young, Barnacle Boy had often been treated like a child by Mermaid Man to the point of frustration. This is possibly because as Barnacle Boy had been referred to as his young ward, Mermaid Man may likely still remembered when Barnacle Boy was a child. There are instances of Mermaid Man talking about having raised him in both the cartoon and comic, with the two having been heroes since Barnacle Boy was a child. Though this is later contradicted by the episode Mermaid Man Begins, where the two are depicted as being same-aged roommates that both became heroes in adulthood.

It isn't made explicitly clear if this is a case of the producers of their TV series taking liberties with their origins or not. But the idea that the origin story in Mermaid Man Begins could be the result of TV series taking creative liberties is supported by the fact that Barnacle Boy's given name is Kyle in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V, while the Barnacle Boy on the TV special in Mermaid Man Begins is referred to as Tim. Either way, the discrepancy could possibly be a reference to the way the backstories of superheroes in comics may periodically change depending on the direction of the series or the rotation of creatives working on a series.

The two characters had been retired from use beyond non-speaking cameos as both of their voice actors have passed away. Mermaid Man's voice actor, Ernest Borgnine, passed away in 2012. While Barnacle Boy's voice actor, Tim Conway, passed away in 2019.

Fanon
Many people in the SpongeBob fandom make jokes about the duo, claiming that Mermaid Man and Barnacle boy are a gay married couple because of how much time they spend together and because of the rings they share. This would mirror many similar discussions about Batman and Robin, especially in light of the 60s series.

Fandom
FAN FICTION