Orin (New Earth)



Real Name: Orin II, adopted as Arthur Curry Nicknames: No known nicknames Former Aliases: No known former aliases Other Current Aliases: The Sea King, the dweller of the depths

Status
Occupation: Adventurer, former Monarch of Atlantis & King of the Seven Seas Legal Status: Citizen of Atlantis Identity: Publicly Known Marital Status: Separated Group Affiliation: Formerly Justice League of America, Justice League International, Justice League, Justice League of America Base of Operations: Sub Diego

Origin
Aquaman is the rightful heir to the throne of Atlantis.

Place of Birth: Poseidonis, Atlantis Known Relatives: Atlan (father), Atlanna (mother, deceased), Arthur Curry III (son, deceased), Garth (Tempest, adopted son), Koryak (son), Mera (wife, estranged), Orm Marius (half-brother), Arthur Tom Curry (adoptive father, deceased), various ancient rulers of Atlantis (deceased - mostly) First Appearance: More Fun Comics #73 (1941)

History
In his Golden Age appearances, as seen in his first appearance in More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941), Aquaman was presented as the son of a human scientist who gave him the ability to survive and breathe underwater, but had no other powers whatsoever.

This version of Aquaman was, in later years (after the establishment of DC Comics' multiverse) described as being the Aquaman of Earth-Two, an alternate Earth. The only appearances of the Golden Age/Earth-Two version of Aquaman after the Golden Age were in All-Star Squadron #59 and #60, just before he was retroactively eliminated from existence due to the changes wrought to DC's history by 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths.

In 1946, Aquaman's adventures moved from More Fun Comics to Adventure Comics, where he remained through the rest of the 1940s, the 1950s and early 1960s as a backup feature to the book's star, Superboy.

Most of Aquaman's adventures in the 1940s and 1950s consisted of Aquaman dealing with various criminals, pirates, and so forth, as well as threats to aquatic life and sailors. The first recurring supporting character Aquaman gained was Topo, his pet octopus, in Adventure Comics #229 in October 1956.

Starting in 1959, Aquaman saw his first major revisions to his mythos since the Golden Age, with various new supporting characters and adjustments made to to the character.

In Adventure Comics #260 and subsequent Silver Age comics, it was revealed that Aquaman was Arthur Curry, the son of a human lighthouse keeper named Tom Curry and his mother Atlanna, an outcast from the lost continent of Atlantis. Due to this heritage, Aquaman soon discovered as a youth that he possessed various aquatic abilities, including the ability to survive underwater, communicate with sea life, and tremendous swimming abilities. Eventually, Arthur decided to use his talents to become the defender of the Earth's oceans and its inhabitants, starting a career as "Aquaboy." As Aquaboy, he eventually met Superboy (Earth's only other superpowered superhero at the time) on one occasion (Superboy (volume 1) #171). Eventually, Arthur grew up and changed his name to "Aquaman."

In 1960, Aquaman became included in the Justice League of America comic, appearing with the team in its very first appearance in Brave and the Bold #28, and later revealed to be a founding member (as shown in flashback in Justice League of America #9). Aquaman took part in most of the 1960s adventures of the superhero team.

Around this time, Aquaman also began gaining his familiar cast of allies and enemies, starting in Adventure Comics #269 (February 1960), which introduced Aqualad, an outcast orphan youth from Atlantis whom Aquaman takes in.

Aquaman gained his own comic for the first time in 1962, which saw further additions to Aquaman's mythos, including the introduction of Mera (in Aquaman (volume 1) #11, September-October 1963), the queen of an aquatic world in another dimension; eventually, Mera and Aquaman became wed (in Aquaman (volume 1) #18, November-December 1964), with the two having a child together (named Arthur Jr. or "Aquababy").

The 1960s also saw the introduction of enemies such as Ocean Master and Black Manta, would-be conquerors of the sea.

A noteworthy story of this era is Adventure Comics #452 (July-August 1977), in which Black Manta (as part of a trap) killed Aquaman's infant son.

In the early 1980s, Aquaman disbanded the Justice League, and reformed the team with a group of younger members, as well as relocating the team to headquarters in Detroit, Michigan; this new version of the team, however, proved short-lived, and was disbanded during the events of the 1986 miniseries Legends.

In 1986, following Crisis on Infinite Earths, a four-issue Aquaman miniseries was published, featuring Aquaman in a new costume. The series failed to stir much interest, however, and was soon forgotten. In 1989, Aquaman received notice again with that year's The Legend of Aquaman special, which was soon followed by a five-issue miniseries. The following year saw the publication of The Atlantis Chronicles, which revived interest in the character. In 1991, a 13-issue Aquaman comic was published.

In 1993, Aquaman received another miniseries, Aquaman: Time and Tide; the four-issue miniseries delved into further details about Aquaman's origins.

In August 1994, Aquaman finally received his own comic again, initially scripted by Peter David, who also penned Time and Tide. This series ran for 75 issues; David left the series after nearly four years as Aquaman writer, and was replaced by Erik Larsen (with a brief stint by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning bridging the two). Larsen's work did not prove popular, though, and he was soon replaced by Dan Jurgens as scripter, who saw the series through to its cancellation with #75.

In 2002, a new Aquaman series began publication, and is currently still being published by DC. Writers who have contibuted to the series thus far include Rick Veitch, John Ostrander, Will Pfeifer and John Arcudi.

Modern origin and Background
After the 1985 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths, several miniseries in the late 1980s and early 1990s attempted to rewrite the Sea King's mythos and origin, though keeping most of his Silver Age history intact; the current version of Aquaman's origin and history is as follows:

Aquaman, born as Orin to Atlantis Queen Atlanna and the mysterious wizard Atlan, was abandoned on Mercy Reef as a baby because of his blonde hair, which was seen by the superstitious Atlanteans as a curse they called "the Mark of Kordax." The only one who spoke up on Orin's behalf was Vulko, a scientist who had no time for myth or superstition, and while his pleas had no effect, Vulko would later become a close friend and advisor of Orin's. Orin was found on the reef by dolphins; one of the dolphins, named Porm, took Orin in and became his adopted mother. As a child, Orin was found and taken in by a lighthouse keeper who gave him his own name, Arthur Curry. One day Orin returned to the lighthouse and found Arthur gone, so he set off on his own. In his early teens, Orin ventured to the far north, where he met and fell in love with an Inupiat named Kako. He also first earned the hatred of Orm, the future Ocean Master, who would prove to be his half-brother. He was driven away before he knew Kako had become pregnant with his son, Koryak.

Orin returned to the seas; he crossed paths with humans from time to time but for the most part he stayed well out of the reach of humanity, until a fateful day when Orin happened on the city of his birth, Atlantis. He was captured by the then-dictatorial government of the city and placed in a prison camp. He was helped by Vulko, at the time also a prisoner of the state, who taught Orin the language and ways of the Atlanteans. While Orin was there he realized that his mother was also being held captive, but once she was killed he broke out and fled. Eventually, Orin made his way to the surface world, and became a hero named "Aquaman." From this point on, Aquaman's history mostly follows his Silver Age history outlined above, though with a few differences.

When Aquaman eventually returned to Atlantis, he found that the citizens had been inspired to free themselves by his daring escape and that Atlantis was now a free city. Aquaman was recognized as the son of Queen Atlanna and so he became the King of Atlantis. Aquaman began a policy of slowly reintroducing Atlantis to the surface world, though after being ousted by a villain named Shark, he decided to become a more traditional superhero, even though with Shark's defeat he could have ascended the throne again. Around this time, Arthur met and married Mera, a queen from another dimension, and they had a son, Arthur Jr.

Eventually, Aquaman's foe Black Manta kidnapped and ultimately murdered Arthur Jr., causing a rift between Aquaman and his wife. Mera had been driven insane by grief and was soon committed to an asylum in Poseidonis. Shortly afterwards, an alien force conquered Atlantis. Arthur was forced to save the day, and in the process was hampered by an escaped Mera who personally blamed Arthur for the death of their son. In a fit of rage, Mera left Aquaman's dimension. After Atlantis was freed, Arthur knew he had to remain in Atlantis, and thus he resigned from the Justice League. For a time, he served as Atlantis's representative to the United Nations, but always found himself thrust back into the superhero role. Becoming more and more of a workaholic and solitary figure, Aquaman eventually returned to the oceans. He soon became tangled up in Black Manta's latest attempt at destroying Atlantis by dragging it into a war with a surface nation. In the aftermath of the war, Arthur received the Atlantis Chronicles, thus learning all about the history of his people and discovering that Ocean Master was really his half-brother, Orm. With all the chaos in his life, Arthur fell into a bout of severe depression. He retreated to his "Aquacave," having no real interest in Atlantis or superheroics.

New Look, New Attitude
Around the time of the Zero Hour storyline, Arthur was forced to return to action, compelled by his longtime partner Aqualad. Shortly into his new adventures, Aquaman lost his hand when the madman Charybdis stole his ability to communicate with sea life and stuck Arthur's hand in a pool of water teeming with piranhas. This may have caused him to become somewhat unhinged, and Aquaman soon began having prophetic dreams. Aquaman soon after fitted a harpoon for his missing hand, which led to an entirely new look, discarding his classic orange shirt for a silvery piece of armor that only covered the upper right half of his chest and part of his right arm, while growing long hair and a scraggly beard. Aquaman was also joined by Dolphin after Aqualad disappeared on a solo mission. Early on, Aquaman learned he had an illegitimate son named Koryak upon a visit up north. Aquaman fended off an attack by some villains from Apokolips. Koryak joined his father and returned with him to Atlantis. Aquaman's harpoon was soon destroyed, so Aquaman had it replaced with a cybernetic replacement from S.T.A.R. Labs. This new harpoon had a retractable reel that he could fully control.

Myth and Legends of Atlantis
Koryak's presence would lead to some disastrous results. After the king of Poseidonis was killed in one of a series of earthquakes, Koryak managed to convince the population to follow him on an exodus from the city. Aquaman returned to the empty city with Dolphin and they enjoyed a passionate night--unfortnately for Arthur, Mera returned and walked in on the two! Mera was briefly amnesic to her recent whereabouts (and mad as anything with Arthur for his infidelity). Aquaman and Dolphin pursued her to a nearby trench, where they were pulled into a parallel dimension by Thanatos. The alien/demonic beings who ruled that dimension pitted Thanatos against Aquaman. When Aquaman refused to kill Thanatos, it was decreed that he must remain until he was sufficiently evil and that Thanatos would be freed to come to Earth. Thanatos expected to find a kingdom to rule, but instead arrived to an empty city. Posing as Aquaman, he declared war on the surface--only to be unexpectedly killed as a consequence of Major Disaster's machinations. Aquaman learned that Mera had been living in this other dimension for about nine years in its time (about one year in the real world) and that she had a son exactly nine months after arriving. The son, A.J., could have been either Arthur's or Thanatos's, since she was under his complete domination at the time. Aquaman managed to contact his father, Atlan, who used his magic to release Aquaman and his friends back onto Earth. Unfortunately, given the difference in time between the two and that A.J. was a native of the other universe, he began to age rapidly. To save his life, Mera took him back through the portal. Aquaman and Dolphin discovered they were beneath Poseidonis--and that the entire domed city rest on top of an enormous, skull shaped spacecraft. The sentient starcraft was pulling itself up from the ocean floor, which had been the source of the recent earthquakes. It finally managed to break through, coming to a stop with Poseidonis resting just above the ocean surface.

Aquaman, having forged a pyschic link to the sentient starship, began to have more clarvoyence about what was coming. He sensed that there was an impending alien invasion. Aquaman decided he had to seek out the five lost cities of Atlantis and join them with Poseidonis and Tritonis. Aquaman is confronted before he can begin by the Justice League who are seeking a declaration for "his" declaration of war. Aquaman abruptly turns them away. Aquaman recruited the city of Hy-Brasil without too much trouble. Unfortunately, Aquaman and Dolphin encountered Ocean Master at one of the other cities, a city that was destroyed in the subsequent battle. Also during the battle, Garth returns--Aqualad no longer, he is now Tempest, having been trained by Atlan in another dimension. Aquaman then recruits the cities of Thiena Na Oge and the floating city of Basilia. They also recruit Atlan to their cause and head for Tritonis--all while the aliens (known as the Hunter/Gatherers) turn up in Washington D.C. under the guise of seeking peaceful relations. Aquaman finds Tritonis in ruins--Koryak and Vulko had led the people of Poseidonis into the forbidden tunnels beneath the city and awakened Kordax from antiquity. Kordax, using his mind control power, forced Koryak and the Poseidonis citizens to attack their relatives in Tritonis, maiming or killing much of the population. Aquaman helped the Tritonis people out before rallying all of his allies for the final confrontation: Atlan, The Guardian of Hy-Brasil, Arion, Tempest, Tsunami, Nuada, Dolphin, the Sea Devils, Power Girl(at this time still thought to be a descendant of Atlantis), Spought(the Guardian of Basilia)and Deep Blue. Aquaman leads the others to Washingon D.C. by flying the skull ship (with Poseidonis on top) straight to the capital. A major battle ensues inside the White House with Aquaman's allies battling against Kordax, Tiamat, and Koryak (still under Kordax's control). Kordax kills himself in the battle when he cannot defeat Aquaman. Basilia is destroyed in the fighting that happens there. The Hunter/Gatherers leave the Earth without any further destruction.

The Blonde Curse
During the Final Night, the sentient starship ejects Aquaman, Dolphin, and Koryak (now free of the brainwashing) after having a disagreement with Aquaman (regarding the amount of control the ship was exerting over Arthur). Aquaman's adoptive dolphin mother, Porm, was murdered during the darkness, crushing Aquaman. Following a clue, Aquaman ventures to Japan and discovers that the murderer of Porm was a cyborg called Demon Gate, a man who had been maimed by Lobo and who blamed Aquaman for the incident (events that happened in Aquaman #4). Aquaman threatens to ban Japan from the oceans unless Demon Gate is handed over. Japan refuses. Aquaman recruits Martian Manhunter to retake Poseidonis, forcing the sentient ship to obey him, and then takes the city to Japan. Demon Gate is turned over and Arthur sentences him to life imprisonment on a deserted island, surviving only on what the local sea life bring to him.

Aquaman was called by Deep Blue and the Sea Devils to investigate a seemingly bottomless trench. Deep Blue is dragged into the trench by a bizarre sea creture. Aquaman goes into the pit, but Dolphin cannot follow all the way because of the pressure. Aquaman encounters Black Manta, now a horrible manta-like monster thanks to his deal with Neron. The two arch-enemies battle at the bottom of the trench, encountering the ghost of a dead leviathan. The creature "consumes" Black Manta and tries to do the same with Aquaman, but Arthur uses the full brunt of his psychic abilities to drive it off. Fleeing back up the trench, he retrieves Deep Blue and they return to Sea Devil's sub. Up from the trench, Arthur discovers that his flesh is now covered in scales. Getting called back to Poseidonis, Aquaman finds Shark has taken up residence. A mental battle ensues and Aquaman forces Shark to devolve back into a normal shark. Arthur has now mutated further--hard green scales and a webbed hand, looking just like Kordax. The sea life begins to fear him. Aquaman goes on a quest of soul searching, reflecting on the fact that his inner fears are that he is a failure as a king and as a man. A minor journey through time thanks to Atlan helps him put things in perspective. Returning to the present, Aquaman's appearance is restored (althoug his hand is still webbed). Seeking to regain the trust of the sea life, Aquaman appeals to Poseidon who forces Aquaman to battle his son, Triton. Aquaman wins the fight, and Poseidon restores his title as "King of the Seas." A spiteful Poseidon blinds Aquaman in his bitterness. One short adventure with Animal Man later (one that involves Animal Man teaching Aquaman to expand his powers some more) and Arthur's sight was restored.

King of Atlantis once more
The people of Poseidonis, forced by Aquaman to serve the people of Tritonis whom they maimed, are finally released of their service and return to their city. Aquaman greets them and they accept him as their king once more (while marvelling at the state of their city, now resting on the ocean's surface. Vulko encourages thoughts of Koryak that drift towards a coup de tat. Dolphin, having lost all interest in Arthur, now enters into a relationship with Tempest. Dr. Polaris invades the city, using his vast power to turn it on its side. The battle is only won with the help of Maxima, who had come to make Arthur her new king. Aquaman isn't interested, even if she was found appealing with the citizens of Poseidonis. When the Millenium Giants emerge, Aquaman is unable to stop one from destroying Thiena Na Oge. Meanwhile, Triton--anger over his loss to Aquaman and the contempt his father has for him--kills Poseidon and seizes most of his power. He approaches the Mother of Monsters for aid against Aquaman. Triton attacks Atlan first, but the sorceror manages to get a warning to Poseidonis. Triton attacks the city next, destroying the sentient ship completely and returning the city to the ocean floor. Aquaman is stabbed in the battle, and his soul travels to the Greek Underworld. He manages to fight his way in to seeing Hades and convinces Hades to allow him and Poseidon back to the land of living. Poseidon takes back his power from Triton before killing his son and casting his trident at Aquaman's feet.

Shortly thereafter, Aquaman has to venture into another dimension to help Mera and A.J. In that other realm, several years have passed, and Mera has become hardened because of a life of constant fighting. A.J. forces Mera to go with Aquaman back to Earth, but she is not interested in reconciling with him after all that has happened between them. Koryak attempts to kill his father and seize control of Atlantis, but he is easily stopped and Arthur has him banished.

The Vicious Sea King
Recently, Atlantis and its denizens were taken into the ancient past by a powerful sorceress, who trapped Aquaman as a water-creature in a pool of water for the fifteen year period (dubbed "the Obsidian Age", as the storyline was also called) Atlantis spent in the past. Eventually, the Justice League freed Aquaman, and they returned Atlantis and its people to the present, though not before Aquaman was forced to sink ancient Atlantis. This caused displeasure among Atlantis' denizens, and they drove Aquaman out of Atlantis; Aquaman afterwards spent some time in Ireland, including meeting the Lady of the Lake, who gives him a new prosthetic hand composed of magical water. From there he returned to his more classic look: orange shirt, clean shaven, and short hair.

Even more recently, Aquaman went to San Diego when the city suffered a massive earthquake that plunged half of it into the Pacific Ocean. Aquaman soon discovered that the survivors of the catastrophe were able to breathe underwater, and started to help the survivors rebuild their submerged portion of the city (now called "Sub Diego"). During this time, Aquaman picked up a new sidekick named Lorena, who makes herself into the new Aquagirl. There have been indications that Aquaman may reconcile with Mera.

Characteristics
Height: 6'1" Weight: 325 lbs (147.41 kg) Eyes: Aqua Blue Hair: Blonde Unusual Features: Left hand replaced with cybernetic/Waterbearer hand.

Powers
Known Powers:

Amphibious Physiological Adaptation: his body is specially developed for underwater conditions, granting him specialized blood circulation to withstand freezing temperatures and highly developed vision to see clearly even in murky ocean depths. This hybrid physiology means he can survive indefinitely underwater or on land (though he would still need occasional contact with water to survive)this length can be prolonged by the humidity in the air.

He also possesses superhuman levels of strength, speed, endurance and durability, all by-products of his body being adapted to survive unprotected in the tremendous pressures of the ocean depths.

Although other Atlanteans possess similar adaptations, Aquaman is super-Atlantean as well as super-human, and as such he has greater physical capabilities than does a typical Atlantean.


 * Superhuman Strength


 * 'Superhuman Speed': said to be the fastest thing underwater, he can swim fast enough to beat a fighter jet at top speed flying overhead. He has been clocked at 1 thousand knots.


 * Superhuman Endurance


 * Superhuman Durability

Marine Telepathy: Aquaman has a form of telepathy which works particularly well on other aquatic life. This is related to the universal force known as the Clear.

Echo Location: Aquaman has highly enhanced senses, most notably a natural form of sonar.

Energy-Heat Resistance: Aquaman is extremely resistant to energy/heat based attacks as he has with stood multiple balsts from Amazo's heat vision, and Black Mantas heat beams.

Waterbearer Hand


 * Molecular Manipulation: Aquaman can alter the shape and density of the hand.


 * Healing: It possesses healing properties.


 * Farsight: Can be used as a scrying pool.


 * Negate Magic: Can negate other magics.


 * Prolong Adaptation: Significantly increases the time Aquaman can spend out of water.


 * Independent Life: The hand can be separated from Aquaman and continue to work.

Cybernetic Hand (formally)


 * Harpoon: normally had a harpoon attached to a retractable line that he can use to fire at ranged targets.


 * Cybernetic Weapon Alteration: Can be altered to form weapons

Limitations: Aquaman must return to water after a period of time or he will weaken.

Overuse of the Waterbearer Hand for violent means will cause the Thirst to attack the Secret Sea.

Known Abilities: Aquaman is an excellent swimmer.

Strength Level: Aquaman has proven capable of lifting an oil platform and a chunk of a city block, both weighing in at the hundreds of tons marks.

Miscellaneous
Equipment: No known equipment.

Transportation: No known transportation.

Weapons: Aquaman was given a cybernetic hand (to replace the one he lost) that can act as a harpoon and other weapons. At times he also uses the Trident of Poseidon.

Trivia

 * In MTV's sketch comedy show The State, Aquaman is belittled by the other members of the Super Friends for his comparably uninteresting powers. Superman assigns all of the other members difficult tasks, and then flippantly tells Aquaman to "go...talk to some fish."


 * In HBO's series Entourage, the main character Vince Chase is given an offer to do a superhero movie about Aquaman, directed by James Cameron.


 * Thomas Farr and Jeff Klein also made a fan film entitled "Aquaman - Cast Of The Angler" in 1984. Running for 21 minutes, it was never released commercially.


 * The song Arthur Curry by the band Ookla the Mok on their album less than art talks about the grimmer and grittier portrayal of Aquaman in the comics.


 * In the animated series Spongebob Squarepants, the characters of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are parodies of Aquaman and Aqualad.


 * In the 1990s sitcom Seinfeld episode "The Deal", George and Jerry debate Aquaman over lunch. "What's the deal with Aquaman?" asks George. "Can he only in survive in water, or what?" Jerry replies, "No, I think I've seen him on land a couple times."


 * In the animated series South Park, the episode "Super Best Friends" includes a character named "Sea-Man" (pronounced "semen" by the other Super Best Friends), who is a spoof of Aquaman.
 * In an episode of Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist called "Electric Bike" (summarized here), Dave Chappelle discusses Aquaman with Dr. Katz, asking why anyone would want to be Aquaman. "What the hell would you want to say to a fish?"


 * Aquaman has been referenced on two occasions in the animated series The Simpsons. In one episode, when Homer is drowning at the beach, he shouts out to his infant daughter, "Maggie, help! Call Aquaman!" In a Treehouse of Horror Halloween special, the Comic Book Guy is shown reading an Aquaman comic.


 * In the Family Guy episode "The Father, the Son and the Holy Fonz", the opening scene shows the Griffin family watching Aquaman (on TV) abusing his powers to communicate with the fish.


 * In the animated series The Fairly Odd Parents, Timmy Turner wishes for "the best friends ever," and receives spoofs of several superheroes, including an analog of Aquaman named "Wet Willy," who summons whales to crush things. He is continuously made fun of by the others for his useless powers.


 * In the 2006 feature film Superman Returns, young Jason White is seen wearing a pair of Aquaman pajamas.

Recommended Readings

 * Aquaman (Volume 1)
 * Aquaman (Volume 2)
 * Aquaman (Volume 3)
 * Aquaman (Volume 4)
 * Aquaman (Volume 5)
 * Aquaman (Volume 6)

Related Articles

 * Aquaman appearances list
 * Aquaman image gallery
 * Aquaman fan art gallery