Mera

## Background

### 1982 - Present: Mera

Mera & her twin sister Hila were born to King Ryus of the kingdom of Xebel, one of the original seven Atlantean kingdoms. When the girls were young, their mother died & their father was left alone to take care of them. She was raised by her father's chief taskmaster, turning her into the perfect warrior over the years. When she came of age, she was sent to Royal Palace of Atlantis to meet the Queen Atlanna, who eventually took her in & became her mentor.

As the Queen's protégée, she became a prominent military figure & highly regarded in Atlantis. As her trusted companion, Atlanna gave Mera with a secret task. She was to to observe & assess a young boy named Arthur Curry. In time, Atlanna would reveal the young man was in fact her first born son & the rightful heir to the throne. Mera would periodically make trips to the surface world & watch Curry in secret, even developing a crush on him. After one particular observation, she learned of the death of Arthur's mother & reported this to the Queen. Feeling it was time, Mera escorted Atlanna to see her son for the first time in years. Together, the three of them returned to Atlantis & Arthur was crowned Prince Orin of Atlantis.

Though Arthur was clearly fond of Mera, she continued to play hard to get. The two became uneasy friends for some time before the deaths of both King Orvax & Queen Atlanna, leading to Orm taking the throne & demanding Arthur's arrest. Mera secretly helped him escape then did her best to help Atlantis from behind the scenes.

She did her best to prohibit Orm's goals but it wasn't long before he was ready to declare war on the surface world. But Mera had also discovered a way for Arthur to defeat Orm: the Seven Treasures of Atlantis. It took several months but she eventually tracked him down on the surface world & was able to convince him to fight for his rightful place on the throne. With the help of some others, they were able to track down all seven artifacts & defeat Orm before he could declare war.

With Arthur crowned King, he began a romance a Mera & she was soon crowned Queen. Over the years, the two have ruled Atlantis, joined the Justice League, taken in proteges, raised their children & retired from the heroics. Though neither Arthur or Mera are above going to war for their kingdom or loved ones, their main priority is Atlantis' prosperity.

## Romantic Relationships

* Orin: Boyfriend (2002 - 2003); Husband (2003 - )

## Personality

Dedicated & compassionate, Mera has a somewhat intimidating exterior but is still understanding & caring once she can trust someone. As Atlantean royalty, Mera was raised with a strong sense of duty to her people & as such, will honor her duty above her own emotions if her position requires it. Above all, she believes in doing what is right & ultimately best for Atlantis, which initially is why she works with Orin to prevent the harm that will come from Orm's proposed war.

Upon first encounters, Mera can come off standoffish or stubborn but this is often a result of her determination to reach her goals. Underneath this hard exterior, Mera is actually quite selfless & caring. In her role as a warrior, she is also brave & quick-thinking. Outside of combat, she is also shown to be inventive in tight situations, such as when she manipulated Arthur's sweat & wine with her hydromancy skills. As a result of this quick-thinking, she can also be a bit impulsive.

## Powers & Abilities

* **Atlantean Physiology**: Atlanteans have, through scientific & sorcerous means, developed several abilities which allow them to live comfortably under the sea.
	+ ***Amphibian Nature***: Mera is able to breathe on land & while submerged in water due to a pair of gills hidden behind her ears. She can also talk unhindered while completely submerged/
	+ ***Enhanced Vision***: Mera is able to see perfectly in the pitch blackness of the deep ocean.
	+ ***Enhanced Hearing***: Her hearing is far greater than any human's.
	+ ***Enhanced Durability***: She can survive the crushing pressures of the deep ocean, which applies 1086 lbs of pressure per square inch.
	+ ***Enhanced Reflexes***: As an Atlantean, her reflexes are far quicker then any ordinary humans. Mera was able to dodge a bolt of lightning at point blank range, meaning she can process events happening at 220,000,000 miles per hour & react to them accordingly.
	+ ***Enhanced Speed***: Mera can swim at speeds that match her partner's & possibly surpasses them. At a casual swim, Mera has been reported to move at 575 mph according to fellow hero Animal Man. At her fastest, she can travel at a speed greater then Mach 5, this means Mera is capable of swimming faster then 3836 mph or 6174 kilometers per hour.
	+ ***Enhanced Strength***: Mera's strikes crash like tidal waves. When fighting off the Trench she displayed that she could crack their subhuman skulls with just a single strike. While above water she was able to snap a man's arm just by adding some pressure to it. Mera possesses considerable superhuman strength (carrying capacity of at least 70 tons). She can easily leap hundreds of yards & effortlessly rip through metal barriers. Like her husband, she can leap incredible distances due to her powerful leg muscles & dense bone structure. She can jump at least 2000 meters into the air.
	+ ***Telepathy***: Mera possesses a limited degree of telepathy, which allows her to communicate with other aquatic peoples. Unlike Aquaman, she cannot communicate with lower order marine life.
* **Magic:** Mera is an elite sorcerer by means of Atlantean standard. She is currently the headmistress of the Conservatory of Sorcery.
	+ ***Hydrokinesis***: While some Atlanteans possess hydrokinesis, her ability is greater than the others. She often uses her hydrokinesis to drain a person of their bodily fluids, quickly disabling them. She cannot control snow or ice & she does need a source to pull water from, as she cannot create it.
		- ***Force Field***
		- ***Heat & Cold Generation***
		- ***Liquid Construct Creation***: Mera has very fine control over water and can cause it to take any shape or form she chooses such as hands, piranhas & people.
		- ***Hard Water Constructs*:** Mera has the unique ability to solidify water into various weapons for physical attacks & protection. For example, she created a manta-shaped shield as well as a giant octopus whose tentacles were used for defensive and offensive purposes.
	+ ***Astral Projection***
	+ ***Electrokinesis*:** Mera has the power to generate electricity from the eel tattoos on her arms, which she can channel through water or use as a direct offense against opponents.
* **Hand to Hand Combat:** Mera was vigorously trained by her father's chief taskmaster & Atlanna in combat. With years of combat experience, she was able to fight Black Manta & Ocean Master to a standstill on separate occasions.
* **Historiography**: As a princess of Xebel, Mera was taught the traditions & lore of Xebel from an early age to prepare her for her role in the Xebel monarchy. She also knows many Atlantean & surface tales such as the legend of King Arthur.
* **Leadership**: Mera has been deemed a great enough leader that she was chosen as the figurehead of surface world & Atlantis peace negotiations.
* **Swordsmanship**: Mera demonstrated considerable skill with an Atlantean sword, allowing her to keep up with the Kingsguard.
* **Scale Armor:** When in Combat, she wears a green full body armored suit that further enhances her own durability to bulletproof levels.

### Weaknesses

* **Dehydration:** As Atlanteans' natural habitat are underwater, they are weakened when exposed to high temperatures & dry conditions. Atlanteans can only exist outside of water for a limited period of time without submerging themselves in water or else they will dehydrate & ultimately die. Proximity to fire will speed up the rate of dehydration.

### Ratings

* **Intelligence:** 5 - High / Exceptional
* **Strength:** 5 - High / Exceptional
* **Speed:** 5 - High / Exceptional
* **Occult:** 6 - Expert / Advanced
* **Weapons:** 4 - Trained / Learned
* **Range:** 5 - High / Exceptional
* **Strategy:** 5 - High / Exceptional
* **Combat:** 5 - High / Exceptional
* **TOTAL:** 160 - Threat Level 4 / Moderate Threat

## Trivia

* She is of a royal bloodline that are the revered water benders of legend. Her ability to make hard water constructs is passed down through her family.
* Batman once noted how impressive Mera's hydromancy abilities & skills in combat are.
* One day at the Royal Palace, Ocean Master attacked the throne & attempted to assassinate Queen Mera. Orin immediately engaged in a battle with him as he forced Mera to evacuate due to her pregnancy. During the fight, Ocean Master managed to subdue Aquaman & was about to stab him with his scepter when Garth & Kaldur swung in to lend a helping hand. Using a combination of Garth's sorcery skills & Kaldur's fighting abilities, the two attacked Ocean Master. Though they would lose the battle, their fight allowed for Aquaman to recuperate & defeat Ocean Master himself. Amazed by their abilities, he offered both of them the opportunity to study underneath him a battle & to take on the role of his partner. Garth declined the offer, rather returning to his studies at the Conservatory with Mera but Kaldur jumped at the opportunity, becoming Aqualad.
* She deeply hates her brother in law & blames him for her miscarriage.
* She witnessed Atlanna killing Orvax, after he admitted to killing Tom Curry. She helped her cover up the murder.

## Notes

* Diana & Mera being best friends is play on them being enemies in *The Flashpoint Paradox* & a nod to to *DC Bombshells*.
* Her miscarriage is a nod to the death of her first born at the hands of Black Manta.