Aquaman

Aquaman Origins

Orin is left to die on Mercy Reef

King of the Sea  

Knowing he would soon be dead his body defenses used its telepathic abilities to send out a telepathic S.O.S to the sea life. The S.O.S worked and Orin was saved by a dolphin called Porm.  Orin spent a few years with Porm learning to swim and contacting her telepathically. A few years later Orin was found by a lighthouse keeper called Arthur Curry, who gave Orin the name Arthur Curry (after himself).  Arthur had to teach the boy how to walk and how to speak and how to be a human being. For some reason when Orin was growing up he wasn’t affected by the lack of salt water, and he had strong connections to the sea and often dreamed about swimming. Orin never told his adopted father about his memories of his life under water, and still ventured out into the sea, but never too far out or to deep.

He stayed with Arthur until he was in his teens when one day after he came home from school he found his adopted father had disappeared without a trace. He wandered around the country for a year where he met his first love, Kako.  It was around this time that Orin first encountered Orm, who would be the future Ocean Master.  It would also be revealed that Orm was the son of Atlan and a human woman, which made Orm Orin’s half brother. Kako became pregnant but before Orin found out he was driven away by Orm.  

Aquaman's Powers

Aquaman's Superhuman Strength  

Orin has may powers but possibly most widely recognized power is the telepathic ability to communicate with marine life, which he can summon from great distances. Although this power is most often and most easily used on marine life, Aquaman has on at times demonstrated the capacity to affect any being that lives upon the sea, or even any being evolved from marine life.

Aquaman has a number of superhuman powers, most of which derive from the fact that he is adapted to live in the depths of the ocean. He has the ability to breathe underwater. He possesses superhuman durability high enough to unaffected by the immense pressure and the cold temperature of the ocean depths, this also makes him strong enough to be invulnerable to gun fire. He also possesses superhuman strength. He can swim at very high speeds, capable of reaching speeds of 10,000 feet per second and can swim up Niagara Falls. He can see in near total darkness and has enhanced hearing granting limited sonar. Although he can remain underwater indefinitely without suffering any ill effects, Aquaman grows weak if he remains on land for extended periods.

After the loss of his left hand, Aquaman initially replaced it with a cybernetic retractable hook, then a cybernetic hand. The mechanical hand was replaced by a magical hand made out of water given to him by the Lady of the Lake, which grants Aquaman numerous abilities, the ability to dehydrate anyone he touches with it, killing them instantly, the ability to change the shape and density of the hand for example Orin can make his hand into a sword or harder that steel, the ability to shoot jets of scalding water, healing abilities the ability to create portals into mystical dimensions the ability to communicate with the Lady of the Lake through the water bearer hand and the ability to nullify magic even powerful sorcerers’s like Tempest. 

Aquaman's Return to Atlantis

Arthur still had memories of his time in the sea so he decided to find out who he really was and where he came from. He swam deeper and further than he had ever done before, and after a time he came across the place of his birth, Atlantis. However his joy was short lived; he was captured by Atlantian soldiers and was thrown into an Atlantian concentration camp. It was revealed that the Atlantian Queen Atlanna (Orin’s mother) and her government had been overthrown by a dictatorial and cruel group that wanted to rule Atlantis with an iron fist.  They had thrown Atlanna and her government and anyone who supported her into a concentration camp.

Orin was scared, alone, and an outsider.  Fortunately, two people recognized him: Atlanna and Vulko. Vulko felt the need to help the young prince so he taught him how to speak Atlantian so he could understand the other prisoners. Atlanna revealed her identity to Orin, and told him that he was her son and the rightful hire to the throne of Atlantis, but soon after this she was killed.

Becoming a Super Hero and the JLA

Aquaman is born

Becoming a King

Orin returned to Atlantis to free the people of Atlantis from the dictatorship. Due to Orin being Atlantian hybrid he was much stronger, faster and more durable that any other Atlantian. He also had his ability to telepathically talk to marine life, thus he was able to take back most of Atlantis on his own,.His actions inspired the Atlantians to fight back and drive away the government and free their city.

King of Atlantis

Eventually, Aquaman's foe Black Manta kidnapped and murdered Orin’s son, causing a rift between Orin and his wife. Mera had been driven insane by grief and was soon committed to an asylum in Poseidonis [a part of Atlantis]. Shortly afterwords, an alien force conquered Atlantis. Arthur was forced to save the day, and in the process was hampered by an escaped Mera who 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 became deeply depressed and distancing himself from Garth and his people and having no real interest in Atlantis or super heroics.

Called Back to Action

New look

Orin soon after, fitted a harpoon to replace his missing hand, which led to an entirely new look. Discarding his classic orange shirt for a more gladiator looking  silver 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 in a battle, so Orin 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.

Unification of the Lost Cities of Atlantis

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, unfortunately for Arthur, Mera returned and walked in on the two. Mera was briefly amnesic to her recent whereabouts and still in love with Arthur, she fled the city. Orin 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 Orin defeated Thanatos but refused to kill him, 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 Orin, he declared war on the surface world only to be unexpectedly killed by a massive earthquake. Orin 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. Orin managed to contact his father, Atlan, who came to his son’s aid and used his magic to release Orin and his friends back onto Earth. Unfortunately, given the difference in time between the two worlds 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.

Orin and Dolphin discovered they were beneath Poseidonis and that the entire domed city rest on top of an enormous, skull shaped spacecraft. The sentient star-craft 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. Orin manged forged a psychic link to the sentient starship, began to have more more of an idea 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. Orin is confronted before he can begin by the JLA who are seeking a declaration for Thanatos’s declaration of war. Aquaman abruptly turns them away. Orin 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 from his training with Atlan in another dimension and was now a extreamly powerful mage he also changed his name to Tempest. Aquaman then recruits the cities of Thiena Na Oge and the floating city of Basilia. Orin also recruit his father  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 to forced Koryak and the Poseidonis citizens to attack their relatives in Tritonis, maiming or killing much of the population. Orin helped the Tritonis people out before rallying all of his allies for the final confrontation. His father, Atlan, The Guardian of Hy-Brasil, Arion, his former sidekick and close friend 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 his half sister Deep Blue. Orin leads the others to Washington D.C. by flying the skull ship straight to the capital. A major battle ensues inside the White House with Orin and allies battling against Kordax, Tiamat, and Koryak (still under Kordax's control). Kordax kills himself in the battle when he cannot defeat Orin. Basilia is destroyed in the fighting that happens there. The Hunter/Gatherers leave the Earth without any further destruction. Orin leads his small army to victory further proofing his leadership skills.

Role in the Infinite Crisis

During "Infinite Crisis", Arthur was being kept at his home, the laboratory where his father worked. Storms created by the Spectre during his attack on Atlantis caused the lab to be destroyed, along with the tank that Arthur was kept in. Arthur's father was found dead a year later.

One Year Later

Arthur Joseph Curry had his first comic book appearance in May of 2006 in Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40 (#39 was merely under the Aquaman title). It was marked with the "One Year Later" stamp as it was part of the storyline. It began with Arthur swimming downward, and eventually hearing a voice asking him his name. The voice mistakes him for Aquaman because their first and last names are the same.

The voice directs him to a large battle between King Shark, and many other sea creatures. The voice tells him to help King Shark, and the two of them hold off the sea creatures until more sharks arrive. At this point, King Shark grabs Arthur, and then, the voice leads them to itself (the voice gives them his location).

It is revealed to be a creature known as the, " Dweller In The Depths". It gives Arthur a set of armor that is similar to that of the original Aquaman (orange shirt, green pants)(because Arthur's current outfit consists of a pair of shorts). The armor also includes a sword.

Arthur soon meets many of the original Aquaman's allies or supporting characters. This includes Mera, Vulko, the Sea Devils and Ocean Master. It is during this journey of Arthur's that the Dweller of the Depths realizes he is the original Aquaman, but his memories of that time have been lost.

Arthur then proceeds to meet a humanoid squid, Topo, who seeks to become a sidekick. He also finds an amnesiac Tempest. Tempest is no longer able to breathe underwater and through hypnosis warns of a battle yet to come.

And when it comes the Dweller of the Depths (Orin) is believed to be killed, though the Justice League wonders if his magical nature would allow him to resurrect himself or if he is truly dead.

However, the Lady of the Lake explains his origins to him. It seems that the original Aquaman gave a sample of his water hand to Dr. Philip Curry so that the man could resurrect his dead son (Arthur Joseph Curry), who he named after Orin.

But when Orin tried to resurrect Sub Diego, part of his soul bonded with the dead Arthur Joseph Curry and his body mutated into the Dweller of the Depths.

So Arthur Curry blamed himself for the death of Orin and decided he would no longer be known as Arthur Curry, rather  he would be Joseph.

Batman considered Joseph to be a potential member of his new Outsiders but he decides against this after he is seen in  action with Metamorpho.