Aliases : Orin, Arthur Curry.
Base of Operations : Sub Diego.
Tag : aquaman
Important Plots : None.
Journal(s) : 7_seas_czar, jla_extras2
Status : Played

Powers and Abilities : Aquaman possesses a variety of powers, many of which are related to the undersea environment to which his people are native. As an Atlantean, he has enhanced physical attributes - strength, durability, speed, and sensory capacity - designed to allow him to survive in the crushing depths of the sea. His strength is sufficient to allow him to lift and hurl an automobile with relative ease. Aquaman can breathe underwater indefinitely, and swim with incredible speed. His hearing is enhanced, and he requires very little light to see.

Those abilities are all possessed, to one degree or another, by all Atlanteans. Aquaman, however, possesses a unique ability - a telepathic power that allows him the ability to communicate with and control marine life. He may also use this ability, to a lesser extent, on any creature evolved from marine life.

Weaknesses : Being out of the water for extended periods causes Aquaman to dehydrate and weaken.

History : He was born the son of Queen Atlanna of Atlantis, and the sorceror Atlan. Outcast from Atlantis because of the color of his hair, young Orin had to fend for himself during his early years. He was adopted by a lighthouse keeper, who found the young boy, and gave him the name 'Arthur Curry'. As he grew and discovered his abilities, young Orin traveled the world - eventually adopting the heroic identity of Aquaman, and becoming a founding member of the JLA. He would be welcomed back to Poseidonis, capital of Atlantis, and crowned king - taking as his wife Mera, a woman from a mostly-aquatic parallel dimension. He also adventured with a young sidekick, similarly ostracized by the people of Atlantis, named Garth, also known as Aqualad, and later, Tempest.

Arthur and Mera had a child, Arthur Jr., but their domestic bliss was short-lived. Arthur Junior was murdered by the villainous Black Manta, and the relationship, as well as Mera's sanity, began to break down. Mera would eventually flee from the Earthly dimension in her grief, leaving Aquaman alone to rule Atlantis.

His losses did not end, there. His left hand was devoured by piranha, thanks to the manipulations of the villainous Charybdis, and he replaced it with a harpoon hook. This lead to a darker period for Orin, with his sanity on edge. During that time, he reunited the lost cities of Atlantis and joined a new incarnation of the JLA. The aftermath of the "Our Worlds at War" event left Aquaman and Poseidonis trapped in the distant past, enslaved to their own Atlantean ancestors - later to be freed with the assistance of the JLA in the "Obsidian Age" storyline. In the course of restoring Poseidonis to the present, Aquaman was forced to sink the ancient incarnation of Atlantis - an act for which the modern Atlanteans could not forgive him. Once again, he was outcast from his people.

He wandered the world again, coming into contact with the mysterious Lady of the Lake, who bestowed upon him an enchanted hand made of water, with mystical abilities. These powers would come in handy when half of the city of San Diego sunk into the sea, with its inhabitants mysteriously transformed into water-breathers. Aquaman used his new abilities, alongside his new sidekick Lorena (Aquagirl II), to defend Sub Diego and its inhabitants.

Black Manta would soon resurface to trouble Aquaman once more, though. Worming his way into Sub Diego's political structures, he attempted to gain influence through social manipulation - and when that failed, he formed a compact with Aquaman's counterpart from the Anti-Matter Universe, Barracuda. Barracuda's military forces assaulted Sub Diego, and Aquaman was forced to battle Tempest, his old sidekick, and choose between the safety of the city and the life of his wife Mera, who had returned to the Earth dimension. He chose the city, and Mera was slain by Black Manta - a crime that was the last straw for Aquaman, who strangled the villain in his cell after his arrest.

Recently, Arthur pursued a romantic interest in his fellow JLA member Zatanna, which she prematurely terminated, using magic at the behest of the sinister Papa Midnite. He also had a short time-traveling adventure, doing battle with the Sheeda at the side of Frankenstein. His water-hand proved to be the key to undoing the Sheeda plan, but its power was expended in the effort - restoring Aquaman's own flesh and blood hand in the end.

Other Sources :

• Aquaman at the DC Database Project
• Aquaman at Wikipedia

Divergences : Diverges around Aquaman #25 (2005), the sinking of Sub Diego. Half of the city did, in fact, sink in Watchtower, but Aquaman never reverted to his classic 'beardless' look. More recently in Watchtower continuity, Aquaman's mystical water hand was replaced by a flesh and blood equivalent.

Note : Aquaman's previous player was suspended from LiveJournal, along with all of his journals. As a result, many of his prior appearances in the community were damaged, and aren't readable. We have the posts preserved in an archive, however, and we can make those prior appearances available to applicants interested in Aquaman.

Disclaimer - unless otherwise noted, all characters are property of DC Comics, used here only for roleplaying purposes.