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Arthur Curry, born with the Atlantean name Orin, is a prince of Atlantis, as well as the superhero known as Aquaman.
While initially unwilling and hostile, Aquaman would eventually be recruited by Batman and Wonder Woman to be a member of the Justice League, in order to help defend Earth against the imminent alien invasion of Steppenwolf and his Parademon army.
Arthur Curry was born on January 29, 1979[citation needed], in Amnesty Bay, Maine, to Thomas Curry, a lighthouse operator, and Atlanna, the Atlantean queen. This heritage caused Arthur to grow up with incredible strength, as well as the ability to breathe underwater. Arthur's ignorance regarding how to handle these Atlantean powers, however, induced him to become very conflicted, and somewhat gloomy, with internal struggles.
Lex Luthor kept an eye on Aquaman, as he did with other recorded metahumans. Lex did this by hacking into several high-clearance government UUV drones, which recorded a video of Aquaman while the Atlantean hid inside a wrecked ship in a Pacific Ocean trench near Tonga. One drone showed Aquaman emerging from the shadows, displaying blue eye-shine, and then aiming his Trident of Poseidon and angrily stabbing it. Another UUV drone showed Aquaman swimming away from the site, fast enough to cause an underwater sonic boom.[1]
After her Suicide Squad 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 multiple notable metahumans, including that of the Barry Allen, Arthur Curry, and Victor Stone[2], referring to the information's value as equivalent to 'crown jewels'.
Justice League
Meeting Bruce Wayne
Arthur meeting Bruce for the first time.
"'The strong man is strongest alone', you ever hear that?" "That's not a saying. That the opposite of what the saying is!"
Arthur was visited by Bruce Wayne in Newfoundland,[3]Canada, who had learned of his location from files given to him by Amanda Waller.[2] Bruce arrived during the winter, during which time Arthur brought fish to feed the hungry, always coming on the King tide. On the day right after the King tide, 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 to 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 responded with hostility, proceeding to angrily lift and pin Bruce against the wall in an attempt to intimidate the latter, though he eventually decided to talk with Bruce.[4]
Bruce commented on the rumors surrounding Arthur, amusing pointing out his ability to 'talk to fish'.
Afterwards, while Arthur was beginning to depart back into the ocean, he remarked that 'a strong man is strongest alone', to which Bruce, incredulous, commented that Arthur had gotten the actual saying backwards. Ultimately, Arthur left his membership to the Justice League pending, though Diana Prince would later state that he would eventually come around to joining.
Initially, Arthur Curry is a very conflicted individual, struggling with the fact that he has superhuman powers which he didn't know how to handle, due to him having not been trained in his childhood. Hence, Arthur grew up feeling alienated from both the human and Atlantean worlds, feeling trapped between them, yet having the responsibility of protecting both.[5] Arthur is thus somewhat gruff and reserved, unwilling to accept Bruce Wayne's offer to join the Justice League at first, and gets annoyed with the young and humorous Flash[6].
Despite his somewhat gloomy exterior, however, Arthur is ultimately a selfless and compassionate person, indicated by him frequenting a certain Canadian fishing village during the winter, in order to feed its hungry inhabitants with fish. This is later shown when he saves an unconscious fisherman found along the shore, bringing him into the shelter of a local pub in the village. However, he then casually shrugs it off by stating that his drinks would be on the fisherman.
Aquaman, while outwardly very serious and gloomy, occasionally demonstrates a dry sense of humor, notably complimenting Batman on the latter's vigilante suit.[7]. He gradually developed a friendship with Cyborg as well, seen when the latter assisted him in taking down a group of airborne Parademons. Aquaman is also a realist, recognizing that he and the other Justice Leaguers could very well die in a battle against the New God Steppenwolf.
Despite his gruff and devil-may-care approach to battle, Arthur is also exceptionally intelligent and inciteful, notably when he quotes Friedrich Schiller's William Tell to Bruce Wayne when asked to join the League, stating that 'the strong man is strongest alone', thus futher emphasizing his preferred isolation from the surface world.
As an Atlantean warrior, Arthur is perfectly capable of presenting himself as hostile and fearsome, a trait which he tried to use against Bruce Wayne, but ultimately fell short due to the latter's profound experience in intimidation tactics. As such, Arthur quickly drops his façade, revealing his laid back and charming self.
Hybrid Physiology: Being half-Atlantean (as the son of Queen Atlanna), Aquaman is an extremely powerful being, especially when exposed to water. Thanks to his half-human physiology (as the son of Thomas Curry), Arthur can also survive on the surface longer than any Atlantean could.
Super Strength: Aquaman has incredible superhuman strength, on par with Ocean Master, King Nereus and Black Manta, though not on the same level as that of Superman or Wonder Woman, making him the third strongest member of the Justice League.[8] His strength allows Aquaman to easily lift and pin Batman against a wall (hard enough to make the latter grunt), to easily destroy an underwater NSA drone with a single trident stab[1], to impale multiple Parademons at once with a hurled trident[7], to firmly stay on top of the speeding Batmobile[7], and to even stand without being moved by huge ocean waves.
Aquaman is able to use his incredible strength to jump immense vertical and horizontal distances, with him leaping from the speeding Batmobile's roof, up at a group of airborne Parademons[7].
Super Durability: Aquaman is incredibly durable, as he is able to withstand immense underwater pressures at over 21,000 feet below sea level[1], as well as to survive unscathed and unwinded after falling from an immense height through several floors of a building.[4] He was able to survive a fight against the considerably stronger Steppenwolf, being thrown into and crushed by a pillar when the latter invaded Atlantis. With his trident, Aquaman was able to hold off a torrent of water singlehandedly.
Super Speed: While underwater, Aquaman can swim at supersonic speeds, managing to thus successfully escape from an NSA UUV drone and cause a sonic boom in the water.[1] He was also able to leap onto the roof of a speeding Batmobile, riding it until he lunged into a squad of Parademons.
Aquaman has a superhuman level of agility and coordination, allowing him to dodge Steppenwolf's hurled Electro Axe while underwater, to balance himself while standing on a falling Parademon corpse (which subsequently fell right through several stories of a building), and to even balance himself on the speeding Batmobile's roof.
Super Reflexes: Aquaman is shown to be able to respond to changing tactical situations and react accordingly. He was able to quickly impale a Parademon through the chest after being thrown into a freefall, then follow up by striking down another to use to break his fall, subsequently crashing through a building, then continue his assault on land.
Super Senses: As an Atlantean, Aquaman possesses enhanced senses to help him better navigate underwater.
Enhanced Vision: Aquaman's vision is better enhanced to help him see in the darker environment of the sea, with Aquaman's eyes notably glowing as he stood within the dark hull of a sunken ship.[1]
Marine Communication: Aquaman is able to telepathically communicate with sea life.[8]
Underwater Breathing: Aquaman, due to his Atlantean heritage, can naturally breathe underwater, thereby earning his superhero nickname.[8]
Skilled Combatant: Aquaman, though not on par with Batman or Wonder Woman (due to having far less extensive combat experience), has proven himself a very capable armed combatant (with his Trident of Poseidon), notably single-handedly taking down many Parademons in rapid succession.
Skilled Leader: Aquaman, as the future king of Atlantis, is a skilled and capable leader, though not on par with Batman, hence he follows the latter's lead when finally joining the Justice League.
Expert Swimmer: Aquaman, like all Atlanteans, is an extremely skilled swimmer.
Expert Marksman: With the Trident of Poseidon, Aquaman has been shown to be an immensely skilled marksman, striking down a number of Parademons with a single throw. Aquaman was able to throw his trident after being propelled forward by Cyborg, spearing a distant Parademon in the chest from a considerable distance away.
Dehydration: Aquaman's greatest weakness is spending an extended period of time away from water, since that will considerably weaken his Atlantean powers.
Beings of Greater Power: Aquaman, when fighting beings of equal or greater incredible might, like fellow Atlanteans Ocean Master or King Nereus, the enhanced Black Manta, his stronger teammates Wonder Woman and Superman, or the New God Steppenwolf, is more vulnerable, as they can generate enough force to knock out, injure and even kill Aquaman, bypassing his immense durability. Indeed, Aquaman himself recognized that he could perish in a battle with Steppenwolf.
Aquaman's primary weapon (initially belonging to the Olympian God Poseidon prior to the War of the Gods), which, due to its nature, is one of the extreme few weapons that can actually injure the otherwise invulnerable Kryptonian Superman.[9] In addition the trident is also able to help Aquaman summon and control massive waves, with him notably holding off the torrental force of a wave by repelling it with the trident[4]. The trident also appears to somewhat enhance Aquaman's speed while underwater, causing a massive shockwave of force as he fled from the NSA's UUV drones.[1]
