Arthur Curry. King of Atlantis. The Aquaman. Played in the upcomingJustice Leaguefilm byGame of Thronesalum,Jason Momoa, the protector of the seas will see himself joining the ragtag group of superheroes as something of a stand-offish, hard drinking, Conan the Barbarian-esque figure. This of course works well for Momoa, not just because of his roots in Honolulu, Hawaii, but also because Momoa once played Conan in a revamp of the franchise a few years back. Ironically enough, Momoa himself was even a marine biology major in college for a brief period of time, foreshadowing his eventual role as “the Aquaman” in DC’s big tentpole film. But if you’re unfamiliar with the character’s origins, powers, or what in the world it is he actuallydoes, we’re here help get you ready forJustice League. Below, we’ve run down Aquaman’s past, present and future to give you a better understanding of the life of Arthur Curry.
Origins from The Briney Deep
Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, originally debuted in 1941 as part ofMore Fun Comics #73from creatorsMort WeisingerandPaul Norris. While Aquaman’s origin has been tweaked throughout the years, the basics of it are that Curry was the result of a romance between a lighthouse keeper and a denizen of Atlantis named Atlanna. Realizing that the sea wasn’t the best place to raise him, Atlanna left Arthur with his father above the ocean waves to live the life of a normal surface dweller. Eventually however, Arthur discovered the truth about his origins (namely that he’s part Atlantean) and decided to use his newfound powers to protect both Atlantis and the surface world whenever he could. Unlike a number of fictional plotlines, Curry himself wasn’t exactly of royal lineage but was actually voted into leadership by the populace of Atlantis, becoming their king. After doing so, Aquaman actually met his queen, Mera, a ruler of an alternate dimension that existed underwater. Aquaman has had a long, often forgotten, history within the DC Comics universe, which has been pretty solid throughout the many reboots and changes over the years.
At one point, Arthur Curry was actually the son of an Atlantean wizard rather than the lighthouse keeper, strengthening his ties to Atlantis and introducing one of his main enemies in the form of the Ocean Master, his brother Orm. Orm was an ordinary man who was eventually able to use technology to make himself Arthur’s equal and attempted to become Atlantis’ new king. Orm’s role has somewhat changed over time with his origin being tweaked here and there, but his antagonistic relationship with his brother remains the same. Also, Aquaman did have a sidekick in the form of the briefly named “Aqualad”, who would then grow up to become something of a sorcerer-style superhero under the moniker of Tempest, joining the Teen Titans while still having ties to his ancestral home. Currently, Aquaman in the comics is still a member of the Justice League, splitting his time between Atlantis and the world above it, resembling an appearance closer to that of his movie counterpart.
Powers and Prestige
The biggest struggle of Aquaman’s life hasn’t been squaring off against his enemies like Ocean Master and Black Manta, but rather in not being taken seriously. Aside from the “power to talk to fish”, ie Aquaman’s ability to telepathically communicate with marine life and order them to do what he wants, Curry’s bright orange costume wasn’t exactly doing him any favors in that department either. Arthur’s abilities were often bolstered in that he’s become nearly as physically strong as Superman in recent years, is now bulletproof, can survive the many ocean depths, and even can reach into anyone’s brain and attack the part that descended from their Atlantean roots (which apparently everyone has!). Aquaman himself often brandishes the “trident of Poseidon”, a magical trident that is basically unbreakable that can channel untold magic through it. Much like any other superhero with a long stretch of history, his powers have shifted slightly from time to time but the basics have remained intact.
As mentioned earlier, Aquaman’s fight against his portrayal in “the Super Friends” and general recognition of the world at large has been a key struggle for creators. In the 1990s, a path that DC comics took with the character was having him lose his left hand, have it replaced with a retracting hook, give him a beard, and completely revamp his costume to look more like a swimmer/barbarian. It was this look that was predominantly the inspiration for the upcoming movie appearance with Jason Momoa. As time went on, a new take was given to his old suit while still keeping the edgy personality that Arthur Curry had during this period, with Aquaman seen more as an outsider than a happy go lucky communicator with fish. Aquaman became something of the scrapper of the Justice League, itching for a fight and using his powers with ruthless efficiency. A happy medium has been recently found with Arthur marrying his one true love Mera and attempting to become more notable with the denizens of the surface world.
Under the Sea
Aquaman has made frequent appearances in the media, originally in the television cartoon series,The Super Friendswherein himself, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Superman would battle villains in an extremely kid friendly environment. Later on, Arthur Curry would return in Bruce Timm’s animated magnus opus,Justice LeagueandJustice League Unlimitedrespectively. In Timm’s world, they adapted the Aquaman that was in the style of his 90’s counterpart, brandishing a hook for a hand and looking more like a bar room brawler than his original incarnation. When this series ended Aquaman returned in the TV seriesYoung Justice, though he acted more as a bit player to shine the spotlight on his protégé, Aqualad. Most recently, Aquaman was the focus of the animated film,Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, which introduced him to a new generation of viewers. Aside from these animated outings, Arthur Curry also had his own live-action television pilot which was originally going to be aired on the CW, but was ultimately nixed. This pilot was spawned from his handful of appearances on the long runningSmallvilleseries which followed a young Clark Kent learning to become Superman.
In the DC Cinematic Universe, Arthur Curry made his initial splash inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicein a quick clip found by Lex Luthor, along with the Flash and Cyborg. WithJustice League, we are going to see an Aquaman who revels in thrills and barbarism, most likely closest to his 1990s comic book version or theJustice Leagueanimated series. What all of his powers will be is still yet to be seen, but it’s certain that he’ll be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the League, in both strength and character. Following theJustice Leaguemovie, Aquaman will havehis own solo filmfrom directorJames Wan, hitting theaters in December of 2018. Whether Momoa’s character will be the breakout star of the team outing is a mystery but considering Wan’s track record, the merman is in good hands.
