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Revision as of 20:12, 2 December 2018

"I'm no leader. I came because I have no choice. I came to save my home and the people that I love."

―Aquaman^[src]

Arthur Curry, born with the Atlantean name Orin, is the crown prince of Atlantis, as well as the superhero known as Aquaman. While initially reserved and content with his isolation from the surface world, Aquaman would eventually be recruited by Batman to join the Justice League in order to help defend Earth against the forces of Steppenwolf and his Parademon army.

Following his recruitment to the team, Arthur played a pivotal role in reviving Superman a year after his death. With the League now assembled, Aquaman helped driving back Steppenwolf, forcing the alien invasion into retreat. Afterward, Arthur decided to finally pursue his rightful place in Atlantis.

Biography

This section needs a rewrite

Early Life

Baby Arthur Curry being held by his mother — Arthur as an infant

"My father was a lighthouse keeper. My mother was a queen. They come from two different worlds, but life has a way of bringing people together"

―Arthur Curry^[src]

Arthur Curry was born on January 29, 1979^[1], to Thomas Curry, a lighthouse keeper in Amnesty Bay, and Atlanna, the queen of Atlantis. When Arthur was still a child, Atlanna had to return to her home and leave him and his father. Before she left, she imparted Arthur her quindent as her legacy, believing him to be the key to uniting the Atlanteans and humans one day.^[2]

Awakening his Heritage

A shark comes to Arthur's rescue — A shark comes to young Arthur's rescue.

One day, when his school went on a field trip to an aquarium, Arthur was confronted by two bullies for seemingly talking to the animals in the tank. However, when Arthur cried out, a shark came to his aid, slamming against the tank hard enough for a large crack to form. The crowd around stood back as the remaining animals surrounded Arthur. When he turned, his eyes had changed color, glowing golden.^[2]

Arthur awakens his Atlantean heritage — Arthur awakens his heritage.

This heritage caused Arthur to grow up with incredible powers, including the ability to breathe underwater. However, Arthur's ignorance regarding how to handle these Atlantean powers induced him to become very conflicted, and somewhat reserved, with internal struggles.^[3]

Discovered by the NSA

Aquaman on a LexCorp recording — Arthur is discovered by the NSA.

Lex Luthor, in pursuit of proving the existence of extraordinary individuals hidden amongst the general population, discovered Arthur's existence by hacking into the NSA's database and retrieving footage from two UUV drones, which recorded a video of Arthur emerging from a shipwreck in the Pacific Ocean near Tonga.^[4]

Footage from one drone showed Aquaman emerging from the shadows, and then aiming his quindent and quickly destroying it while another recorded him swimming away from the site, causing an underwater sonic boom in his wake.^[4]

Monitored by ARGUS

Bruce reads ARGUS' file on Arthur Curry — ARGUS's files on the Arthur.

"This is crown jewels here, Mr. Wayne."

―Amanda Waller to Bruce Wayne about ARGUS's research.^[src]

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 Arthur Curry, referring to the information as 'crown jewels'.^[1]

Meeting Bruce Wayne

"'The strong man is strongest alone', you ever hear that?"
"That's not a saying. That the opposite of what the saying is!"

―Arthur Curry and Bruce Wayne^[src]

Arthur was visited by Bruce Wayne in Iceland, who had eventually tracked him down using files given to him by Amanda Waller.^[1] Bruce arrived during the winter, during which time Arthur brought fish to feed the hungry, always coming into town on the King tide. On the day afterward, Bruce asked the village's council if he could speak with Arthur, whom he deduced was still around.

Aquaman holding up Bruce — Arthur pinning Bruce after mentioning Atlantis

When Arthur revealed himself to be there, he demanded Bruce 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 refused to become involved with, and risk his life for, a group of strangers. He responded with hostility when Bruce made a quip about Atlantis and proceeding to pin Bruce against the wall in an attempt to intimidate him.

However, he decided to hear Bruce out, where the latter disclosed that he was Batman.^[3] Bruce commented on the rumors surrounding Arthur, amusingly pointing out his ability to "talk to fish." Afterward, while Arthur was beginning to depart back to the ocean, he remarked that 'the strong man is strongest alone', to which Bruce, incredulous, commented that Arthur had gotten the actual saying backward.

Assault on Atlantis

Arthur saving a fisherman — Arthur rescues a fisherman from his boat wreck.

"Your mother would have gone to the surface world to stop that thing. But she's not here, so it has to be you."

―Mera to Aquaman^[src]

Arthur rescued a sailor caught in a storm, taking him to a bar where he deposited him on a table and ordered himself a drink. The sailor, however describe having been attacked by a strange creature, as Arthur look at his own hand and notice a green strange substance in it. Realizing that there was something wrong happening Arthur decides to return to Atlantis.

In his pursuit of the Mother Boxes left on Earth from his previous visit, the New God Steppenwolf invaded the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, where Arthur and Mera quickly arrived to defend their home.^[3]

File:Aquaman fighting Steppenwolf.jpg

Aquaman fighting Steppenwolf.

As the battle began, the Apokoliptian warlord quickly proved his might, although Arthur was able to briefly get the better of the New God, lasting better than Mera, he was too subdued and trapped under the rubble of a pillar before continuing his search for the Mother Box. With the Mother Box in the hands of Steppenwolf, Arthur is about to leave but Mera convinced a reluctant Arthur to listen to her. Arthur shows his bitterness at his mother for leaving him, mockingly saying "what a saint" when Mera noted Atlanna took her in and simply refers to how he believed he was abandoned by his mother without a second thought from the Queen of Atlantis but Mera reveals to Arthur how much it hurt his mother to left him behind and she only did it to save his life. Clearly affected, Arthur is finally convinced to retrieve the Mother Box from Steppenwolf when Mera noted how he is no longer a defenseless child and it is what his mother would've done but with her gone, it is now his responsibility. His change of heart caused Arthur to finally make up his mind and asked for the Atlantean armor before going after Steppenwolf.

Coming Together

Saving the Justice League

After a intense fight with the team of heroes and having lost some of his Parademon minions, Steppenwolf, annoyed by the heroes intervention, manages to catch one of the missiles in mid-air, shot by Cyborg who was piloting the Knightcrawler, redirecting it to the wall, leaving its structure weak, and releasing all the water above.

As Gotham Harbor was flooding with Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Cyborg inside, Aquaman arrived just in time to save the group by using the quindent's powers to slow down the tide allowing the others to get to the safety of higher ground. As soon as everyone was safe Victor left to retrieve the last Mother Box.

Resurrection of Superman

File:Aquaman-movie-jason-momoa-costume-front.png

Arthur talking with Batman and James Gordon.

"Dressed like a bat. I dig it."
"It may be temporary."

―Aquaman and Batman^[src]

After the fight with Steppenwolf, After Batman meets with Gordon before Arthur shows up and say that Steppenwolf took the Mother Box from Atlantis, then Victor reveals that he is possession of the final Mother Box, which he hid from his father. The team returns to the Batcave and Bruce calls for a meeting with the team. Bruce believes that they should use the power of Mother Box to bring Superman back to life as he believes that they need Superman to restore hope in humanity. Diana and Arthur are hesitant about the idea though pointing out that they could bring Superman back as a monster similar to Doomsday. Bruce informs them though that they have a secret contingency plan if things go awry.

Aquaman with the rest of the League — Arthur witnesses the return of Superman.

The team put Clark's body in the waters of the Kryptonian ship, using Allen's Speed Force to activate the Box, causing the resurrection of Superman. When he flies out of the Kryptonian ship and lands in Heroes Park. Aquaman, Cyborg, Flash and Wonder Woman meet him. Arthur however notices that something is wrong with him, with Clark using his x-ray vision to scan the League and observes that Arthur’s heart rate is spiking due to his nervousness. Stone accidentally launches a missile at him as his cybernetic body registers a threat to him. Superman attacks Cyborg with his heat vision as the rest of the Justice League try to calm him down but he swiftly overpowers them.

File:Justice League (2017).mkv snapshot 01.15.42 -2018.01.23 18.55.40-.png

Clark vs the Justice League.

As Arthur, Victor and Diana try to flank Superman simultaneously (which was unsuccessful), Barry attempts to help with his speed but Superman is able see him and keeps up with the speedster. Despite Barry's best efforts to avoid all of Superman's blows, a glancing hit knocked out Barry. Batman arrives and gets Superman to stop fighting the League, Wonder Woman tries to fight Superman again but is quickly overpowered and defeated. He then swats Batman and tell's him the same thing that same question that Bruce asked him "Tell me, do you bleed?". Before Superman could kill Bruce, Lois and Alfred to stop him.

Aquaman talking with the League — Aquaman talking with the Justice League about stopping Steppenwolf.

Superman calms down and leaves with Lois to the Kent Farm where he reflects and tries to recover his memories. After the battle, Steppenwolf arrives and easily retrieves the final Mother Box.

The team return to the Batcave with an angry Arthur accusing Victor of not wanting to stop Steppenwolf due to the machine half of him but Diana assured Victor he can find them. Bruce then asks Arthur if he can talk to the aquatic life in the ocean to locate Steppenwolf with a somewhat offended Arthur telling him that the water does the talking but will keep an eye out if a possible strong current might lead them to Steppenwolf's location.

Battle of Russia

Justice League ready to battle Steppenwolf — Justice League getting ready to battle Steppenwolf.

"Ride ain't over yet!"
"My man!"

―Cyborg and Aquaman^[src]

Victor locates the Mother Boxes near an abandoned nuclear plant in Russia. The Justice League uses the Flying Fox to get Russia to stop Steppenwolf from combining the Mother Boxes together and terrafroming the Earth, the team plans on how they are going to stop Steppenwolf, in which Arthur admits that he believes that they are all going to die and that he is happy to have friends and be apart of something more before Bruce reveals he was sitting on Diana’s lasso. When they arrive Batman tells the team that he‘s going to take out the tower while the rest of the League will take on Steppenwolf and separate the Mother Boxes, Batman destroys the tower but by crashing the Flying Fox. Batman gets in the Batmobile and using a siren to gets the attention of the Parademons, this allows the rest to get to the Mother Boxes without any problems.

Aquaman riding the Batmobile — Arthur riding the Batmobile.

The Parademons attack the Batmobile, ripping of one on the guns that it has and opening up the car before Wonder Woman and the reason the League saves Batman, Arthur jumps on the Batmobile and tells Bruce how insane he was for basically going on a suicide mission before getting attacked by Parademons which leads Cyborg to save him and throwing him back into the battle. The Batmobile get's destroyed which Bruce ejects from the vehicle and using his grapple, swings across to take out the Parademons.

Wonder Woman and Aquaman confront Steppenwolf, while Flash helps Victor get to the Mother Boxes, which Barry takes care of the Parademons while Cyborg tries to separate the unity of the Boxes. Steppenwolf finds out the Victor is trying to separate the Mother Boxes, who he grabs before Wonder Woman saves him.

Diana and Arthur tries to keep Steppenwolf away from Cyborg by using the Lasso of Hestia to pull him down, Steppenwolf attacks them both before he knocks Arthur into a wall breaking the ceiling which almost crushes him until Diana comes to his aid, with Arthur and Diana down, Victor tries to defend himself from Steppenwolf but fails as the latter pulls off one of his legs.

File:Justice League (2017).mkv snapshot 01.44.55 -2018.01.22 16.08.44-.png

Aquaman with the Justice League.

Before Steppenwolf could kill him, Superman arrives and easily overpowers the New God. Diana and Arthur begin to gain the upper hand. Victor calls for Superman to help with separating the Mother Boxes which they manage to do with great effort and suffering a significant blowback, although they both survive. Steppenwolf attacks again but Arthur spears him with his quindent and delivers a devastating punch which knocks the general to the ground. Superman then proceeds to freeze Steppenwolf's Axe as Diana breaks it with her sword. Feeling true fear as he realizes that he has been defeated, Steppenwolf is attacked by his own Parademons before he is dragged back to Apokolips.

Personality

This section needs a rewrite

"I just feel like... I didn't really embrace the sea or the land. I've been a loner my whole life. But being part of something bigger like this, maybe I'm scared because I'm meant to...."

―Aquaman^[src]

File:Arthur Curry angry at Bruce Wayne.png

Aquaman's fierce and irascible exterior.

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.^[3] In addition, Arthur is very bitter at his mother Atlanna for abandoning him and his father Thomas Curry. Arthur is thus somewhat gruff and reserved, unwilling to accept his place in Atlantean society, and equally unwilling accept Bruce Wayne's offer to join the Justice League at first, as well as getting annoyed with the young and quirky Flash.^[3] Surely, Arthur had previously reached an emotional rock bottom during this period in his life, even claiming that he had no concern for the ocean, and by extension, his own people.

Despite his somewhat gloomy and fearsome exterior, however, Arthur is ultimately a selfless and compassionate person, indicated by him frequenting an Icelandic fishing village during the winter in order to feed its hungry inhabitants with fish. He is later seen saving an unconscious fisherman found along the shore, bringing him into the shelter of a local pub in the village. However, he casually shrugged it off by stating that his drinks would be on the fisherman.

When confronted by Mera, Aquaman initially pushes back against her reprimands, but upon learning that his mother Atlanna did not abandon him of her own free will, he begins to have a change of heart. After being unable to stop Steppenwolf from retrieving the Atlanteans' Mother Box, Arthur's mind is finally made up and his joins the Justice League. He still clashes with Batman, Flash, and Cyborg a few times, but otherwise gets along with the team fairly well, eventually befriending them.

Arthur, while outwardly very serious, occasionally demonstrates a dry sense of humor, notably complimenting Batman on the latter's vigilante suit. When failing to intimidate Bruce due to the latter's profound experience in intimidation tactics, Arthur quickly drops his façade, revealing his laid-back and charming self. While he initially distrusted the isolated Cyborg (suspecting that he could be working with the enemy, due to his Apokaliptan cybernetics), Aquaman gradually developed a friendship with him as well, seen when Cyborg assisted him in taking down a group of airborne Parademons. Aquaman is also somewhat of a realist, recognizing that he and the other Justice Leaguers could very well die in a battle against the New God Steppenwolf, and agreeing with Wonder Woman that resurrecting Superman with a Mother Box is too risky.

Despite his gruff appearance and devil-may-care approach to battle, Arthur is quite intelligent and introspective, notably when he quotes Friedrich Schiller's William Tell to Bruce when asked to join the League, stating that 'the strong man is strongest alone', thus further emphasizing his preferred isolation from the surface world. When bound by the Lasso of Hestia, Aquaman reveals that deep down he is very grateful for the team's acceptance, and even developed a slight crush on Wonder Woman, despite the Atlanteans having once warred against the Amazons. Arthur, upon his release, became dismayed upon realizing the circumstances of his confession and angrily forbade Flash from ever sharing it with anyone.

Following the defeat of Steppenwolf and the return of the Superman, Arthur is ready to finally pursue his place in Atlantean society.

Arthur is clearly a thrill-seeker who enjoys adventuring, displayed when he enthusiastically slayed Parademons alongside the Justice League and when he was introduced to his homeworld of Atlantis. He'll often employ words such as "badass" and "awesome" to describe his experiences, and even whooping in excitement when he jumped after Mera from a cargo plane without a parachute.

Powers and abilities

Powers

"Arthur Curry. Also known as Protector of the Oceans. The Aquaman. I hear you can talk to fish."

―Batman^[src]

Hybrid Physiology: Due to his heritage, he is part human part atlantean, giving him incredible superhuman abilities, that surpass many other atlanteans, with only his brother Orm and King Atlan equaling him in power. This makes Aquaman one of the most powerful atlanteans in the world and one of the three most powerful members of the Justice League, only surpassed by Superman and Wonder Woman.
- Superhuman Strength: Like all Atlanteans, Arthur is superhumanly strong and possesses greater physical strength than any other Atlantean due to his status as the inheriting king of Atlantis. He is able to lift an entire submarine over his head, destroy an underwater NSA drone with a single strike from his quindent, and temporarily contend with Steppenwolf and Superman. Arthur's strength also extends to his ability to jump great distances. With his quindent, Aquaman was able to hold off a torrent of water single-handedly, preventing the rushing wave from overtaking the Justice League long enough to allow them to escape. Notably, Aquaman was able to strike Steppenwolf with enough force to send the latter flying several yards away. His strength was later sufficient enough to force his way into an enemy submarine and dispatch its crew members, even punching through one trooper's sword, but even more impressively lifting a submarine overhead and out of the water.
- Superhuman Durability: Arthur's enhanced physiology enables him to withstand impacts that would kill an ordinary human, and critically injure an average Atlantean. He has been seen in ocean depths as deep as 20,000 feet (3.79 miles) below the surface of the water, as well as survive unscathed after falling from an immense height and crashing through a building. With the pressure of the ocean floor, at its deepest recorded depth, being over 16,000 pounds per square inch, Arthur's body is extremely and highly resilient to impact blows from even the likes of Steppenwolf as well as Kryptonians. He could also survive a direct blast from Black Manta's optical beams.
- Superhuman Speed: While underwater, Aquaman can generate a propulsive force which allow him to swim at very high speeds. This propulsion its strong enough that it can cause a "sonic boom" effect under the water. He can reach speeds of at least Mach 4.6^[5], managing to thus successfully escape from the NSA's UUV drones. As such, while swimming Aquaman is able to propel himself from the water with the speed of a bullet and onto land, and can travel the ocean faster than any naval vessel. He was also able to leap onto the roof of a speeding Batmobile.
  - Superhuman Reflexes: While no speedster, Curry's reflexes are superior to average. Aquaman is shown to be able to respond to changing tactical situations and react accordingly. During his training with Nuidis Vulko, he caught a quindent thrown by Vulko moments before it hit him. He later was able to catch a sword used by one of Black Manta's mercenaries during his attack on the Manta Sub.
- Superhuman Agility: Aquaman has a superhuman level of agility and coordination, allowing him to dodge Steppenwolf's Electro Axe during their underwater battle, to balance himself while standing on a falling Parademon body, and even support himself on the speeding Batmobile's roof.
- Superhuman Stamina: Aquaman's Atlantean musculature produces fewer fatigue toxins than that of a human's, thus allowing him to endure prolonged battles and adventures without tiring.
- Superhuman 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, as his eyes reflect all available light, giving them a distinct sheen in darkness.^[4] From his perspective, the seemingly dark environment of Atlantis is brightly lit, with the vivid and vibrant flora and fauna of the sea being as clear as though he were on land.^[3]
- Aquatic Adaptation: Arthur can survive both on land and in an underwater environment. He can be immersed indefinitely without suffering any ill effects but due to his combined royal Atlantean and human lineage, he can survive on land longer than an average Atlantean.
  - Aquatic Respiration: Aquaman have gills due to his Atlantean heritage, thus, is able to breathe underwater, thereby meriting his superhero nickname.^[4]

"You do talk to fight, right?"
"The water does the talking."

―Bruce Wayne and Arthur Curry^[src]

- Marine Communication: Aquaman is able to telepathically interact with sea life, causing his eyes to glow golden. As a child, when this ability first manifested, he was able to defend himself from two bullies by summoning a shark to his aid, followed by the remaining animals in the aquarium.

Abilities

Master Combatant: Arthur is a skilled brawler, especially when armed with his quindent, capable of single-handedly taking down numerous Parademons, and even holding his own against stronger opponents, such as Steppenwolf and Superman. Even without his weapon, Curry is proficient enough to out-maneuver Steppenwolf, quickly overwhelming the New God. Arthur later was able to hold off Black Manta and his Atlantean goons and could fight his brother to a standstill in their battle for the throne of Atlantis.
- Expert Marksman: With his quindent, Aquaman has been shown to be an immensely proficient marksman, striking down a number of Parademons with a single throw. Aquaman was able to throw it after being launched forward by Cyborg, spearing a distant Parademon in the chest from a substantial distance away.
Expert Swimmer: Aquaman, like all Atlanteans, is an extremely skilled swimmer.
Bilingualism: Curry speaks his native English as well as Icelandic.

Equipment

Atlantean Armor: After Steppenwolf's invasion of Atlantis, Aquaman donned ancient suit of Atlantean armor to face the New God and his army of Parademons.
[[Atlan's Armor|Aquaman's Suit: To be added

Weapons

Atlanna's Quindent: Aquaman's first weapon, it once belonged to his mother Atlanna, former Queen of Atlantis, who left him the quindent after her departure.^[6] This weapon is extremely durable and capable to cause serious injury to even powerful beings, such as the new god Steppenwolf. In addition, the quindent is also able to help Aquaman control water, with him notably holding off the torrential force of a wave by repelling it with the quindent.^[3] The quindent seemingly appears to somewhat enhance Aquaman's speed while underwater, causing a massive shockwave of force as he fled from the NSA's UUV drones.^[4]
Trident of Atlantis: To be added

Relationships

Family

Thomas Curry – father
Atlanna – mother
Orm – half-brother

Allies

Mera
Justice League – teammates
- Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman – enemy turned ally and leader
- Bruce Wayne/Batman – recruiter, ally, friend, former team leader and teammate
- Diana Prince/Wonder Woman – ally, friend and teammate
- Barry Allen/The Flash
- Victor Stone/Cyborg
Alfred Pennyworth
Daily Planet
- Lois Lane – savior
Nuidis Vulko – adviser

Enemies

Trivia

ARGUS has been monitoring Arthur Curry since the age of 20.^[1]
The Atlantean tribal tattoos on Aquaman are modeled after and inspired by actor Jason Momoa's own Polynesian tattoo.
According to Jason Momoa, Aquaman is the only member of the Justice League to technically be "both a human and a god."^[7]
While hiding in the dark of the wrecked ship, he displayed blue colored eye-shine, similar to raccoons, cats, and dogs.
Aquaman and Batman both have fathers named Thomas.
This is the first version of Aquaman not to be blonde, though his hair does have blonde highlights.
Arthur is right-handed.

Gallery

Promotional images

Concept artwork

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 Suicide Squad
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Aquaman
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 ^3.6 Justice League
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 ^4.4 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
↑ How Fast is the DCEU Aquaman Underwater?
↑ "Zack Snyder Defends Aquaman’s Honor" - The Mary Sue
↑ Aquaman: Exclusive First look by the CW

External links

Aquaman on DC Database
Aquaman on Wikipedia

[Suicide_Squad-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 Suicide Squad

[Aquaman-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Aquaman

[Justice_League-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 ^3.6 Justice League

[Batman_v_Superman:_Dawn_of_Justice-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 ^4.4 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

[5] How Fast is the DCEU Aquaman Underwater?

[6] "Zack Snyder Defends Aquaman’s Honor" - The Mary Sue

[7] Aquaman: Exclusive First look by the CW

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DC Extended Universe Wiki