Aquaman

Creation

Artist Paul Norris spoke on the inception of the character stating, "One day when I had brought in a finished

script to Murray Boltinoff, I was told that Whit wanted to see me...I stopped in Whit’s office. They wanted to start a new feature about a character that lived in the sea. Whit asked me to create the character... that is how AQUAMAN was born."

Publication history

Aquaman's appearances began in More Fun Comics #73 in 1941 and continued until issue #107, after which all superhero stories were replaced with humor features. At this time, in 1946, Aquaman was transferred to Adventure Comics with issue #103 along with the other superhero features from More Fun Comics. Aquaman would continue to feature in Adventure Comics for the next 15 years, being one of the few DC superheroes to appear continuously throughout the 1950s.

In 1961, Aquaman starred in a four-issue run in the anthology series Showcase in issues #30–33. These Showcase issues are notable as Aquaman's first cover appearances in any comic. Simultaneously, the Aquaman backup feature ended in Adventure Comics with issue #284 and was transferred to Detective Comics with issue #293.

Soon thereafter, the first Aquaman solo series began, with the first issue cover-dated February 1962. The same month, the backup feature in Detective Comics ended with issue #300. Simultaneously with the solo series, an Aquaman backup feature was also published in World's Finest #125–139 (cover-dated May 1962 to February 1964). The solo series Aquaman would last 56 issues in its initial run until 1971.

After a three-year hiatus, Aquaman returned as a backup feature in Adventure Comics for issues #435–437 before becoming the main feature in issues #441–452. This run transitioned into a revival of the Aquaman solo series in 1977, resuming the initial run's numbering at #57; however, the series ended after just seven issues with #63 in 1978.

Aquaman once again returned to Adventure Comics as part of the Dollar Comics revamp of the series, appearing in issues #460–466 over 1978–1979. When this ended, Aquaman appeared in three issues of World's Finest Comics (#262–264) and then returned to Adventure Comics as the first feature for four more issues (#475–#478) and as a backup in issues #491–500. The feature found a new home as a backup in Action Comics for 14 issues (#517–521; #527–530; #536–540), which would be the end of Aquaman's Pre-Crisis solo appearances.

Aquaman's first Post-Crisis appearance was in the four-issue miniseries Aquaman (vol. 2) in 1986, which gave the character a new blue costume which did not reappear in any later series. This blue "camouflage" suit, however, was used as inspiration for one of the main suits in the Aquaman film sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in 2023. In 1988, Aquaman starred in the one-shot Aquaman #1, followed by the Legend of Aquaman Special one-shot issue in 1989. This was followed by the five-issue miniseries Aquaman (vol. 3). A new ongoing series, Aquaman (vol. 4), began in 1991, but was cancelled after 13 issues.

Fictional character biography

Golden Age

Aquaman's first origin story was presented in flashback from his debut in More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941), narrated by Aquaman himself:

The story must start with my father, a famous undersea explorer—if I spoke his name, you would recognize it. My mother died when I was a baby, and he turned to his work of solving the ocean's secrets. His greatest discovery was an ancient city, in the depths where no other diver had ever penetrated. My father believed it was the lost kingdom of Atlantis. He made himself a water-tight home in one of the palaces and lived there, studying the records and devices of the race's marvelous wisdom. From the books and records, he learned ways of teaching me to live under the ocean, drawing oxygen from the water and using all the power of the sea to make me wonderfully strong and swift. By training and a hundred scientific secrets, I became what you see—a human being who lives and thrives under the water.

In his early Golden Age appearances, Aquaman can breathe underwater and control fish and other underwater life for up to an hour. Initially, he was depicted as speaking to sea creatures "in their own language" rather than telepathically and only when they were close enough to hear him (within a 20 yards (18 m) radius). Aquaman's adventures took place all across the world and his base was "a wrecked fishing boat kept underwater," in which he also lived.

During his wartime adventures, most of Aquaman's foes were Nazi U-boat commanders and various Axis villains from when he once worked with the All-Star Squadron. The rest of his adventures in the 1940s and 1950s had him dealing with several sea-based criminals, including modern-day pirates such as his longtime archenemy Black Jack, as well as various threats to aquatic life, shipping lanes, and sailors.

Aquaman's last appearance in More Fun Comics was in issue #106, before being moved along with Superboy and Green Arrow to Adventure Comics, starting with issue #103 in 1946.

In "The New Golden Age" #1 (2022), writer Geoff Johns restores a variation of the Golden Age Aquaman to DC continuity. This version's profile tells the story of an Aquaman who was the predecessor of Arthur Curry. This Aquaman was the unnamed son of two well-respected scientists who studied what they believed to be the underwater ruins of Atlantis (in reality an abandoned Atlantean scientific outpost), where they lived in an underwater lab. This unique environment seemed to slowly alter their young son's physiology. The boy learned how to breathe in the water, developed incredible strength, and formed a bond with sea life while training some of them to aid him in his underwater heroic activities. In 1941, he first appeared to the surface world as Aquaman. While he turned down the offer to join the Justice Society of America when he encountered Green Lantern, he was briefly a member of the All-Star Squadron. In 1947, Aquaman left the sea where he sought to live on the land using the alias of "Adam Waterman". He retreated back to the ocean soon after for reasons unknown. This Aquaman disappeared from the public eye in the 1950s.

Arthur Curry

Aquaman's adventures continued to be published in Adventure Comics through the 1940s and 1950s, as one of the few superheroes to last through the 1950s in continuous publication. Starting in the late 1950s new elements to Aquaman's backstory were introduced, with various new supporting characters added and several adjustments made to Aquaman, his origins, his power and persona. The first of these elements was the story "Aquaman's Undersea Partner" in Adventure Comics #229 (October 1956), where his octopus sidekick Topo was first introduced. This and subsequent elements were later removed or altered from the Aquaman character after the establishment of DC's multiverse in the 1960s, attributed to the Aquaman of Earth-One.

The Silver Age Aquaman made his first appearance in Adventure Comics #260 (May 1959). In it and subsequent Silver Age comics, it was revealed that this Aquaman was Arthur Curry, the son of lighthouse keeper Tom Curry and Atlanna, a water-breathing outcast from the lost underwater city of Atlantis. Due to his heritage, Aquaman discovered as a youth that he possessed various superhuman abilities, including the powers of surviving underwater, communication with sea life and tremendous swimming prowess. Eventually, Arthur decided to use his talents to become the defender of the Earth's oceans. It was later revealed that in his youth Arthur had adventured as Aquaboy and, on one occasion, met Superboy, Earth's only other publicly active superpowered hero at the time. When Arthur grew up, he called himself "Aquaman".

It was later revealed that after Atlanna's death, Tom Curry met and married an ordinary human woman and had a son named Orm Curry, Aquaman's half-brother. Orm grew up as a troubled youth in the shadow of his brother, who constantly bailed him out of trouble with the law. He grew to hate Aquaman not only for the powers that he could never possess, but also because he believed that their father would always favor Aquaman. Orm disappeared after becoming an amnesiac and would resurface years later as Aquaman's nemesis the Ocean Master.

Aquaman's ability to talk with fish eventually expanded to full-fledged telepathic communication with sea creatures even from great distances. He also retroactively developed a specific weakness akin to Superman's vulnerability to kryptonite or Green Lantern's vulnerability to the color yellow: Aquaman had to come into contact with water at least once per hour or he would die. Prior to this, Aquaman could exist both in and out of water indefinitely.

Powers and abilities

Due to his hybrid Atlantean heritage, Aquaman possess a wide host of abilities; Naturally adapted to live and thrive in deep underwater environments, he can breathe underwater and has a superhuman physique able to withstand and battle other superhuman opponents and resist machine gun fire. He also has superhuman strength and while not on par with Superman or Wonder Woman, he is able to leap leaps up to six miles. He can swim at extremely high speeds, capable of reaching speeds of 3,000 m/s (11,000 km/h; 6,700 mph; 5,800 kn), can swim up Niagara Falls, and can see in near total darkness and has enhanced hearing, granting limited sonar.

Aquaman's chief innate power includes his marine telepathy, allowing him to communicate with sea-life at great distances; original stories depict this ability as being able to speak to fish (in a similar manner to Doctor Dolittle's ability to speak to animals) and later portrayals instead expressed it into being able to communicate with them telepathically although certain species, such as piranha, were difficult in command due to their ruthless nature. While typically able to mostly telepathically commune with marine animals, Aquaman has at times demonstrated the ability to affect any being that lives upon the sea (e.g., sea eagles), or even any being evolved from marine life (e.g., humans and some aliens). Pre-Flashpoint Aquaman has had an ill-defined level of telekinetic capability. From the New 52 onward, it is revised; acknowledging that most marine life does not possess enough intelligence to carry on a meaningful telepathic communication, Aquaman adds compulsions and needs in the mindset of aquatic life, compelling them to do his bidding by a subtle altering of their cerebellum. This power originates from an expression the Life Force, a power which enables him to connect with any and all forms of marine life sentience within the cosmos, even from across realities. Through it, Arthur could also use its power to revert lost forms and assert varying consciousnesses within, having once made the human shell of Mother Salt's daughter, the Cailleach, subservient to her human host's will and restored the true forms and divine powers of long-forgotten ocean gods. Following DC's 2024 Absolute Power event, Arthur is accidentally given his wife Mera's hydrokinesis, allowing him to manipulate water innately.

Avatar of the Blue

Having ascended into the role of the Avatar of the Blue (a oceanic counterpart of Swamp Thing's Avatar of the Green) and imbued with some of Darkseid's "omega energies" following his death, Aquaman's powers are heightened and he is considered a New God whom personifies the oceans. Thus far, his abilities within this role includes heightened hydrokinesis, the power to generate bolts of lightning, and heightened durability able to withstand blows from Superman, and survive orbital reentry back to Earth.

Equipment and weapons

Throughout his publication history, Aquaman has had trident weaponry on hand:

Trident of Neptune: Prior to the New 52, Aquaman was given this weapon by Poseidon to the rightful ruler and protector of the seas, was indestructible and a potent melee weapon, which Aquaman wielded with unmatched skill. Apart from its power as a melee weapon, the Trident also had the power to manipulate water, fire bolts of powerful energy, and act as a focus to amplify the magical power of others. After the New 52, the Trident of Neptune (also called Atlan's Trident or the Trident of Atlan) is a weapon in which is part of a collection of seven mighty Atlantean magical items, forged by the first king of Atlantis who calls himself 'The Dead King'. The trident is completely indestructible and able to hurt even the most powerful of opponents, such as Darkseid. When Arthur utilizes the Trident of Neptune's supernatural powers, his eyes glow with arcane power, and this further strengthens his abilities, as well as giving him various arcane energy-based capabilities and is powered by belief in Atlantis. It is later destroyed by Rath.

Trident of Poseidon: During the New 52 and later in Drowned Earth onward, Aquaman was gifted the Trident of Poseidon, Ioseidon's favored weapon. This trident has displayed the power to summon tsunamis and deluges, summon thunder and lightning, project and control ice, move landmasses, and grant the ability for Aquaman to teleport himself across global and even interplanetary distances using water as a medium. It can also transform into a gladius (a type of sword used by ancient Roman gladiators) and back into a trident at will.

Aquaman also has had other weapons including:

Prosthetic Hand: After losing his left hand, Aquaman initially replaced it with a simple harpoon point, followed by a retractable cybernetic hook, and then a liquid metal appendage responding to his mental commands. The mechanical hand was replaced by a magical hand made purely out of water.

Water Hand: A magical hand made out of water, it was given to him by the Lady of the Lake, who, through it, granted Aquaman numerous abilities. These included: the ability to instantly dehydrate to death anyone he touched, shoot jets of scalding or freezing water from it, healing abilities, the power to create portals into mystical dimensions that could act as spontaneous transport, control and negate magic, an odd form of clairvoyance, manipulate almost any body of water he sets his focus on and the capability to communicate with the Lady of the Lake. Aquaman's biological hand was restored when he was resurrected in Blackest Night #8.

Weaknesses

Although Aquaman can remain underwater indefinitely without suffering any ill effects, he grows weak if he remains on land for extended periods. Originally, when Batman invented Aquaman's water suit, he was able to walk on land for an indefinite amount of time and was no longer vulnerable to a "dehumidifier". This weakness was later removed from continuity in 2011, establishing that he grew up on land before learning of his Atlantean heritage, but he still runs the risk of dying by dehydration within incredibly hostile environments, such as deserts.

Other versions

Arthur Joseph Curry is the second DC Comics superhero to be known as Aquaman. Created by Kurt Busiek and Jackson Guice, he first appeared in Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40 (May 2006). As part of DC Comics's One Year Later event, Aquaman's series was renamed Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis with issue #40 (May 2006). The new developments included a new lead character, a new supporting cast, and the inclusion of sword and sorcery–type fantasy elements in the series. Aquaman appears in comic books during a brief period (2006-2009) after which he rarely appears.In the Sword of Atlantis series, Arthur becomes acquainted with Aquaman's supporting cast and rogue's gallery, and learns of the cruel fate of the original Aquaman following 52, who is now a cursed creature known as the Dweller of the Depths. It is later revealed Arthur was named after the original Aquaman by his father, oceanobiologist Dr. Phillip Curry (nephew of Orin's father Tom Curry), who saved his life with an experimental procedure involving water from Aquaman's mystical water hand. When Aquaman later exhausted his powers to save the city of Sub Diego, part of his soul latched onto Arthur Joseph Curry's dead body, while Orin mutated into the Dweller. The younger Arthur then vowed to never use his "stolen" name again, going by Joseph instead of Arthur. He later makes scattered appearances in a few comic books, including Outsiders and Superman/Batman, but is not mentioned again in any comics following the Final Crisis crossover story, where Tempest finds Joseph's trident and costume draped over a throne, confirming that he had abandoned his duties as king.

Jackson Hyde, the comic book incarnation of the Kaldur'ahm animated character, later adopts the codename while battling Xebel terrorist forces who originally sought to oppose the Xebel monarchy and child enlistment policies before becoming radicalized in an effort to give Xebel citizens hope. After his mother is injured and despite an attempt to renounce the codename, Arthur encourages him to keep it due to the inspiration given to denizens of Xebel associating his name with his heroism.

Alternate universe versions

In the 1960s following the establishment of DC Comics's multiverse system, the Golden Age version of Aquaman became known as the Aquaman of Earth-Two, while the Silver Age version of Aquaman became the Aquaman of Earth-One. This Aquaman has the same history as his Golden Age counterpart. Although the two versions of Aquaman never met, the Earth-Two Aquaman did appear post-Golden Age in All-Star Squadron #31 (March 1984) and #59–60 (July–August 1986). The Earth-Two version of Aquaman was retroactively eliminated from existence via the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline.

The 1980s series Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! presented the parallel Earth of "Earth-C-Minus", a world populated by anthropomorphic animal superheroes that paralleled the mainstream DC Universe. Earth-C-Minus featured Aquaduck, a duck version of Aquaman with similar powers.

Aquaman watches over the seas and his kingdom in the Supergirl: Wings Elseworlds story.

Arthur Curry appears in the 1997 Tangent Comics one-shot Green Lantern, in which he is revealed to be the son of the pilot Captain Boomerang, and a member of Boomerang's fleet.

Aquaman is the focus in a look into the future in Old Lady Harley. During a Joker attack on the Justice League, Aquaman and Lobo had pursued the villain. A simple accident has the Joker decapitated by Aquaman's trident. Future Aquaman acts as a peacekeeper between America and Mexico, a meeting that goes well for all concerned.

In the Countdown tie-in issue The Search for Ray Palmer: Superwoman/Batwoman, a female version of Aquaman is shown to reside on Earth-11. This version is called "Anne", is physically similar to Joseph Curry, and commands the armies of Atlantis. The Aquawoman of the slightly revised Earth-11 appears in The Multiversity #1 (2014) as one of the assembled heroes of the multiverse who have come together to save it from destruction.

In the alternate timeline of the 2011 Flashpoint storyline, Aquaman is brought back to Atlantis when he was a teenager, due to the death of his father. As a result, the young Arthur never learned compassion and kindness from his father, who was killed by the Atlantean agents sent to recover him. In the present day, Aquaman and all of Atlantis wage war against Wonder Woman and the Amazons, which began when Diana's mother Hippolyta was killed on Aquaman and Diana's wedding day; the real target had been Wonder Woman. In an act of retribution, Wonder Woman later killed Mera, who had apparently married Aquaman. Aquaman later caused Western Europe to sink into the sea, killing over 60 million people, and intends to sink England as well. In the present, Aquaman reassigns Siren and Ocean Master to assassinate Terra in New Themyscira. The mission fails, with the Siren being killed by Diana's aunt, Penthesleia. The Amazonian Furies then attack the reinforcements led by Aquaman, who is confronted in battle by their leader, Wonder Woman. During their struggle, Wonder Woman tells him that they have both been deceived by the Ocean Master and Penthesileia, who are responsible for the war between the Atlanteans and the Amazons. This Aquaman returns in Convergence: Justice League #1.

Earth-3

During the 2013 "Trinity War" storyline, Aquaman's Crime Syndicate counterpart is revealed to be the Sea King. He apparently fails to survive the passage from Earth-3 to Prime Earth, but is awakened in "Forever Evil: Blight" after being possessed by Deadman. The design of the Sea King resembles that of the 1990s Aquaman.

DC x Sonic the Hedgehog: Metal Legion

Aquaman appears in the crossover miniseries DC x Sonic the Hedgehog: Metal Legion. The miniseries will also feature Big the Cat taking on Aquaman's moniker.

Collected editions

In other media

Since his comic book debut in November 1941, Aquaman has appeared in a number of adaptations. These formats include television shows, video games, and films.

Television

Aquaman has made multiple television appearances. He was featured in the animated series The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, Super Friends, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice, Harley Quinn and Aquaman: King of Atlantis.

He also appeared in the live-action television series Smallville being portrayed by Alan Ritchson.

There was also an Aquaman pilot made by the creator of Smallville, featuring Justin Hartley, which never aired.

Aquaman has made non-speaking appearances in the animated series Teen Titans Go!. In "Don't Press Play", he is voiced by Greg Cipes. In "Finding Aquaman", he is voiced by Patrick Warburton.

Film

Aquaman has appeared in direct-to-DVD animated films such as Justice League: The New Frontier (2008) and Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2011).

Within the live-action DC Extended Universe films, American actor Jason Momoa plays Aquaman, and the character made his feature film debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Momoa reprised the role in Justice League (2017) and The Flash (2023) and starred in his own films Aquaman (2018) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). This version is of Polynesian ethnicity, rather than the blond-haired white man of his traditional depiction. He has long, dark hair, a full beard and extensive tattoos.

Theme park attractions

Aquaman has multiple themed attractions at Six Flags theme parks. One of them, announced in 2020 is Aquaman: Power Wave, a Mack water roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas that opened in 2023. Aquaman: Power Wave replaced another theme park attraction based on Aquaman, Aquaman Splashdown.

Another one, Aquaman Splashdown, is an Arrow Dynamics hydroflume water ride at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. The water ride was Yankee Clipper in 1976, but was re-themed to Aquaman in 2022.

In 2023, the Aquaman: Power Wave roller coaster opened at Six Flags Over Texas.

Reception and legacy

Aquaman was listed as the 147th-greatest comic book character of all time by Wizard magazine. IGN also ranked Aquaman as the 53rd-greatest comic book hero of all time, opining that "even though he'll forever be the butt of jokes thanks to his fishy powers, comic readers have come to love Aquaman as a noble (and very powerful) figure who is forever torn between the worlds of land and sea." In a 2011 reader poll, Parade magazine ranked Aquaman among the top 10 superheroes of all time.

By 2008, cultural critic Glen Weldon noted that Aquaman had become ridiculed by a popular mindset that cast him as an ineffectual hero. This was due to the perception that his heroic abilities were too narrow. Weldon wrote that critics and pop culture comedians who chose to focus on this had overplayed the joke, making it "officially the hoariest, hackiest arrow in the quiver of pop-culture commentary."