Aquaman

Arthur Curry is the King of Atlantis, the firstborn son of Queen Atlanna, the older maternal half-brother of Orm Marius, and a member of the Justice League, as well as the superhero known to the world as the Aquaman.
During his childhood in Amnesty Bay, Maine, he was secretly trained by his vizier Nuidis Vulko in hand-to-hand combat and gifted with his mother's trident as a blessing. While he was initially reserved and content with his self-imposed isolation from both the surface world and Atlantis, which was primarily due to his mother's forced abandonment of him and his father Tom Curry as a child by Orm's father Orvax, Aquaman would eventually be recruited by Batman to join the newly formed Justice League in order to help defend Earth against the alien forces of Steppenwolf and his Parademon army, despite being reluctant to get involved at first.
Following his recruitment to the team, Arthur played a pivotal role in reviving Superman a year after the latter's death at the hands of the monstrous Doomsday. With the Justice League now fully assembled, Aquaman contributed considerably into driving back Steppenwolf, even severely injuring the latter with his trident, forcing the failed alien invasion into hasty retreat.
Roughly a year later, Arthur reluctantly decided to finally pursue his rightful place in Atlantis – he retrieved the legendary Trident of Atlan from the depths of the Hidden Sea with the help of Mera and his long lost mother Atlanna, and defeated his half-brother Orm in battle, finally becoming the rightful King of Atlantis at last while embracing the Aquaman moniker, though in the process of accomplishing this he also inadvertently created a new and dangerous villain hellbent on his destruction, Black Manta.
== Contents ==
* Biography
** Early life
** Childhood
** Awakening his heritage
** Discovered by the NSA
** Monitored by ARGUS
** Meeting Bruce Wayne
** Meeting Vulko
** Attack on the Atlantean Mother Box Stronghold
** Coming together
** Saving the Justice League
** Joining the Justice League
** Resurrection of Superman
** Being part of a team
** Battle of Pozharnov
** War for Atlantis
** Attack on the Stalnoivolk
** Returning to Atlantis
** Duel in the Ring of Fire
** Becoming worthy of the Trident of Atlan
** King of the Atlanteans
** Battle of the Brine
** Differences in public perception
** Project Butterfly
** Knightmare
** Personality
** Powers and abilities
** Powers
** Abilities
** Equipment
** Weapons
** Other equipment
** Vehicles
** Relationships
** Family
** Allies
** Enemies
** Appearances
** Trivia
** Behind the scenes
** References
** External links
== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
==== Childhood ====
Arthur Curry was born on January 29, 1986, (though ARGUS lists his birthdate as January 29, 1979) in Amnesty Bay, Maine, to Thomas Curry, a lighthouse keeper, and Atlanna, the queen of Atlantis. When Arthur was only three years old, their home was attacked by royal guards, who were sent to bring Atlanna back so that she could marry King Orvax. While Atlanna managed to fight them off, she realized she had to return to her home and leave him and his father in order to keep them both safe. Before she left, she imparted Arthur her trident as her legacy, believing him to be the key to uniting the Atlanteans and humans one day.
==== Awakening his heritage ====
One day, when his school went on a field trip to the Boston Aquarium in Massachusetts, Arthur was confronted by two bullies for seemingly talking to the animals in the tank. However, when Arthur cried out, a shark came to his aid, slamming against the tank hard enough for a large crack to form. The crowd around stood back as the remaining animals surrounded Arthur. When he turned, his eyes had changed color, glowing golden.
This heritage caused Arthur to grow up with incredible powers, including the ability to breathe underwater. However, Arthur's ignorance regarding how to handle these Atlantean powers induced him to become very conflicted, and somewhat reserved, with internal struggles.
When he was 13, Arthur was dared by his friends to swim down into a shipwreck. Arthur then swam down and explored a section of it. But then he found himself stuck inside. After a few seconds, he realized that he was probably drowning and proceeded to black out.
After awakening, Arthur realized he could breathe underwater. It was there that he noticed a man swimming above him known as Nuidis Vulko. He introduced himself as the Chief Advisor to the King of Atlantis, who began to train him in unlocking his Atlantean abilities so that one day, Arthur could take his place as the rightful ruler of Atlantis.
=== Discovered by the NSA ===
Lex Luthor, in pursuit of proving the existence of extraordinary individuals hidden amongst the general population, discovered Arthur's existence by hacking into the NSA's database and retrieving footage from two UUV drones, which recorded a video of Arthur emerging from a shipwreck in the Pacific Ocean near Tonga.
Footage from one drone showed Aquaman emerging from the shadows, and then aiming his trident and quickly destroying it while another recorded him swimming away from the site, causing an underwater sonic boom in his wake.
==== Monitored by ARGUS ====
After Task Force X successfully defeated the mystical duo of Enchantress and Incubus in Midway City and saved her, Amanda Waller met up with billionaire Bruce Wayne, asking him to take care of the rumors following the aftermath of the calamitous events, and in exchange, she gave Bruce her files on Arthur Curry, referring to the information as 'crown jewels'.
=== Meeting Bruce Wayne ===
Arthur was visited by Bruce Wayne in Iceland, who had eventually tracked him down using files given to him by Amanda Waller. Bruce arrived during the winter, during which time Arthur brought fish to feed the hungry, always coming into town on the king tide. On the day afterwards, Bruce asked the village's council if he could speak with Arthur, whom he deduced was still around.
When Arthur revealed himself to be there, he demanded Bruce talk, during which he informed Arthur that an impending threat was coming to the world, asking Arthur to join the newly founded Justice League under his leadership. Initially, Arthur refused to become involved with, and risk his life for, a group of strangers. He responded with hostility when Bruce refused to leave proceeding to pin Bruce against the wall in an attempt to intimidate him.
However, he decided to hear Bruce out, where the latter disclosed that he was Batman. Afterwards, while Arthur was beginning to depart back to the ocean, he remarked that, "the strong man is strongest alone."
=== Meeting Vulko ===
Arthur rescued a sailor caught in a storm, taking him to a bar where he deposited him on a table and ordered himself a drink. He told the bartender that the man was paying for the wine and that he should respect the storm the next time he was going out. Arthur drank the entire bottle and jumped back into the ocean and headed toward overgrown ruins. There, he came across a statue of the King Atlan and his mythical trident.
Vulko then appeared behind him, carrying the trident Arthur had discarded years ago along with a piece of armor, expressing his dissatisfaction on Arthur's continued rejection of his Atlantian royal duties and reminded Arthur that he never slept in the same place wise, though chose to return to the statue. Vulko brought news of darkness coming to Earth and its forces kidnapping Atlantians, with King Orm blaming the surface for these actions.
Vulko suspected they were looking for one of the Mother Boxes given responsibility of being guarded by the Atlantians. Vulko offered Arthur his mother's trident and asked him to protect the Box, but Arthur backed away. Vulko then angrily slammed the trident on the floor in front of Arthur and mentioned he could not run away from his responsibility, before leaving.
==== Attack on the Atlantean Mother Box Stronghold ====
Arthur decided to investigate Vulko's claims on the imminent attack on the Mother Box stronghold. There, he encountered the New God Steppenwolf, who was about to cut down Mera, but was stopped by Arthur. He initially managed to get an upper hand against Steppenwolf, but was knocked out, with the Mother Box snatched by the New God.
With the Mother Box in the hands of Steppenwolf, Arthur is about to leave, but Mera convinced a reluctant Arthur to listen to her. Arthur shows his bitterness at his mother for leaving him, mockingly saying "what a saint" when Mera noted Atlanna took her in and simply refers to how he believed he was abandoned by his mother without a second thought from the Queen of Atlantis, but Mera revealed to Arthur how much it hurt his mother, too, left him behind and she only did it to save his life.
Clearly affected, Arthur was finally convinced to retrieve the Mother Box from Steppenwolf when Mera noted how he is no longer a defenceless child and it is what his mother would've done, but with her gone, it was now his responsibility. His change of heart caused Arthur to finally make up his mind and take up the armor and weapon Vulko was offering before going after Steppenwolf.
=== Coming together ===
==== Saving the Justice League ====
After an intense fight with the team of heroes and having lost some of his Parademon minions, Steppenwolf, annoyed by the heroes' intervention, managed to catch one of the missiles in mid-air, shot by Cyborg who was piloting the Knightcrawler, redirecting it to the wall, leaving its structure weak, and releasing all the water above.
As Gotham Harbor was flooding with Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Cyborg inside, Aquaman arrived just in time to save the group by using the trident's powers to slow down the tide allowing the others to get to the safety of the higher ground. As soon as everyone was safe, Victor left to retrieve the last Mother Box.
==== Joining the Justice League ====
After the fight with Steppenwolf, Batman met with Gordon before Aquaman showed up and said that Steppenwolf took the Mother Box from Atlantis, then Cyborg revealed that he is in possession of the final Mother Box, which he hid from his father. Aquaman then decided to be a member of the Justice League.
==== Resurrection of Superman ====
Curry and the team arrived at the Wayne Aerospace Hangar with the Mother Box, questioning Victor Stone's powers as allegiance to Steppenwolf, but Stone tells him and the team the whole story, changing Curry's mind. With all the possibilities the Mother Box could cause, the team decides to resurrect Superman, in order to stop Steppenwolf, though Curry feared of the dangers that would arrive. While digging Superman's grave, Curry talked to Diana about the war between Amazons and Atlanteans, talking about the differences the people had back in the day. When Superman's body was unearthed, the team brought him to S.T.A.R. Labs to be resurrected.
The team put Clark's body in the waters of the Kryptonian ship. While hesitant and fearing about the dangers to come, the team still ended up using Allen's Speed Force to activate the Box, causing the resurrection of Superman. When he flies out of the Kryptonian ship and lands in Heroes Park, Aquaman, Cyborg, Flash and Wonder Woman meet him. Arthur, however, notices that something is wrong with him, with Clark using his x-ray vision to scan the League. Stone accidentally launches a missile at him as his cybernetic body registers a threat to him. Superman attacks Cyborg with his heat vision as the rest of the Justice League try to calm him down, but he swiftly overpowers them.
As Arthur, Victor, and Diana try to flank Superman simultaneously (which was unsuccessful), Barry attempts to help with his speed but Superman is able to see him and keeps up with the speedster. Despite Barry's best efforts to avoid all of Superman's blows, a glancing hit knocked out Barry. Batman arrives and gets Superman to stop fighting the League, Aquaman and Flash attempt to halt Superman in his place, before being thrown against the stairs of the monument. Cyborg then attempts to hold back Superman, but is swiftly overpowered. Wonder Woman then tries to halt Superman, before she is bested. Superman makes it to Batman, and shoots his laser eyes at the latter's gauntlets. Lois Lane then arrives, ending the ordeal.
Superman calms down and leaves with Lois to the Kent farm where he reflects and tries to recover his memories. Curry then glares at Flash in anger, leaving Flash to apologize. After the battle, Steppenwolf arrives, chases Silas Stone through S.T.A.R. Labs, before Stone heats up the Mother Box, killing him in the process. Steppenwolf takes the Mother Box, and leaves, completing the Unity. When Cyborg says his father is dead, Curry tells the team that it is their fault that Stone was killed.
The team returns to the Batcave, meeting Alfred Pennyworth, with Curry telling Pennyworth that the place was badass. The team then developed a plan to go after Steppenwolf, using Bruce's six satellites to track the general.
==== Being part of a team ====
Meanwhile, Cyborg located the Mother Boxes near an abandoned nuclear plant in Pozharnov, Russia. The Justice League used the Flying Fox to get Russia to stop Steppenwolf from combining the Mother Boxes together and terraforming the Earth; the team planned on how they were going to stop Steppenwolf, in which Curry was simply listening to what the team was planning, though defending Cyborg after watching his father die that now wasn't the best time to send the Cyborg out to battle. Nonetheless, Curry and the team ready for battle.
==== Battle of Pozharnov ====
When they arrived, Batman told the team that he was going to take out the tower while the rest of the League would take on Steppenwolf and separate the Mother Boxes. Batman destroyed the tower, but by crashing the Flying Fox. Batman got in the Batmobile and drove through the streets with the team by his side.
The Parademons attacked the Batmobile, ripping off one of the guns that it had an opening up the car before Wonder Woman and the rest of the League saved Batman. Aquaman jumped on the Batmobile and told Batman how insane he was for basically going on a suicide mission before getting attacked by Parademons. Bruce gives him the thumbs up, and Curry jumps onto a Parademon, which led Cyborg to save him and throwing him back into the battle. The Batmobile then got destroyed after Batman ejected from the vehicle and using his grapple, swung across to take out the Parademons, utilizing the environment around him.
Wonder Woman and Aquaman confronted Steppenwolf. As Flash helped Cyborg get to the Mother Boxes, he took care of the Parademons. While Cyborg tried to separate the Mother Boxes, Batman saved Flash by grappling his legs from stopping him from falling: Batman took one of the Parademons' guns and fired at them. Steppenwolf then found out that Cyborg was trying to separate the Mother Boxes, which he grabbed him before Wonder Woman had saved him.
Wonder Woman and Aquaman tried to keep Steppenwolf away from Cyborg by using the Lasso of Hestia to pull him down. Steppenwolf attacked them both before he knocked Aquaman into a wall, breaking the ceiling which almost crushed him until Wonder Woman came to his aid. With Aquaman and Wonder Woman down, Steppenwolf arrives and prepares to kill Cyborg.
Before Steppenwolf could kill him, Superman arrived and easily overpowered the New God. Then, Wonder Woman and Aquaman were amazed by his return when the Atlantean victoriously said "Alright!" Meanwhile, he and Wonder Woman began to gain the upper hand. Cyborg called for Superman to help with separating the Mother Boxes, which they managed to do with great effort.
Steppenwolf attacked again, but Aquaman speared him with his trident from behind and Superman delivered a devastating punch, which knocked out towards the Boom Tube to Apokolips. Diana soon severs his head, defeating the New God. Aquaman is then seen with the rest of the superheroes confronting Darkseid before the Boom Tube closes. Later, at Amnesty Bay, Arthur greeted Vulko and Mera but coldly bade them farewell by stating that he was going to see his father, before hopping in a truck and driving away.
=== War for Atlantis ===
==== Attack on the Stalnoivolk ====
Following Steppenwolf's defeat, Arthur would continue to do vigilante activities across the seas, over time his exploits were made public by multiple witnesses and he was given the name "Aquaman" by the media, though he wasn't very fond of the name. The existence of the Aquaman drew the attention of multiple pirates such as David Kane. Dr. Stephen Shin became obsessed with the Aquaman as well, whom he saw as proof that Atlantis is real.
About one year later, Arthur intercepted a group of pirates attempting to hijack a submarine, he lifted the submarine into the surface and broke into it to fight the Pirates. Arthur would go through and using the submarine to his advantage, Arthur would go and free the hostages. With the hostages freed, Arthur was attacked by David Kane a member of the Pirates who identified him as the Aquaman.
Arthur battled David in which he gets the upper hand on David by breaking his dagger and throwing him around. Before Arthur can defeat David, Arthur is met with Jesse Kane, David's father. Shot by Jesse with a grenade launcher it would, however, leave a little effect on Arthur who got up and impaled Jesse with a pipe. Arthur then chided Jesse for setting a bad example for David before removing the pipe. While Arthur was walking away, Jesse in anger shot another grenade, but missed and flooded the submarine. While Arthur was escaping the submarine, David asked for help in saving his father, but Curry refused, noting that he had killed innocent people and would leave him and his father to their fate.
After the attack on the submarine, Arthur met his father Thomas Curry at the lighthouse where the two would greet each other. They went to a bar where they celebrated. As they are watching, the news reports about the submarine that Curry saved. Arthur and Thomas would discuss Atlantis, which is interrupted by a gang who wanted photos with Arthur.
==== Returning to Atlantis ====
As Arthur and Thomas left the bar, Curry is met by Mera who left Atlantis to find Arthur to tell him to come with her to Atlantis to stop Arthur's half-brother Orm Marius. Arthur would refuse and leave Mera as he drove home. On the way home, Arthur noticed that there was a tidal wave coming toward him which Curry tried to stop the car, but was hit by the wave. Arthur would try and find his father before he could drown, but fortunately is saved by Mera who used her powers to stop the water so Arthur could find his father. Locating Thomas, Arthur attempted to revive his father with CPR, but luckily, Mera used her hydrokinesis powers to save him.
==== Duel in the Ring of Fire ====
: "You call that an ass-whooping?"
: ―Arthur Curry to Orm[src]
Arthur reluctantly accompanies Mera to Atlantis where they would meet with Nuidis Vulko, Arthur is informed about what had happened and the history of Atlantis which they needed to find the Trident of Atlan: a magical artifact that once belonged to Atlan the former king of Atlantis, in order to claim his rightful place as king. They are then suddenly ambushed by Orm's men, Arthur would hold them off while Mera and Vulko escaped, but Arthur is eventually beaten unconscious and captured by the Orm guards.
When Arthur awakes he is chained and visited by Orm who announces that Atlanna was executed for the crime of having a half-breed son and states he blames Arthur and the surface for her death, which infuriated Arthur to the point of pulling his chains so hard that all the royal guards barely managed to keep him still. Orm offers Arthur an opportunity to leave forever, but Arthur instead challenges him to a duel in a ring of underwater lava known as the Ring of Fire. Before the duel, Arthur is met by Vulko, who warns him about Orm being more experienced at underwater combat but Arthur tells Vulko that he taught him how to fight which Nuidis would respond by throwing a Trident which Arthur caught and threw back at him assuring him that he remembered his lessons.
Arthur would enter the ring of lava as Orm was waiting. Orm would once again give Arthur the chance to live by asking him to leave Atlantis forever and never return and makes it clear that if he doesn't back down then Orm will defeat and kill him but Arthur is not intimidated and refuses as he can't let Orm destroy the surface world. In the duel, Arthur, although putting up a good fight, is clearly pressured by his half brother's greater experience in underwater combat and Orm repeatedly gains the upper hand, nearly killing Arthur at one point by almost forcing him in the lava and ultimately upon reaching a statue, Arthur is ultimately bested by Orm and his trident is broken. Now weaponless and unable to fight, Arthur is about to be killed by Orm but Mera rescues him.
==== Becoming worthy of the Trident of Atlan ====
Arthur and Mera would find the location of the Trident and be ready to go until they were attacked the Black Manta and Orm's men. Initially outfighting Black Manta, Arthur realized that he was the same pirate from the submarine who tried to stab him. When Black Manta revealed he had acquired weapons made of Atlantean Steel, being able to injure him, Aquaman was caught off-guard and although he was still able to fight off his relentlessly brutal assault, also having to keep innocents safe from the battle made Arthur unable to focus entirely on defeating Black Manta, getting severely injured. Fortunately, Arthur was able to resist being stabbed by an Atlantean Steel made hook long enough to use it to pull him to him and proceeded to throw Black Manta with all his might away, damaging his suit. He then finally defeated him by throwing a pair of chained stone balls directly into Manta's helmet right before it fired another laser blast, which exploded throwing David Kane off a cliff. With Black Manta dealt with, Arthur realized Orm is tracking them and Mera destroys the device, the bracelet Orm gave her.
Mera nursed Arthur's wounds as they journey to the trident's whereabouts and encouraged him to embrace his destiny as a hero and king. Arthur felt that the Black Manta was his own fault, as he willingly chose to let David's father die when he had the chance to save him. Mera assured Arthur that Black Manta was no longer a problem, but Arthur remained wary that it wasn't the last they'd see of him. Arriving at their destination, Arthur and Mera are attacked by a legion of amphibious monsters known as the Trench, but they managed to fend them off using torches to scare them with bright lights and reach a wormhole that transports them to the Hidden Sea located at the centre of the Earth.
There, they are unexpectedly reunited with Atlanna, who was seemingly sacrificed to the Trench for her crimes but manage to escape them and reach the uncharted sea, where she had been stranded ever since.
Arthur would enter the cave where he is faced with Karathen who is the mythical leviathan that guards the trident, and voices his determination to protect both Atlantis and the surface before Karathen could kill Arthur, he would communicate with her which she is surprised and allows Arthur to get the Trident and proving that he is worthy of reclaiming the trident, which grants him control over the seven seas.
=== King of the Atlanteans ===
==== Battle of the Brine ====
Amidst the huge battle between the Kingdom of the Brine and Orm's forces, as Orm defeats the Brine King and is about to kill him, he is interrupted by Aquaman and Karathen bursting out of the seafloor. With his command of all sea life, Aquaman turns the Atlantean's steeds against them and summons numerous sea creatures to aid him. He shares a kiss with Mera.
Aquaman and Orm's final duel lead them atop an Atlantean vessel in the open air. After a lengthy battle, Aquaman shatters Orm's trident, but Orm remains defiant and demands his half-brother to kill him until Atlanna arrives, convincing him to surrender. The members of all kingdoms cheer and hail their new king.
==== Differences in public perception ====
At some point following the battle, Arthur's new Trident and armor became known to the world at large, with the boy known as Freddy Freeman imagining a scenario wherein Arthur would be waiting for long lines of fans to get pictures taken with him.
A Twitter user by the name of @PepetheFrog89 claimed to work for an aquarium where, the user claimed, Aquaman would supposedly pay 50 dollars regularly to have his way with a sturgeon. Peacemaker believed the claims, repeating them to a janitor he became acquainted with.
=== Project Butterfly ===
In early 2022, Aquaman, Flash, Wonder Woman, and Superman were called by Amanda Waller to assist the 11th Street Kids in the battle against the alien species known as Butterflies. The Justice League arrived at Ranch Coverdale only to be told by Peacemaker that they arrived late and the crisis had already been solved. While leaving with his team, Peacemaker mocked Aquaman about the rumors of him having intercourse with fish which made him express his distain for the rumor, leading Flash to jokingly say that it wasn't a rumor, much to his irritation.
=== Knightmare ===
In a dark potential future, Superman became Darkseid's new general and proceeded to conquer the entire Earth.
Aquaman ends up battling Darkseid at his throne in Atlantis but ultimately is killed by Darkseid as he impales Arthur clean through his chest and heart with his own Trident. Mera takes up Arthur's Trident and join's Batman's Insurgency in Arthur's place. Shortly after Batman's death at the hands of Superman, Arthur's Trident could be seen in the ruins of the Justice League's headquarters, indicating that she was likely killed as well.
== Personality ==
Initially, Arthur Curry was a very conflicted individual, struggling with the fact that he has superhuman powers which he didn't know how to handle, but he was later trained by his mentor Nuidis Vulko. Arthur grew up feeling alienated from both the human and Atlantean worlds, feeling trapped between them, yet having the responsibility of protecting both. In addition, Arthur was very bitter at his mother Atlanna for abandoning him and his father Thomas Curry. Arthur was thus somewhat gruff and reserved, unwilling to accept his place in Atlantean society, and also unwilling to accept Bruce Wayne's offer to join the Justice League at first, as well as getting annoyed with the young and quirky Flash. Surely, Arthur had previously reached an emotional rock bottom during this period in his life, even claiming that he had no concern for the ocean, and by extension, his own people.
Arthur hides his insecurities and troubled past behind a tough intimidating attitude, choosing to alienate himself from others and almost never showing any sympathy towards anyone. However, he can be more relaxed and friendly around those he trusts and is close to, such as his father and Mera.
Despite his somewhat gloomy and fearsome exterior, however, Arthur is ultimately a selfless and compassionate person, indicated by him frequenting an Icelandic fishing village during the winter in order to feed its hungry inhabitants with fish. He is later seen saving an unconscious fisherman found along the shore, bringing him into the shelter of a local pub in the village. However, he casually shrugged it off by stating that his drinks would be on the fisherman. He also notably made it his priority to keep the innocent civilians of Sicily out of harm's way when fighting Black Manta. Arthur also showed compassion towards his half-brother Orm, whom he refused to kill despite the multiple atrocious actions Orm had committed. He also showed guilt over letting David Kane's father die and leading him to become the Black Manta.
When confronted by Mera, Aquaman initially pushes back against her reprimands, but upon learning that his mother Atlanna did not abandon him of her own free will, he begins to have a change of heart. After being unable to stop Steppenwolf from retrieving the Atlanteans' Mother Box, Arthur's mind is finally made up and he joins the Justice League. He still clashes with Batman, Flash, and Cyborg a few times, but otherwise gets along with the team fairly well, eventually befriending them.
Arthur, while outwardly very serious, occasionally demonstrates a dry sense of humor, notably complimenting Batman on the latter's vigilante suit. When failing to intimidate Bruce due to the latter's profound experience in intimidation tactics, Arthur quickly drops his façade, revealing his laid-back and charming self. While he initially distrusted the isolated Cyborg (suspecting that he could be working with the enemy, due to his Apokoliptian cybernetics), Aquaman gradually developed a friendship with him as well, seen when Cyborg assisted him in taking down a group of airborne Parademons. Aquaman is also somewhat of a realist, recognizing that he and the other Justice Leaguers could very well die in a battle against the New God Steppenwolf, and agreeing with Wonder Woman that resurrecting Superman with a Mother Box is too risky.
Despite his gruff appearance and devil-may-care approach to battle, Arthur is quite intelligent and introspective, notably when he quotes Friedrich Schiller's William Tell to Bruce when asked to join the League, stating that 'the strong man is strongest alone', thus further emphasizing his preferred isolation from the surface world, and later quoting Jules Verne when describing the extreme unlikelihood of his parents' successful relationship. When bound by the Lasso of Hestia, Aquaman reveals that deep down, he is very grateful for the team's acceptance, and even developed a crush on Wonder Woman, despite the Atlanteans having once warred against the Amazons. Arthur, upon his release, became dismayed upon realizing the circumstances of his confession and angrily forbade Flash from ever sharing it with anyone.
Arthur is clearly a thrill-seeker who enjoys adventuring, displayed when he enthusiastically slew Parademons alongside the Justice League and when he was introduced to his homeworld of Atlantis. He'll often employ words such as "badass" and "awesome" to describe his experiences, and even whooping in excitement when he jumped after Mera from a cargo plane without a parachute.
== Powers and abilities ==
=== Powers ===
Hybrid physiology: Due to his half-Atlantean high-born maternal heritage, Aquaman has incredible superhuman abilities, that surpass most other Atlanteans, deemed as the most developed traits of all Atlanteans, with only other high-born Atlanteans equaling his genetic attributes. He is also one of the most powerful members of the Justice League, only surpassed by Superman and Wonder Woman. He is also the only member to technically be "both a human and a god." Newspapers collected by Doctor Stephen Shin refer to Aquaman as the "underwater Superman."
* Superhuman strength: Arthur's incredible strength allowed him to easily master other creatures such as other trained elite humans, other Atlanteans, Parademons and Trench monsters. He is also able to break through metal doors and destroy it with his own hands. As such, Aquaman destroyed an undersea NSA aircraft with a single blow of his trident, effortlessly broke David Kane's sword, mastered Kane's pirate crew on a submarine, push said submarine up to the surface from its hull, moving a total weight of around 579,283 tons or 525,516,698 kgs. Five Atlantean guards were unable to hold him down with chains as he charged at his brother. His might also allowed Arthur to defeat many armored Atlantean soldiers, Parademons, and Trench monsters. Aquaman's strength also extends to his ability to jump great distances. Aquaman was able to intercept an immense, falling bell before it could crush a girl and defeated the armored Black Manta after a prolonged duel, managing to attract Manta by expelling Black Manta's electric harpoon and throwing chains that were tied to large stones to destroy his helmet and finely make Manta street by a precipice. Aquaman was also able to stay in combat and sometimes beat his brother Orm during his first duel, although he eventually lost because he had no practice fighting in the water, and finally by taking his brother Orm to his element, on the surface, in his final battle he was able to defeat him and even break Orm's trident. Aquaman also used his legs to prevent a massive tylosaurus from closing its mouth and, when captured, forced six Atlantean guards to fight to hold his chains to contain him. Aquaman was also able to fight against the powerful Steppenwolf, managing to send the huge New God flying with a blow from his trident and prevent him from reaching Cyborg by pulling the Lasso of Hestia alongside Wonder Woman. Aquaman's strength is only equaled or surpassed by Steppenwolf, Karathen, Wonder Woman, Orm, Superman, and Darkseid (who kills Aquaman in the Knightmare timeline).
* Superhuman durability: Aquaman possesses incredible physical durability, including resistance to sharp blades, high-caliber bullets, powerful explosions (on par with a 40mm grenade fired by Jesse Kane), a blast from a Stinger and from Orm's Flagship, falling from great heights (such as when he and Mera jumped into the ancient Kingdom of defectors), explosions of hand grenades, small arms fire and tremendous pressures underwater (with him managing to be 4.11 miles underwater at the Tonga trench, to swim across the Kingdom of the Trench, and reach the Hidden Sea, without pain). Aquaman also resisted numerous blows from his half-brother Orm, Black Manta, and the Atlantean soldiers, although Aquaman was completely incapacitated when Murk struck him with a punch from a powered gauntlet. Aquaman survives many powerful blows from considerably stronger opponents, such as the New God Steppenwolf with his Electro Axe, the monstrous Karathen, and even a blow from the resurrected Superman himself (although that too severely stunned him). Aquaman, however, is vulnerable to stronger beings, as Darkseid kills him in the Knightmare timeline. It's possible he is vulnerable to armor-piercing ammunition, given his tendency to avoid rifle or shotgun fire. In addition, Aquaman is vulnerable to extreme heat, since he was burned by the plasma beams from Black Manta, and when Orm saw that Aquaman and Mera's ship was falling in a puddle of molten lava, he believed they were dead. Still, Aquaman is still able to stand on the battlefield after receiving extreme physical punishment, which demonstrates his incredible durability after being injured.
** Regenerative healing factor: Aquaman can heal from wounds at considerable superhuman rates, quicker than most other Atlanteans, as he survived many critical stabs while the Fishermen King died after one stab from Orm. After the serious injuries sustained from battling Black Manta, while requiring treatment from Mera, it only required a few hours to fully heal with no signs of lingering damage. He also appears to have a very high tolerance to alcohol, as he was hardly drunk after a whole day of drinking with his father (who was barely able to walk as a result of the amount of alcohol he consumed).
* Superhuman speed: Aquaman is superhumanly fast, being able to move faster than Batman and pin him to a wall before Batman had a chance to react, as well as fight against the mighty Steppenwolf and parry many of his attacks. His speed is comparable to Wonder Woman, as both she and him fared roughly the same in battle against Steppenwolf. He is far slower, however, than the likes of Flash and Superman, and Steppenwolf was able to outpace him during the assault on the Atlantean Mother Box Stronghold even while underwater. He can swim at supersonic speeds, matching other Atlanteans like Orm and Mera.
** Superhuman reflexes: While not on par with the likes of Flash and Superman, Aquaman's reflexes are still superhuman. He can catch a trident thrown at him moments before it hit him, catch enemy blades swung at him, and dodged a second grenade launched at him.
* Superhuman agility: Aquaman has a superhuman level of agility and coordination, able to dodge vicious attacks from skilled warriors like Steppenwolf, Orm, and Black Manta with great efficiency and still maintain enough control to counterattack. The also lets him support himself on speeding vehicles like the Batmobile.
* Superhuman stamina: Aquaman is able to endure prolonged battles and adventures without tiring, even against the most dangerous of situations like the Steppenwolf and the numerous Parademons.
* Superhuman senses: Aquaman possesses enhanced senses to help him better navigate underwater.
** Enhanced vision: Aquaman's vision lets him see in the darker environment of the sea, as his eyes reflect all available light, giving them a distinct sheen in darkness. From his perspective, the seemingly dark environment of Atlantis is brightly lit, with the vivid and vibrant flora and fauna of the sea being as clear as though he were on land.
* Amphibious adaptation: As a high-born half-Atlantean, Aquaman can survive both on land and in underwater environments for as long as he desires with no hindrance to his performance, unlike most Atlanteans.
** Aquatic respiration: Due to his high-born Atlantean heritage, Aquaman is able to breathe both on lands and underwater, thereby meriting his superhero nickname. This also allows him to clearly talk underwater with others as if he was above water.
* Marine telepathy: Aquaman is able to telepathically interact with sea life, and can induce them to ally with him, causing his eyes to glow golden. Indeed, according to the Karathen, Aquaman is the first Atlantean since Atlan himself to possess this ability. He first manifested this as a young child, when defending himself against two bullies. He could also communicate with the monstrous Karathen, much to the creature's surprise. After gaining the Trident of Atlan, Aquaman's powers of marine communication were boosted, granting him control over every oceanic creature on Earth, including the savage Trench (a feat that previously was considered impossible). It even allowed him to persuade the Karathen to battle alongside him in the Kingdom of the Brine.
* Hydrokinesis: Aquaman, as the heir of Atlan, can control and manipulate water, though he has less experience with this ability than Mera. While under the docks of Gotham City, Aquaman was able to hold off a torrent of water from drowning the Justice League, and later created a barrier of water to protect him from Orm's attacks during the War for Atlantis. After claiming the Trident of Atlan, Aquaman's control of water was considerably increased to allow him to generate and control massive tidal waves. Aquaman was able to use his hydrokinesis to push a submarine over his head, pushing it quickly to the surface without tension. While in water, Aquaman can generate an immense propulsive force, allowing him to swim at very high speeds of at least Mach 4.6, This propulsion is strong enough that it can cause a "sonic boom" effect. This action can also propel himself from the water and onto the surface and can travel the ocean faster than any naval vessel, thus quickly intercepting a Russian submarine.
=== Abilities ===
* Master combatant: Having been trained by Nuidis Vulko from a very young age, Aquaman is an extremely skilled fighter, both in armed combat and melee, whether it be above or in water. However, Vulko noted that Aquaman's years of surface combat have dulled his water combat prowess, making him less capable in such combat. He likewise has been taught very advanced combat techniques. His skill is able to defeat entire groups of highly trained Atlantean soldiers, human pirates, and Parademons, even fend off entire armies with relative ease. Aquaman could also hold his ground against his extremely skilled brother Orm for some time despite Orm's particular expertise in underwater combat and was ultimately able to defeat him in their final fight. When fighting the armored Black Manta, Aquaman was able to contend with and even ultimately outmatch him despite his use of Atlantean blades while Aquaman himself was unarmed and having been severely injured prior to coming out victorious. He was even capable of holding his own against the considerably stronger Steppenwolf repeatedly, once briefly pushing him back when having him off-guard in their first fight before getting subdued, later on managing to outfight him when he was injured quickly, as well as managing to injure the New God alongside Wonder Woman.
** Trident mastery: Having been trained by Nuidis Vulko, Aquaman has become extremely skilled in battling with a trident, using one to defeat hordes of Parademons and faceoff against Steppenwolf wielding his axe and later on when fighting Orm for the throne, holding his ground against both opponents despite ultimately losing and besting his brother in their final duel. As per Vulko's training, Aquaman can employ a rare combat move, performing a rapidly-spinning with his trident so fiercely that it became a blur, which upon doing so will repel all attacks attempting to penetrate this trident defense. Indeed, after seeing Aquaman employ this move to win against Orm in their second duel, all Atlanteans, Xebellians, Fishermen, and Brine present accepted him as the new King of Atlantis, and the Seven Kingdoms thus swore allegiance to King Arthur.
** Sword mastery: While Aquaman rarely uses swords in combat, he was trained by Nuidis Vulko to be an exceptionally skilled swordsman. With his skill, Aquaman was able to seamlessly disarm an Atlantean soldier of the latter's sword and used the sword to defeat him and the other attack soldiers.
* Expert marksman: With his trident, Aquaman has immensely proficient marksmanship. He can strike down several Parademons with a single throw. Aquaman was notably able to throw it after being launched forward by Cyborg, spearing a distant Parademon in the chest from a considerable distance away.
* Gifted intellect: In contrast to his loutish personality, Arthur is well versed in the finer arts of knowledge and literature and plays. His father had taught him many of the fundamental historical facts of human history as he was growing up, as well as learning more and more about the world and its various intrigues along his travels across the globe with Nuidis Vulko, as well as his own experiences. Arthur is well-read and occasionally refers to works of literature, such as Friedrich Schiller's William Tell to Batman ("Strong man is strongest alone."), Herman Melville's Moby Dick to an Icelandic fisherman ("Whiskey. And one for Ahab there."), William Shakespeare's Hamlet ("To be or not to be?"), and one of Jules Verne's poems when describing the extremely unlikelihood of his parents' relationship ("Put two ships in the open sea without wind or tide, they will come together.").
** Multilingualism: Aquaman is fluent in various dialects ranging (but most likely not limited) to English, Icelandic, Russian, Maori, Spanish, and Italian.
* Master swimmer: Aquaman, like all Atlanteans, is an extremely skilled swimmer, though Nuidis Vulko had to train him to swim like an Atlantean as well, with Arthur thus learning to quickly propel himself from water, like a dolphin.
== Equipment ==
=== Weapons ===
* Trident of Atlan: Arthur currently possesses the Trident of Atlan as the new ruler of the underwater kingdom, Atlantis.
* Atlanna's trident: Aquaman's first weapon, it once belonged to his mother Atlanna, former Queen of Atlantis, who left him the trident after her departure. This weapon is extremely durable and capable to cause serious injury to even powerful beings, such as the new god Steppenwolf. In addition, the trident is also able to help Aquaman control water, with him notably holding off the torrential force of a wave by repelling it with the trident. The trident seemingly appears to somewhat enhance Aquaman's speed while underwater, causing a massive shockwave of force as he fled from the NSA's UUV drones. The trident was eventually broken by Orm during the Duel in the Ring of Fire.
=== Other equipment ===
* Atlan's armor: After having found the Trident of Atlan, Arthur also took the attire of Atlan, as the new bearer of the trident. This suit includes pants, boots and green gloves and the shirt that covers the chest and abs of bright golden color. Later, he started using the suit as his heroic alter-ego, "Aquaman."
* Atlantean armor: After Steppenwolf's invasion of Atlantis, Aquaman donned an ancient suit of Atlantean armor to face the New God and his army of Parademons.
* Arthur's gladiator armor: During his battle with Orm, for the throne of Atlantis, Arthur took part in a duel, which also included a helmet to protect his skull. After escaping from Atlantis following his defeat, he stopped wearing the armor.
=== Vehicles ===
* Flying Fox: Aquaman, among with the Justice League, travel to Pozharnov, Russia with the Flying Fox.
* Mera's ship: Aquaman and Mera use this ship to go to the Kingdom of Atlantis.
== Relationships ==
=== Family ===
* Atlan † - ancestor
* Mr. Curry † - paternal grandfather
* Thomas Curry - father
* Atlanna - mother
* Orm Marius/Ocean Master - half-brother and rival
=== Allies ===
* Claudia - childhood friend
* Atlantis
** Mera - friend and love interest
** Nuidis Vulko - mentor, protector, friend and adviser
** Atlantean soldiers - enemies and attempted killers turned subjects
* Justice League - teammates
** Bruce Wayne/Batman - recruiter, friend, and team leader
** Diana/Diana Prince/Wonder Woman - friend
** Barry Allen/Flash - friend
** Victor Stone/Cyborg - rival turned friend
** Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman - enemy turned ally
* Alfred Pennyworth
* Daily Planet
** Lois Lane - savior
* S.T.A.R. Labs
** Silas Stone †
* Topo
* Karathen - attempted killer turned ally
* Kingdom of Xebel
** Nereus - enemy turned subject
* Kingdom of the Fishermen
** Scales - enemy turned subjects
* Trench - enemies turned subjects
* Kingdom of the Brine
** Brine King
** Brine
* Amanda Waller - situational ally
* 11th Street Kids
** Christopher Smith/Peacemaker
** Emilia Harcourt
** Vigilante
** Leota Adebayo
** John Economos	
=== Enemies ===
* Mike - childhood bully
* Matt - childhood bully
* Lex Luthor - secret observer
* ARGUS
** Amanda Waller - monitor
* Darkseid's Elite
** Darkseid
** Steppenwolf † - attempted killer and attempted victim
** DeSaad
** Granny Goodness
* Parademons
* Black Manta's crew - attempted killers
** David Kane/Black Manta - archenemy and attempted killer
** Jesse Kane †
* Murk - captor and attempted killer
* Darkseid (Knightmare) - killer
== Appearances ==
ExpandList of appearances
== Trivia ==
* ARGUS has been monitoring Arthur Curry since the age of 20.
* The Atlantean tribal tattoos on Aquaman are modelled after and inspired by actor Jason Momoa's own Polynesian tattoo.
* He is the only member of the Justice League to have two surviving parents.
* While hiding in the dark of the wrecked ship, he displayed blue colored eye-shine, similar to raccoons, cats, and dogs.
* Aquaman and Batman both have fathers named Thomas.
* This is the first version of Aquaman not to be blonde, though his hair does have blonde highlights.
* Arthur is right-handed.
* Arthur was named when Thomas saw the news on Hurricane Arthur on television, although it is strongly implied it was inspired by his father's fondness for the legacy invoked by King Arthur. Coincidentally, in real life, his possible birth year of 1979 (stated by his file in Suicide Squad, but contradicted by the Aquaman which shows him being born during or after 1985) was the first year when this was technically possible on the Atlantic coast where he lives, as it was the first year when both male and female names are used for hurricanes, and previously only female names were used. However, Atlantic hurricanes start with a female name on odd-number years, in the case of 1979, it was Tropical Storm Ana, and the first Pacific hurricane was Hurricane Andres. Additionally, it is meteorologically improbable for a hurricane to form in January as tropical cyclones are fueled by the energy of warm oceans; the strongest hurricane on record to form in January only reached category 1. "Hurricane Arthur" is said to be a category 4, the earliest of which in history is Hurricane Dennis, formed in early July.
* In the Injustice 2 Mobile game, he is playable as two separate characters, "Justice League Aquaman" and "King of Atlantis Aquaman," based on his appearances in Justice League and Aquaman respectively.
* Aquaman is commonly misidentified as a Metahuman due to Humans not knowing of the existence of Atlantis.
* Aquaman is one of the DCEU characters who appears as a player skin in Fortnite. He was introduced in Chapter 2, Season 3, and his regular (Arthur Curry) and armored appearances are unlocked via challenged unlocked with the purchase of a Battle Pass.
== Behind the scenes ==
* Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe is the third live-action incarnation of the character, following incarnations portrayed by Alan Ritchson and Justin Hartley.
* Ben Wright, Kim Fardy and Ryan Tarran were stunt doubles for Jason Momoa in the role of Aquaman.
== References ==
The DC Extended Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Aquaman.
# ↑ Jump up to:1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Ayer, David (writer and director) (August 5, 2016). Suicide Squad.
# ↑ Jump up to:2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Beall, Will, Wan, James, Johns, Geoff (writers) & Wan, James (director) (December 21, 2018). Aquaman.
# ↑ Jump up to:3.0 3.1 3.2 Aquaman: Arthur's Guide to Atlantis
# ↑ Aquaman: Undertow
# ↑ Jump up to:5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Terrio, Chris, Whedon, Joss (writers) & Snyder, Zack (director) (November 17, 2017). Justice League.
# ↑ Aquaman Deleted Scene
# ↑ Jump up to:7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Goyer, David S., Terrio, Chris (writers) & Snyder, Zack (director) (March 25, 2016). Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
# ↑ Jump up to:8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 Terrio, Chris, Beall, Will (writers) & Snyder, Zack (writer and director) (March 18, 2021). Zack Snyder's Justice League.
# ↑ Aquaman: The Junior Novel
# ↑ Gayden, Henry, Lemke, Darren (writer) & Sandberg, David F. (director) (April 5, 2019). Shazam!.
# ↑ Peacemaker: 1.01: A Whole New Whirled
# ↑ Gunn, James (writer & director) (February 17, 2022). "It's Cow or Never". Peacemaker. Season 1. Episode 8. HBO Max.
# ↑ Aquaman: Exclusive First look by the CW
# ↑ How Fast is the DCEU Aquaman Underwater?
# ↑ "Zack Snyder Defends Aquaman’s Honor" - The Mary Sue
== External links ==
* Aquaman on DC Database
* Aquaman on Wikipedia
Justice League	Justice League
Members 	Wonder Woman | Cyborg | Flash | Superman | Aquaman
Associates 	Alfred Pennyworth