Arthur Curry is the king of Atlantis, and the superhero known as Aquaman. Following the defeat of his brother he becomes a member of the Justice League.
Biography
Pre-Flashpoint
The Justice League gathered at the Flash Museum after an alert about a breaking and entering was flagged. The perpetrators, the Rogues, were planted with futuristic bombs by Professor Zoom and left to die, all to kill the Flash. Aquaman took custody of Top and tossed him into the harbor nearby. He then summoned a million microbes to eat away at the bomb's wiring.
Flashpoint
In the Flashpoint timeline, instead of being a superhero, Orin became King of Atlantis. When he and Diana had an affair, Mera tried to intervene and was killed. Feeling betrayed, Orin declared war on the Amazons. In the war, he captured Captain Atom to power a doomsday device with which he intends to kill the Themyscirans. He also sank Western Europe into the ocean but the Themyscirans were protected by magic renaming the occupied British Isles New Themyscira.
As Deathstroke and Lex Luthor attempted to look for Aquaman's weapon, Aquaman led his Atlantean forces to kill the crew, however, Lex transmitted coordinates to the United States Government. In a bid to try and end the war, Hal Jordan attempted a kamikaze run with an alien spacecraft and a powerful explosive, but Aquaman had a sea dragon eat Hal Jordan's craft and the payload. Aquaman and his fleet were unaffected by the blast and prepared for the invasion.
On New Themyscira, Aquaman launched an immense final battle and was surrounded by Grifter's resistance who were trying to call off the war. Aquaman simply resisted and fought with the heroes. In the end, Aquaman mortally injured Cyborg before his right arm was blasted off by Superman's heat vision. Seeing his Atlanteans dead, Aquaman was ambushed and pierced by Wonder Woman's sword. He refused to surrender knowing full well his people will be slaughtered by the Amazon Queen. He boasted for the greater good, he would not let Wonder Woman have the final victory and activated his doomsday device, vaporizing the Flashpoint Earth.
Post-Flashpoint
Early life
Arthur Curry was born to Thomas Curry, a lightkeeper in Mercy Reef, Maine, and Queen Atlanna of Atlantis. He was conceived out of wedlock, during Atlanna's time on the surface with Thomas. Atlanna loved Thomas and Arthur Curry but she could not ignore the fact she was promised to the next king of Atlantis. Unable to wed Curry or raise a half-breed son, Atlanna left them at Mercy Reef and returned home. At a young age, he once dove into the sea despite his father's warning. He briefly encountered his mother, whom he shared a brief, yet precious moment with her, where she gently whisked away without hurting her son, after her fondly kissing his forehead. Arthur instantly recognized his mother, and told his father about how he encountered, but Tom Curry didn't believe the story. Curry insisted Atlanna was gone for good and it was just the two of them. At some point, Curry saw Dr. Stephen Shin, a theoretical marine biologist, on the news talking about Atlantis. Curry wrote to Shin and asked for help with his half Atlantean son. Arthur Curry grew up his whole life thinking something was wrong with him.
Discovering the truth
At adulthood, Arthur went through a period of grieving following his Thomas' recent death. After his father's passing and burial, Curry drowned his sorrows at a local bar. He picked a fight with other patrons over a lobster he was talking to. As the fight went on, it became apparent he had inherited the enhanced attributes of an Atlantean. After throwing the last assailant into the sea, Curry released the lobster back into the wild. He never noticed he was being watched by both Mera, Atlanna's bodyguard, and Dr. Shin. He staggered back home to the Curry Lighthouse. Curry focused on a frame of his parents.
In light of current events, Queen Atlanna came to believe her people craved a new perspective of the surface world. She believed her first born would be the beacon to lead Atlantis into the next century. Arthur Curry awoke the next morning with a hangover and was visited by Shin. After Shin revealed his father asked him for help, Curry agreed to let him in. As soon as he opened the door, Shin fell over with a sickle in his back. The Drift One team surfaced and attempted to assassinate Curry. He fought back and made his way to the top, throwing the floodlight at his attackers. The soldiers outside destroyed the lighthouse with their energy weapons. As Curry fell, he was saved by Mera and taken to ancient ruins. After Curry awoke, Mera explained the circumstances of his birth and showed him the king's royal garbs in the Royal armory. Dressed in them, Curry was overwhelmed and took to the surface to get his bearings. However, he and Mera were attacked by Trenchers. The Justice League came to their aid.
Superman's words about meeting his own people convinced Arthur Curry to go to Atlantis. When they arrived to a nearly deserted city, it was revealed Atlanna was dead. While they paid their respects, Orm appeared and "welcomed" his half brother. He boasted of his involvement in killing Atlanna then easily took everyone out using the magic of the trident. Curry used his royal blood to control his confines and disintegrate the pod conjured by the trident. He freed Superman, who dealt with the giant monster they were offered to, and summoned a whale with telepathy to carry the others to safety. Once Mera awoke, Curry told her he was going to stop his half brother from destroying the surface world. After Curry made his way to shore and fought some Atlantean soldiers, he was attacked by Black Manta. As Manta laid out his true plans, Curry summoned a Great White Shark to deal with him. He made his way into the city and challenged Orm to a one-on-one battle. While Curry held his own, he was ultimately no match for the trident.
Luckily, Batman and Cyborg broadcast a recording of the latter's earlier encounter with Orm admitting to Atlanna's murder. While Orm tried to convince his army the footage were lies, Curry recovered and decked him into a car. Curry addressed the army and promised he could bridge both worlds in peace. One by one, soldiers in the army removed their helmets and kneeled to Curry. With the war over, Curry took Mera in his arms and they kissed. Curry was formally coronated as king of Atlantis Where Arthur takes his place as king, wanting to bridge the surface and Atlantian worlds in peace and joined the Justice League as Aquaman, after the name given to him by people online that Shazam gave him much to his annoyance. King Arthur and Mera swam to the edge of the city and headed off an incursion by the Trenchers. He summoned all marine life nearby to aid them. Together, they defeated the Trenchers in short order and he and Mera shared a passionate kiss.
Justice League Dark
Aquaman makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the animated film Justice League Dark.
Personality
Always having felt out of place, Arthur spent most of his life feeling like an outcast, and his only major source of comfort being the close relationship he had with his father, Thomas. As a child, he was eager to reunite with his mother, and was overjoyed after seeing her again. As he got older, however, Arthur became disillusioned with her ever returning, and bluntly stated she ran out on him and his father years ago, when spoken to about her. After his father's death, Arthur drowned his sorrows in alcohol, his intoxication showing his defensive and combative side. After finding out that he was the son of Atlantis's queen, everything that had eluded him suddenly made sense. When his half-brother confessed to murdering their mother, Arthur's righteous furry showed, and displayed a wrath that bordered on murderous and homicidal, though understandably justified. He also showed a flirtatious side to him as well, such as his interactions with Mera, who reciprocated his advances with obvious enthusiasm.
Powers and abilities
Powers
- Atlantean hybridized physiology: As an Atlantean, Arthur was both stronger and tougher than ordinary human beings, and could indefinitely breathe underwater as well as in the air. His body is biologically adapted to survive the extremes found in the depths of the ocean.
- Superhuman strength: Arthur is able to throw things over an extreme distance, further than any human.[1]
- Superhuman durability: Arthur is unaffected when he's hit by sharp objects, and they do not pierce his skin.[1]
- Accelerated healing: Arthur is able to recover from wounds far quicker then any human.
- Superhuman speed: While underwater, Arthur can swim at supersonic speeds.
- Marine telepathy: Arthur can control vast numbers of sea creatures through the use of telepathy.[1]
- Water manipulation: Arthur can manipulate water in order to propel himself through it.[1]
- Aquatic respiration: Due to his Atlantean heritage, he can breath underwater just as well as he can on land.
Abilities
- Hand-to-hand combatant
- Expert swimmer
- Leadership
Equipment
- Atlantean Royal Armor
- Trident of Poseidon
Background information
Writer Heath Corson originally wanted to use Aquaman in Justice League: War. The idea, however, was scratched because he wanted to save Aquaman for his own film, which ended up becoming Justice League: Throne of Atlantis. Corson ultimately declared that Aquaman's absence in War turned out better as he used Shazam instead.[2]
Appearances
Films
- Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (first appearance)
- Justice League Dark (no lines)
- The Death of Superman
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Corson, Heath (writer) & Spaulding, Ethan (director) (January 27, 2015). Justice League: Throne of Atlantis.
- ↑ @HeathCorson at Twitter