Overview[]
Background[]
The King of the Seven Seas in the Silver Age; Adventure Comics Vol.1 #443 (Feb. 1976)
Aquaman is a superhero in the DC Comics, debuting in More Fun Comics #73 which was published in November of 1941 during the Golden Age of Comics. The creation of Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, Aquaman has appeared irregularly over the decades but has managed to endure as one of the longer lasting superheroes in various anthology back-up features and several short-lived solo comic series as well as undergoing several major alterations to his backstory and powers.
Originally, he was depicted as the son of a famous underwater explorer who discovered an abandoned underwater city. After years of study, he was able to decipher a number of secret advanced scientific knowledge which he proceeded to teach and train his son including how to breath water and become strong enough to withstand the immense underwater pressures making him superhumanly powerful on dry land and communicate with sealife in their own language. Adopting the name of Aquaman, he battled sea pirates, Nazis, and other oceanic-based threats to the shipping lanes and sailors.
By the Silver Age of Comics of the 1960s however, the character was in dire need of a revamp. He was retconned into being Arthur Curry; the son of a lighthouse keeper who rescued a beautiful young woman, Atlanna during a terrible storm and they fell in love and had a child together. Atlanna revealed that she was actually from the famous mythical underwater kingdom of Atlantis as Arthur would discover that thanks to his hybrid nature, he could breath underwater and had the power to telepathically command sea life. She would die from illness shortly after giving birth to Arthur and Tom would later marry another woman and had a son, Orm who became obsessively jealous of his half-brother's aquatic powers and would become one of his perennial super-villains, Ocean Master while Arthur would adopt the namesake of Aquaman and became a founding and core member of the Justice League of America.
His mother was later retconned into being an exiled Princess of Atlantis after a coup d'état and Aquaman was later crowned King of Atlantis which has since become an essential part of his mythos. He was subsequently joined by a teenage sidekick, Aqualad and also married and had a young child. Tragically, his son was murdered by one of his long-time enemies, Black Manta in 1977.
New Beard & New Hand; Aquaman Vol.5 #17 (Feb. 1996)
However by the 1990s, Aquaman was once again waning in relevance and popularity. Comics book scribe Peter David was given a mandate to reinvigorate the character and had him undergo a radical change to make him "edgier" and "more popular". His origins were modified once more; this time stating that he was born Orin, the pureblood son of the King and Queen of Atlantis but was considered "cursed" due to being born with blonde hair; superstitiously considered an ill omen and traditionally should have been killed outright. Instead, he was abandoned on a shallow reef to "suffocate" during low tide when the reef was exposed to air. However the child had the gift to breath both water and air and survived to be discovered and adopted by a pod of dolphins.
As a near-feral child, he was found by a lighthouse keeper, Tom Curry who taught him how to speak and named him Arthur who would adopt his last name in his honor. As a grown man, Arthur would go exploring underwater and would be captured by Atlantean soldiers who dressed him in a bright orange mail shirt to denote his status as a prisoner. One of his fellow prisoners recognized him as the long lost heir to the throne and revealed how Atlantis had fallen into a dictatorship following the death of the monarchy. Arthur would escape captivity and would end up being named the King of Atlantis and also adventuring in the surface world becoming known as Aquaman.
Back in Orange Mail & Back in Underwater Action; Aquaman Vol.7 #1 (Nov. 2011)
David would go on to reveal how having suffered the loss of his infant son and with his long time wife Mera going mad with grief, Arthur decided to withdraw from the world, abandoning the throne and living in seclusion. He would be drawn back into superheroics once more although he was now stylized with long hair and a beard unlike his previous clean cut appearance and subsequently lost his left hand and his traditional orange mail shirt was destroyed.
He would fit himself with a retractable harpoon for his lost appendage and would be forced to utilize a number of artificial prosthesis over the next two decades until he was killed in 2006 during the events of the "Infinite Crisis" only to be resurrected in 2010 in the "Brightest Day" storyline; fully healed with his traditional orange mail shirt and clean cut appearance restored and a reboot to previous origins. Once again portrayed as the scion of an Atlantean princess and a human lighthouse keeper; a son of both the sea and land. His latest incarnation's most prominent modification to his attributes is his personal weapon; an ancient Atlantean trident that gifts him with various powers including the power to discharge powerful energy bolts and hydrokinesis.
Over the decades of his existence, Aquaman has appeared in various comic titles in the DC Universe and has also been adapted numerous times in several animated TV series but usually has been featured as a supporting character in various animated series and films as a mainstay of the Justice League. Although he has never graduated to a level of widespread popularity such as his peers of Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman; his appearances in these minor roles have cemented him as a indelible part of pop culture stricken with an unflattering reputation which resulting in him being frequently spoofed and lampooned as a relatively weak and ineffectual hero due to his "fish powers" and being nearly useless on dry land.
Major Plots[]
Personality and Traits[]
Trivia[]
Quotes[]
Other Versions[]
- Aquaman (Aquaman Hour of Adventure)
- Aquaman (Super Friends)
- Arthur Curry (Smallville)
- Aquaman (Batman: The Brave & the Bold)
- Aquaman (Aquaman)
- Aquaman (The New Frontier)
- Aquaman (Crisis of 2 Earths)
- Aquaman (Flashpoint Paradox)
- Aquaman (JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time)
- Aquaman (Throne of Atlantis)
Related Pages[]
Affiliations[]
- Mera (Young Justice)
- Aqualad (Young Justice)
- Garth (Young Justice)
- Tula (Young Justice)
- Justice League
Aquaman Legacy Pages[]
- Aqualad (Aquaman Hour of Adventure)
- Aqualad (Teen Titans)
- Aqualad (Batman: The Brave & the Bold)
- Aqualad (Flashpoint Paradox)
- Kaldur'ahm (Flashpoint Paradox)
- Aquagirl (Batman Beyond)
- Tula (Flashpoint Paradox)
Significant Locations[]
- Atlantis