Aquaman
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73. Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo comic book series. During the late 1950s and 1960s superhero-revival period known as the Silver Age, he was a founding member of the Justice League. In the 1990s Modern Age, writers interpreted Aquaman's character more seriously, with storylines depicting the weight of his role as king of Atlantis.
The son of a human lighthouse keeper and the queen of Atlantis, Aquaman is the alias of Arthur Curry, who also goes by the Atlantean name Orin. Others to use the title of Aquaman include a short-lived human successor, Joseph Curry; his protégé Jackson Hyde; and the mysterious Adam Waterman, who was briefly active during World War II. Aquaman's comic books are filled with colorful undersea characters and a rich supporting cast, including his mentor Nuidis Vulko, his powerful wife Mera, and various sidekicks such as Aqualad, Aquagirl, and Dolphin. Aquaman stories tend to blend high fantasy and science fiction. His villains include his archenemy, Black Manta, and his half-brother, Ocean Master.
Aquaman's original 1960s animated appearances left a lasting impression, making him widely recognized in popular culture and one of the world's most recognized superheroes. Jokes about his wholesome, weak portrayal in Super Friends and perceived feeble powers and abilities have been staples of comedy programs and stand-up routines, leading DC several times to attempt to make Aquaman edgier or more powerful in the comic books. Modern comic book depictions have tried to reconcile these various aspects of his public perception, with many versions often casting Aquaman as serious and brooding, weighed down by his public reputation, his responsibilities as king, and the complex world of Atlantean politics.
Aquaman has been featured in several adaptations, first appearing in animated form in the 1967 The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure and then in the related Super Friends program. Since then he has appeared in various animated productions, including prominent roles in the 2000s series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, as well as several DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Alan Ritchson also portrayed Aquaman in the live-action television series Smallville, while Jason Momoa portrayed the character in the DC Extended Universe.
Creation
Artist Paul Norris spoke on the inception of the character stating, "One day when I had brought in a finishedscript 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. 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 and then returned to Adventure Comics as the first feature for four more issues and as a backup in issues #491–500. The feature found a new home as a backup in Action Comics for 14 issues, 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 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. A new ongoing series, Aquaman, began in 1991, but was cancelled after 13 issues.
Aquaman was reinvented in the 1993–1994 miniseries Aquaman: Time and Tide, which provided a revamped origin for Aquaman. This was followed by a new ongoing series, Aquaman, which lasted until 2001 with 75 issues altogether, making it the longest-running Aquaman solo series to date.
Aquaman was launched in 2003, following on from the Obsidian Age storyline in JLA. In the wake of the DC event miniseries Infinite Crisis and DC's "One Year Later" relaunch, the series was renamed Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis with issue #40 until the final issue ; these 18 issues starred a brand new, younger Aquaman named Arthur Joseph Curry. There were no more solo Aquaman publications in Post-Crisis continuity, although the original Aquaman did feature as a main character in the limited series Brightest Day.
The New 52 continuity reboot in September 2011 saw the beginning of the ongoing series Aquaman. A spin-off team title, Aquaman and the Others, also ran for 11 issues from 2014 to 2015. Aquaman vol. 7 lasted for the entirety of the New 52 era of DC, ending with issue #52 in 2016 as part of the line-wide relaunch DC Rebirth. The New 52 volume was immediately followed by the one-shot issue Aquaman: Rebirth, preceding the launch of the ongoing series Aquaman, which ended with issue #66.
Upon cancellation of Aquaman vol. 8, Aquaman did not have a self-titled release until a digital only series titled Aquaman: Deep Dives released in 2020. Throughout 2022 Aquaman appeared in both Aquaman: The Becoming, and Aquamen which saw Aquaman train Jackson Hyde/Aqualad to take over his mantle. However, by the end of 2022, it seemed DC was moving away from this decision as they began publishing regular Aquaman team-up stories again. These included the seven-issue series Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target and the three issue Aquaman/The Flash: Voidsong. In August 2022, Aquaman received a three-issue mini-series called Aquaman: Andromeda under DC's adult audience comic series DC Black Label. The most current Aquaman titled released was the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special one-shot, released in October 2023 to coincide with the release of the Aquaman sequel film of the same name.
In January 2025 a new ongoing series began with Aquaman as part of the DC All In initiative.
Fictional character biography
Golden Age
Aquaman's first origin story was presented in flashback from his debut in More Fun Comics #73, narrated by Aquaman himself: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. 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, 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, 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.
At the end of the "Flashpoint Beyond" limited series, this version of Aquaman was among "The Thirteen" characters "removed from time" seen in the custody of the Time Masters. The capsules containing this Aquaman and those with him were found to have failed and they have been pulled back to the 1940s, restoring them to DC's history in modern-day stories.