The people inhabiting the depths of the Seven Seas.

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Atlantis

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"Half a billion people from every species in the sea call this place home."

"The ocean is not just our home, it is who we are. Being Atlantean is more than just being able to breathe under water, your body is equipped to survive in the extreme cold and pressure, and your eyes adjust to see in the darkness."

—Vulko

The old and highly advanced civilization inhabiting Atlantis, the legendary kingdom located deep underwater in the Atlantic Ocean. Inhabitants of the kingdom of Xebel, which is one of the Seven Kingdoms formed after the sinking of Atlantis, share the same biological features as those of Atlantis.

Atlanteans

All Myths Are True: The legendary kingdom of Atlantis does exist in the DCEU.
Animal Motifs: Four kingdoms have a specific aquatic creature as their motif. For Xebel it's seahorses, for the Brine and Fisherman as they're already crab and fish people they use the crab and fish, and for Necrus it's the octopus. The Deserters don't have any since they're land dwellers, while the Trench are a pack of animals.
Apparently Human Merfolk: Nothing can visually distinguish Atlanteans and Xebellians from humans except from their outfits and weapons. Required Secondary Powers aside, they kept the most human features in appearance from their ancestors compared to, in de-escalating order, the Fishermen, Brine and Trench.
Fantastic Caste System: Only Highborn Atlanteans can breathe air, the rest need water-filled suits to survive out of the water.
Fantastic Racism: They have a low opinion of surface-dwellers, whether they be humans, Amazons or even half-Atlanteans. The Fishermen are more relaxed in their views, stating that while they don't think highly of surface-dwellers, they don't want to fight or oppress them.
Handshake Substitute: Atlanteans clasp each other's forearms in greeting. Arthur does this with Vulko and Orm does this with Nereus.
Hidden Elf Village: Much like the Amazons, they live isolated and hidden from other populations of Earth.
Higher-Tech Species: They found a way to make plasma weapons and holograms powered by water and they have submarines coming in all shapes and forms that are way faster and more agile than anything humans can build.
Horse of a Different Color: Atlanteans ride sharks, and Xebellians ride giant seahorses.
Human Subspecies: They're basically humans who adapted to underwater life.
Irony: Atlanteans look down on mingling with humans, yet the ones who are the most distant from humans have de-evolved into creatures their contemporaries regard as savages.
Lost Colony: The Deserters and the Trench among the tribes that made up the original Atlantis. The Deserters became extinct when the Sahara turned into a desert and left no survivors, only structures buried deep beneath the sand. The Trench technically still exist, but they have mutated into savage beasts, and no one prior to Arthur wants to deal with them, for obvious reasons.
- More literally, Orm briefly mentions there was once a seventh kingdom that vanished, only known as The Lost Nation.
Precursor Heroes: The alliance of humans, Amazons, Atlanteans, Olympians and a Green Lantern that defeated Steppenwolf in the distant past are described by Diana as part of an "age of heroes". They also represented the Justice League's predecessors in more than one way.
Prongsof Poseidon: Each king/royal member of each kingdom wields a trident with varying designs/combat specifications.
Required Secondary Powers: In order to resist the water pressure and swim as fast as they normally do, all the Atlanteans are much stronger and more resistant than a normal human. They're also immune to the cold of sea depths, and their eyes are adapted to see in the dark, a necessity when swimming at depths where there's no sunlight.
Royalty Superpower: Being able to survive on the surface is a trait only high-born Atlanteans possess, with a handful of non-royals only being able to handle a few seconds to a minute.
Rule of Seven: Seven kingdoms make up the current Atlantis. Only four (Atlantis, Xebel, Brine, the Fishermen) are active in the first film while the Trench can't be counted as sapient enough to have a kingdom. The Deserters and Necrus appear in the second film.
Secret Keepers: They were guarding a Mother Box since Steppenwolf's first invasion of Earth.
Steampunk: The flashback to Atlantis's golden age shows bipedal vehicles that seem to be of this aesthetic, helped by the fact that they seem to be bellowing out steam.
Super Not-Drowning Skills: They look like humans but, unlike humans, they can breathe normally underwater.
- Inverted as well with the "high-borns"; only they can breathe both water and air while normal Atlanteans would asphyxiate if they tried to breathe outside of water.
Token Aquatic Race: To balance out the aliens, Amazons, gods, demons and metahumans.
Underwater City: The new Atlantis is one, of course, and Xebel is very likely one as well.
Underwater Ruins: The Mother Box they possess is guarded in what has become such a setting.
Vestigial Empire: When it was still a surface-based nation, it commanded a mighty, technologically advanced empire. Now, it’s a small collection of 4 opposing kingdoms that occasionally war against each other, with three other kingdoms having either become extinct, devolved into vicious beasts, or simply vanished. Orm seeks to unite the remaining 4 kingdoms... but in the end Aquaman ends up uniting all 5 instead, since he can control the Trench.

Atlantean Royal Family

Arthur / Aquaman

See his page.

Orm

See his page.

Atlanna

Queen Atlanna Curry

"You'll get to unite our worlds one day."

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantean Royal Family (loyalist of Arthur/Aquaman)

Portrayed by: Nicole Kidman

Voiced by: Dulce Guerrero (Latin American Spanish), Danièle Douet (European French), Anne Bédard (Canadian French), Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese)

Appearances: Aquaman | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

"A king fights only for his own nation. You fight for everyone."

The Queen Mother of Atlantis. A human lighthouse operator, Thomas Curry, found her washed up on his island after she fled an arranged marriage with Orvax Marius. The two of them fell in love and Arthur/Aquaman was born of it.

Action Mom: She can hold her own very well with her quindent. She also rescues Mera from a tylosaur and is one of the few people to encounter the Karathen and survive.
Adaptational Nice Guy: In the comics she refused to believe Arthur was her son at first, and nearly had him killed. Here she is a loving mother from the get-go.
All-Powerful Bystander: Although she is not on the same level as Vulko, as a Royal Atlantean with decades of experience both in ruling and fighting, she is all but indicated to be capable of defeating Orm without the need of the Trident of Atlantis along with ending the conflict by negotiating with the other rulers, but for obvious purposes, she does neither and lets Arthur and Mera do their jobs. Considering she was able to survive the Karathen, curb-stomp an entire squad of soldiers and even fight through the Trench, along with also later on showing she could reason with Orm, one can only wonder how quick the final battle would have ended had she stepped in.
Alternate Self: Atlanna has one on Earth-97 as a human named Chase Meridian.
Ancestral Weapon: The quindent Arthur uses in Batman v Superman and both versions of Justice League was hers.
Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Despite spending almost 30 years trapped in the Hidden Sea with nothing but the clothes on her back, Atlanna looks no different than she did when she left Thomas Curry.
Beware the Nice Ones: As gentle as she may seem, Atlanna can still take on several Atlantean troops at once and her ordeal with the Trench ended with her coming out unscathed while wearing one as a disguise.
Big Good: Atlanna had a heavy influence both onscreen and off. She conceived Arthur with Thomas Curry, then birthed Orm and mentored Mera. When she was presumed dead, it shakes everyone who knew her, though Thomas still won't give up on her. When Atlanna shows up alive, she manages to convince Arthur to take his place on the throne of Atlantis and stops Orm from recklessly throwing his life away.
Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Gender flipped. Atlanna did not want to leave Thomas and their son, but she had to in order to save their lives.
Deus Exit Machina: She is even more of this than Vulko. Vulko at least had the reason that Arthur must defeat Orm in direct combat. While she naturally believes this as well and only steps in at the end so Orm doesn't die, along with the possibility that having her be the one to fight Orm would probably not be good for her, as she wouldn't be able to bring herself to fight to the fullest as she does love Orm, she could have at least kicked some ass in the final battle with Orm's followers or convinced the rulers to support Arthur much sooner, but all she does is help her son redeem herself and she is not shown using any of her skills, presumably due to Ruleof Cool as Mera and Arthur are already capable of handling things by themselves and having her too would have ended the battle too quickly. Also possibly justified by the fact that she had been sentenced to death, she might have put herself in grave danger if she had revealed that she was still alive before Arthur defeated Orm.
Huge Girl, Tiny Guy: Downplayed. She's 5'11 compared to Thomas Curry's 5'8.
Interspecies Romance: She had a relationship with Thomas Curry, a human lighthouse keeper. Arthur was born of it.
Mama Bear: Three Atlantean soldiers find out very quickly that getting between her and her son is not a very good idea as she quickly kills each and every one of them. In a movie where people are as diplomatic as possible, she didn't try to talk them out of taking her back, she just outright killed them. In a sense of irony, she becomes the diplomatic reason for Orm by the end of the film, as she quickly intervenes when Arthur has Orm beaten and Orm demands Arthur to finish him, making it clear that despite everything, she still loves her son dearly.
Missing Mom: To Arthur. At first he thinks she has simply abandoned him, but as a teenager Vulko reveals to him that she was executed. It's later revealed that she was trapped in the Hidden Sea.
Morality Pet: Is ultimately this for Orm as he immediately stands down upon seeing her alive.
Nemean Skinning: She fashioned camouflage out of Trench body parts so she could blend in with them while living in the Hidden Seas.
Nice Girl: She only wants peace between the oceans and the surface and loves both her sons dearly.
The One That Got Away: She abandoned both her human lover and their son to keep them safe. Almost 30 years later, she reunites with Tom.
Parental Abandonment: She abandoned Arthur when he was very young, and he grew up resenting her as explained in Justice League (2017). Mera states that Atlanna did so "to save his life". The Aquaman film clarifies that she left to protect Arthur and his dad from the wrath of King Orvax, as Atlantean soldiers were never going to stop coming for her.
Parental Favoritism: Downplayed and ultimately Subverted. Orm believed Atlanna loved Arthur more, but as he is an Unreliable Narrator and they clearly had a good relationship, it's likely that after her death, Orm's growing bitterness made him believe her description of Arthur as proof that he loved her more. It's clear that Atlanna herself loved him as he is her son even if he was Orvax's too and immediately intervened when Orm demanded Arthur kill him and gently told him to surrender and one day find redemption.
Parental Substitute: She took Mera in and raised her when her parents were fighting in wars.
Parents as People: Arthur is a little annoyed that Atlanna insists on making his wedding day so lavish. When he brings this up, Atlanna tells him she wants to compensate for being unable to watch her sons grow up by making her time with Arthur as memorable as possible.
Rescue Romance: Thomas Curry first met her when he found her unconscious in a shore.
Runaway Bride: Atlanna first met Thomas Curry while fleeing her marriage to Orvax. She succeeded for a few years, only to be tracked down and forced back to give Orvax a son.
Silk Hiding Steel: She looks regal and delicate, but can match even trained soldiers in close-quarter combat and survived twenty years in exile.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Atlanna fled an arranged marriage, finding Thomas Curry in the process and falling form him based on his kindness.
Spared by the Adaptation: She doesn't last as long in the comics as she does in this movie.
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Thomas Curry. Their relationship only lasted for a few years or so before Atlanna was forced to go back home, and then after giving birth to Orm, she was executed by being thrown into the Trench. Despite this, Thomas continues to go to the docks at sunrise everyday, hoping that some miracle will eventually reunite him and Atlanna again. Fortunately, they do.
Statuesque Stunner: She stands 5'11 (the tallest woman in the DCEU to date) and is strikingly beautiful. When she reunites with her son, he isn't that much taller than her (Momoa is 6'4).
Sympathetic Adulterer: Atlanna was already married to King Orvax when she escaped to the surface and entered into a relationship with the human who rescued her, which resulted in a son; however, her marriage was arranged against her will and Orvax was an abuser who ordered her execution and raised their son to be a bigot.

Orvax

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantean Royal Family

Appearances: DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

"Don't you dare cry, boy! No son of King Orvax Marius shall waste valuable water on tears!"

The father of Orm and King of Atlantis before him. Atlanna was his unwilling betrothed.

Abusive Parents: Orvax raised Orm to hate humans and shaped him to be a ruthless fanatic. In DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special it's revealed that he also put his son through harsh training from a young age and forcibly suppressed his sensitive side.
Ancestral Weapon: His trident, which Orm inherited.
Arranged Marriage: Atlanna was forced to marry him, and chose to flee. She returned to marry him after he sent soldiers to her family's home.
Crazy Jealous Guy: After Atlanna fled to the surface rather than marry him, he tracked her down and sent a war party after her; she fought them off but ended up returning to Atlantis anyway, believing he would send an army after her if she didn't. And it only got worse after she did go back to Atlantis to marry him; once he learned she'd had a son by Thomas Curry, he had her sacrificed to the Trench.
Divorce Requires Death: He has Atlanna sacrificed to the Trench sometime after she gave him a son, as their marriage was a loveless one and she had conceived a child with a surface-dweller.
Evil Counterpart: To Thomas Curry. Both had relations with Atlanna and bore heirs to the throne. The difference was that Thomas and Atlanna genuinely loved each other while Orvax only married Atlanna for political reasons and was willing to kill her for going against his will. Additionally, Atlanna only returned to Orvax because his will threatened her family and she believed he'd never stop hunting her. Whilst with Thomas, she gladly returns home to him as soon as she is able to and Thomas never stopped waiting for her to return even when she was believed dead.
Fantastic Racism: He hated surface dwellers.
Greater-Scope Villain: He was responsible for separating Atlanna from Thomas and Arthur and giving her the death sentence. He also shaped Orm into the man he is now. Despite being dead and unseen (without even a flashback), the consequences of his actions still resonate within Atlantis and Earth.
Hate Sink: Orvax manages to be one despite not appearing in-person and supposedly being long-dead. Everything that happens regarding Orm, Atlanna, Arthur's childhood and his kingdom is a result of his own arrogance, prejudice and entitlement. It really says something that Atlanna's reaction to being in an Arranged Marriage with him was to flee her home, and that she only returned to him because he sent soldiers to the home of her new family. And then he had her executed after she gave him an heir. The instant Orm sees that his mother is alive and she tells him the beliefs his father instilled in him were wrong, he peacefully surrenders.
Posthumous Character: He is dead for an unspecified amount of time in present day.
Predecessor Villain: His beliefs were the catalyst for everything bad that happens throughout Aquaman. He passed his prejudiced views onto his son, who manipulated the Atlantean kingdoms into war and upgraded Black Manta into a formidable foe for Aquaman. He also forced Atlanna to leave Arthur when he was very young, giving him issues well into his adult years.

Atlan

King Atlan

"In this trident resides the power of Atlantis."

^{Click here to see Atlan played by Vincent Regan}

^{Click here to see Young Atlan played by Julian Lewis Jones}

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantean Royal Family, First alliance against Apokolips.

Portrayed by: Julian Lewis Jones (Justice League films), Graham McTavish (Aquaman), Vincent Regan (Aquaman and the lost Kingdom)

Voiced by: Santos Alberto (Latin American Spanish), Keisuke Ishida (Japanese)

Appearances: Justice League | Zack Snyder's Justice League | Aquaman | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

"If you seek my power, you must prove your worth. Journey beyond the edge of the world to the Hidden Sea. Look inside the bottle for the charted path. Only in the hands of the True King can he truly see."

Arthur's ancestor and the first king of Atlantis who forged a trident that grants power over the oceans. He ordered experiments on the trident's powers and these destroyed and sank Atlantis. He ended up exiling himself in an unknown location beyond the Hidden Sea and took the trident with him. Atlan also took part in the battle against the first invasion of Earth with his people.

Alternate Self: Has a lookalike on Earth-666 as a human named Kinley.
Amplifier Artifact: Atlan's trident enables greater mastery over marine life, but the only two people to use it already had that ability, so the trident is clearly more of a power-up than an object of empowerment.
Cool Crown: During the battle against Darkseid, Atlan had a crown which was akin to a helmet.
Dismantled MacGuffin: He came to be in charge of one of the three Mother Boxes, after Darkseid's first defeat on Earth.
Excalibur in the Rust: Averted. His remains still wear his suit and is still in great condition millennia after Atlan passed away, thus becoming Aquaman's suit. What's more, his trident still radiates.
Generation Xerox: Like Arthur, Atlan had the ability to command marine life and was forced to confront his power-mad brother before having him imprisoned.
Hologram: He appears to Aquaman and Mera in the form of a pre-recorded hologram that activates using the key Vulko handed to them.
Frontline General: He was one of the main leaders who led their alliance in battle against the forces of Apokolips.
Literal Disarming: During the battle, Atlan fought against Kordax, he scored a decisive hit by hacking the Lost King's trident-bearing hand off at the wrist.
Long-Dead Badass: Atlan was the owner of a tremendously powerful weapon and fought alongside the Amazons, Olympians, Humans and a Green Lantern against the forces of Apokolips during Darkseid's first invasion of Earth and put the Mother Box that was given to the Atlanteans inside an underwater stronghold.
My God, What Have I Done?: His attempts to weaponize the Golden Trident resulted in Atlantis sinking into the ocean. He disappeared in self-imposed exile, to ensure that the trident's power would not fall into the wrong hands and to atone for his actions.
Prongs of Poseidon: Before he forged the Golden Trident, which granted him the mastery over the sea itself, he fought with a silver trident during the battle against the Apokoliptians.
Self-Imposed Exile: King Atlan went into exile after his experiments caused the sinking of Atlantis.
Speaks Fluent Animal: According to Karathen, he had the ability to communicate with sea life, just like Arthur/Aquaman.
Ultimate Blacksmith: His trident was forged under his guidance with steel brought to him by Poseidon himself.

Other Atlanteans

Vulko

Nuidis Vulko

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/23_15.jpg

"You have to forget all the teachings of the surface world. Go deeper."

^{Click here to see Vulko wearing his Justice League outfit}

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantean Royal Family (in service or Orm, but actually a loyalist of Arthur/Aquaman)

Portrayed By: Willem Dafoe

Voiced By: Jesse Conde (Latin American Spanish), Éric Herson-Macarel (European French), Sylvain Hétu (Canadian French), Yōhei Tadano (Japanese)

Appearances: Aquaman | Zack Snyder's Justice League | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

"Arthur may only be half-Atlantean, but he's already twice the king you'll ever be!"

Vizier to the king of Atlantis and Arthur/Aquaman's secret mentor.

See also the Knightmare page for further information.

Adaptational Attractiveness: His comics counterpart is bald, overweight and rough-looking. Willem Dafoe however has a full head of hair, is slender and very well groomed.
Adaptational Curves: The comics version of Vulko is overweight, while Willem Dafoe is very lean and gaunt.
Adaptational Heroism: In the comic, it was Vulko who orchestrated the "surface" attack as part of a Batman Gambit to force Arthur to defeat Orm and become king. Here, Orm is responsible, and Vulko is entirely blameless. Though this version may be based on his pre-New 52 counterpart, who was a benevolent character.
All-Powerful Bystander: His role in Aquaman is just as Arthur's past teacher and then the one who introduces the existence of the Trident of Atlantis to him and Mera and he spends the rest of the film completely side-lined and not fighting at all. Justified in that he's actively chosen this role as he is repeatedly stated and indicated to be the only one who can defeat Orm with any certainity, but he knows that won't solve Arthur's problems with his birth-right, and he was acting as Orm's vizier. Had he gotten involved, his fighting skills, wisdom, and smarts would have surely been a huge help for Arthur and Mera in their struggle to find the Golden Trident, especially with the men Orm sent at him and the problems Arthur still had with his destiny.
Call to Adventure: At the end of Zack Snyder's Justice League, he comes to Arthur with Mera to convince him to return to Atlantis. Arthur refused and goes back to his father instead.
Cool Old Guy: In his later years but still brave, kind and a wise teacher.
Dark Is Not Evil: Vulko wears black clothes and has dark hair, but he is one of Arthur's closest allies.
Deadpan Snarker: Vulko reacts to his role as Atalanna's assistant wedding planner with dry wit.
Deus Exit Machina: Numerous times he is given the chance to offer Arthur and Mera direct assitance or beat Orm himself, he ends up throwing it away, which is justified as having him on the field would have helped them too much and fighting Orm himself would have been a big no no for Arthur being accepted as King. When he is ready to intervene to save Arthur from Orm, Mera saves him instead, which effectively means that they can't rely on Vulko when they are met with tough oppositions during their quest for the Trident. When Orm confronts him over his betrayal, rather than fighting him and the guards, he ends up not surrendering, even though it's plausible he had a good chance and incentive to defeat them, as the guards aren't really of any threat to him considering Arthur's dispatching of them and he could have beaten them easily before then fighting and defeating Orm. He outright refuses to fight Orm for Arthur when Mera asks him in the final battle, stating that the Atlanteans must bear witness.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: Vulko was injured during a skirmish with Charybdis, leaving him out of commission. In the sequel it's mentioned that he died from a disease.
Gentle Touch vs. Firm Hand: Vulko provides the gentle touch to Mera's firm hand when it comes to talking Arthur into helping them. Vulko always shows great patience when he tries to appeal to Arthur's good side.
The Good Chancellor: As Vizier of Atlantis, he is the voice of reason in Orm's court, and works behind his back to stop a genocidal war. Though Orm eventually deduces his hidden agenda and has him imprisoned.
Horse of a Different Color: He rides a hammerhead shark during the meeting between Orm and King Nereus.
Javelin Thrower: As part of Arthur's training, he throws Atlanna's quindent at him to have him catch it with his hands.
Loyal to the Position: Vulko's loyalty is to the throne of Atlantis, and as far as he is concerned that means making damn sure the best possible candidate occupies it.
Mentor Archetype: He taught a young Arthur Curry about his Atlantean heritage and trained him in secret in preparation for his return to Atlantis.
Old Retainer: He's been serving the Atlantean royal family since at least the time of King Orvax.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Vulko gives one of these to Orm after his relationship with Arthur is outed, stating that the latter is twice the king Orm is even before he gained the title.
Sheep in Sheep's Clothing: Despite being played by well-known villain actor Willem Dafoe, and his role in the comics as the true villain of Throne of Atlantis, from which the movie takes much of its plot, he is entirely heroic.
Spin to Deflect Stuff: Vulko teaches Arthur this technique, which he's able to enhance with a hydrokinetic barrier.
Story-Breaker Power: In Aquaman, he is the best warrior among the Atlanteans who trained both Arthur and Orm. In a flashback scene he easily defeats Arthur while training him and it is repeatedly stated that he could have defeated Orm by himself. Not only that, he was the one who came up with the idea to retrieve the Trident of Atlantis in the first place and out of himself, Arthur, and Mera, he is clearly the most intelligent and knowledgeable one. He is subsequently only given the aformentioned role and then becomes their spy on Orm's side seeking to end things peacefully and help Arthur rise to his rightful position without getting too much involved so he would be accepted and keeps a diplomatic and non-aggressive attitude even when he is pressured, willingly throwing any chances he is given to fight Orm himself away and also being kept from intervening the one time he seems ready to throw the gloves off as Orm is moments away from killing Arthur so as to leave him out of their hunt for the Trident.
Treacherous Advisor: Vulko is a heroic version. He stands beside Orm and offers just enough genuine assistance to not be dismissed from his service, but he approached and trained Arthur how to use his powers and Atlantean weapons, specifically because he knew Orm would be a problematic king and would need another to take the throne eventually. Orm reveals later on he knew of it, and had Vulko imprisoned for the climax of the film.
Uncertain Doom: After Vulko is put in intensive care, Arthur expresses concern that his vizier's wounds might be fatal. The sequel confirms that he died.

Murk

"In the name of his highness King Orm, I'm placing you under arrest."

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantis (in service of Orm), Orm's alliance

Portrayed by: Ludi Lin

Voiced by: José Ángel Torres (Latin American Spanish), Martin Faliu (European French), Takayuki Nakatsukasa (Japanese)

Appearances Aquaman

Orm's enforcer in chief.

Adaptational Attractiveness: His scars are much less disfiguring than in the comics, and his actor is much more of a Pretty Boy compared to his comic self's more brutish appearance.
Adaptational Villainy: While his comics self is a Noble Top Enforcer with a strong moral code, this version is entirely willing to attempt to kill Mera on Orm's behest behind Nereus's back.
Adaptational Wimp: While this version is still a competent combatant, he lacks his comic counterpart's strong build and ability to breathe air, relying more on his Powered Armor.
Charged Attack: His armor's arms are equipped with a chargeable Megaton Punch system.
Co-Dragons: Murk forms one with Black Manta.
Flat Character: We're not given any insight as to his thoughts on Arthur or Mera's actions. He just does what Orm tells him to do.
Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Manages to beat Arthur in a dry environment, something even Orm couldn't accomplish. Although he did so thanks to his armor's Megaton Punch ability.
Literal Disarming: Mera cuts off his hand, though in a bit of a subversion, he's able to keep on fighting until she breaks his helmet, due to his Powered Armor automatically sealing the wound.
Meaningful Name: 'Murk' is anything that makes it difficult to see through something this is otherwise completely transparent, ususally darkness or some obscuring mist. Often used to describe 'murky water'.
Megaton Punch: His armor is equipped with a charge system on his arms to deliver punches powerful enough to send Arthur flying and knock him out.
Mobile Fishbowl: As a non-high born, he needs a watery environment to survive in the surface world, and his Powered Armor is equipped with this. It gets wrecked when he fights Mera, and he promptly rushes to a toilet bowl and puts his head in it to stop his suffocation.
Mook Lieutenant: During the hunt for Arthur and Mera, he commands a squad of elite Atlantean soldiers who are equipped with advanced armors, alongside Black Manta.
Powered Armor: The advanced armor he dons serves both for combat and as Mobile Fishbowl for his own survival.
What Happened to the Mouse?: The last we see of him, he's desperately sticking his head into a toilet just to continue breathing after his helmet is broken.
White Hair, Black Heart: Like his boss, Murk has white-blond hair and is an antagonist.

Lady Karshon

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantis

Portrayed by: Indya Moore

Appearances Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

The leader of the High Council of the Seven Kingdoms.

Iron Lady: Lady Karshon is the dignified and intimidating chief councilwoman of the High Council in Atlantis. For most of the movie, she is quite antagonistic to Arthur and even demands to strip the throne of its executive power.
Jerkass Has a Point: Lady Karshon may be passive aggressive to Aquaman and his family, but she brings good points about his habit of leaving the throne mostly empty and bringing his surface enemies to Atlantis, endangering the Seven Kingdoms. Her speech about Arthur's incapability to protect his own family, let alone Atlantis, is played over a scene where Arthur is watching over Mera to an Atlantean hospital, giving Lady Karshon even more credibility.
Pretext for War: As Atlana puts it, Karshon is looking for every reason to seize the power of Atlantis and start a war on the surface world. If possible, she is willing to use Arthur as a figurehead to justify her goals.

Atlantean Soldiers

Species: Atlanteans

Citizenship: Atlanteans

Affiliation(s): Atlantis (in service of Orm), Orm's alliance

Appearances: Aquaman | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

The soldiers of Atlantis.

Elite Mooks: The red armor soldiers are the most dangerous and they are led by Murk.
Expy: Of the Imperial Stormtroopers from Star Wars. Some of them wear white armour, others work as blaster weapons-equipped enforcers to a warmongering ruler who submits other races by force and at one point are seen working alongside a figure who's clad in black armor and has a red energy beam weapon.
Faceless Goons: Their helmets are filled with water and their blue color makes it difficult to see their faces.
Hologram: They are equipped with water-based holographic technology to transmit messages from Orm.
Horse of a Different Color: They ride sharks in battle.
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: The Atlantean mooks that invade Thomas and Atlanna's home can't seem to land a shot on Atlanna, even when she's standing still.
Jet Pack: The red armored ones are equipped with jet packs.
Logical Weakness: Shatter their helmets and they suffocate from a lack of water to breathe.
Mobile Fishbowl: They need a Powered Armor to survive in the surface world as they're not high born.
Mooks: Orm's expendable soldiers lacking in personality who get mowed down by Atlanna, Arthur/Aquaman and Mera in various ways.
Plasma Cannon: They are equipped with water-powered weapons that turn water into plasma. Orm gives some of that technology to David Kane, who adapts it to his helmet and styles himself as Black Manta.
Powered Armor: They wear armors that look like they come straight out of a Space Opera. The red armors are reinforced compared to the white ones.
Praetorian Guard: The highest-ranking members wear red armour.

Atlantean Guards

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/atlantean_guard___royal_messenger_6.png

"I will never betray my own people!"

Species: Atlanteans

Citizenship: Atlanteans

Affiliation(s): Atlantis

Portrayed by: Will Coban, Taylor James

Appearances: JusticeLeague | Zack Snyder's Justice League

"No son or daughter of Atlantis will ever tell you!"

Atlanteans tasked with watching over the Motherbox entrusted to them thousands of years ago.

Batman Can Breathe in Space: A few of the Atlantean guards can handle breathing above water for short periods of time.
Mook Depletion: Due to Orm leaving the guards with the bare minimum resources against Steppenwolf, they're all taken out one by one until Mera and Aquaman are all that's left.
Mythology Gag: Their helmets resemble the original Ocean Master mask from the pre-New 52 comics.
Undying Loyalty: As the guard that Steppenwolf interrogated demonstrated, they value their position more than their own lives.
The Worf Effect: Atlanteans are more powerful than the average human due to adapting to the bottom of the ocean, yet they're taken out by Steppenwolf and his parademons due to their easily exploited weakness.

Creatures

Topo

Species: Octopus Vulgaris

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantis

Appearances: Aquaman | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

A bio-engineered octopus that can play the drums. He is also queen Atlanna's best spy.

Ascended Extra: Has a bigger role in the sequel (that is, helping Arthur/Aquaman in his mission to free Orm from the Deserter's kingdom).
Demoted to Extra: Topo is a loyal companion to Aquaman in the comics akin to Krypto the Superdog or Ace the Bat-Hound. Here he appears in a single shot with no connection to Arthur. In the sequel, he's a far more prominent character.
Drums of War: Topo plays a drum set as fanfare during the Ring of Fire match between Arthur and Orm.
Funny Octopus:
- It's quite amusing to see this octopus playing drums. Atlanna hires him to DJ for Arthur and Mera's wedding.
- In the sequel, Atlanna lists everything he does, and playing music comes last. He is tasked to help Arthur in his mission (akin to R2-D2 in Star Wars) and pulls it off, but not without acting a bit goofy when Arthur and Orm have to escape by the sea (rushing first to the sea without bothering about Arthur and Orm and hindering Arthur by climbing on him while he's running). He also makes bizarre gargling sounds.
Fun with Acronyms: His full title is Tracking Observation and Pursuit Objective.
Stealth Expert: A master of information gathering and infiltrations. Yes, really.

Tylosaurus

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dp6s_f5u0aamj4t.jpg

Species: Mosasauridae

Affiliation(s): Atlantis (in service of Orm)

Appearances: Aquaman

A sea creature Orm uses as mount.

Artistic License – Paleontology: It lacks a fluke on its tail, its flippers are overly large, and its head is a bit too crocodilian, instead of the lizard-like head that the real animal had.
Horse of a Different Color: Orm uses it as a mount.
Living Dinosaurs: Well, sea lizard and not dinosaur, but still a specimen of supposedly extinct prehistorical species from the Late Cretaceous that lives in the oceans of present-day Earth, somehow.
More Teeth than the Osmond Family: It has giant jaws and plenty of teeth, and Orm makes it bite everything in its way during the Final Battle.
Palate Propping: Aquaman jams his trident in the creature's jaws during the Final Battle to avoid being eaten as they ascend to the surface.
Sea Monster: Based on a real life prehistorical sea monster.
Undying Loyalty: Noticeably stays loyal to Orm even when Arthur is controlling all other sea life that's not (sentient) Atlantean. It even tries to eat Arthur at Orm's direction.
What Happened to the Mouse?: By the end of Aquaman its master has been defeated and is in royal custody, but the tylosaurus remains unaccounted for.

Storm

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aquaman_riding_a_sea_dragon.jpg

Species: Seadragon

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantis (Royal Family)

Appearances: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

An albino seadragon that Aquaman bonds with.

Adaptation Dye-Job: Storm in the comics was purple, but here he's white and blue.
Mix-and-Match Critters: Unlike the more draconic seadragons that the Xebellians ride, Storm has a face like a dolphin.
Seahorse Steed: An oversized seahorse that Aquaman can ride.

Kingdom of Xebel

Mera

Mera Y'Mera Xebella Challa / "Mera"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/23_34.jpg

"Atlantis always had a king. Now it needs something more."

^{Click here to see her wearing her Justice League outfit}

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Xebellian

Affiliation(s): Xebellian Royal Family, Atlantis (loyalist of Arthur/Aquaman)

Portrayed by: Amber Heard

Voiced by: Marisol Romero (Latin-American Spanish), Chloé Berthier (European French), Nadia Paradis [Justice League], Camille Cyr-Desmarais [Aquaman] (Canadian French), Rie Tanaka (Japanese)

Film appearances: Justice League | Aquaman | Zack Snyder's Justice League | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Other appearances: The Adventures of Aquaman & Mera | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

"Your half-brother King Orm is about to declare war upon the surface world. The only way to stop this war is for you to take your rightful place as king."

The daughter of King Nereus and princess of the kingdom of Xebel, Mera was raised by Queen Atlanna and betrothed to Orm. After Steppenwolf absconds with the Atlantean Motherbox, she convinces Arthur Curry/Aquaman to pursue him and he ends up joining the Justice League as a result. Sometime later, Mera convinces Arthur to claim his heritage as king against Orm to protect both the remaining kingdoms of the Seven Seas and the surface world from the latter's wrath. Eventually the two fell in love and Mera became Aquaman's wife and mother to his child.

See also the Knightmare page for further information.

Action Girl: Since Mera is capable of holding her ground against a Physical God like Steppenwolf with her powers and surviving, it's hard to argue that she isn't one. Reinforced when she takes on several Atlantean troops at once while Arthur tangles with Black Manta. Arthur himself notes that Mera rivals Wonder Woman in this area.
Action Mom: In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, she is a mom to a baby boy named Arthur Junior. She is still as active in a fight as always.
Ace Pilot: Mera demonstrates amazing piloting skills in an underwater setting as she and Arthur escape inside her ship while being chased by Atlanteans. In the end, she successfully goes above the wall encircling Atlantis, something that she herself said should never be attempted because of the multitude of guns stationed atop said wall. If not for Orm's shot, they would have gotten away unscathed.
Adaptational Heroism: Downplayed, but in the comics she and Arthur first met when Mera tried to kill him. Here she is his ally from the beginning.
Adaptation Name Change: Unlike her comics counterpart who has Only One Name, this version's full name is Princess Y'Mera Xebella Challa.
Adaptation Origin Connection: Mera and Nereus are two unrelated characters in comicbook lore. In the comics Mera was supposed to be Nereus' betrothed and set to become his Queen. In the film, she is his daughter, with Orm filling in as Mera's fiancee.
Adaptation Personality Change: One consistent trait of Mera in the comics would be her Fiery Redhead tendencies, and indeed Mera is usually the more confrontational between her and Arthur. In the film series, while Mera is definitely the more proactive one when it comes to the plot, she is also way more circumspect in doing things—never initiating anything unless she knows what she is doing.
Arranged Marriage:
- As a Xebellian princess, Mera was forced to marry the Alantean king Orm to secure their kingdom's loyalties to each other. Beyond that the two have no affection for each other, with Mera outright naysaying him to the guardsmen and Orm hiring Black Manta to assassinate her. Subverted when she runs away and eventually becomes enamored with Aquaman who duly replaces Orm as the king.
- Mera and Arthur get married in-between films. Their initial ceremony is interrupted by an attack from the Aquamarines and their power grid is damaged in the commotion, so Arthur and Mera resort to a more modest wedding on the surface with his father Tom attending.
Battle Couple: Mera is just as combat-savvy as Arthur. If they're not fighting back-to-back, then odds are one will come to the aid of the other.
Beauty Is Never Tarnished:
- Downplayed in Justice League (2017). Her forehead is slightly bruised after her brief brawl with Steppenwolf.
- Downplayed again in Aquaman, where she takes several noticeable wounds during the battle in Sicily, but still fares better than Arthur since she was not the main target of Black Manta's ire.
- Before that, she trekked through the Sahara and later to Sicily and looks no worse for wear.
The Big Damn Kiss: Mera gives Arthur one during their war against Ocean Master's armies after two films' worth of romantic tension.
Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: During a trek through the Sahara Desert to find an Atlantean outpost, Arthur acts like a mouthy goofball over every little thing while Mera can only roll her eyes at his childish nature.
Civvie Spandex: Mera wears an emerald green skin-tight suit with hexagon pattern detailing underneath her battle armor.
Cool Crown: The headdress◊ that Mera wears in Justice League (2017) is both regal and plenty sharp-looking. She wears an even more ornate one on her wedding day.
Combat Pragmatist: Woe betide anyone on the business end of Mera's aquakinesis, as she uses it in very creative ways. She literally tears the blood out of Steppenwolf's face in Zack Snyder's Justice League and creates a Flechette Storm out of wine when dealing with Orm's mercenaries.
Cynic–Idealist Duo: Mera is the idealist to Aquaman's cynic. She persistently drives Arthur to claim his birthright despite his reservations. Her attitude towards surface-dwellers is also more open-minded than Arthur's attitude towards Atlanteans.
Deadpan Snarker: She's constantly making snarky remarks towards Arthur in Aquaman.
Deuteragonist: In Aquaman. She has the second-highest screentime of the film after the titular character, and they spend much of the film working together in their mutual goal to stop the war between Atlantis and the surface.
Didn't See That Coming: Mera makes sure to destroy King Atlan's recording after decoding his message so as not to give Orm a trail. It never occured to Mera that the bracelet Orm gave her was tracking her location the whole time, since up to that point she'd kept her disloyalty to him secret.
Distracted by the Sexy: When Mera first meets Arthur, she's a little bit flustered by his shirtlessness.
Drives Like Crazy: While escaping the Atlantean capital, Mera does some "creative" driving on her ship, to Arthur's utter terror and to such a degree of lunacy that even the hydrocannons on the walls can't score a direct hit. She's more graceful when it comes to sailing a dinghy she's absconded.
Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Between her debut in Justice League (2017)/Zack Snyder's Justice League, and her main outing in Aquaman, there are several changes to Mera's character.
- As you can see in her photos here, her hair clearly changed in tone, becoming a brighter shade of red from the relatively-realistic ginger. Comparisons to Ariel from The Little Mermaid are not entirely inaccurate. Maybe dyeing is a thing in Atlantis too.
- In a case of the early installment being released after, Mera's accent in Zack Snyder's Justice League is a royal British accent, while in Aquaman, her accent is Amber Heard's natural American accent.
- Her aquakinesis manifests differently. In Aquaman, her hands, her eyes, and the water that she actively manipulates all glow brightly blue when she uses her powers. This glow is not present in either Justice League film.
Elemental Powers: Mera has telekinetic control over water, but can extend her power to include any nearby liquids, such as blood and wine.
Establishing Character Moment: Mera's introduced guarding a Motherbox alongside the few guards Orm was willing to spare and openly criticising him. When Steppenwolf arrives, she engages him in one-on-one combat. Then Aquaman comes to her rescue and she implores him to stop running from his responsibilities. She's a Fiery Redhead through and through.
Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Mera tries to convince Nereus that Orm faked the submarine attack to get him to go to war. As she's pointing out that he's not naive enough to believe the False Flag Operation she realizes that no, no he isn't. He's going along with Orm because he wanted an excuse to attack the surface as well.
Fiery Redhead: Mera is certainly spirited and determined. Quote Arthur after she jumps out of a plane, that was still in flight, over a desert: "Redheads, gotta love 'em!"
Fish out of Water: Once she's on the run with Arthur, Mera is clearly puzzled (but also amazed) by the surface world. In a Sicilian town, she even eats a rose out of a gifted bouquet!
Flechette Storm: Mera can turn liquids into levitating spikes.
Gentle Touch vs. Firm Hand: Mera privdes the firm hand to Vulko's gentle touch when it comes to persuading Arthur. Mera regularly points out Arthur's flaws as a way of reminding him that he's better than he lets on, not taking any of his gruffness lying down.
Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: While Mera is no slouch when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, Aquaman tends to take on most of his fights head on while Mera specializes in her water-based powers.
Happily Adopted: Queen Atlanna raised her, either because her parents were too busy fighting wars (Aquaman) or died (Zack Snyder's Justice League). If the Snyder Cut is to be taken as canon, then Nereus is implied to have adopted Mera shortly after Atlanna's exile.
Hero Stole My Bike: Mera commandeers a dinghy on the assumption that they're for public use. When Arthur points out that she committed theft, Mera gives a flat "huh".
Horrifying the Horror: Alongside Wonder Woman and Superman, Mera is one of the few people to genuinely horrify Steppenwolf in Zack Snyder's Justice League. She outright uses her powers to nearly kill him by ripping the blood out of his body. It horrifies him so much - since this means he's dead if he ever finds himself helpless before her - that he specifically decides that he can't let her live. He outright ignores the Mother Box nearby to do so.
Humans Are Bastards: Mera lists a myriad of ways humans have messed up their world, from cities that create "mountains of trash", right down to smoking factories. Arthur insists they're not all like that, and Mera eventually warms up to humans while in Sicily.
Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Mera realizes the danger Orm poses and enlists Arthur to stop him. She entices Arthur's cooperation by saving Arthur's father from drowning, smuggles Arthur into Atlantis, saves him when he loses the first duel with Orm and is about to be killed by his younger half-brother, leads him to the exact place in the sands of Sahara where he can decipher the secret message, steals (ahem, "borrows") a boat to get to the Trench and takes care of Arthur after he was injured fighting Black Manta. Later on she fights alongside Arthur in the Final Battle, sways her father and her people to his side to avoid further bloodshed and advises him to duel Orm again out of water where he'll be weaker.]] With her heightened sense of responsibility to both her people and the world at large, she would make a fine Ocean Master herself if she were only eligible for the title.
I Am Very British: Mera speaks with a strong consistent English accent in Zack Snyder's Justice League to reflect her posh, educated, royal upbringing. It comes and goes as much as it wants in Justice League (2017), and is completely gone in Aquaman.
Idealized Sex: Mera and Arthur's copulation resembles their first kiss in how spectacular it looks (well, at least the part that's allowed to be shown).
Imperiled in Pregnancy: Averted. The first indication that Mera's expecting is when she expresses concern for Arthur's well-being as well as his time on the Justice League keeping him from fully committing to Atlantis, wanting Arthur's assurance that he'll be present in their child's life. Mera also reluctantly stays behind while Aquaman fights Charybdis.
Improvised Weapon: While being hunted down in Siciliy, Mera creates a Flechette Storm by using her hydrokinetic powers on wine.
Informed Flaw: Mera supposedly has a low opinion of surface-dwellers, but aside from chewing out Arthur when he's getting under her skin she never shows any real prejudice towards a surface-dweller, going so far as to save Arthur's father at one point.
Insatiable Newlyweds: The day before their wedding, Arthur and Mera were getting it on. On the big day, Nereus points out that in their enthusiasm they kissed prematurely.
Kung-Fu Wizard: Even without her powers, Mera's still a capable martial artist with the Super-Strength common to all Atlanteans, as Murk and his commandos find out the hard way.
Lady of Black Magic: A Xebellian princess who conducts herself with femininity and composure; she has great hydrokinetic powers and her eyes and hands glow bright blue as she creates powerful hard water rays and projectiles.
Leitmotif: Orchestral variants of Skylar Grey's "Everything I Need" play during scenes related to Mera and Arthur's romance. At one point she plays the song on a flute.
Le Parkour: How she evades the Atlantean troops in Siciliy. Their bulky armor works to Mera's advantage, as she's able to leap across rooftops and other light structures while making sharp turns, meanwhile the troops can only charge straight ahead on solid ground.
Making a Splash: Mera has hydrokinetic powers that provide a wide array of utilities. She can summon underwater whirlpools and air domes, for instance. While journeying with Arthur on the surface, she manages to create water spikes with the contents of a winery.
Mama Bear: When Black Manta kidnaps her son Arthur Jr., she joins her husband and their allies to rescue him.
Marry for Love: Mera ran away from an arranged marriage to Orm, but later married his brother Arthur precisely because of their mutual attraction to each other.
Missing Mom: Mera's mother died in a war, so Atlanna filled the vacuum in Mera's childhood.
Morality Pet: Mera acts as one for Arthur before they admit their feelings for each other. He rescues her from Steppenwolf and takes up his Atlantean heritage despite claiming to hate Atlanteans. Later on he expresses guilt that he almost got her killed by Black Manta and Orm's guards, as both villains only want Aquaman dead due to his own callousness.
Most Common Superpower: Zig-zagged somewhat. She's not overly busty, but there are moments where Mera's breasts are nearly pushed up to her neck and look like they're about to spill out of her shirt.
Ms. Exposition: Mera spends a huge chunk of Aquaman explaining Atlantean customs to the titular character. Her first interaction with Aquaman also established some details regarding his backstory like his absent mother.
Ms. Fanservice: She's a redhead in a green form-fitting outfit with an open cleavage who just so happens to be played by Amber Heard. The shots of her swimming also draw a lot of attention to her finely toned legs and butt. Need we say more?
Nerves of Steel: Despite being overpowered by Steppenwolf, Mera doesn't cower. Instead she pulls a sneak attack on him that buys her enough time for Arthur to come to her rescue.
Not So Above It All:
- Mera typically acts with poise and dignity, but her limited knowledge of the surface world leads her to assume that tulips are food.
- When Arthur figures out how to change their baby's diapers without getting pee in his mouth, Mera uses her aquakinesis to redirect the stream as a prank.
Now, Let Me Carry You: Mera is introduced being cornered by Steppenwolf, at which point Aquaman leaps in to her aid. When Orm has Aquaman on the ropes in their first bout, Mera rescues him.
Occult Blue Eyes: When she casts her water magic, her eyes turn unnaturally bright blue.
Overly Long Name: Mera's full name gets a comically stumped reaction from Arthur.
Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: A consequence of never interacting with the surface world before meeting Arthur. She's baffled when he uses phrases like "bogey on our six" and has never heard of Pinocchio.
Power Glow: When using her hydrokinesis, there is a visible blue glow in Mera's eyes and around the water she manipulates.
Pregnant Badass: Mera was already pregnant on her wedding day, during which she held her own against the Aquamarines. Downplayed in that she stays out of the fight between Aquaman and Charybdis because she doesn't want to push her luck.
Pretend Prejudice: She dismisses Arthur as a half-breed in front of Orm, while secretly rooting for him.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Mera gives a much-needed one to Aquaman in both cuts of Justice League, telling him to get over his self-pity regarding his abandonment issues and to do his duty to both the surface and the oceans by going after Steppenwolf.
Redhead in Green: She's a redhead, and her most common outfits are green. In Aquaman, Mera's hair and main outfit use stronger colors.
Redheads Are Ravishing: She's a redhead and the Love Interest to one of Earth's greatest heroes.
Arthur: Redheads. You gotta love 'em!
Replacement Goldfish: Atlanna took her in and raised her as her own after she was forced to abandon her son, although she abandoned Arthur for a good reason: Mera is not her potential heir subjected to Fantastic Racism, but Arthur is.
Royal Blood: She's the daughter of King Nereus of Xebel, and as such is forced into an Arranged Marriage with the king of Atlantis, Orm. She escapes this fate, choosing instead to marry Arthur.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Mera is a Xebellian princess who does everything in her power to stop Orm. In Zack Snyder's Justice League she takes it upon herself to ensure the Motherbox is well-guarded due to Orm being too power-hungry to worry about the impending invasion.
Royalty Superpower: Like all high-borns, Mera can survive on land for indefinite periods. She also has hydrokinetic abilities, which seems to be unique to her and Vulko.
Runaway Bride: Mera's engagement to Orm is shortlived, with Mera forfeiting her royal status by rescuing Aquaman from certain death and going into hiding. Unfortunately for Mera, the bracelet Orm gave her as an engagement present had a tracking device in it.
Significant Wardrobe Shift: Her formal dress to watch the duel between Orm and Arthur is white and silver, which strikes a contrast with her green bodysuit. She ditches it as soon as it's clear that Arthur will need to be rescued, which is symbolic of her casting aside her title and role etc. because she can't go back to Atlantis after betraying it.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Mera sees the best in Arthur. She encouraged him to go up against Steppenwolf when he rescues her, then calls on his help again after hearing he defeated the New God. During their time on the run, Mera sees more of Arthur's Hidden Depths and eventually realises she's in love with him.
Strong and Skilled: Mera's strong enough to go toe-to-toe with several Atlantean soldiers at once, either killing or injuring every single one of them and walking away unscathed. While she's outmatched against Steppenwolf, she manages to overpower him by draining his body fluids.
Targeted to Hurt the Hero: In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Black Manta specifically mortally wounds Mera because he knows she is close to Arthur. Downplayed because he learns she became Arthur's wife only after already wounding her.
David Kane: I'm gonna kill me a dead mermaid.
Try Not to Die:
- She says something to this degree after giving Aquaman The Big Damn Kiss.
Aquaman: [stunned] Um...what was the plan again?
Mera: The plan is to not get killed.
Aquaman: Yeah. Good plan. Don't get killed.
- Upon realizing that she's pregnant, Mera reasserts this statement because after being orphaned and seeing how badly parental abandonment affected Arthur, she wants him to be present in his child's life.
Two-Person Pool Party: In a sense. Mera and Arthur have had sex underwater at least once.
Underwater Kiss: Mera has a spectacular Orbital Kiss with Aquaman during the climax.
Warrior Princess: Xebel has a warrior culture, she's the daughter of their sovereign, and is no exception to their warrior spirit.
Water Is Womanly: Unlike other Atlanteans seen, Mera has incredible water powers. She is also a beautiful, compassionate Xebellian princess.
Water Torture: Mera tries this on Steppenwolf, only instead of forcing water down his throat she pulls water out of his throat (due to Steppenwolf being able to breathe underwater).
Wet Blanket Wife: Pun aside, Mera does tell Arthur he should think about easing back on his superhero duties and commit more of his time towards his kingdom and his family. Clearly she wants their child to grow up with both parents in their life, a privilege Arthur, Mera, and Orm didn't get.
What the Hell, Hero?: Mera chews out Aquaman for disrespecting his mother's memory and criticizes him for being a Prodigal Hero in both cuts of Justice League. Thanks to this, she is able to convince him to go after Steppenwolf, and he joins the League as a result.
What the Hell Is That Accent?: Her accent swings from sounding like an upper-class Englishwoman to Amber Heard's natural American in Justice League (2017). Averted in Zack Snyder's Justice League where she has a clear English accent, and Aquaman where it's a clear American accent.
Women Are Wiser: Mera was smart enough to memorise and destroy an encoded message so that it couldn't fall into the wrong hands. Arthur didn't think that far ahead.
You Are Better Than You Think You Are: “You think you're unworthy to lead because you're of two different worlds, but that is exactly why you are worthy. You are the bridge between land and sea. I can see that now. The question is, can you?”
You Can't Go Home Again: Mera expresses this concern when she sides with Arthur and helps him escape Orm and the Atlantean patrol. Arthur assumes that being royalty she could return and they would be lenient, but she asserts that they are not that forgiving. Her only hope now is to help Arthur find the Trident. Downplayed, as Nereus orders her to be brought back alive and unscathed.

Nereus

King Nereus

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/23_8.jpg

"Without me and my army to convince them, your plans are stillborn."

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Xebellian

Affiliation(s): Xebellian Royal Family, Orm's Alliance

Portrayed by: Dolph Lundgren

Voiced by: Gerardo Vásquez (Latin American Spanish), Luc Bernard (European French), Marc-André Bélanger (Canadian French), Akio Hirose (Japanese)

Appearances: Aquaman | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

"You may sit on the throne of Atlantis, but your claim to it is weak. How can you possibly hope to unite the empire?"

The king of the Atlantean colony of Xebel, in the Bermuda Triangle, and Mera's father.

Action Dad: He is Mera's father and is said to be a formidable fighter.
Adaptational Heroism: His comic book incarnation was a warlord who intended to marry Mera against her will. Here he is at worst a Noble Demon who insists his daughter not be harmed despite her betraying King Orm. Also during the climactic final battle he immediately turns on Orm when he discovers Arthur wields Atlan's trident, showing he is loyal to Atlantis' sacred traditions.
Adaptation Origin Connection: Both him and Mera are two separate characters in comic lore, with Mera was supposed to be Nereus' betrothed and was suppose to become his Queen. In the film, Mera is his daughter and Nereus is presumably married to someone else.
Age Lift: As a result of being Related in the Adaptation by being Mera's father, Nereus is a few decades older than his comic counterpart.
Battle Couple: He and his wife are frequently fighting wars (one of which lead to her death), hence why Mera is basically raised by Atlanna.
Big Damn Heroes: In the sequel he comes in the nick of time to help out Arthur and Orm. His ships demolish the island which houses the Orichalcum refinery.
Do Unto Others Before They Do Unto Us: Nereus has always been uneasy about the surface-dwellers, but once he sees the destrucitve power of a submarine he decides to stop treating them like harmless apes.
Dragon-in-Chief: A downplayed example, but Orm needs the great military of Xebel to force the other colonies into going along with his coalition and have himself crowned 'Ocean Master'.
Even Evil Has Standards: He was appalled when Orm killed King Ricou for refusing to join their alliance, even after previously referring to him and his people as cowards. Also, despite everything Mera does to defy him he still loves her, and warns Orm that if he tries to kill her their alliance will be over.
Frontline General: Leads his soldiers in battle, just as Orm does.
Give Away the Bride: Averted. Nereus is actually the celebrant at Mera's wedding. Given Atlanna was initially the celebrant before the wedding was interrupted, it might just be Atlantean custom for parents to declare the couple married.
Heel–Face Turn: Is firmly on Arthur's side in the sequel, which makes sense as the heir to the throne is his grandson. Xebel and the Brine are also the only sea kingdoms that support Arthur in his campaign to stop David Hyde.
Horse of a Different Color: Like all Xebellians, he rides a giant seahorse.
Identical Stranger: Has one on Earth-Prime as a human named Konstantin Kovar.
I Have No Daughter!: Mera assumed that her father will disown her for betraying him, but this turns out to be an aversion; Nereus demands that Orm ensure Mera returns unharmed.
Karma Houdini: Faces no consequences after Orm is defeated and imprisoned, even though he willingly supported his plans for war. One can assume this is because he immediately defects when his daughter told him Arthur had the special trident and was thus the true king. He was also likely harboring reservations on following Orm after the latter brazenly murdered King Ricou.
Large and in Charge: Stands 6'5 and is the king of the Xebel colony.
No-Sell: He dismisses Vulko's attempts to flatter him into joining Orm's alliance against the surface, pointing out they're only coming to him because he's the best option.
Vulko: We honour you, King Nereus, by inviting Xebel to be the first kingdom to join King Orm's alliance!
Nereus: As if you had a choice, Vulko! By law, you need four of the Seven Kingdoms to ascend and attack. The Lost Nation and the Deserters have long perished. The Trench are nothing but animals. The Brine will never join you, and the Fishermen are cowards - without me and my army to convince them, your plans are stillborn.
Not So Above It All: Despite being royalty and something of a Noble Bigot at first, Nereus doesn't seem to mind having a modest wedding at the Curry family's lighthouse followed by a round of beers at the local galley.
Obfuscating Stupidity: He is a lot smarter than Orm gives him credit for, as he sees right through Orm's transparent False Flag Operation. But because the end result aligns with what he wants, he pretends not to notice the absurd Contrived Coincidence.
Old Soldier: He's in his later years, played by an actor in his sixties and having a fully grown daughter, but he is still willing to fight in battle.
Papa Wolf: After Mera helps Arthur escape from the Ring of Fire, she thinks that her father has given up on her and will never forgive her. She is dead wrong. Nereus makes it clear to Orm that he wants Mera back without a scratch on her, or their alliance is dead. When he comes across her fighting his soldiers, he quickly tells them to make way for his daughter and not harm her.
Politically Correct Villain: Despite his dislike of the surface dwellers, he turns out to be actually one of the few Atlanteans who does not mind that Arthur is a half-Atlantean. He outright states that he still acknowledges him as the first-born son of Atlantis and even goes as far as to say that he would have no objection to Arthur taking the throne and he considers Orm's claim on it as being weak and Arthur would be a better candidate to uniting the Atlantean Empire. While he ends up opposing Arthur by siding with Orm, when Arthur reveals himself to be in fact the true king of Atlantis with the Trident, Nereus quickly acknowledges the "half-breed" as such and doesn't hesitate to stop fighting and let Arthur fight Orm to the finish.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Nereus thinks highly of his kingdom's military might, stating that Orm's plans to become Ocean Master are fully dependent on him agreeing to an alliance.
Punch-Clock Villain: Despite his allegiance to Orm, he's far from a bad person. Fighting against the surface just seems like the practical choice for him. Anyone in his shoes would most likely make a similar decision.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Nereus is shown to be actually much more of this compared to Orm. Justified, as he's been king since Atlanna was queen, meaning he's been doing it a lot longer than Orm. Vulko himself stated that he is the type of a ruler who would listen when given an important cause. While he may despise the surface dwellers, he refuses to directly attack them without being given a sufficient provocation and even goes as far as to say that he wouldn't really mind if Arthur takes over the throne and unites the Atlantean Empire, even if he is half-Atlantean, as he is still the first-born son. He takes a mature, peaceful approach as Orm's ally in uniting the kingdoms in contrast to Orm's ruthless and clearly impatient way, opting to reason with King Ricou, despite having earlier called him a coward, and the Brine King and clearly against Orm's desire to just kill them and force their armies into submission. It's this side that ultimately lets Mera reason with him when Arthur has claimed the Trident of Atlantis.
Related in the Adaptation: Nereus was unrelated to Mera in the comics, being intended to be her betrothed before she met Arthur. Here, he's her father. Although, Mera told Arthur that she was orphaned in Zack Snyder's Justice League. It's possible Nereus adopted her.

King Fish

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Xebellian

Affiliation(s): Xebellian Royal Family, Orm's Alliance

Portrayed by: Martin Short

Appearances: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

A crime lord and pirate who lives in Xebel, whom Arthur and Orm go see for information.

Expy: To Jabba the Hutt. He's an obese kingpin that's flanked by harem girls and was nearly killed through suffocation.
Fat Bastard: He's rather corpulent and an unsavory character.

Seadragons

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20211030_111604_samsung_internet.jpg

Species: Giant seahorses

Citizenship: Xebellian

Affiliation(s): Xebel

Appearances: Aquaman

Mounts of the Xebellian royal family and their military

Cool Horse: One of the most exotic-looking species seen in the DCEU that isn't alien in origin.
Horse of a Different Colour: They're a literal exampe of seahorses.
Loyal to the Position: The Xebellian army uses them to launch an attack on the Brine Kingdom, then on Aquaman and the Karathen. When Aquaman taps into the Trident of Atlan, they turn on the Xebellians and serve the holder of the Trident.
Mix-and-Match Critters: They resemble seahorses, but with the size and musculature of regular horses, along with frog legs for propulsion.
Our Hippocamps Are Different: They bear a strong resemblance to the mythical hippocampi, although they are never named as such either in the movie or in any supplemantary materials.
Seahorse Steed: The most famous examples in fiction.

Kingdom of the Fishermen

Fishermen

The Fishermen

A race and kingdom that emerged after the sinking of the original Atlantis. Its inhabitants evolved from humans into fish-like humanoids.

Adaptation Name Change: They are called "Tritonians" in the comics originally. Oddly enough, "Fisherman" is a moniker originally used by several enemies of Aquaman in the comics.
Fish People: They're a humanoid species that has evolved from human Atlanteans due to living deeper, gaining fish tails, scales and gills.
Human Subspecies: They're a human branch that evolved from ancient Atlanteans into fish-like humanoids in order to adapt to greater depths. They’re referred to, and seem to be, the most elegant and "advanced" mutation, in contrast to the more primitive and crustacean Brine and the outright animalistic and monstrous Trench.
Martial Pacifist: While the Fishermen choose not to go to war, they nonetheless have vast military resources.
Our Mermaids Are Different: They lean much more on the 'fish' side of merfolk than Atlanteans and Xebellians.
Proud Scholar Race: They're philosophers and scholars, and wish to educate the surface dwellers rather than wage war on them.
Rousseau Was Right: According to King Ricou, they have long wished to make contact with the surface so they can teach them how to take better care of the oceans rather than forcing them to Kneel Before Zod like Orm wants to do.
Sheltered Aristocrat: Due to isolating themselves from both surface-dwellers and the other Atlanteans, Nereus is quick to label them as cowards.
Warrior Poets: They have war technology, but also favored developing their own refined culture, almost to the point of being Martial Pacifists, which doesn't suit Orm's plans to wage war against the surface world and prompts him to threaten their rulers with Join or Die.
- They seem to be the most inclined towards culture, and even have some minor Bling-Bling-BANG! aspect to their weaponry.

King Ricou

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fishermanking1.jpg

Species: Fisherman

Citizenship: Kingdom of the Fishermen

Affiliation(s): Royal Family of the Fishermen

Portrayed by: Djimon Hounsou

Voiced by: Daniel Abundis (Latin American Spanish), Frantz Confiac (European French), François L'Écuyer (Canadian French), Takashi Matsuyama (Japanese)

Appearances: Aquaman | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special (flashback)

The king of the Fishermen.

Adaptational Heroism: In the comics he was a member of Aquaman's Rogues Gallery. Here he is an ally of Atlantis.
Adaptation Species Change: He's a fish-like aquatic humanoid who lives under the sea, in contrast to the comic book version of the Fisherman, who was a human criminal with a high-tech diving suit.
Berserk Button: Calling the King a coward straight to his face is enough to make the him lose his temper.
Bling of War: He wears a gilded armor.
Casting Gag: Mild example. Djimon Hounsou had previously played a human fisherman who was heroic and noble against ugly circumstances.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Orm stabs and kills him, after the Fisherman King refuses to join his alliance.
Prongs of Poseidon: He has an elaborate trident.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Is against a war with the surface world because he understands how terrible it would be for both sides. Orm is not happy with this, so he stabs him.
Shout-Out: He is named in tribute to actor, stuntman and underwater cinematographer Ricou Browning, who played the Gill-man in Creature from the Black Lagoon.
We Hardly Knew Ye: He has less than one minute of screentime. His immediate death proves that Orm really means business with his plans.

The Fisherman Princess

The Fisherman Princess/Queen

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fishermanprincess.jpg

Species: Fishermen

Citizenship: Kingdom of the Fishermen

Affiliation(s): Royal Family of the Fishermen, Orm's Alliance

Portrayed by: Sophia Forrest

Voiced by: Fernanda Robles (Latin American Spanish)

Appearances: Aquaman | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special (flashback)

The young heir to the Fisherman king Ricou.

Bling of War: She wears a gilded armor just like her father.
No Name Given: Her name is not specified, unlike her mother's and father's.
Oh, Crap!:
- Her face expression upon seeing Karathen emerging from the bottom of the ocean says it all.
- She's the first to vocally point out that Arthur/Aquaman found a way to control the Trench (with Atlan's trident), as he's using them to swarm her forces as well as the Atlantean and Xebellian armies.
Puppet Queen: She becomes queen after her father's death by the hand of Orm, and she's forced to side with Orm and lead her troops against the Brine armies alongside Atlanteans and Xebellians lest she wants to get killed as well.
You Are in Command Now: She becomes de facto queen of the Fishermen when Orm kills her father, and she is seen leading her troops in the Final Battle.

Fisherman Queen

Species: Fisherman

Citizenship: Kingdom of the Fishermen

Affiliation(s): Royal Family of the Fishermen

Portrayed by: Natalia Safran

Appearances: Aquaman | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special (flashback)

The queen of the Fishermen.

Satellite Character: She's out of focus for her one scene, only appearing because Orm addressed her husband in his throneroom.
Trauma Conga Line: She's forced to watch Orm murder her husband and draft her daughter into his army. Then her people are used as cannon-fodder against the Brine kingdom.

Kingdom of the Brine

Brine

The Brine

A race and kingdom that emerged after the sinking of the original Atlantis. Its inhabitants evolved from humans into crustacean creatures.

Badass Army: What little is shown of that race consists of one enormous army, as seen in the climactic battle. Though clearly outmatched by Orm's coalition, they still manage to inflict significant damage to his forces before Arthur and friends arrive to turn the tide.
Beast of Battle: The Brine army is backed by absolutely massive crabs that serve as their equivalent of Walking Tanks.
Fish People: The "Crab People" variant. They are descended from Atlanteans who evolved into humanoid crustaceans, likely to adapt to the magmatic seafloor they ended up using as habitat.
Giant Enemy Crab: To Orm, the Brine are enemies for refusing to join his side, and not only are the regular members of the Brine human-sized crustaceans, but they have truly massive crabs as beasts of battle.
Hailfire Peaks: The floor of the Brine Kingdom glows from magma.
Human Subspecies: They're a human branch that evolved from ancient Atlanteans into crustacean-like creatures in order to adapt to deep seafloors.
Mutants: That species has evolved (or de-evolved) from humans who once populated Atlantis.
Power Pincers: They gained crustacean pincers when evolving.
Rock Beats Laser: They fight with things as crude and simple as lava-throwing catapults against advanced Atlantean and Fishermen submarines, and it's enough to destroy them.
Scorpion People: Some of the Brine have grown multiple arthropod legs and kept a humanoid torso when evolving, while others such as the king kept walking on two legs and grew armor on their back.
Violence is the Only Option: They don't bow down to any other power, so subjugating them by force is the way to go for any would-be Ocean Master. Orm doesn't even bother to diplomatically try gaining them as allies and attacks them after rallying Xebellians to his cause and press-ganging the Fishermen into his ranks.

The Brine King

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brineking.png

"Death to the Atlantean codfish!"

Species: Brine

Citizenship: Kingdom of the Brine

Portrayed by: John Rhys-Davies (voice), Andrew Crawford (motion capture)

Voiced by: César Soto (Latin American Spanish), Denis Roy (Canadian French), Shirō Saitō (Japanese)

Appearances: Aquaman | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

The King of the Brine.

Ascended Extra: While in the first film, he doesn't appear until the final battle, he has more screentime in the second movie.
Badass Boast: He has these words as he rallies his troops before leading them into battle:
Brine King: We will not bow to Atlantis! We're gonna give them a fight that they'll never forget!
Collapsible Helmet: What was initially assumed to be his face actually turns out to be a protective carapce that can be flipped up.
Defiant to the End: Even knowing his kingdom will fall to Orm upon being defeated, he refuses to submit and prefers dying in battle. When Orm disarms him, has him at the end of his trident and demands that he submit or be killed the Brine King simply responds:
Brine King: You can take my army, you soft bellied slug! But YOU WILL NEVER HAVE MY ALLEGIANCE!!!
Frontline General: He bravely leads his troops in battle.
Hold the Line: The Brine King and his men hold back the warriors of Necrus so Arthur can go and save his son. The Brine King survives, but has humorously once again lost his pincers-arm.
I Owe You My Life: The Brine and Xebel are the only kingdoms who help Arthur out in The Lost Kingdom. The Brine King makes it clear that he is highly grateful and will help Arthur in whatever way he needs.
Large Ham: Despite only having a few seconds of screen time, all of his quotes were done in a defiant and yelling manner.
Literal Disarming: Orm cuts off his right pincers-arm (which was holding his trident) during the Final Battle.
The McCoy: Among Arthur, Nereus and himself, the Brine King is the most gung-ho.
No Mouth: His face resembles a crab's, but due to Aquaman eschewing Atlantean languages it seems like his speech is unaffected.
No Name Given: He is only known as the Brine King.
Prongs of Poseidon: Fights with a trident, albeit a more crudely crafted one than those made by either Atlanteans or Fishermen.
Vocal Dissonance: He's got a deep baritone voice in spite of a tiny mouth.

Trench

The Trench

Species: Trench

Appearances: Aquaman

A savage race of underwater dwelling creatures. They are the most extreme case of evolution (or de-evolution) of ancient human Atlanteans and, unlike the Fishermen and the Brine, have practically become beasts with nothing left of a civilized behaviour.

Adaptational Heroism: In the comic, the Trench are an Always Chaotic Evil race that view all creatures as prey and won't hesitate to even feed on their own. Here, they're more like animals following instinct and Arthur is able to use his power to call them to his aid during the final battle.
Ape Shall Not Kill Ape: Unlike in the comics, the Trench don't attack their own kind, which is how Atlanna managed to survive by disguising herself as one of them.
Animalistic Abomination: They are actually a branch of the original Atlanteans, but evolved in the deep seas to become what they are now. They somewhat resemble anthropomorphic angler fish and they're animalistic enough that Arthur can use the Trident to control them, implying their sentience has de-evolved to that of the other sea creatures he can control.
Batman Can Breathe in Space: Unlike other Atlanteans, the Trench don't require a special pedigree to be able to survive above the water.
Blinded by the Light: Since they live exclusively in the deep sea, their eyes are very sensitive to light. They can be scared off by flares.
Demoted to Extra: Downplayed, but they were Arc Villains in the New 52. Here, they are just another race of the Seven Seas.
The Dreaded: Every single Atlantean who says their name does so with fear and horror. This contributes to the shock and awe impact of Arthur’s arrival in the final battle when everyone realizes he commands them alongside the Karathen.
Eldritch Ocean Abyss: Where they live; the Trench inhabit the deepest part of the ocean, and they happen to have evolved to match the horrifying dangerous creatures you typically associate with this trope.
Evil Is Visceral: They have highly-visible ribcages and no lips, so their teeth are constantly on display.
Fed to the Beast: Atlanteans sentenced to death are sacrificed to them. Queen Atlanna met her fate at their hands (or so it seems) and Mera tells Arthur that this would be her fate if she returned to Atlantis after rescuing him from the Ring of Fire.
Fish People: Of the deepest and darkest variety. They are more beasts than people, actually.
Human Subspecies: They're a human branch that evolved/mutated from ancient Atlanteans into monstrous creatures living in the darkest depths.
It Burns!: They shy away from sources of bright light, whether out of fear or pain caused by extreme sensitivity to it. Arthur uses this to his advantage when fighting them, using emergency flares as Improvised Weapons and a means for him and Mera to escape from them.
It Can Think: Just when it seems like Arthur and Mera might outrun them, a hidden smaller group rushes them head-on, showing that the Trench know how to hunt.
Meaningful Name: They live in oceanic trenches.
More Teeth than the Osmond Family: They're like humanoid versions of viperfish or angler-fish.
The Morlocks: The feral creatures living in the Trenches were originally Atlanteans who evolved into what they are because of the natural environment of the Trenches.
Mutants: They have evolved (or de-evolved) from humans who once populated Atlantis to deep water monsters.
Sea Monster: Based on the Deep Ones by H. P. Lovecraft.
Spikes of Villainy: They're some of the most vicious characters with lots of spines.
Was Once a Man: It's mentioned a few times that they used to be far more sapient before !!Atlantis sank. Having to adapt to the darkest part of the ocean took its toll on their minds and they de-evolved into monsters.
Villainous Rescue: During the finale Arthur uses the Trident of Atlan to summon them to his aid.
Xenomorph Xerox: Their mouth designs seem to borrow a little from the Alien creature.
Zerg Rush: There are hundreds of thousands of them, and they attack in swarms.

Kingdom of the Deserters

Deserters

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20210807_223413_youtube.jpg

A kingdom that splintered off from Atlantis to establish a civilisation in the Sahara. They forged the Trident of Atlan and developed technology of their own, only for their civilization to die out at some point. They're succeeded by a descendant race that have evolved beyond the need for water and act as prison wardens for Atlantis.

Cataclysm Backstory: The kingdom has long since fallen by the present day, with the survivors mutating into grotesque monsters to better adapt to the Sahara's harsh temperatures and sparse water reserves.
Forging Scene: A brief flashback shows that the Deserters forged Atlan's trident using blacksmith tools and techniques.
Informed Ability: The surviving Deserters are stated to have gotten around their ancestral dependence on water by drinking blood, but no evidence of this is shown in the film.
Lost Colony: Alongside the Trench and the seventh kingdom, the Kingdom of the Deserters have become little more than a memory to the remaining kingdoms. The second film shows that they live on, in a diminished and mutated state.
Low Culture, High Tech: At first glance the Deserter Kingdom appears to be no more advanced than your standard Bronze Age culture. They did however develop water-powered technology, holograms, recording devices and methods of inscribing complex imagery onto glass. Their descendants have also developed an advanced prison system that can be rearranged to prevent escapes.
Skeleton Motif: The Desterter Renmants looks like a skeletal abomination, with completely dehydrated skin, exposed ribs and pronounced vertebras.
Ultimate Blacksmith: The deserters specialised in developing hardware.

The Lost Kingdom

See the Other Supervillains page.

The Hidden Sea

Hidden Sea

A hidden ecosystem located in the centre of the Earth.

Eldritch Location: It's located at the Earth's core, yet has an atmosphere and seems to be habitable by Atlanteans and assorted fauna. Among its inhabitants is an ancient tentacled sea monster of legend and the civilisation closest to it devolved into fish people.
Hollow World: Arthur and Mera are forced to travel through the Kingdom of the Trench in order to find the Hidden Sea, which is said in subtitles to be at the Earth's core. From what is depicted, there are surface-level conditions resembling a lagoon, with glowing crystal providing light similar to the sun, but past a waterfall is another space where the Trident of Atlan resides along with the Karathen guarding it.
Lost World: Just to complete the references at Jules Verne, the Trident of Atlan is revealed to be located in the Hidden Sea, a world existing in the Earth's core. It is very Cretaceous-like and houses many fantastic (well, more fantastic) animals, including what appears to be pterosaurs.

Karathen

"No man has ever freed the Trident from Atlan's grip. Should he deem you unworthy... well, I haven't feasted in eons, and I am famished."

Species: Unknown

Affiliation(s): Atlantean Royal Family (King Atlan, then Arthur/Aquaman)

Portrayed by: Julie Andrews (voice)

Voiced by: Alejandra de la Rosa (Latin American Spanish), Élizabeth Chouvalidzé (Canadian French), Masako Isobe (Japanese)

Appearances: Aquaman

"You do not belong here. I have guarded the Trident against false kings since the beginning. And for a thousand years I have seen the greatest champions try and failed, but never have I sensed one as unworthy as you. You dare to come here with your tainted mongrel blood to claim Atlantis' greatest treasure?"

A legendary sea monster from Atlantean myths. She guards King Atlan's trident in a cave in the middle of the Hidden Sea.

All Myths Are True: It turns out she exists and isn't just the stuff of Atlantean myths.
Always Someone Better: Arthur's completely outmatched by the Karathen. He can't defeat her with force, so he resorts to reasoning with her. It works, since the Karathen appreciates anyone who can speak with her.
Attack of the Monster Appendage: When Arthur is first confronted to the Karathen, all we see of the monster is its titanic squid-like tentacles trying to crush him. We see the full monster later, and it's quite colossal.
Because You Were Nice to Me: It's implied that Atlan won her friendship by using his powers to talk with her rather than fight her. And this is also implied to be the reason she joins Arthur in his fight against Orm.
Combat Tentacles: She has a cluster of enormous squidlike tentacles that she uses to smash her enemies to fragments.
Composite Character: She's a combination of Karaku, the monster that ruled over the hidden realm that Atlanna was stranded in, and the New 52 version of Topo, as an octopus-crustacean hybrid under Arthur's command.
Curb-Stomp Battle: She completely blocks Arthur from the trident, and he's only able to touch it because she allowed it after she saw he could communicate with her. When he brings her to face Orm's army she steamrolls over anything in her path.
Dark Is Not Evil: Her appearance may come off as scary, but she is a noble guardian, guarding her master's trident and waiting for the true king, she eventually sees Arthur as the true king and helps him in his battle against Orm.
Did We Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?: When she first appears, Karathen is a massive sea monster who is just as disdainful of Arthur's half-blood heritage as the majority of Atlantis. However, after Arthur reveals he has the same power to communicate with ocean life that King Atlan did, she drops her animosity, being overjoyed to find someone who can communicate with her after centuries of isolation.
The Dreaded: She's very much feared by all the oceans, many citing King Atlan's own fear of her to be a major indicator of how dangerous she is.
Evil Sounds Raspy: Subverted. She has a raspy, threatening voice, but she was a close friend to King Atlan, and supports Arthur in defeating Orm.
Fantastic Racism: Implied to have a hatred for surface-dwellers, spitefully referring to Arthur as a 'half-breed mongrel' and that he desecrates Atlan's resting place with his mere presence.
Giant Equals Invincible: She's humongous, and she's impervious to everything Orm's armies throw at her during the Final Battle. She swats even Atlantean naval ships aside as if they're nuisances.
Good All Along: After being described by several characters as an evil destructive force, she reveals herself as the guardian of the trident, and when Arthur proves himself Atlan's true heir by being able to communicate with her she lets him have it and even joins him in his fight against Orm.
Half-Breed Discrimination: Spits bile-filled comments about Arthur's half-human heritage at him, such as saying she has never seen anyone less worthy than him. That's before she learns he can hear her.
Historical Villain Upgrade: In-universe, the modern Atlanteans remember as a savage, destructive monster, that Atlan had to forcibly seal away. In truth, she and Atlan were friends, and she voluntarily isolated herself so as to guard Atlan's tomb, and the trident.
I Just Want to Have Friends: Everyone fears her, but all she really wanted was someone to talk with. Atlan was the only one who could until Arthur came along, and in between were aeons of loneliness.
The Juggernaut: She is an unstoppable force of nature, and helps Aquaman put an end to the Final Battle.
Kraken and Leviathan: Seems mostly based on such creatures, thus the name "Karathen".
Knight in Sour Armor: She is contemptuous and world-weary, after centuries of being seen as a monster. She finds a confidant and friend in Arthur.
Lightning Bruiser: Immeasurably strong and tough and still moves faster than Orm's armies.
Mighty Roar: Lets one out during the acclamation of the new king of Atlantis, Arthur/Aquaman.
Mix-and-Match Critters: She has tentacles to go along the kraken vibes, and they are the first thing we see of her. Her main body is mostly crustacean, and the shape of her head is vaguely reminiscent of that of some prehistoric fish.
Nigh-Invulnerable: She swims through lava, capital ship submarine plasma cannons just annoy her and even a flagship submarine's Wave-Motion Gun does very little damage to her.
One-Man Army: Orm's army can't leave a scratch on her as she slaughters them.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite the horror tales told of her, she turns out to be a sapient and honorable being, and grants Arthur aid in the final battle of the first film. It's also implied that while she ate all/most who approached Atlan's resting place for the trident, she did so only after they failed to claim the trident.
Rent-a-Zilla: The most gigantic creature seen in the DC Extended Universe so far, while that setting is mostly about superheroes and not about kaijus.
Samus Is a Girl: Only referred to as "it" whenever mentioned. When first encountered, "it" turns out to be female.
Sea Monster: A very large, powerful, tough and fast creature of the deep.
She's a Man in Japan: Karathen is voiced by a man in the European French dub.
Threshold Guardian: Arthur is, by his own admission, a "blunt instrument" but he can't defeat her with brute force. It is only by communicating with her and expressing his heroic desire without pretense that he does truly become the Protector of the Deep.
Time Abyss: She may very well be one of the oldest sapient beings on Earth, given that she was friends with Atlan himself, who lived many thousands of years prior to the events of the film.
Undying Loyalty: Elected to stay with her friend, Atlan, during his self-imposed exile and stayed in his tomb to guard his trident even after he died in spite of how that would doom her massive self to its very cramped confines.

Characters / DCEU: The Seven Seas

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Atlantis

Atlantean Royal Family

Queen Atlanna Curry

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantean Royal Family (loyalist of Arthur/Aquaman)

Portrayed by: Nicole Kidman

Voiced by: Dulce Guerrero (Latin American Spanish), Danièle Douet (European French), Anne Bédard (Canadian French), Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese)

Appearances: Aquaman | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Orvax

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantean Royal Family

Appearances: DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

King Atlan

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantean Royal Family, First alliance against Apokolips.

Portrayed by: Julian Lewis Jones (Justice League films), Graham McTavish (Aquaman), Vincent Regan (Aquaman and the lost Kingdom)

Voiced by: Santos Alberto (Latin American Spanish), Keisuke Ishida (Japanese)

Appearances: Justice League | Zack Snyder's Justice League | Aquaman | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Other Atlanteans

Nuidis Vulko

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantean Royal Family (in service or Orm, but actually a loyalist of Arthur/Aquaman)

Portrayed By: Willem Dafoe

Voiced By: Jesse Conde (Latin American Spanish), Éric Herson-Macarel (European French), Sylvain Hétu (Canadian French), Yōhei Tadano (Japanese)

Appearances: Aquaman | Zack Snyder's Justice League | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

Murk

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantis (in service of Orm), Orm's alliance

Portrayed by: Ludi Lin

Voiced by: José Ángel Torres (Latin American Spanish), Martin Faliu (European French), Takayuki Nakatsukasa (Japanese)

Appearances Aquaman

Lady Karshon

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantis

Portrayed by: Indya Moore

Appearances Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Atlantean Soldiers

Species: Atlanteans

Citizenship: Atlanteans

Affiliation(s): Atlantis (in service of Orm), Orm's alliance

Appearances: Aquaman | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

Atlantean Guards

Species: Atlanteans

Citizenship: Atlanteans

Affiliation(s): Atlantis

Portrayed by: Will Coban, Taylor James

Appearances: JusticeLeague | Zack Snyder's Justice League

Creatures

Topo

Species: Octopus Vulgaris

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantis

Appearances: Aquaman | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Tylosaurus

Species: Mosasauridae

Affiliation(s): Atlantis (in service of Orm)

Appearances: Aquaman

Storm

Species: Seadragon

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantis (Royal Family)

Appearances: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Kingdom of Xebel

Mera Y'Mera Xebella Challa / "Mera"

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Xebellian

Affiliation(s): Xebellian Royal Family, Atlantis (loyalist of Arthur/Aquaman)

Portrayed by: Amber Heard

Voiced by: Marisol Romero (Latin-American Spanish), Chloé Berthier (European French), Nadia Paradis [Justice League], Camille Cyr-Desmarais [Aquaman] (Canadian French), Rie Tanaka (Japanese)

Film appearances: Justice League | Aquaman | Zack Snyder's Justice League | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Other appearances: The Adventures of Aquaman & Mera | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

King Nereus