History ComicBook / AquaMan

* CardCarryingVillain: In Rick Veitch's early-2000s run, the titular hero confronts his archnemesis (and murderer of his son), Black Manta, and, after defeating him, uses his new magic powers to re-wire his brain and cure him of his autism; the painful and incompetent treatment he received as a child was part of why he'd become such an insane monster. He appears to turn himself around, but the apparent FreudianExcuse and HeelFaceTurn are subverted when, at a critical moment, Manta stabs Aquaman in the back and explains: "Y'see, deep down, in my most secret heart of hearts, I'm still a totally depraved sonuvabitch whose main goal in life is to watch you die. Slowly and painfully. Just like your kid."
* CityOfAdventure: Sub Diego, which is just what the name implies: it's San Diego, but ''underwater''.
* EnemyWithout: This is the role which "The Thirst" plays to the Waterbearer. If a bearer uses their power to harm rather then heal then he will revive to [[OmnicidalManiac drink life itself]]. His strength is based on the bearer's negative emotions [[spoiler: and if they should wield their power against him as well, then the two will merge, leading to a particularly unusual BattleInTheCenterOFTheMind. Giving in is the only way to truly defeat him.]]
* EnigmaticEmpoweringEntity: In the early 2000s Aquaman underwent yet another retooling, which involved him being named 'The Waterbearer' by The Lady of the Lake herself. Rather than a magic sword, he was given a magic hand made of water.
* FriendInThePress: Aquaman meets science journalist Esther Maris, who reports on the Sub Diego crisis and investigates a company she feels is responsible for the sinking.
* GreenEyedMonster: This is the motivation for the traitorous Captain Rodunn in Rick Veitch's 2003 run, but [[HeelFaceTurn he repented]] after [[SaveTheVillain Aquaman saved his life]].
* MermanityEnsues: The Sub Diego storyline deals with an entire portion of San Diego, California sinks to the bottom of the ocean after an earthquake. In order for its denizens to survive, Anton Geist alters the populations physiology to make them able to breathe underwater. One of its denizens, Lorena Marquez, becomes the second Aquagirl.
* SunkenCity: Sub Diego is a portion of San Diego that was submerged in an attempt to convert humans into subaquatic beings. The population consisted of a mix of these altered humans and Atlantean refugees.
* TorchesAndPitchforks: After the Spectre razed Atlantis, robbing it of all its magic, the survivors blame any and all former conjurers who also lost their powers and vindictively assail them in lynch mobs.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The Sub Diego arc involved an evil organization having stolen Aquaman's DNA for sinister reasons. Then ''Day of Vengeance'' happened and it was pretty much forgotten.

* FriendInThePress: Aquaman meets science journalist Esther Maris, who reports on the Sub Diego crisis and investigats a company she feels is responsible for the sinking.

%%* DarkerAndEdgier: The Peter David series.
%%* DeadpanSnarker: Out of necessity during his Peter David run, or he'd go nuts with grief.
* ToHellAndBack: Near the end of Peter David's run, Triton has killed Poseidon and is kicking the crap out of Aquaman and friends. Aquaman lets Triton kill him, so he can get to the afterlife. Once there, he decks Charon, rallies the souls who didn't have boatfare, jacks Charon's boat, runs Charon over with his own boat, storms the literal Gates of Hell, cuts off one of Cerberus' heads, marches right up to Pluto and demands Poseidon back, ultimately convincing Hades with a very solid BatmanGambit. On his way out, Cerberus is back, and Aquaman has just one word for the titanic guardian of the underworld: Stay.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In Dan Jurgens' underappreciated run on the book, the tyrannical surface nation of Cerdia went to war with Atlantis. Arthur appealed to the U.N. for help, to no avail. So Arthur and his people fought back and won, ''conquering Cerdia--''all nice and legal because it was a defensive war, and Arthur had gone to the United Nations first. Arthur swears to the Cerdians that he will be a better ruler than the tyrants he has deposed, and is optimistic that having territory on dry land will make Atlantis more of a "real country" in the eyes of the world. A FlashForward story even confirms that that will happen. Then the book was canceled, and we never heard anything about Cerdia ever again.

After ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' rolled around, Aquaman, like many [[Franchise/TheDCU DCU]] denizens, got a new origin. Now, he was Orin, the son of an immortal Atlantean wizard, abandoned to die for his blond hair and [[RaisedByWolves raised by dolphins]] before being found by the lighthouse-keeper. After this, Creator/PeterDavid became his main writer, and revamped him; his hand was eaten by piranhas and replaced with a hook, he grew out his beard, and moved toward epic, BarbarianHero-style adventures. This led to a successful ongoing series for a time, but it slipped in popularity after David was removed, and was eventually canceled.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Not many among the Atlantean populace were all that happy to have a half-breed surface born king on the throne. Even after taking back his birthright, he still wrestles with their superstition and hate-fueled paranoia towards the land above.
* AbortedArc:
** The epilogue in Geoff Johns' run set up another crossover between ''Justice League'' and ''Aquaman'', in which Nereus would try to unite the Seven Seas. The crossover never came during Johns' tenure as writer of ''Justice League'' and, although Johns said it was one of his planned projects when ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'' was announced, the story never ended up being written.
%%* AdvancedAncientAcropolis: Atlantis, as well as its mysterious seven other kingdoms.
* AlasPoorVillain: The Dead King is given a sympathetic backstory, in which his descent into madness is revealed to be a result of [[spoiler:his [[TheEvilPrince xenophobic brother Orin]] simultaneously stealing his throne and ordering the murder of his family.]].
* AltarDiplomacy: Many of the under sea kingdom elopements are done out of political arrangements, largely to better tie political powers with its military.
* AnotherDimension: Just as popular in the reboot as it was in previous run. The new take on Aquaman's story is rife with {{Alternate Universe}}s, {{Eldritch Location}}s and {{Lost World}}s adjacent to Atlantis and the mainstream DC Comics Continuum.
** [[PhantomZone Xebel]]: Once penal dimension turned thriving hidden colony at the heart of the BermudaTriangle. It is home to a race of [[MakingASplash water crafting]] [[ApparentlyHumanMerfolk merfolk]] whom all bear a significant hatred against the Atlantean culture.
** [[LostWorld The Maelstrom]]: An [[IslandOfMystery island danger zone]] filled with all manor of AlienAnimals which exhibits a GeniusLoci all its own. Home to a dangerous volcanic entity whom inhabitants must constantly sacrifice to for maintaining the peace.
** [[DarkFantasy Thule]]: [[AdvancedAncientAcropolis Parallel malevolent fairy land]] lorded over by an evil order of dark mystics who ruled [[{{Precursors}} Old Atlantis]] from the shadows, a PocketDimension created through foul magics when King Atlan threatened their power on earth.
* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning:
** Arthur deposed his half-brother Orm in order to retake his title as King of Atlantis. Beating him in the middle of a war no less, singlehandedly halting the advance of Atlantean forces with [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/uisWeye8L-iljM7r5AAm3k6n68rMwJep6umYqCtD8W1ZzxoOd7zKo_tpbNhP7XRaB3X0ATa1d7dn=s0 four simple words]].
** [[TookALevelInBadass Black Manta]] singlehandedly took the reigns of a NebulousEvilOrganization from its previous C.E.O. for his own, all for the sake of escalating his war on Aquaman and any dreams of peaceful coexistence with the surface world he had.
--> '''Black Manta''': [[https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tgBUKtBLRdg/V9BF7FJPlbI/AAAAAAADA04/arVNTnVQajM_2GVrlIpFL7IpSaya6rXWgCLcB/s1600/41_17.jpg Long live the King. Any Questions?]]
* BalanceOfPower: Aquaman does his best to maintain this and establish a peaceful cohabitation between both worlds, for if it were ever to fall apart a world war would break out threatening the destruction of the Surface and the Seas.
* BeliefMakesYouStupid: It does with the people of Atlantis. Years of hatred, arrogance, bigotry and paranoid delusions have made them believe just about anything and everything horrible about the surface world and its people. A [[HiddenAgendaVillain mystic cabal]] from a separate dimension used this in their attempt to overtake the main DC universe by turning the people and the Atlantean army against their king.
* TheChewToy: During Geoff Johns' run, it's revealed that '''everyone''' in the DC Universe feels entitled to openly berate the "guy who speaks with fishes", married "Aquawoman/Aquawife" ([[Film/{{Splash}} whom they believe to be a mermaid that turns into a woman when dry]]), broke because of a lack of employment, wearing a ridiculous shirt and useless if compared with the rest of the League.
* ClassReunion: Arthur attends his in the N52 ''Aquaman #28''. He's reluctant about it, having bad memories of his time at school (like PowerIncontinence, his father dying, and getting publicly outed), but all-in-all it turns out better than expected.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: Since the New 52, Black Manta pursues his vendetta against Aquaman because Arthur [[YouKilledMyFather killed his father]].
%%* CulturedBadass: Comes with the territory when one is both king and adventurer seeking answers to his own home's past.
* CultureJustifiesAnything: How many in Atlantis view the surface world's transgressions and intrusions into their domain, the fact that Aquaman is surfaceborn and their roundabout belief in prophecies provides yet another excuse for their isolationist, bordering genocidal views.
* CycleOfRevenge: Aquaman and Black Manta had been locked in this since the death of each others' fathers. Complicating matters is that Aquaman meant to kill Black Manta instead over the death of the former's father from an attack. Not only that, it turned out that Arthur's father died from a heart attack, meaning the whole thing could have been avoided. To his credit, Arthur tries to bury the hatchet and convince Manta to abandon his vendetta, knowing that [[VengeanceFeelsEmpty revenge is meaningless]]. Unfortunately Manta won't give up his grudge, even when his own father in the form of a ship AI tries to as well.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: In the first few issues of the ComicBook/{{New 52}} run, it's stated outright that the population of the DC Universe consider him a joke just as much as comic book fandom does. Meaning he's had to build up his reputation pretty much from scratch.
* TheExile: The assassins and conspirators who were supposed to be put to death for trying to kill Mera were instead exiled to a place near the antarctic to start a new colony.
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:Atlanna]] faked her own death.
* FallenHero:
** Atlan, the Dead King in the ComicBook/{{New 52}} run. [[spoiler:He wanted to unite various races and welcome them into Atlantis, prompting his treacherous, xenophobic brother to kill his family and attempt to murder him. He sank Atlantis in response.]]
** Hercules shows up in the same can as an evil threatening Atlantis was sealed in. He performed a HeroicSacrifice to ensure the evil was sealed away but spent the interim centuries fighting for his life with monstrous beings eventually becoming BrainwashedAndCrazy by a monstrous siren who convinced him he was deliberately used and sacrifice to suffer. Arthur manages to seal him in a labyrinth dimension hoping to help him one day.
* FantasticRacism:
** Mostly due to fear cultivated over the centuries, Atlanteans hate the surface world. Note that most people didn't even know there was an Atlantis until it went to war. Orm himself actually pities them and only has a mild dislike until then. [[spoiler:Though he reconsiders his prejudices somewhat after escaping Belle Reve and taking residence with a human woman and her son during Forever Evil, protecting them.]]
** Many Atlanteans weren't too happy with the fact that their newest king was a half-born who descends from surface world heritage. A lot of them still aren't by Arthur's own words. [[spoiler:Orm on the other hand, while still somewhat fearful of the surface and yet tolerant of them nonetheless, was elated to have a brother despite his mixed background, openly admitting to have wept out of fear and sorrow over having found out he was trapped on the surface world and opting to save him from it.]]
* FromNobodyToNightmare: In-universe, Aquaman was a laughing stock among the general populace, who saw him as a weakling with the very unflattering power of "talking to fish". This changes after [[ComicBook/ThroneOfAtlantis the Atlantean invasion]], which exposes the world to his people's technology and cunning, turning him into one of the world's most feared meta-humans.
* TheFundamentalist: Atlantis is built upon the notions of fear, bigotry and MisanthropeSupreme ideals since before its sinking by King Atlan. About three thousand years later its people have reverted back to its surface hating ways with [[ElectiveMonarchy Corum Rath]] on the throne, a terrorist human hater who venomously detested Arthur for his land born background.
* GeniusLoci: The spirits and memories of the dead become part of Atlantis, so when they don't accept him as a ruler, the land itself quakes.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Black Manta's status as an evil mercenary is highlighted by the scars he has running across his face.
* HeroWithBadPublicity: The ''ComicBook/New52'' series established Arthur as this: the superhero everyone laughed at. That all changed after Atlantis invaded and flooded the east coast, but now the bad publicity exists because many fear Aquaman.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Mera and Orm decide to ask Nereus for help to end the Atlantean civil war. The heroine leaves the two men alone, trusting her ally to knock some sense into her ex-fiancé, but this has catastrophic results, as [[spoiler:Nereus preys on Orm's lust for power and twisted commitment to Atlantis, ultimately convincing him to [[FaceHeelTurn turn on Mera]]]].
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: A sentiment shared by most if not all Atlantean people. In particular, Murk of The Drift bears much more than simple [[MisanthropeSupreme racism]] towards the surface dwellers. Something [[NoodleIncident happened to him]] in the deeply rooted past which he'd rather not disclose as of late.
* InASingleBound: Being fully adapted to live in the pressure of the deepest sea trenches, Aquaman and Mera, while on the surface, are both able to leap miles at times through the air, with [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]]-like jumps.
* InterplanetaryVoyage: Arthur has ventured to a planet afflicted by the Thule's incursion, and visited another world by accidentally stumbling upon the mystery of Dead Water.
* ItRunsInTheFamily:
** Mera notes that Atlanna's good looks and superpowers pass from generation to generation.
** In Xebel's case, one marries into the power as well as the crown. Whenever the last king of the colony passes, [[KingmakerScenario both their title as monarch and the hydromancy of the royal bloodline]] passes over to their next marital successor.
* LoveBeforeFirstSight: Mera meeting with Arthur in the secret origin comics. While initially poisoned by Xebelian propaganda, she came to adore Aquaman intently eventually becoming his loyal bride.
* MemeticLoser: Discussed InUniverse at the start of Geoff Johns' run, where everyone treats Aquaman as a complete joke despite his valiant efforts in repelling Darkseid's invasion. An insensitive blogger even directly asks him how it feels to be nobody's favourite hero.
* MissingMom: Atlanna, Orm and Arthur's mother, died before Arthur got to meet her. [[spoiler:And then he finds out her body was removed from its grave later on.]]
* {{Mordor}}: The mystically conceived alternate dimension of Thule erected by a cabal of mystics was equivalent to this until its destruction.
* MythologyGag:
** Manta states Mera is the linchpin in Arthur's dark world, and if he ever lost her, the weight of being sea king would crush him indefinitely. This is an accurate description of ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}} Aquaman's StartOfDarkness.
** The ComicBook/{{New 52}}'s ''Aquaman #10'' features Black Manta's collection of nautical memorabilia, including Arthur's HookHand and the original Black Manta helmet. What makes it this is that as far as can be seen, Arthur never lost his hand in current continuity, and never met Manta before he wore his current helmet.
** HookHand Arthur, complete with beard, shows up in an ImagineSpot of one of Arthur's classmates in ''Aquaman #28''.
** ''Aquaman #29'' has Arthur borrowing his ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'''s counterpart's catchphrase while berating himself for letting his trident be stolen: "Out''rage''ous!"
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Black Manta. As some Belle Reve guards learned in the New 52's ''Aquaman #14'', "the guy who loses to Aquaman" can kill you with his hands tied.
* OfThePeople: A clear and glaring problem about the people of Atlantis and other undersea nations is their strict isolationism and surface-hating culture. Many of them chose mainly to steer clear of the humans and the world above, other less enlightened minds have a tendency to think cleansing the surface is the only way to protect themselves.
%%* OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: Arthur contends with one or two at least twice a week.
* PsychicNosebleed: Arthur gives himself one trying to control Topo, the monstrously giant squid-like creature near Atlantis, when he needs him to fight off an attack by the Scavenger. Topo is more intelligent than most sea life, meaning Aquaman finds him nearly impossible to control, and in fact puts himself in a coma for months when he attempts it.
* PyrrhicVictory: At the end of the ''Throne of Atlantis'' arc, Aquaman has become ruler of Atlantis and stopped the war against the surface. Unfortunately, he's now looked at with fear and mistrust both by humans and his own kingdom.
* ProngsOfPoseidon: Takes much more prominence in this comic run than it did in the last. Usually those who hold a trident, scepter or some form of polearm carry an entitlement to superintendency, for possession of which regularly stands as a [[StaffOfAuthority symbol of leadership]] in these instances. In rarer cases, [[RequisiteRoyalRegalia they're the prerequisite of royal blood]] largely within Atlantean based cultures.
* RescueRomance: Atlanna saved Tom Curry from drowning when his lifeboat capsized. They fell in love, begetting Arthur Curry as a result.
* SamaritanRelationshipStarter: Mera falls for Arthur after seeing what a good person he is.
* SanitySlippage: [[spoiler:Atlan]] has a mental breakdown after his wife and kids are killed by his treacherous brother. Upon returning to Atlantis, he murders the traitor without saying a single word and, in a fit of rage, [[spoiler:sinks the nation he spent his entire life building. His mental state continues to degenerate throughout the "Death of a King" arc: Witnessing the Xebelians abandon him, the Atlanteans refuse to acknowledge him as their ruler, and the Trench fight alongside Arthur, Atlan tries to destroy Atlantis with his scepter, while madly rambling that he has been betrayed by everyone again]].
* SeriesContinuityError: In Geoff Johns' run:
** In issue 6, an ancient Atlantean log recounts how a group of soldiers was killed by the Trench while pursuing the man who wanted to sink the continent. This contradicts Atlantis' backstory as revealed in issue 24, since [[spoiler:it's stated that the Trench are the degenerated form of one of the Atlantean races, meaning they could only have come into existence ''after'' Atlan sank the kingdom]].
** In issue 25, Aquaman retrieves the Atlantean Scepter from a treasure trove and states he had hidden it there since the events of ''ComicBook/ThroneOfAtlantis''. This contradicts previous events from the same arc, since the Dead King is clearly seen wielding said weapon during his first appearance up until his first confrontation with the protagonist at Xebel.
* SinisterStingrays: Black Manta carries a manta theme is very ruthless.
* TimeSkip: A six-month one from the start of Forever Evil at issue #23.
* UnderCity: The seven hidden kingdoms of Atlantis thrived under King Atlan's rule, but following the coup d'etat and subsequent sinking of the continent, they've been forgotten to history.
** The Trench: a ravenous cavern dwelling race of subhuman water breathers who adapted to living in the sea floor.
** Xebel: Secessionist clan of criminals exiled from Atlantis to a cosmic Alcatraz within the Bermuda Triangle, occupied by water bending merefolk.
** Ninth Tride: The slums on the ocean floor, home to the dregs of Atlantean society.
* UngratefulTownsfolk: Aquaman is openly bashed on by the Atlanteans for being a surface-born, and by regular humans for being associated with the race that conducted a series of terrorist attacks on Boston, Gotham and Metropolis.
* WeWouldHaveToldYouBut: Nereus, the king of Xebel, was dispatched by the Dead King Atlan to discover the whereabouts of the other four out of seven kingdoms of Atlantis. He returns, stating he could not find any of them. Turns out he was purposefully withholding his findings, though he tries to make a deal with Orm to seek out their locations together.
* WhamLine:
** The reader is made to believe that Aquaman is seeking revenge on Black Manta for the death of his father. The twist, as revealed by Dr. Shin, is that [[spoiler:it's actually the other way around: "In a fit of rage, seeking revenge, Aquaman killed [[BigBad Black Manta]]'s father."]]
** The connection between the Dead King Atlan and Arthur changes the protagonist's entire perception of his own heritage. Vulko tells Aquaman that [[spoiler:"Atlan was once a great hero of the world... and your ancestors were the villains".]]

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: By the end of ''Rebirth'', [[spoiler:the Atlanteans have deposed Arthur and elected Mera to be their queen]].
* AbortedArc: During Abnett's run, the Widowhood predicts Aquaman will die in the near future and Mera, consumed by grief, will ravage the world with a massive deluge. Though the first part of the prophecy becomes the basis of [=DeConnick=]'s run, Mera's supposed descent into insanity is promptly forgotten.
* AlasPoorVillain: Mera is about to deliver a killing blow to Corum Rath, but Aquaman stops her because, thanks to his aquatelepathy, he has figured out that [[spoiler:the villain has mutated into a creature that is more fish than human. Despite all the atrocities Rath had committed, his state is so pitiable the heroes allow him to leave]].
* BaitAndSwitch: In the ''Rebirth'' series, one of the Atlanteans who find [[spoiler:Mera suffocating due to the magic of the Crown of Thorns]] says that they should take her to the king. However, rather than taking her to King Rath, [[spoiler:they bring her to King Shark.]]
* BreakThemByTalking: One of the rare heroic examples in the new Rebirth titles, Aquaman actually managed to debase his greatest enemy [[UnstoppableRage Black Manta]] by stating how he wastes his life on pointless anger while Arthur is constantly reinventing himself.
* BroughtDownToNormal: Mera tries to traverse the Crown of Thorns by using a damaged amulet, but suffers a magical injury in the process and becomes a regular human. Stuck in the underwater city, she survives thanks to the combined efforts of King Shark, Aquaman and the Widowhood, and is taken back to the surface so she can regain her powers.
* TheCavalry:
** Aquaman and Jurok launch a desperate attack to destroy Corum Rath's Crown of Thorns, but are overwhelmed by his forces. When all seems to be lost, [[spoiler:King Shark and the Ninth Tride arrive to assist him, turning the tide of the battle]].
** During the final battle against Corum Rath, [[spoiler:Aquaman is severely wounded, Atlan's Trident is broken, and the heroes' forces are overwhelmed by the villain's undead monsters. Cue Mera arriving with Orm's Trident and the Xebellian army to save the day]].
* ContinuitySnarl: In 2019, Aquaman died and came back to life. [[ComicBookDeath Nothing weird about that]], but DC told two parallel stories at the same time about how it happened. In the pages of ''Justice League'', during the ''Drowned Earth'' event, Arthur and Black Manta both die [[spoiler:when Aquaman makes a kamikaze attack on the [[EldritchAbomination Death Kraken]], and Aquaman is subsequently brought back to life by the Anti-Monitor to serve as his agent, reuniting with the rest of the League during a time travel mission to Pearl Harbor]]. Meanwhile, in his own comic, [[spoiler:Aquaman was killed by Mera in a fit of rage when he reacts badly to her telling him she's pregnant, he wakes up amnesiac on a mystical island full of ancient sea gods and has to go on a quest to restore his memories and come back to life, and returns by boat to Amnesty Bay.]] Also, in ''Aquaman'' #50, Manta shows up with no explanation how he survived or even any mention that he was ever dead. Both comics showed Arthur reuniting with Mera under completely different circumstances and with neither referencing the other. And just when you think that maybe ''Drowned Earth'' is supposed to be [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]], Orm's ''Year of the Villain'' special explicitly references it, which it has to, because if ''Drowned Earth'' didn't happen, then Orm would still be in prison.\\\
''Justice League'' did try to reconcile the two plot lines by claiming that [[spoiler:when Anti-Monitor sent Aquaman back to Earth from his headquarters, he crashed on the island and lost his memories]], but that just raised further questions and didn't change the fact that he still died in two completely different ways in two different books.
* CosmicDeadline: The Rebirth series was one of the many books hit by the infamous [[ScrewedByTheNetwork DC Bloodbath]] of November 2020, where DC cancelled swathes of series and fired dozens of staffers with very short notice. That gave Creator/KellySueDeConnick only a few issues to wrap up what was likely intended to be months worth of storylines, resulting in a happy ending that seemed very rushed and a more than a little forced.
* CyanidePill: All N.E.M.O operative have a bit of Atlantean technology imbedded in their brain stem, triggered to go off in the event that sensitive intel is at risk upon capture by enemy forces. When triggered, this causes a coral-like implant to branch out of their bodies, bursting their skulls into bloody paste.
* DemonicPossession: Corum Rath quickly goes over the edge after becoming king of Atlantis, as he unleashes ancient forms of magic that he doesn't have full control over. This culminates in him [[spoiler:being possessed by the Abyssal Dark, an ancient demon that plagued Atlantis since its founding]].
* DomedHometown: The first thing Corum Rath does upon being crowned as the King of Atlantis is erect the Crown of Thorns, a magical dome that envelops the city and isolates it from the outside world.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Issue #65 may not conclude their story, but we see Arthur and Mera living with their baby Andy at the Curry lighthouse, and them finally getting married.
* EasyEvangelism: Shows up three times at the end of the Rebirth series as a consequence of the writers having to rush to complete the story after being cancelled at very short notice. First, Orm's previously fanatically loyal followers are convinced to desert him entirely offscreen by a mute woman; meanwhile Vulko is able to show the ruling class the error of their ways in a single panel; finally the ultraconservative and authoritarian society of Atlantis accepts democracy after a single speech from Mera.
* EvolvingWeapon: Atlan's trident is a symbol of the Atlantean monarchy, but otherwise is just a glorified spear. That changes after Corum Rath [[spoiler:breaks the Atlantean magic seals, enabling the weapon to become a conduit and channel the city's mystical energies]].
* EyeScream:
** After Rath frees the Abyssal Dark, the seers from the Widowhood tear their own eyes out to prevent themselves from having traumatizing visions.
** Aquaman defeats [[spoiler:the possessed Corum Rath by stabbing him in the right eye with the shattered hilt of Atlan's Trident]].
* FateWorseThanDeath: Corum Rath [[spoiler:is left in a mutated state after being freed from his DemonicPossession. Since his neurological functions are now similar to a fish's, he becomes susceptible to Aquaman's telepathy, which compels him to leave Atlantis and relocate to the darkest depths of the ocean]].
* GeniusLoci: In Rebirth, Aquaman and Mera find a crevice leading to an AlienSea planet dominated by sapient water. The same waterworld is [[spoiler:also the MonsterProgenitor turning those consumed by fear or rage into the rampaging sea beast [[TheDreaded Dead Water]].]]
* GondorCallsForAid: Ocean Master has Arthur pinned down in the cliffhanger of Rebirth #64, with the rest of Arthur's allies restrained by Orm's forces. He uses his telepathy to send out a distress call. Turns out this isn't one of his usual sealife summons, though. The rest of the Justice League comes to his aid instead. This also shows [[CharacterDevelopment how far he's come]] since the Throne of Atlantis arc.
* HappilyMarried: By the end of the Rebirth run (issue #65), Aquaman and Mera are finally married once again.
* KingIncognito: Arthur '''Crown of Atlantis''' now makes his home within the ninth tride after Corum takes the throne.
* MisanthropeSupreme: Most Atlanteans vehemently fear and hate the surface world as a whole. The few who truly detest humanity are part of a terrorist sect called '''The Deluge''', a fiercely xenophobic movement which thinks war with the surface world is for the good of Atlantis.
* RefusalOfTheCall: Mera opted to rescind the throne and opt for an autocracy in her place at the Rebirth's end run. Naturally, this did go over well with the other kingdoms in attendence.
* SeriesContinuityError: In issue 24, Murk is quick enough to outswim Aquaman. This contradicts the events of issue 9, where it's established that not even the Atlantean vehicles can keep up with the hero's speed.
%%* SternNun: The Widowhood, who are basically the [[Literature/{{Dune}} Bene Gesserit]] without the false humility.
* StoryBreakerPower: Mera's [[MakingASplash hydrokinesis]] lets her manipulate the water inside her opponents' bodies, enabling her to drain their fluids or clog their lungs. As shown in her battle against [[spoiler:Orm]], this skill lets her end battles quickly and efficiently, which is why she rarely gets to use it against major foes.
* StrawmanPolitical: Aquaman's ruling council becomes this during later stints in Rebirth. Growing increasingly tired of all the conflicts drawn upon Atlantis with Aquaman as king, they elect to [[SketchySuccessor put a terrorist]] on the throne after having the old guard executed. When Mera takes over, they're shown to be open elitists who don't care about the common people and seem surprised she would.
* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: During the Atlantean civil war, many characters point out that the more powerful members of the Justice League and the Teen Titans would easily be able to figure out a way to enter the city and depose the tyrannical King Rath. However, Mera specifically asks them to not intervene, as the involvement of surface agents would only escalate the geopolitical conflict between Atlantis and the rest of the world.
* WreckedWeapon: [[spoiler:Corum Rath, empowered by the demon Abyssal Dark, breaks Atlan's trident in half during his final battle against Aquaman. The weapon is replaced with Poseidon's Trident by the next story arc]].

* SeriesContinuityError:
** In Geoff Johns' run:
*** In issue 6, an ancient Atlantean log recounts how a group of soldiers was killed by the Trench while pursuing the man who wanted to sink the continent. This contradicts Atlantis' backstory as revealed in issue 24, since [[spoiler:it's stated that the Trench are the degenerated form of one of the Atlantean races, meaning they could only have come into existence ''after'' Atlan sank the kingdom]].
*** In issue 25, Aquaman retrieves the Atlantean Scepter from a treasure trove and states he had hidden it there since the events of ''ComicBook/ThroneOfAtlantis''. This contradicts previous events from the same arc, since the Dead King is clearly seen wielding said weapon during his first appearance up until his first confrontation with the protagonist at Xebel.

* StoryBreakerPower: Mera's [[MakingASplash hydrokinesis]] lets her manipulate the water inside her opponents' bodies, enabling her to drain their fluids or clog their lungs. As shown in her battle against [[spoiler:Orm]], this skill lets her end battles quickly and efficiently, which is why she rarely gets to use it against major foes.
* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: During the Atlantean civil war, many characters point out that the more powerful members of the Justice League and the Teen Titans would easily be able to figure out a way to enter the city and depose the tyrannical King Rath. However, Mera specifically asks them to not intervene, as the involvement of surface agents would only escalate the geopolitical conflict between Atlantis and the rest of the world.

* SeriesContinuityError: In Dan Abnett's run: In issue 24, Murk is quick enough to outswim Aquaman. This contradicts the events of issue 9, where it's established that not even the Atlantean vehicles can keep up with the hero's speed.

* CardCarryingVillain: In Rick Veitch's early-2000s run, the titular hero confronts his archnemesis (and murderer of his son), Black Manta, and, after defeating him, uses his new magic powers to re-wire his brain and cure him of his autism; the painful and incompetent treatment he received as a child was part of why he'd become such an insane monster. He appears to turn himself around, but the apparent FreudianExcuse and HeelFaceTurn are subverted when, at a critical moment, Manta stabs Aquaman in the back and explains: "Y'see, deep down, in my most secret heart of hearts, I'm still a totally depraved sonuvabitch whose main goal in life is to watch you die. Slowly and painfully. Just like your kid."

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: The GoldenAge Aquaman had a sidekick called Phineas Pike (aka 'the Sea Sleuth'.) Pike was a brilliant but eccentric detective with a Franchise/SherlockHolmes style deerstalker who knew almost everything about the ocean and ocean life except how to swim. After several appearances in 1949 where he was the [[BrainsAndBrawn brains to Aquaman's brawn]] he abruptly vanished from the storyline and has not been mentioned since.

%%* DarkerAndEdgier: The Peter David series.
%%* DeadpanSnarker: Out of necessity during his Peter David run, or he'd go nuts with grief.

* EnemyWithout: This is the role which "The Thirst" plays to the Waterbearer. If a bearer uses their power to harm rather then heal then he will revive to [[OmnicidalManiac drink life itself]]. His strength is based on the bearer's negative emotions [[spoiler: and if they should wield their power against him as well, then the two will merge, leading to a particularly unusual BattleInTheCenterOFTheMind. Giving in is the only way to truly defeat him.]]
* EnigmaticEmpoweringEntity: In the early 2000s Aquaman underwent yet another retooling, which involved him being named 'The Waterbearer' by The Lady of the Lake herself. Rather than a magic sword, he was given a magic hand made of water.

* GreenEyedMonster: Arthur's brother, Prince Orm (aka the Ocean Master), despises him for taking the throne. This was also the motivation for the traitorous Captain Rodunn in Rick Veitch's 2003 run, but [[HeelFaceTurn he repented]] after [[SaveTheVillain Aquaman saved his life]].

* HeroWithBadPublicity: The ''ComicBook/New52'' series established Arthur as this: the superhero everyone laughed at. That all changed after Atlantis invaded and flooded the east coast, but now the bad publicity exists because many fear Aquaman.

** The titular character is a HalfHumanHybrid, born to a human father and an Atlantian mother. He discovers his abilities at a young age, though his mother is not around in his life on account of some rather [[{{Understatement}} messy politics]] in Atlantis.

* PsychicNosebleed: Arthur gives himself one trying to control Topo, the monstrously giant squid-like creature near Atlantis, when he needs him to fight off an attack by the Scavenger. Topo is more intelligent than most sea life, meaning Aquaman finds him nearly impossible to control, and in fact puts himself in a coma for months when he attempts it.

* ToHellAndBack: Near the end of PAD's run, Triton has killed Poseidon and is kicking the crap out of Aquaman and friends. Aquaman lets Triton kill him, so he can get to the afterlife. Once there, he decks Charon, rallies the souls who didn't have boatfare, jacks Charon's boat, runs Charon over with his own boat, storms the literal Gates of Hell, cuts off one of Cerberus' heads, marches right up to Pluto and demands Poseidon back, ultimately convincing Hades with a very solid BatmanGambit. On his way out, Cerberus is back, and Aquaman has just one word for the titanic guardian of the underworld: Stay.
* TorchesAndPitchforks: After The Spectre razed Atlantis, robbing it of all its magic, the survivors blame any and all former conjurers who also lost their powers and vindictively assail them in lynch mobs.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
** In Dan Jurgens' underappreciated run on the book, the tyrannical surface nation of Cerdia went to war with Atlantis. Arthur appealed to the U.N. for help, to no avail. So Arthur and his people fought back and won, ''conquering Cerdia--''all nice and legal because it was a defensive war, and Arthur had gone to the United Nations first. Arthur swears to the Cerdians that he will be a better ruler than the tyrants he has deposed, and is optimistic that having territory on dry land will make Atlantis more of a "real country" in the eyes of the world. A FlashForward story even confirms that that will happen. Then the book was canceled, and we never heard anything about Cerdia ever again.

* BaitAndSwitch: In the ''Rebirth'' series, one of the Atlanteans who find [[spoiler:Mera suffocating due to the magic of the Crown of Thorns]] says that they should take her to the king. However, rather than taking her to King Rath, [[spoiler:they bring her to King Shark.]]

* CityOfAdventure: Later Aquaman's city is changed to Sub Diego, which is just what the name implies: it's San Diego, but ''underwater''.

* FriendInThePress: In the mid-2000s, Aquaman met science journalist Esther Maris, who reported on the Sub Diego crisis and investigated a company she felt was responsible for the sinking.

** The Sub-Diego storyline deals with an entire portion of San Diego, California sinks to the bottom of the ocean after an earthquake. In order for its denizens to survive, Anton Geist alters the populations physiology to make them able to breathe underwater. One of its denizens, Lorena Marquez, becomes the second Aquagirl.

* SunkenCity: For a time, Aquaman was based in Sub Diego, a portion of San Diego that was submerged in an attempt to convert humans into subaquatic beings. The population consisted of a mix of these altered humans and Atlantean refugees.

** The Sub Diego arc involved an evil organization having stolen Aquaman's DNA for sinister reasons. Then ''Day of Vengeance'' happened and it was pretty much forgotten.

----
!!New 52/Rebirth Version

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Not many among the Atlantean populace were all that happy to have a half-breed surface born king on the throne. Even after taking back his birthright, he still wrestles with their superstition and hate-fueled paranoia towards the land above. By the end of ''Rebirth'', [[spoiler:the Atlanteans have deposed Arthur and elected Mera to be their queen]].

** During Abnett's run, the Widowhood predicts Aquaman will die in the near future and Mera, consumed by grief, will ravage the world with a massive deluge. Though the first part of the prophecy becomes the basis of [=DeConnick=]'s run, Mera's supposed descent into insanity is promptly forgotten.

* AlasPoorVillain:
** The Dead King is given a sympathetic backstory, in which his descent into madness is revealed to be a result of [[spoiler:his [[TheEvilPrince xenophobic brother Orin]] simultaneously stealing his throne and ordering the murder of his family.]].
** Mera is about to deliver a killing blow to Corum Rath, but Aquaman stops her because, thanks to his aquatelepathy, he has figured out that [[spoiler:the villain has mutated into a creature that is more fish than human. Despite all the atrocities Rath had committed, his state is so pitiable the heroes allow him to leave]].
* AltarDiplomacy: Many of the under sea kingdom elopements are done out of political arrangements. largely to better tie political powers with its military.

* BreakThemByTalking: One of the rare heroic examples in the new Rebirth titles, Aquaman actually managed to debase his greatest enemy [[UnstoppableRage Black Manta]] by stating how he wastes his life on pointless anger while Arthur is constantly reinventing himself.
* BroughtDownToNormal: Mera tries to traverse the Crown of Thorns by using a damaged amulet, but suffers a magical injury in the process and becomes a regular human. Stuck in the underwater city, she survives thanks to the combined efforts of King Shark, Aquaman and the Widowhood, and is taken back to the surface so she can regain her powers.
* TheCavalry:
** Aquaman and Jurok launch a desperate attack to destroy Corum Rath's Crown of Thorns, but are overwhelmed by his forces. When all seems to be lost, [[spoiler:King Shark and the Ninth Tride arrive to assist him, turning the tide of the battle]].
** During the final battle against Corum Rath, [[spoiler:Aquaman is severely wounded, Atlan's Trident is broken, and the heroes' forces are overwhelmed by the villain's undead monsters. Cue Mera arriving with Orm's Trident and the Xebellian army to save the day]].

* ContinuitySnarl: In 2019, Aquaman died and came back to life. [[ComicBookDeath Nothing weird about that]], but DC told two parallel stories at the same time about how it happened. In the pages of ''Justice League'', during the ''Drowned Earth'' event, Arthur and Black Manta both die [[spoiler:when Aquaman makes a kamikaze attack on the [[EldritchAbomination Death Kraken]], and Aquaman is subsequently brought back to life by the Anti-Monitor to serve as his agent, reuniting with the rest of the League during a time travel mission to Pearl Harbor]]. Meanwhile, in his own comic, [[spoiler:Aquaman was killed by Mera in a fit of rage when he reacts badly to her telling him she's pregnant, he wakes up amnesiac on a mystical island full of ancient sea gods and has to go on a quest to restore his memories and come back to life, and returns by boat to Amnesty Bay.]] Also, in ''Aquaman'' #50, Manta shows up with no explanation how he survived or even any mention that he was ever dead. Both comics showed Arthur reuniting with Mera under completely different circumstances and with neither referencing the other. And just when you think that maybe ''Drowned Earth'' is supposed to be [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]], Orm's ''Year of the Villain'' special explicitly references it, which it has to, because if ''Drowned Earth'' didn't happen, then Orm would still be in prison.\\\
''Justice League'' did try to reconcile the two plot lines by claiming that [[spoiler:when Anti-Monitor sent Aquaman back to Earth from his headquarters, he crashed on the island and lost his memories]], but that just raised further questions and didn't change the fact that he still died in two completely different ways in two different books.
* CosmicDeadline: The Rebirth series was one of the many books hit by the infamous [[ScrewedByTheNetwork DC Bloodbath]] of November 2020, where DC cancelled swathes of series and fired dozens of staffers with very short notice. That gave Creator/KellySueDeConnick only a few issues to wrap up what was likely intended to be months worth of storylines, resulting in a happy ending that seemed very rushed and a more than a little forced.

* CyanidePill: All N.E.M.O operative have a bit of Atlantean technology imbedded in their brain stem, triggered to go off in the event that sensitive intel is at risk upon capture by enemy forces. When triggered, this causes a coral-like implant to branch out of their bodies, bursting their skulls into bloody paste.

* DemonicPossession: Corum Rath quickly goes over the edge after becoming king of Atlantis, as he unleashes ancient forms of magic that he doesn't have full control over. This culminates in him [[spoiler:being possessed by the Abyssal Dark, an ancient demon that plagued Atlantis since its founding]].
* DomedHometown: The first thing Corum Rath does upon being crowned as the King of Atlantis is erect the Crown of Thorns, a magical dome that envelops the city and isolates it from the outside world.

* EasyEvangelism: Shows up three times at the end of the Rebirth series as a consequence of the writers having to rush to complete the story after being cancelled at very short notice. First, Orm's previously fanatically loyal followers are convinced to desert him entirely offscreen by a mute woman; meanwhile Vulko is able to show the ruling class the error of their ways in a single panel; finally the ultraconservative and authoritarian society of Atlantis accepts democracy after a single speech from Mera.
* EvolvingWeapon: Atlan's trident is a symbol of the Atlantean monarchy, but otherwise is just a glorified spear. That changes after Corum Rath [[spoiler:breaks the Atlantean magic seals, enabling the weapon to become a conduit and channel the city's mystical energies]].

* EyeScream:
** After Rath frees the Abyssal Dark, the seers from the Widowhood tear their own eyes out to prevent themselves from having traumatizing visions.
** Aquaman defeats [[spoiler:the possessed Corum Rath by stabbing him in the right eye with the shattered hilt of Atlan's Trident]].

* FateWorseThanDeath: Corum Rath [[spoiler:is left in a mutated state after being freed from his DemonicPossession. Since his neurological functions are now similar to a fish's, he becomes susceptible to Aquaman's telepathy, which compels him to leave Atlantis and relocate to the darkest depths of the ocean]].

* GeniusLoci:
** The spirits and memories of the dead become part of Atlantis, so when they don't accept him as a ruler, the land itself quakes.
** In Rebirth, Aquaman and Mera find a crevice leading to an AlienSea planet dominated by sapient water. The same waterworld is [[spoiler:also the MonsterProgenitor turning those consumed by fear or rage into the rampaging sea beast [[TheDreaded Dead Water]].]]
* GondorCallsForAid: Ocean Master has Arthur pinned down in the cliffhanger of Rebirth #64, with the rest of Arthur's allies restrained by Orm's forces. He uses his telepathy to send out a distress call. Turns out this isn't one of his usual sealife summons, though. The rest of the Justice League comes to his aid instead. This also shows [[CharacterDevelopment how far he's come]] since the Throne of Atlantis arc.

* KingIncognito: Arthur '''Crown of Atlantis''' now makes his home within the ninth tride after Corum takes the throne.

* MisanthropeSupreme: Most Atlanteans vehemently fear and hate the surface world as a whole. The few who truly detest humanity are part of a terrorist sect called '''The Deluge''', a fiercely xenophobic movement which thinks war with the surface world is for the good of Atlantis.

%%* OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: Arthur contends with one or two at least twice a week, both in New 52 and DC Rebirth publishing.

* RefusalOfTheCall: Mera opted to rescind the throne and opt for an autocracy in her place at the Rebirth's end run. Naturally, this did go over well with the other kingdoms in attendence.

** In Dan Abnett's run: In issue 24, Murk is quick enough to outswim Aquaman. This contradicts the events of issue 9, where it's established that not even the Atlantean vehicles can keep up with the hero's speed.
%%* SternNun: The Widowhood, who are basically the [[Literature/{{Dune}} Bene Gesserit]] without the false humility.

* StrawmanPolitical: Aquaman's ruling council becomes this during later stints in Rebirth. Growing increasingly tired of all the conflicts drawn upon Atlantis with Aquaman as king, they elect to [[SketchySuccessor put a terrorist]] on the throne after having the old guard executed. When Mera takes over, they're shown to be open elitists who don't care about the common people and seem surprised she would.

* ''The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure'': His first appearance in a non-comic medium, Creator/{{Filmation}} paired his episodes alongside their pre-existing ''[[WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfSuperman New Adventures of Superman]]''; additional segments featured ''ComicBook/TheFlash'', ''ComicBook/TheAtom'', ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'', ''ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}'', plus team adventures with both the Justice League of America and the original ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' (the latter featuring Aqualad from the ''Aquaman'' segments); the ''Superboy'' segments from ''Superman'' were also carried over. After the ''Superman'' cartoon was paired up with a ''Batman''-based cartoon the next season, Aquaman gained his own show (still with the guest star segments).

Aquaman originated in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks. He first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November, 1941). He was created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger. In his earliest appearances, Aquaman was also [[SuperStrength strong]] and [[NighInvulnerable durable]] enough to deflect an artillery shell one-handed and outswim a torpedo. His powers were at first said to be [[CharlesAtlasSuperPower the result of special training]], but were later described as the result of his scientist father experimenting on him. Rather than communicating with sea creatures telepathically, he could speak with them "in their own language".

Aquaman continued in ''More Fun Comics'' until issue #107 (January, 1946). He was then transferred to ''ComicBook/AdventureComics'', starting with its 103rd issue (April, 1946). During UsefulNotes/TheInterregnum, Aquaman was one of the few {{Super Hero}}es who remained in publication, largely due to his status as the backup feature in ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'s title. In the wake of ComicBook/DCInfiniteFrontier, it was revealed that this iteration of the character was a completely different person from the more well-known 'Half-Atlantean' iteration.

In UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}, Aquaman's origins were revamped; now, he was a HalfHumanHybrid of {{Atlant|is}}ean and surface human, raised by his father, a lighthouse-keeper, and unaware of his royal heritage until recently. He was super-strong and tough because his body was "adapted to the sea's depths", and he could [[PsychicPowers telepathically]] control anything that lived on or near the sea. However, he was also given a KryptoniteFactor of sorts; he could only spend [[HourOfPower one hour]] out of the water before succumbing to potentially fatal weakness. Aquaman's career was, like Superman's, also retroactively extended back into his childhood as "Aquaboy," ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'s sole contemporary hero. (This idea of the son of a light-house keeper and a merwoman may be inspired by the old song [[http://www.contemplator.com/sea/edlight.html "My Father Was the Keeper of the Eddystone Light"]].)

In the process, Aquaman picked up a supporting cast, something which he had generally lacked (for a time in the late 40s he had been aided by a Ditzy, Genius sidekick named the Sea-Sleuth but he had [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome vanished without a trace years earlier]].) Most notable among them were {{sidekick}} Aqualad, and super-powered wife Mera. They even had a kid. UsefulNotes/{{The Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}} led to his comic being canceled, UnCancelled, and re-canceled repeatedly. His child was murdered in an effort to drum up interest and provide angst, and he became the leader of the AudienceAlienatingEra version of the Justice League (often referred to as "Justice League Detroit").

This direction, while not wholly unpopular, didn't result in a high-selling series. Thus, during ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis The comic'', Atlantis was destroyed. After the "One Year Later" TimeSkip, ''Aquaman'' became ''ComicBook/AquamanSwordOfAtlantis'', going back to the BarbarianHero adventures that had done well before. A new Aquaman was introduced, Arthur Joseph Curry, whose origin and powers were similar to UsefulNotes/{{the Golden Age|OfComicBooks}} Aquaman. He was guided by the "Dweller in the Depths", a tentacled humanoid who was implied to be Aquaman — most prominently, through having the magical water hand. [[FanNickname Artie Joe]] is now considered to be a multiversal equivalent of Aquaman who left Atlantis at the end of ComicBook/FinalCrisis.

** His original [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] status quo would seem quite jarring to modern readers. Instead of being half-Atlantean, he was a normal human who owed his powers to experiments performed by his scientist father. Atlantis was a dead, sunken kingdom instead of a place where people actually lived. He actually ''did'' talk to fish instead of communicating with them telepathically, and even then, these powers had time and range limits. He also had NoNameGiven, and wouldn't go by "Arthur Curry" until the late '50s. And of course, his iconic supporting characters and villains like Mera, Aqualad and Black Manta wouldn't exist until UsefulNotes/{{The Silver Age|OfComicBooks}}.

* SeahorseSteed: Aquaman sometimes rides a giant seahorse named Storm in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}.

This direction, while not wholly unpopular, didn't result in a high-selling series. Thus, during ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis The comic'', Atlantis was destroyed. After the "One Year Later" TimeSkip, ''Aquaman'' became ''Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis'', going back to the BarbarianHero adventures that had done well before. A new Aquaman was introduced, Arthur Joseph Curry, whose origin and powers were similar to UsefulNotes/{{the Golden Age|OfComicBooks}} Aquaman. He was guided by the "Dweller in the Depths", a tentacled humanoid who was implied to be Aquaman — most prominently, through having the magical water hand. [[FanNickname Artie Joe]] is now considered to be a multiversal equivalent of Aquaman who left Atlantis at the end of ComicBook/FinalCrisis.

** Sword of Atlantis fell short of finishing how it should have due to the story taking a turn in a different direction.

* GenreShift: The ''Sword Of Atlantis'' storyline was an attempt at this; dropping most of the superhero Tropes and instead framing the book as a sword-and-fantasy tale, with the new Aquaman facing mystical threats and themes.

* HeroicSacrifice: If ''Sword of Atlantis'' had not been canceled, Arthur Joseph would have given up the part of Orin's soul that had kept him alive in order to revive him so that the original Aquaman could save the world from an evil sea god.

This led to yet another revamp. Atlantis was sent back in time thousands of years, its citizens enslaved by their own ancestors, and Aquaman himself was imprisoned as living water. The [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]] freed them in "The Obsidian Age" storyline, but Aquaman himself was cast out as a traitor. This led to him finding Myth/KingArthur's Lady of the Lake, gaining a [[ShapeshifterWeapon magical hand of living water]], and going back to his original appearance. This series also involved an underwater San Diego ("Sub Diego"), whose inhabitants had become water-breathers.

* MobileFishbowl: Aquaman has a special suit filled with water for missions on land. It ends up saving the life of [[spoiler:ComicBook/MartianManhunter]] in ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmericaTowerOfBabel''.

* MentalHealthRecoveryArc: The majority of Volume 4 shows how Black Manta singlehandedly ruined Arthur's life by killing his son, which led to Mera leaving him. When not fighting past the point of exhaustion, Aquaman is lonely, depressed, and wonders how he can possibly move on from his past and find happiness again after all that's happened to him. After battling Black Manta and Thanatos, however, he's on the way to recovery as he lets go of his self-hatred, learns when to rest, and realizes Mera and Arthur Jr. would forgive him if he forgave himself.

* NeverMyFault: A trait shown on end by the atlantean racist cult mind. Often times it is their absentmindedness and general apathy for the world they live in that begets their homelands destruction. Yet more often than not, the people of Atlantis prove they deserve more blame than their perceived traitor of a king or the blight they see the surface world as.

* PoorJudgeOfCharacter: Leaders whom the mariner race tend to put in charge of their society prove to be, more often than not, undeserving of the mantle compared to their former charge. Requiring the atlantean peoples saving by the former liege they deposed so he can SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong.

* DirtyCoward: What the Atlantean race is revealed to be in a nutshell at the end of the King Rath run. When after all of Atlantis had been raised out of the seabed, the same slimy dirt clods whom ousted Arthur for [[TyrantTakesTheHelm an unworthy one whom]] [[StrawHypocrite their caste system normally mocks]] can be seen cowering the the very lowly sects of their kingdom which they all collectively mocked once.

* ThisLoserIsYou: Atlanteans show of retro regressive incompetence despite being a highly advanced civilization begets this. Being a bunch of [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritical]] bigoted fascists with mediocrity detailing in [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain political bias on the grounds of fascism and racist xenophobia]]. Time after time they need to be saved from themselves when the incredibly [[TooStupidToLive foolhardy regime changes]] blow up in their faces. [[UngratefulTownsfolk And yet, the worst among them still fall back on blaming their failed king]]; shirking fault for everything going wrong on their part.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: What Arthur feels towards his own failed people, particularly during the [[Cullen Bunn]] run, where he internally recited how hatefully monstrous a great many amongst his own kingdoms military. The prequel comic featuring a Divergence issue shows as much when they massacre a whole town trying to flush Arthur out.

* WreckedWeapon: [[spoiler:Corum Rath, empowered by the demon Abyssal Dark, breaks Atlan's trident in half during his final battle against Aquaman. The weapon is repaired by the next story arc]].

* DirtyCoward: What the Atlantean race is revealed to be in a nutshell at the end of the King Rath run. When after all of Atlantis had been raised out of the seabed, the same slimy dirt clods whom ousted Arthur for [[TyrantTakesTheHelm an unworthy one whom]] [[StrawHypocriet their caste system normally mocks]] can be seen cowering the the very lowly sects of their kingdom which they all collectively mocked once.

This version of Aquaman turned out to be more popular than the original. He continued appearing in ''Adventure Comics'' until issue #284 (April, 1961). He became one of the founding members of the Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica in 1960 and was a regular there. In 1961, Aquaman's strip got transferred to ''Detective Comics'', he starred in a few ''Showcase'' issues, and he got several crossovers with Superman. All in preparation of his first solo title, ''Aquaman'' vol. 1 #1-63 (February, 1962-March, 1971, revived August, 1977-August, 1978).

This led to yet another revamp. Atlantis was sent back in time thousands of years, its citizens enslaved by their own ancestors, and Aquaman himself was imprisoned as living water. The [[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]] freed them in "The Obsidian Age" storyline, but Aquaman himself was cast out as a traitor. This led to him finding Myth/KingArthur's Lady of the Lake, gaining a [[ShapeshifterWeapon magical hand of living water]], and going back to his original appearance. This series also involved an underwater San Diego ("Sub Diego"), whose inhabitants had become water-breathers.

%%* AlreadyMetEveryone: Superboy, anyway, in the Silver Age as "Aquaboy," Earth-One's sole other superpowered [=superhero=] during Superboy's time-era. Yes, the Silver Age Aquaman was an active hero longer than nearly everyone else, even Franchise/{{Batman}}.

* CanonWelding: Before DC started emphasizing SharedUniverse elements, both ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' and ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' introduced their own contradictory versions of Atlantis; later writers on all three titles had to tie it all together.

* ManlyFacialHair: Aquaman has a beard in nearly every incarnation in which he's an elderly King of Atlantis. Not only does he have a white beard to rival Poseidon's, but it makes him sufficiently DarkerAndEdgier to make the reader know that no one screws with him. Ever. Even Franchise/{{Superman}} in ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' treats him with kid gloves.

* MobileFishbowl: Aquaman has a special suit filled with water for missions on land. It ends up saving the life of [[spoiler:ComicBook/MartianManhunter]] in ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Tower of Babel]]''.
* NeverHeardThatOneBefore: In the first Justice League team-up episode on ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', ComicBook/GreenArrow and ComicBook/{{Cyborg}} relate to [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark Kent]] how Green Arrow first met Aquaman when GA rescued him from a whaling vessel. GA snarks "I saved him from being canned," and Cyborg chimes in "At ''least'' he would have been dolphin safe!" An irritated Arthur rolls his eyes and says to Clark:

* OurMermaidsAreDifferent: There are three different distinct varieties of Atlantean in Aquaman's oceans. Poseidonians (the ApparentlyHumanMerfolk like Aquaman and most of the other Atlanteans), Tritonaians (mermaids and mermen like Lori Lemaris) and an unnamed race of FishPeople like Lagoon Boy, the animated version of Triton, or the revamped Topo. In ''Franchise/{{Superman}} #129'', [[http://superman.nu/tales2/lori/?page=9 it was established]] that when scientists learned that Atlantis was sinking, they built a giant dome over the city, then later found a way to convert the populace into merfolk. As to why this has anything to do with Aquaman, ''ComicBook/AdventureComics #280'' [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rLV-ZuNPwJ4/S4OS6tRoq7I/AAAAAAAAGwc/t8U5w2aqgac/s1600-h/Adventure280_06.jpg tells]] that not everyone became merfolk successfully, thus a domed city remained necessary. This origin was later retconned in ''The Atlantis Chronicles'', where is clearly stated that the aquatic serum was never meant to convert Atlanteans into merfolks, but rather to merely give them the ability to breathe water and thrive in the ocean. The merfolk came to be much later as an accident, when Shalako, a villainous wizard-prince of Atlantis, just to spite his scientist brother, [[AWizardDidIt tampered with the special serum used to achieve the transformation]], turning his denizens into frog-legged humans, who later gave birth to the current merfolk. So, while every Atlantean city was originally domed, some of them got the domes dismantled for the benefit of the merfolks. Curiously, the FishPeople of Atlantis have yet to be given either an official name or origin story in the entirety of the franchise's history.

* OvershadowedByAwesome: For all the grief that pop culture gives him, Aquaman is by no means a lightweight - command over all sea-life, de-facto leader of the oceans and super-strength among other qualities. Problem is, he regularly hangs out with powerhouses like Franchise/{{Superman}} and Franchise/WonderWoman. Back in his natural element he is king.

** The storyline now called "Death of a Prince" began innocuously as Aqualad went missing on a quest for his family. Aquaman went to find him and found Black Manta had kidnapped him, Topo the octopus, and his toddler son Arthur Jr., which wasn't unusual for the time period or preceding stories. Then Manta revealed he'd encased the baby in air to suffocate and would force them to fight to the death to save him, and even after a solution was found, [[DeathOfAChild Arthur Jr. died]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'': One of the primary characters, the fourth "greatest hero" next to Superman, Batman and Robin, and Wonder Woman. Basically responsible for his joke reputation. Voiced by Norman Alden and later Bill Callaway.

In the process, Aquaman picked up a supporting cast, something which he had generally lacked (for a time in the late 40s he had been aided by a Ditzy, Genius sidekick named the Sea-Sleuth but he had [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome vanished without a trace years earlier]].) Most notable among them were {{sidekick}} Aqualad, and super-powered wife ComicBook/{{Mera}}. They even had a kid. UsefulNotes/{{The Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}} led to his comic being canceled, UnCancelled, and re-canceled repeatedly. His child was murdered in an effort to drum up interest and provide angst, and he became the leader of the AudienceAlienatingEra version of the Justice League (often referred to as "Justice League Detroit").

* ArchEnemy: Has two recurring foes with an equal claim to being his nemesis; ComicBook/BlackManta and Arthur's own brother Orm, aka Ocean Master.

* MaskedVillainsUnmaskedHeroes: Two of the unmasked Aquaman's most prominent enemies are ComicBook/BlackManta and Orm aka Ocean Master. Manta wears a helmet modeled after a manta ray while Orm wears a mask that covers the upper half of his face. Aquaman's face is always uncovered.

** The storyline now called "Death of a Prince" began innocuously as Aqualad went missing on a quest for his family, Aquaman went to find him and found Black Manta had kidnapped him, Topo the octopus, and his toddler son Arthur Jr., which wasn't unusual for the time period or preceding stories. Then Manta revealed he'd encased the baby in air to suffocate and would force them to fight to the death to save him, and even after a solution was found, [[DeathOfAChild Arthur Jr. died]].

Aquaman continued in ''More Fun Comics'' until issue #107 (January, 1946). He was then transferred to ''ComicBook/AdventureComics'', starting with its 103rd issue (April, 1946). During UsefulNotes/TheInterregnum, Aquaman was one of the few {{Super Hero}}es who remained in publication, largely due to his status as the backup feature in ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'s title.