History Characters / Aquaman

The characters of the ''Aquaman'' franchise. Since the New 52 gave the series a hard reboot, the page has been separates into Pre and Post-''Flashpoint'' pages.

The characters of the ''Aquaman'' franchise. Since the New 52 gave the series a hard reboot, the page has been separates into Pre and Post-Flashpoint pages.

Characters/PreFlashpointAquaman

Characters/PostFlashpointAquaman

This is a character sheet for Aquaman and characters associated with him.

[[foldercontrol]]

!Protagonists

[[folder:Aquaman I/Dweller in the Depths (King Orin/Arthur Curry)]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/350x460-2031766-aquaman_7_6776.jpg]]

-->"''[[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking I am your KING!]]''"

'''Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis incarnations'''

The most well-known aquatic superhero, Aquaman is the king of Atlantis. Known underwater as King Orin, and by surface-dwellers as Arthur Curry, he strives to protect the seas and the surface using his abilities.

He disappeared sometime after ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' due to making a deal with the water gods to save the inhabitants of Sub Diego, after which he became the Dweller in the Depths, the mentor to the second Aquaman, Arthur Joseph Curry. Orin died at the end of the ''Sword of Atlantis'' series, murdered by the undead assassin Narwhal, but during the events of ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'', he was brought back as Aquaman thanks to the [[Characters/GreenLanternBlackAndWhiteCorps White Entity]].
----
* [[CainAndAbel Abel]]: To Orm, the Ocean Master.
* AnArmAndALeg: His hand was eaten by piranhas.
* ApparentlyHumanMerfolk
* {{Badass}}: Ignore everything Superfriends taught you. From his first appearance in the 1940s, through to the present, Aquaman is, and always has been, a badass.
** BadassBeard: Grew his beard out in his DarkerAndEdgier phase along with losing his hand to piranhas and getting a HookHand.
** BadassBoast: Even though Arthur is pretty humble, you can expect him to throw one of these towards anyone who underestimates him.
--> Aquaman: "I know there are certain benighted souls who think I'm some kind of third rate hero, Scavenger, but I think you of all people would know better! But since you seem a bit confused, let me make this perfectly clear...I was in the world saving game when people like Firestorm and Black Lightning were still in diapers...I've worked hard to earn the respect and trust of every living creature below the waves, and I take my job very seriously...so get this through your head, punk, I'm Aquaman, King of the Seven Seas...and I'm the BEST!"
* BarbarianLonghair: To go with his Badass Beard.
* BashBrothers: With ComicBook/MartianManhunter
* BattleCouple: With Mera.
* BerserkButton: Harming any of his friends, and especially his wife, is not a good idea in the least. Why? Because unlike many other heroes, Orin does ''not'' have a no-kill code.
* DeadGuyJunior: Post-Crisis, he's given the name "Arthur Curry" from his adoptive human father.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Constantly. Aquaman throws down with Gods and Lovecraftian Horrors on the reg. He apparently has a yearly pact with ComicBook/{{Etrigan}} to drive down a very Cthulhu-like beast down to its home.
* DisabilitySuperpower: His grappling-hook hand, liquid-metal hand and later, his magical water hand.
** AntiMagic: One of the perks that come with the Water Bearer hand. Useful when dealing with mysitic monstrocities.
** GrapplingHookGun: Carried with his harpoon and mecha hands, shooting them along a length of tungsten steel cable like a harpoon.
*** PowerCableAttack: One of the neat tricks that come with the prosthetic, Arthur can [[ChainLightning electrify the wiring]] tethered to his spear giving those bored into a heavy shock.
*** ThisIsADrill: Another feature of the spear hook is the penetrative ability is has being made of a vanadium-titanium alloy that could penetrate just about anything.
** HealingHands: Hand to be more precise, the waterbearer can heal most anything that ails ya if given direct contact
** MakingASplash: One of the cute tricks of the water hand, see blow.
** OrganAutonomy: A unique attribute of the water bearer hand is that Arthur can detach it from his being and utilize it as an independent limb.
** {{Seers}}: If Aquaman concentrates hard enough he can gain insight as to what needs to be done and where he ought to be.
*** [[CrystalBall Scrying Pool]]
** ShapeshifterWeapon: A trait carried by both metal and water hands, the limbs are able to morph at will via thought through Orin's telepathy.
** TeleportersAndTransporters: The Waterbearer can traverse the borderline dimension of the secret sea; the primordial ocean where all ideas spring from in shared imagination, enabling him to travel across the world in record breaking time.
*** DimensionalTraveler
** TouchOfDeath: the reverse effect of his restorative abilites (See Above) done by sucking the moister out of another living being on contact.
* FantasticRacism: Was the reason he was left abandoned on mercy reef as a babe, oh and exiled numerous times after taking the throne by his less than ungrateful subjects; this coming prior to losing his hand, wife, firstborn son and a bit of sanity on his part.
** BreakTheCutie: It got so bad that he eventually swears off his "king of Atlantis" shtick indefinitely after the whole [[ApocalypseHow Thirst debacle]] and the [[TheIlluminati coven of wizards]] who secretly pushed for his exile/execution and attempted the [[KillAllHumans extinction of surface dwelling civilization]], going so far as to angrily rebuffing Vulko's invitation back to the throne preferring to stick to the sunken city merpeople he'd come to associate with instead.
* FightsLikeANormal: He used to, until his writers started rigging the SuperpowerLottery in his favor.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Well, all seafood, anyway.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Like Wonder Woman, he is very unambiguously a force for good above all else, but he is also easily one of the worst members of the League to piss off because, like Wonder Woman, he's one of the most brutal and uncompromising members of the League, and if you piss him off enough, he may just opt to kill you. The likelihood of this happening increases ''exponentially'' if you [[PapaWolf bring any harm to his family]].
* HalfHumanHybrid: Was the son of the Atlantean Atlanna and lighthouse keeper Tom Curry in the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]]. This was retconned back into continuity when Orin came back in ''ComicBook/BlackestNight''.
* HeroesWantRedheads: During the events of the "Flashpoint" continuity, when put into an [[CursedWithAwesome arranged marriage to Wonder Woman]], it's implied that he already loved Mera more, marrying her very quickly after the arranged marriage fell through.
* HeroicBastard: In ComicBook/PostCrisis continuity, he was the bastard son of Atlanna and the wizard Atlan. This was later retconned back to his Silver Age origin after ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Martian Manhunter, due to their kinship as outsiders.
* HookHand: See DisabilitySuperpower.
* HourOfPower: He could only stay out of water for only one hour in the Silver Age.
* InASingleBound: Being fully adapted to live in the pressure of the deepest sea trenches, he's able to leap miles at a time through the air, with ComicBook/IncredibleHulk-like jumps.
* KnightInSourArmor: Most modern depictions of Aquaman have him somewhat grumpy and anti-social, but at the same time he can be very empathic towards others and does care a lot for the well being of both humans and Atlanteans, even if he has a hard time showing it.
* LightningBruiser: Impossibly fast and agile in the sea (and still far faster than any normal human on land), and can take blows from Superman like it was nothing.
* MakingASplash: Occasionally.
** ElementalShapeshifter: on the rare happenings when aquaman gained water abilities, he also became a embodiment of the oceans themselves.
* {{Mentor|s}}: To Arthur Joseph Curry, the second Aquaman.
** To both Aqualads too.
* PapaWolf: Fuck with his kids or Atlantis and you'll have to answer to him before the day is over, and by "answer to", expect to either have to fight him or run like hell and hide behind someone who can handle him in a direct fight.
* ProngsOfPoseidon: Favors a trident, or sometimes a pentadent. In his time he wielded both the mystical tridents of Poseidon Greek God of the sea and Neptune Roman God of Oceans, both of which like their namesakes gave Aquaman access to vast meta-mystical powers affording him control over the waters and the storms they equate.
* PunnyName: He is a [[Myth/KingArthur king named Arthur]].
* RaisedByWolves: Porm, the dolphin who acted as a surrogate mother to Aquaman.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* RequiredSecondaryPowers: Due to adapting to living at the bottom of the sea, he's got SuperStrength and SuperToughness when out of the water. It's enough to combat Franchise/{{Superman}} with, who has those two as primary powers.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He is the King of {{Atlantis}}.
* SpeaksFluentAnimal
* {{Telepathy}}: Contrary to popular belief, Aquaman can indeed do more than speak to sea creatures. His telepathy extends to anything that's evolved from the sea. Which includes Atlanteans and humans and even Martians.
** Taken UpToEleven when he learned to tap into the Clear, a matrix that connects all sea life in the world which allowed him to see, hear, and feel everything that all live in the ocean have ever experienced.
* UnscrupulousHero: Has crossed into this realm here and there. He's still easily the most brutal member of the League even on his best days.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: During Peter David's run.

'''New 52 Incarnation'''

Arthur Curry is the son of Atlanna, the Queen of Atlantis, and Tom Curry, a lighthouse keeper. Atlanna returned to Atlantis soon after Arthur was born, but his father spent the rest of his life waiting for her. Arthur was raised to learn responsibility, and was trained in his powers by his father's friend Stephen Shin. However after the death of his father and Shin revealing him to the world, he leaves the surface after finding his mother's former adviser Vulko, and discovers Atlantis. There, he met his half-brother Orm, and became the King of Atlantis. Eventually, he abandons his duties after falling in love with Mera, the Princess of Xebel, and decides to fully commit to superheroing on the surface world, even founding the Justice League. Eventually, circumstances force him to return to the throne, to be ruler of people half of which hate him.
----
* AdrenalineMakeover: After having been exiled from his kingdom by a runaway [[EvilTwin pretender]] posing as his wife, Arthur underwent a rather profound change both in appearance and demeanor. One reminiscent to the days of his old appearance back in the New Earth combineds with elements of the Cinematic Universe's design.
** BarbarianLonghair: While not as pronounced as during his ModernAge appearances, he has definite signs of this.
** BeardOfSorrow: In actuality more of a developed PermaStubble than a beard, which grew in and has been retained since he was ousted as the king of Atlantis by his estranged wife Mera; who dubbed him a traitor ordered to be [[FromBadToWorse hunted down and executed on sight]] [[spoiler: secretly being impersonated by her [[CainAndAbel deranged sister]] [[PolarOppositeTwins Hila]].]]
* {{Badass}}: Though many people don't know it. He proves them wrong, and by this point no longer deals with the "Aquaman is useless" stigma in-universe. Going so far as to punch out superman and smack around Wonder Woman when the JLA wouldn't heed him to not provoke a fight with then current king Orm sparking the "Throne of Atlantis" Arc.
** TookALevelInBadass: More like Took Several levels actually, after he ousted his brother from the throne and ended a war between two worlds before it began, he's quickly established himself as a competent leader and monarchical figure to both peoples of the world, both respected and greatly feared by the surface world at large as a whole. The hit points he makes just keep climbing from there:
*** Fighting and holding his own against {{Martian Manhunter}} of all people.
*** Taking on Gorilla Grodd a super-strong primate and mentalist of great power.
*** Besting the Dead King Atlan and tanking a blow from the Mystic Relic which shattered old Atlantis.
*** His greatest testament by far however; would be challenging a maddened Hercules. Demi-God son of Zeus with strength on par or even greater than that of Superman.
* BadassBeard: Grew one in the last stretch of the ''Death of a King'' story-line after six months unconscious. Mera makes him shave it though.
* BarbarianHero: Played With. His new appearance in the Bunn-[=McCarthy=] run certainly has traits showcasing a real He-Man or Conan style scheme. It's even somewhat reminiscent to his old Peter David outlook.
* BattleCouple: Usually fights alongside Mera. Used to be this with Y'Wara of the Others.
* DecompositeCharacter: This Arthur's history is much more streamlined, and he's never had absurdly long hair and is not called Orin. Orin is now the name of his ancestor, and Atlan used to look like Arthur did in the nineties.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Son of the Atlantean Atlanna and the human Tom Curry.
* HeroesWantRedHeads: Has been with Mera for a long time.
* HeroicBastard: Son of Atlanna and Tom Curry when they were unwed.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Ever still with even the New 52's ComicBook/MartianManhunter, proven when he responded to a telepathic distress beacon sent out by one of J'onn's many scattered sub-selves.
* InASingleBound: His preferred method of getting around on land.
* LightningBruiser: Has a very fast reaction time, and is faster than humans, especially in the water.
* ProngsOfPoseidon: His trident is made of a special gold by the first king of Atlantis,one of Arthur's indirect ancestors. While it demonstrates no special abilities yet, it was capable of piercing Darkseid's dense hide, something not even Superman could do.
** AbsurdCuttingPower: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Like the description suggests]].
** AntiMagic: Capable of penetrating otherworldly obstructions and defenses with ease.
** AppliedPhlebotinum: Like the other seven relics, the trident was made from rare, all but impossible to recreate enchanted gold crafted by an Atlantean alchemist. The method for making this metal has been lost with the disappearance of the Deserters.
** StaffOfAuthority: It acts as a symbol of monarchy among atlantean culture.
* ReplacementGoldfish: After going into hiding during the Thule incursion crisis when his supposed wife Mera dumped him in favor of a secure Atlantis. Arthur acquired a [[AncestralWeapon new artifact]] from the sea god Poseidon himself which gives him power over the storm and the oceans. The relic has some powers which have yet to be seen, but include:
** ElementalPowers: As its name would suggest, the Trident of Poseidon allowed Arthur a variety of mystical proponents that allowed him to wield the powers of the titular god of the sea and storms. Along with a few other powers that are and are not equated to the deity of the same name.
*** AnIcePerson
*** BlowYouAway
*** DishingOutDirt
*** MakingASplash
*** ShockAndAwe
** {{Flight}}: Has the divine quality of somehow bestowing flight.
** TeleportersAndTransporters: Usually through utilizing water as a conduit to travel across vast distances, even interplanetary lengths by accident.
** MixAndMatchWeapon: In actuality the Trident of Poseidon is a Morph battlement capable of [[MorphWeapon shifting]] between an [[CoolSword enchanted edged blade]] to an overarching [[RetractableWeapon lancet]].
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He was the King of Atlantis, but left the throne to his brother Orm for years to live on the surface. After Orm invades the surface world, Arthur retakes the throne. He still has time for everyday superheroics, Justice League duties, and the Others, however.
* SuperPowerLottery: As a result of his mixed genes, he has certain benefits.
** HealingFactor: A more subdued version, but a minor cut he received from assault rifle rounds were healed in a few minutes. And he heals pretty quickly while underwater as well.
** NighInvulnerable: Can take high caliber bullets and only get a minor cut, suffer abrasion from torpedoes while coming out mostly unharmed, withstand blows from Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter and even an insane [[spoiler:''Hercules'']] and keep on fighting.
*** He is also pretty immune to cold, having spent six months in Antarctica with just pants and not even being bothered. He has an immeasurable tolerance to heat as well considering he blitzed the Dead King into an open lava vent and came out unscathed while Atlan himself and the scepter he once wielded melted into slag. However, this takes its tole, as heat is shown to weaken him so that he's about as strong as a regular human.
** SuperStrength: On par with Wonder Woman, and just below Superman.
** MakingASplash: He has even show inklings of his previous if albeit augmented connection to the Clear, enabling him not only protection from, but also limited control over the poison of Thule's dark magics bleeding into the DCU reality.
** {{Telepathy}}: He is capable of psychically moving sea life to do as he wants. But if their survival instinct is high enough, they can resist his orders. Why he has this ability has not been explained. It has been shown it does indeed work on alligators as well as mutant, monstrous sea life from an otherworldly prison and outer dimensions.
* UnscrupulousHero: Usually not. Among the Justice League, he's definitely one of the more moral members, even trying his hardest not to kill the Trench when they are trying to devour humans en masse! However, in his past with the Others, he was definitely the most amoral member of the team, to the point where he was willing to let an entire village die to kill Black Manta, only begrudgingly saving a little girl, then literally tossing her aside like garbage afterwards. And that's apparently ''with'' the team reigning him in! It's implied that, on his own, he was much worse. However, Arthur is very ashamed of how he used to be, and at best it's portrayed as the "angry young man" phase of his life.
* ThouShaltNotKill: It's there, but he's with Wonder Woman in the "I'll kill when I really have to" category. He even tried to avoid killing the Trench, who possibly weren't even intelligent and were determined to feed on his home town.
* TroubledButCute: In high school, he was always brooding. Didn't stop the ladies, however.
* WoundThatWillNotHeal: Garnered one from Hila when she ripped his blood out through his skin using her power.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: That Atlantean scale armour tends to come off a lot.
* YouKilledMyFather: Kind of. Black Manta was hired to take some of Arthur's blood, but ran into Tom, and caused him to have a heart attack. Arthur blamed Manta, intending to kill him, but killed ''Manta's'' father.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Aquaman II (Arthur Joseph Curry)]]
When Orin disappeared due to the circumstances of Sub Diego's rising, Arthur Joseph Curry eventually came to become the second Aquaman. His origin was similar to the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] version of Aquaman in that he was the son of a human scientist who was born prematurely, so his father gave him the abilities needed to survive underwater. He was mentored by the Dweller in the Depths, who was actually the missing Orin.
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* ImportantHaircut: He can be distinguished from Orin by his hair, which is longer than Orin's crew cut.
* LegacyCharacter
* MythologyGag: His origins are a throwback to Aquaman's origin story in the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]].
* PutOnABus: At the end of the ''Sword of Atlantis'' series, in order to make way for Orin to come back.
* RequiredSecondaryPowers: His father actually had these in mind in the experiments he undertook to allow him to survive.
* RetGone: As of the New 52.
* SecondComing: The Atlanteans thought of him as being the reincarnation of the missing King Orin, which caused him to eventually retire.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Coincidentally had the same first and last name as the first Aquaman's surface name.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Queen Mera/Aquawoman]]

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_lyy8iiuzZg1qbujox_9202.jpg]]

The wife of Aquaman, her origins have ranged from being the Queen of Dimension Aqua to being the princess of a separatist colony of Atlanteans. Nevertheless, she is a capable ruler and fighter, often assisting her husband in fighting for protection of the sea.
----
* AbsoluteCleavage
* ActionGirl
* {{Badass}}
* BattleCouple: With Aquaman.
* TheBerserker: While in the Red Lanterns.
* BerserkButton: Calling her Aquawife.
* FieryRedhead: While Arthur can be pretty hot blooded himself, Mera is far less restrained with voicing her thoughts.
* HappilyMarried: Usually.
* HeroesWantRedheads
* HeroicBSOD: When her son was killed, she went insane for a time.
* LadyOfWar
* TheLancer: To her husband.
* MamaBear: Like her husband, messing with her kids or with Atlantis means that you'll have to deal with her very shortly, and odds are that you're not going to survive a confrontation like that.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead
* StalkerWithACrush: Red Lantern Atrocitus is rather infatuated with Queen Mera.
* {{Telepathy}}: It allows her to communicate with other Atlanteans, but she can't [[SpeaksFluentAnimal talk with other marine life]].
* UnstoppableRage: To put it lightly, Mera is nowhere near as patient as her husband.
** To the point that she became a deputized [[Characters/GLRedLanternCorps Red Lantern]]!

'''New 52 Incarnation'''

Mera is the Princess of Xebel and was sent by her father to kill Arthur, but realised he was a good man and decided to stay with him on the surface. The two aren't married, except they pretty much are, and live together in Tom Curry's lighthouse.
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* AbsoluteCleavage: Her default look.
* ActionGirl: Her much more preferred way off handling things is to beat them into submission.
* BadassPrincess: Her father trained her to kill Arthur. She didn't, but the training was pretty effective.
* BattleCouple: Most of Arthur's fights during Geoff Johns' had Mera alongside him.
* [[BashBrothers Bash Sisters]]: With Tula.
* BerserkButton: Mocking her husband or not respecting her personal space.
* DamselInDistress: Happens more often then she would like. First off is when The Dead King suddenly came back to the world and dragged her to the Bermuda Triangle to subvert the kingdom of Xebel to his sovereign rule once again. The next is when said ancient monarch occupies Atlantis while backed by the very same penal system of exiled [[MakingASplash watershifters]] during Aquaman's six month absence, who eventually has her imprisoned in a waterproof holding cell. Now again as luck would have it, when it is revealed that there's an impostor on the throne currently running Atlantis in her place. Mera on the other-hand is stuck a prisoner of the otherworldy [[AncientConspiracy Thule]] [[spoiler:being impersonated by a fellow Xebelian.]] worse still? [[spoiler: Said pretender to her regency is Family. [[EvilBrunetteTwin More specifically, Mera's sister]].]]
* DistaffCounterpart: Adopts the identity of Aquawoman in the Dan Abnett run.
* FieryRedhead: One of her defining traits, which usually gets her into trouble.
* InASingleBound: Like Aquaman she's adapted and strengthened to the ocean deep.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Mera's mother told her that the plan to assassinate Arthur was just to get Mera to the surface so she could decide what to do from there on.
* MakingASplash: She has the power to control water, which includes the ability to steal water from a person's body. Later revealed to be a trait of Xebel's royal family. If you marry into it, you will also get the power.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Was sent by her father to kill Arthur and while she's not royalty in Atlantis, she's almost.
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: Xebelian traits (which is probably also why Tula. Who had the same look, was recoloured).
* UnstoppableRage: To put it lightly, Mera is nowhere near as patient as her husband. Though she learns some restraint, she's still the more easily angered of the two.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Aqualad I/Tempest (Garth)]]
[[quoteright:217:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tempest_Garth_741.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:217: Not so Awkward anymore]]
Aquaman's first sidekick was Garth, an Atlantean who had the same powers as Aquaman. He was abandoned by an Atlantean group called the Idylists, but Aquaman took him in and raised him as his own. He was also a founding member of the ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' like many other sidekicks of the day.

He later obtained water-controlling abilities, after which he changed his heroic codename to Tempest. He was tragically murdered in ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' by the Black Lantern of his former girlfriend Tula.
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* OvershadowedByAwesome: Feels like this every time he's around Arthur but only pronounces itself the most during the Waterbearer saga. Once when AC undid a astral projection spell he cast and again when his magic couldn't touch The Thirst, who is immune to it due to being of the secret sea.
* HandicappedBadass: Minor example. Garth is colorblind.
* KidSidekick: As Aqualad.
* KilledOffForReal: In ''ComicBook/BlackestNight''.
* MagicKnight: As Tempest.
* NiceGuy
* PurpleEyes: Which is one of the reasons why he was abandoned.
* ProngsOfPoseidon: Been handed both the mystical trident and sovereignty over Atlantis that came with it for a time.
** AmplifierArtifact: Been known that the trident has the property of increasing inherent magical powers of the wield, turbo charging his already impressive acclaim in the mystic venture.
* OfferedTheCrown: Eventually in the wake of Aquaman's death and Mera's inability to rule, Garth is eventually crowned king of Atlantis in their stead.
* RetGone: Subverted. Initially in the New 52, along with most of the original Titans, and hasn't been reintroduced since. He was mentioned in Aquaman #14 as [[FantasticRacism a purple eyed youth]] and was later reintroduced in DC Sneak peek Aquaman and Titans Hunt #1, and [[{{Retcon}} apparently was on a teen team of heroes with Dick Grayson, Donna Troy and Roy Harper]].
* SidekickGraduationsStick: Like many of the sidekicks of his generation, he never went back to being Aquaman's sidekick.
* SquishyWizard: Averted. Garth became a sorcerer, but he was an Atlantean sorcerer, and could still take one heck of a beating.
* SuperiorSpecies: Much like aquaman though significantly weaker than him, Aqualad is at least four times stronger and faster than the average atlantean.
* SuperPowerLottery: As Tempest, Garth's magical powers include:
** AstralProjection: The ability to leave his body as a spirit.
** EyeBeams: Emitting destructive beams of force from his eyes.
** ElementalPowers
*** AnIcePerson: The ability to freeze water (or boil it) with a thought.
*** MakingASplash: Control over water, creating whirlpools, waves, etc.
*** PlayingWithFire: Able to project incinerating heat blasts at will
** MindOverMatter: has some limited psychokinetic ability
** {{Seers}}: Seeing the past.
** SpiderSense[=/=]TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne: The ability to sense magic.
** SummonMagic: Demonic summoning and control.
** SuperStrength
** SuperSpeed
** SuperToughness
** SuperSenses
** RequiredSecondaryPowers
** {{Telepathy}}: To an extent.
** TeleportersAndTransporters: Once teleported the entirety of Atlantis to safety during the Imperiex War.
*** DimensionalTraveler:
*** TimeTravel: Can send entire cities and inhabitants to the past or hurl cosmological entities to the Big Bang.
* TraumaCongaLine: Following ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', Garth was turned into an albino and rendered powerless, and his wife and son were missing. Recently, he was restored to normal, only to learn Dolphin and Cerdian were both dead ''since'' Infinite Crisis. Was named King of Atlantis and then killed by Black Lantern Aquagirl (his ex-girlfriend) during ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'', turning him into a Black Lantern.
* TookALevelInBadass: As Tempest, when he added magic to his power set and after acquiring the trident of Poseidon; came to be regent of Atlantis.

'''New 52 Incarnation'''
* ContinuitySnarl:
** Geoff Johns' run mentions him being a purple eyed youth attacked by other Atlanteans. Cullen Bunn's has him being Dick Grayson's age, who is in his early twenties.
* FantasticRacism: See Purple Eyes below.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Apparently cannot remember his time in the Teen Titans like many others in new continuity.
* ProngsOfPoseidon: of a kind, has his own little three pronged spear of power in Aquaman #42.
* PurpleEyes: Made his life a nightmare amongst atlanteans.
* {{Retcon}}: Ignoring the above mentioned Continuity Snarl, Bunn's version was, like Tula, not a superhero, but an atlantean warrior. Come ''ComicBook/TitansHunt2015'', he apparently was a superhero named Aqualad and was on the Teen Titans alongside Dick Grayson, Donna Troy and Roy Harper.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: On a harsh vigilante crusade against those who turn a profit off Atlantean misery.
* SuperPowerLottery: Garth has some magical powers:
** EyeBeams: Emitting kinetic beams from his eyes.
** MakingASplash
** RequiredSecondaryPowers
** {{Seers}}: All purple eyed atlanteans are living index's and historical records.
** SuperStrength
** SuperSpeed
** SuperToughness
** SuperSenses

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Aquagirl I (Tula)]]
[[quoteright:229:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tula_3601.png]]
Losing her parents at an early age, Tula was adopted by the Atlantean royal family and was given the title of Princess of Poseidonis. She eventually met and fell in love with Garth, the first Aqualad, and adopted the codename "Aquagirl" in order to honor him.
----
* ActionGirl
* BadassPrincess
* DistaffCounterpart: Took the name "Aquagirl" in order to be this to Garth.
* HappilyAdopted
* KilledOffForReal: During ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' by Chemo.
* OfficialCouple: With Garth until her death.

'''New 52 Incarnation'''

As of the New 52, Tula has never used the name Aquagirl, and is not even a superhero. She is the half-sister of Orm on their father's side and a high-ranking Atlantean warrior. While she does love her brother, she is loyal to Arthur and Mera.
----
* ActionGirl: The most effective fighter in the Atlantean guard shown.
* BadassAbnormal: Tula lacks Mera's hydrokinesis and Arthur's brute strength, but still has a degree of SuperStrength, being an Atlantean, and can still kick serious ass.
* [[BashBrothers Bash Sisters]]: To Mera, during Jeff Parker's run.
* DependingOnTheArtist:
** Her hair. During Geoff Johns' run, her hair was a brownish red, as seen in the picture above. However, afterwards, it became straight up brown. It ''could'' be that the hair is just part of her helmet, but it's up in the air. The reason is likely because the colourist changed.
*** This actually happened ''within the same issue'' due to multiple colourists, and she switched between brown and black hair.
** Similarly, her armour changed from the earlier purple look (likely an homage to the second Aquagirl) seen above to normal yellow. Again, likely because of colourist change.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Captain of the Drift forces, with plenty of reason to hate Arthur and Mera, but is actually pretty cool with them, and saved Mera's life and actually gives Arthur a chance to prove himself as King.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Is the only consistent female Atlantean warrior shown. While one or two ''very rarely'' show up in the background, Tula's usually the only one shown.
* SuperStrength: As an Atlantean, has this by default. As noted above, it's not at Arthur's levels, but she's still quite a bit stronger than normal humans.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Aqualad II (Kaldur'ahm[=/=]Jackson Hyde)]]
[[quoteright:214:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1306798-jackson_hyde__03__001__01__super_6455.png]]
[[caption-width-right:214:]]

* CanonImmigrant: He was originally created for the ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' cartoon, but DC liked him so much they integrated him to the comic ''before the show even came up''.
* HalfHumanHybrid: His mother is Atlantean. His father is Black Manta.
* [[spoiler:HeroicBastard]]
* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon
* KidSidekick
* LegacyCharacter
* [[spoiler:LukeIAmYourFather: He is actually Black Manta's son.]]
* MagicKnight: A skilled hand-to-hand fighter, but relies on Atlantean magic.
* RetGone: In the New 52, there initially was never even ''one'' Aqualad.
* SuperPowerLottery: He has significantly bigger one than Garth:
** ElementalPowers
*** MakingASplash
*** ShockAndAwe
** SuperStrength
** SuperToughness
** SuperSenses
** RequiredSecondaryPowers

'''New 52 Version'''

A kid who exhibits Atlantean traits such as very good swimming and longing for water. His mother is fine witht he super powers... but not witht he fact that her son is gay. Jackson decides to embrace both parts of his life.

* StraightGay: This version of Jackson is gay.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Aquagirl II (Lorena Marquez)]]
Lorena was once an ordinary inhabitant of the Californian city San Diego, but she was present when an earthquake sunk part of it. Aquaman retrieved her and nursed her back to health, discovering that she, along with every other resident present during the sinking, had the ability to breathe underwater. She adopted the name of Aquagirl, leading the effort to rebuild the sunken portion of the city as Sub Diego.
----
* ActionGirl
* BareYourMidriff
* DoesNotLikeShoes
* LegacyCharacter
* RetGone: In the New 52, along with all of Aquaman's official sidekicks, at least initially. Now it's more like Arthur has never had an official sidekick.

[[/folder]]

!Supporting cast
[[folder:Nuidis Vulko]]
* FlatEarthAtheist: He's an Atlantean who doesn't believe in curses or other superstitious. He often argues against them, but [[BeliefMakesYouStupid no one listens to him]].
* TheGoodChancellor: Post-Crisis, after freeing them from the prison and taking the throne, Aquaman appointed him his regent. He was briefly king.

'''New 52 Version'''

Vulko was the advisor to Atlanna, Arthur's mother, but was exiled when he tried to blame her death on Orm. Arthur eventually found him after being outed in being Atlantean by Dr. Shin. He waited his whole life to be found by the true King of Atlantis and took Arthur there. Eventually, Arthur would leave the throne to his brother, leaving Vulko alone.
----
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: After it's discovered he was [[spoiler: the one behind the war between Atlantis and the US]], most people in Atlantis ''loathe'' him, to the point that one of the guards once tried to take advantage of the confusion during an attack on Atlantis to murder him and blame it on the battle.
* BigBad: Of [[spoiler:''ComicBook/ThroneOfAtlantis'']], being the cause behind the events of the event.
* EvilCounterpart: To Dr. Shin, Arthur's previous mentor.
* TheGoodChancellor: Averted. His actions come off more as him wanting his position back than anything else.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: How he justifies his [[spoiler: war crimes]]; he genuinely believed forcing Arthur to take the throne was the best course of action for Atlantis. ''Nobody'', from Arthur to the people of Atlantis, agrees with him.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Sort of. He says that Arthur needs to be king because Orm is a bad king... Except Orm is shown to have actually been a pretty ''good'' King until Atlantis was attacked, and his actions after ''that'' are even justifiable and [[spoiler:completely Vulko's fault to begin with]]. This bias can be attributed to Vulko assuming that Orm killed Atlanna, to whom Vulko was very loyal. In fact, Orm had nothing to do with Atlanna's death, and [[spoiler: she faked her own death]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Quisp/Qwsp]]
* ArcWelding: Later stories show that Qwsp is an imp from the Fifth Dimension of Comicbook/Superman's enemy Mister Mxyzptlk.
* BadassBoast: "I can wear your laws of physics like a funny-paper hat!"
* DarkerAndEdgier: Followed the same suit as Aquaman in the 90s [[InvokedTrope on purpose]].
* EvilTwin: In the 1960s, he had a pair of nasty brothers who appeared once or twice.
* GreatGazoo
* LetsYouAndHimFight: His ''modus operandi'' in later stories is fomenting wars in the Fifth Dimension that spill over onto Earth.
* SadisticChoice: Once he decides it would be fun to go Darker and Edgier like Aquaman, he demands that one of Earth's heroes sacrifice themselves as a condition of ending his rampage.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Atlanna]]
* AdaptationDyeJob: Pre-Crisis, she was blond. Post-Crisis, she's a brunette. Post-Flashpoint, back to blonde.
* HappilyMarried: With Tom Curry
* MissingMom: Pre-Crisis
* RebelliousPrincess: This is what got her exiled from Atlantis, pre-Crisis.
* RescueRomance: Rescued by Tom Curry, believing she's drowning.

'''New 52 Incarnation'''

The former Queen of Atlantis and mother to both Arthur and Orm. She was swimming one day when she witnessed Tom Curry risk his life to save a boat in need. She saved ''him'', and the two fell in love. She eventually gave birth to Arthur, but had to leave him when he was a child to return to Atlantis. There, she married the Captain of the the Atlantean Guard, Orvax and gave birth to Orm.

* ActionMom: After Arthur finds her. she's become a badass warrior lady.
* DomesticAbuse: The victim of this in her relationship with Orvax.
* FakingTheDead: Faked her death in order to escape Atlantis.
* IHaveNoSon: Refuses to believe Arthur is her son, because she thinks he'd dead. She doesn't apply this to Orm, however.
* MissingMom: Left Arthur to keep him safe.
* RescueRomance: The rescuer of Tom Curry.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Koryak]]

Aquaman's bastard son by the Inuit woman Kako, Koryak possesses the power to control water, and a whole host of parental issues. When his mother is apparently killed by the Deep Six, he allies with Aquaman to fight them, but later becomes jealous of Arthur's close relationship with Tempest. Responsible for freeing Kordax from his centuries long exile, Koryak temporarily sides with him against his father, is exiled to his village, and then finally aids Aquaman against Anton Geist.
----
* {{Antihero}}: On a good day.
* BastardBastard: Even when he's one of the good guys, Koryak can't let go of his ParentalIssues, and is willing to kill far too readily.
* DaddyIssues
* ExactWords: When Aquaman says that he promised he would let Jaffar of the Deep Six go, Koryak promptly murders the Apokiliptian agent, because he has made no such promise.
* GreenEyedMonster: Towards Tempest
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Allies with Aquaman, then Kordax, then aids Atlantis against Geist.
* HotBlooded: Koryaks tends to charge in without thinking. This nearly gets him killed against the Deep Six.
* InTheBack: Blows Jaffar apart from behind while he is trying to run away.
* MakingASplash: Controls water, using it to form hard projectiles.
* WalkingShirtlessScene

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nuada Silverhand/Silverarm]]

The King of the Atlantean city of Thierna Na Oge, Nuada lost her arm when her sister Bres, deposed her and siezed the throne for herself, and gained a new, cybernetic arm instead. Imprisoned in the city's dungeons, Nuada aided a visiting Aquaman, also imprisoned by Bres, in escaping the city and defeating his brother, Ocean Master, before returning home and regaining her own throne from Bres. She has been his ally since.
----
* ActionGirl: Pre and Post-Crisis alike.
* AnArmAndALeg: Lost her arm when Bres tried to feed her to a monster.
* CainAndAbel: With her sister Bres, resulting in the latter's death during the post-Crisis timeline.
* DistaffCounterpart: She has a lot in common with Aquaman, right down to her rivalry with Bres, which mimics his problems with Ocean Master. Post-Crisis the similarities only became stronger, courtesy of his loss of his hand.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Averted for once. Nuada is a very good queen, and a staunch ally to Aquaman.
* HotWitch: A very powerful, and very attractive, sorceress.
* LadyOfWar
* MetaGuy: When Aquaman and Nuada meet in the Post-Crisis world, she hints that she still remembers their meeting during the pre-Crisis timeline.
* PublicDomainCharacter: She and Bres are named after a pair of (male) characters in Celtic mythology.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* {{Seers}}: Nuada can see the past and future, and even timelines that no longer exist.
* SheIsTheKing: The ruling monarch of Thierna Na Oge is commonly referred to as "King" regardless of their gender.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tom Curry]]
* DisappearedDad: Post-Crisis, Arthur returned to the lighthouse to find he's gone.
* {{Good Parent|s}}
* HappilyMarried: With Atlanna, though he's concern about her keeping her past a secret.
* {{Muggle Foster Parent|s}}: Post-Crisis
* UpbringingMakesTheHero: In ''Flashpoint'', due to him dying earlier, Arthur grew up never learning the values he lives by.

'''New 52 Version'''

Tom Curry was a lighthouse keeper who fell in love and had a child with the Queen of Atlantis, Atlanna, after she saved his life. After she gave birth to Arthur, she was forced to return to Atlantis, and Tom waited everyday for her return, while also teaching his son responsibility. He eventually died of a heart attack when Arthur was a teenager.
----
* DeathByOriginStory: His death, combined with Dr. Shin outing him, starts Arthur on his path to discovering his heritage and becoming Aquaman.
* {{Good Parent|s}}: Made sure his son learned the value of responsibility, and tried his hardest to make sure Arthur was kept safe.
* MuggleFosterParents: He completely lacked understanding of Arthur's abilities and had to ask his friend, Stephen Shin, to help Arthur.
* PapaWolf: When Dr. Shin planned on outing Arthur, Tom went to his lab and wrecked the place, along with every scrap of evidence.
* RescueRomance: The rescued with Atlanna.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Dr. Stephen Shin]]
In the New 52, one of Arthur's oldest friends. A marine biologist and former friend of Tom Curry's who taught Arthur how to use his powers. Feeling that Arthur was a great discovery, he told his colleagues, who did not believe him. He convinced Tom to allow him to publicise the fact that Arthur was Atlantean, but Tom reneged on their agreement, and destroyed Shin's lab and all evidence. Shin eventually told the media, and Tom died, Arthur running away from home for years. Dr. Shin was disgraced and lost his only friends.
----
* AsianAndNerdy: Needless to say. He was even the lonely kind of nerd.
* HeelFaceTurn: Started out a reluctant ally up but eventually became a straight-up ally.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Wanted to be credited with discovering Arthur. He later regretted how he acted. It was later revealed that he wasn't being unreasonable, because Tom ''agreed'' to allow Shin to publicise his findings.
* TheMentor: Taught Arthur how to control his powers.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Sent Black Manta after Arthur to get his blood, leading to Tom Curry getting a heart attack, Arthur killing Manta's father, Manta becoming a super villain, and then caused Arthur to run away from home.
* MyGreatestFailure: Causing Arthur to run away from home.
* OnlySaneMan: On the research team he's placed onto after Arthur becomes king. Everyone else is pretty much an idiot or amoral/corrupt.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ya'Wara]]
In the New 52, she is a member of the Others, a team in which Aquaman belonged to in his youth. She lives in the jungles of Brazil and is one of the holders of one of the Atlantean artifacts.
----
* AntiHero: She is very quick to kill enemies and has more than once commanded her jaguars to attack and eat people. She is easily the most brutal member of the team.
* BettyAndVeronica: She's the Veronica to Mera's Betty. Though Aquaman and Mera are married and Ya'Wara is a lesbian, Mera and Ya'Wara's first meeting wasn't very pleasant.
* BiTheWay: It is implied she and Arthur had something between them in the past. Though it was revealed she was in love with Kahina.
* DoesNotLikeShoes
* JunglePrincess
* {{Telepathy}}: She uses hers with animals. Though she does seem to be able to make contact with Arthur since he too is a telepath.
* TeleportersAndTransporters: The Globe of Transportation that she wears around her neck can allow her to teleport anywhere she wants.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Prisoner of War]]
A member of the Others. Dominick Torrez was a soldier who is surrounded by the spirits of his platoon who died around him. They serve as his partners in battle along with his artifact.
----
* BarrierWarrior: His manacles allow him to create force fields.
* DeathSeeker: Slightly implied in a flashback. When the Others were saving a village from an avalanche, he was determined to save everyone "this time" or die with them.
* ISeeDeadPeople: The souls of his deceased war comrades speak to him.
* LatinoIsBrown: He is Hispanic.
* Necromancer: He can take on the abilities of his dead comrades such as sharpshooting.
* ShellShockedVeteran: He was the sole survivor of his team and he wears each of their dog tags around his neck. During his first appearance he was even in a mental hospital.
[[/folder]]

!Enemies
[[folder:Black Manta (David)]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/350x430-AM10_020_1_9600.jpg]]

Black Manta is Aquaman's arch enemy. A sociopathic PsychoForHire and pirate who's dedicated his life to ruining Aquaman's. Dressed in a combination scuba suit and PowerArmour, Black Manta's most infamous act was undoubtedly killing Aquaman's son.
----
* ArchEnemy: One of the top contenders for the title, alongside Ocean Master.
* ArchnemesisDad: To Jackson Hyde.
* {{Badass}}: ''Anyone'' who makes a living out of fighting Aquaman is this.
* BaldOfEvil
* BigBad: He's usually this when he appears in an Aquaman story. If not he's a PsychoForHire [[TheDragon Dragon]].
* BreakoutVillain: He started out as a minor recurring villain, but eventually established himself as Aquaman's main enemy and since then has had more media exposure than any Aquaman character aside from Aquaman himself.
* CardCarryingVillain: ''"Y'see, deep down, in my most secret heart of hearts, I'm still a totally depraved sonuvabitch whose main goal in life is to watch you die. Slowly and painfully. Just like your kid."''
* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Designed for optimum performance both underwater and on land. In a more literal similarity with the TropeNamer, the laser blasts from his helmet are a close analogue to Franchise/{{Superman}}'s heat vision.
* CombatPragmatist
* CoolHelmet: His visual trademark. It allows him to breathe underwater and can shoot the EyeBeams mentioned below.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Neron turned him into a manta-man in ''ComicBook/UnderworldUnleashed''.
* EyeBeams: His signature weapon. They're usually heat-based laser blasts.
* FreudianExcuse:
** He has two vague [[FreudianExcuse Freudian excuses]]. The first one was that he was kidnapped and enslaved for an unspecified amount of time. He saw Aquaman and called out for help, but Aquaman didn't hear him. The other one was that he was autistic and underwent experimental treatment that left him angry and hateful.
* LackOfEmpathy: More or less goes without saying once you're dealing with somebody as sociopathic as Manta.
* LukeIAmYourFather: To Aqualad II.
* MadeOfIron: His suit not only provides him protection from the crushing undersea depths, but allows him to take hits from Aquaman. He was even once hit by a semi, only to get back up a second later.
* MalcolmXerox: In the 1970s, Black Manta revealed that he is African American seeking a homeland for his race, but that motive turned out to be a self-serving lie.
* MysteriousPast: There's a lot of things about Black Manta that aren't revealed. He did have a girlfriend at one point, who was kidnapped and experimented upon by the people of Xebel, which is implied to be part of the reason he hates Aquaman, and he's also apparently has a history with Mera's sister, who called him by his first name...
* NoNameGiven: His full name has never been given.
* {{Pirate}}
** RuthlessModernPirates: He's a submarine pirate and has no scruples at all.
** SubmarinePirates: See above.
** SwordAndGun: Some versions of the character have him using a gun along with his swords.
* PowerArmour: His suit verges on this at times.
* PsychoForHire: Often found working in the employ of others, for the chance to hurt some people.
* ScarilyCompetentTracker
* ScaryBlackMan: Upon hearing Aquaman is still alive, he butchers everyone in a fish market with a carving knife, burns the entire place down, silently wades into the ocean, and rises back up in his armor.
* ShockAndAwe
* TheStrategist
* TheSociopath
* SuddenlyEthnicity: Noted noted under "Malcolm Xerox", Black Manta was revealed African-Americans in 1977, ten years after he appeared.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Wally West does so in JLA #68, just to get Black Manta's EyeBeams on his face.
* WouldHurtAChild: It's his major claim to fame among supervillains.

'''New 52 Incarnation'''

Arthur's first enemy. Manta was just a pirate/scavenger before being hired by Dr. Stephen Shin to take some of Arthur's blood. He caused Arthur's dad to have a heart attack, and Arthur killed Manta's father in retaliation, thinking he was Manta. The two became locked in a bitter cycle of revenge.
----
* ArchEnemy: Written as Arthur's, with a cycle if revenge thrown into the mix.
* {{Badass}}: Held his own against both Aquaman and the Others and has succeeded in killing ''two'' of them.
* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Armour designed for optimum performance both underwater and on land.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has three across hiss face from when Arthur hit him with a three-clawed hook.
* EyeBeams: Heat-based lasers, though each helmet has a limited supply.
* FreudianExcuse: Aquaman thought Black Manta killed his father, Tom Curry, when Manta attacked Arthur in order to get a sample of his blood for Dr. Shin, and Tom intervened. So, in revenge, ''Arthur'' killed ''Black Manta's'' father. It turned out Tom Curry suffered a heart attack and died in a hospital three days after the attack.
* MadeOfIron: His suit not only provides him protection from the crushing undersea depths, but allows him to fight on-par with Aquaman.
* {{Pirate}}
** RuthlessModernPirates: He's a submarine pirate and uses pretty advanced tech.
* PowerArmour: His suit allows him to breath underwater, gives him super strength and has heat vision.
* PsychoForHire: Originally, a very ruthless pirate, after the death of his father, he became this.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: In ''Forever Evil'', when Ultraman moving the moon out of orbit causes rising tides to desecrate his father's grave.
* ScaryBlackMan: Even out of armour, one of the scariest normal men you'll find.
** He gets to prove it while in prison by secretly activating his helmet's heat beams and blasting a guard, strangling him with his handcuffs, then drowning him in a fountain.
* WellDoneSonGuy: A little. Once Arthur is "killed" by the Crime Syndicate in ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil'', he merely takes the trident, leaves the gang of villains, and places it at his dad's grave.
* YouKilledMyFather: Aquaman killed Manta's father in a fit of revenge, thinking he was Manta.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ocean Master (Orm)]]

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/736759-ocean_master_large_4840.jpg]]

Ocean Master is Aquaman's jealous brother who wants to rule Atlantis. Originally depicted as a fully human pirate, utilising advanced technology, Orm became the son of Atlan the wizard and an Inuit woman post-Crisis, and a powerful sorcerer to boot. Whether he is human, Atlantean, or a mix varies, but one thing about Orm remains consistent: he wants the throne, and will trample anyone who gets in his way.
----
* {{Archenemy}}: Aquaman's original one, and a strong contender for the title to this day.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassCape: Almost always.
** BadassNormal: Pre-Crisis, when he was just a normal human being.
* BigBad: One of Aquaman's two main BigBad's.
* CainAndAbel: The Cain to Aquaman's Abel.Post-Crisis, it's even an EnforcedTrope, since Atlantean kings are cursed to battle their brothers over the throne. It's implied that Atlan sires him simply so Aquaman will have a brother who will fulfill the prophecy.
* CoolMask: Usually obscures his face with a mask.
* TheCorrupter: Along with Neron, blackened the souls of everyone in the Dreaming City.
* DaddyIssues: When Atlan was his father in the Post-Crisis 'verse.
* DealWithTheDevil: Cut a deal with Neron for mystical powers.
* EvilCounterpart: As the ruler of the Dreaming City, he finally assumes a regal role like that of his hated half-brother, takes a lover much as Aquaman has taken Dolphin as a consort, and has a golden trident he can't let go of that parallels Aquaman's golden hook-hand.
* EvilOverlord: During his rule of the Dreaming City, and any time he is in control of Atlantis.
* TheEvilPrince: While he was not a literal example in the Post-Crisis world, his role as Aquaman's brother on their father, Atlan's side, meant that he was often played this way.
* EvilSorcerer: Pre-Crisis, he achieved this status in the Neal Pozner/Craig Hamilton miniseries by retrieving twelve gemstones from ancient Atlantis. Post-Crisis, he finds his way there by cutting a deal with Neron for a magical trident, albeit one with serious drawbacks.
* {{Flanderization}}: His initial appearance after his deal with Neron makes it clear that he drawback is that his trident's energies run out of control if Orm is not consciously wielding it, which can harm him and those around him. Later appearances treated it as if letting go of the trident directly caused him physical pain and nothing more.
* GreenEyedMonster: He despises Arthur for taking the throne in the pre-Crisis and post-Crisis continuities.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Post-Crisis, as the son of Atlantean wizard, Atlan, and an Inuit woman.
* IgnoredEpiphany: Pre-Crisis, he recovers from his amnesia and learns that Aquaman is his half-brother, apparently ending their conflict. He's back to his usual villainy the next time he appears, as if nothing happened. Post-Crisis, he receives a vision of both his pre-Crisis and post-Crisis past, but remains unchanged by it.
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: Pre-Crisis.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Orm shows little interest in the politics of Atlantis, the people he (occasionally) rules, or even threats to the entire planet (like the aliens his ally Strom serves). Everything is subordinate to his need to defeat Aquaman and prove himself the superior brother.
* KissingCousins: Had an interest in his cousin, Kako, post-Crisis, attacking her in a jealous rage when she started sleeping with Arthur.
* LukeIAmYourFather: His relationship with Aquaman is usually kept a secret until the big reveal.
* TheMaster: His Ocean Master title is close enough.
* PowerAtAPrice: During his post-Crisis incarnation. His deal with Neron granted him more and more magical power, but discharged magical energy uncontrollably whenever he wasn't holding it, scarring his face and causing him intense agony whenever he let go of it.
* ProngsOfPoseidon: Like Aquaman, he favours the trident, using it as a conduit for his magical energies.
* TheResenter: Both Pre- and Post-Crisis, he has a hard time with the idea that Aquaman is the superhuman King of Atlantis, and he's just a normal human being who is, at best, destined simply to fight his brother a lot.
* VillainTeamUp: Frequently teamed up with Manta or the Shark. He also assumes membership in Comicbook/LexLuthor's Injustice Gang and the "inner circle" of [[Comicbook/Final Crisis Libra's Secret Society]].

'''New 52 Incarnation'''

Orm is a full-blooded Atlantean, maternal half-brother of Arthur, paternal half-brother to Tula and the would-be heir to Atlantis. He is the son of Atlanna and Orvax, then captain of the Atlantean Guard. This version is more of an Anti-Villain, as he is depicted as a good king and he doesn't ''hate'' humans, though he does view Atlanteans as superior. After an accidental attack on Atlantis by a human-submarine, he wages war with the surface world and his brother and his [[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica associates]] in the ''Throne of Atlantis'' storyline. He is defeated, and Arthur becomes king of Atlantis. He is sent to Belle Reve to await trial, but before he does attend trial, [[ComicBook/ForeverEvil the Crime Syndicate set every inmate free]], and Orm makes his way to the ocean. However, he ends up protecting a woman and her child during the incident and winds up staying with them. Eventually, Xebus, the king of Xebel, finds him and tells Orm that the two must take their place among the Seven Kings and rule the world.
----
* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: To Comicbook/SubMariner, even more so than Johns's revamp of Black Adam. Orm is a physically powerful brunette king of Atlantis who attacks the surface world for misguided reasons, but has noble qualities and feels sympathy and pity for surface dwellers.
* AntiVillain: Seems to be shaping into a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type IV]], being not so much evil as reacting violently to threats directly against Atlantis. This is a first for the character.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Sure he attempted to drown a few cities, but it was in defense of Atlantis, from his perspective. He also seems to truly love his brother Arthur, a first for the character. He also became a sort of ParentalSubstitute for Erin's son Tommy, and stayed with them during the ''Forever Evil'' event.
* TheEvilPrince: Like Arthur, he is Queen Atlanna's son, and wants the throne for himself. However, he wasn't particularly evil until the ''Throne of Atlantis'' storyline, when he decided to wage war with the surface world. Even then, he's not actually evil, just reacting to an assumed threat from the surface world [[spoiler:that turns out to be Vulko's fault]].
** TheGoodKing: It is shown that he is actually this to the Atlanteans, and they do like him. The problem is he doesn't really like the surface dwellers all that much.
* TheFaceless: In his first appearance, ''Aquaman'' #14, his face is always obscured by shadows.
* FantasticRacism: This version doesn't ''hate'' surface dwellers, he pities them. That said, he ''does'' think they're objectively inferior to Atlanteans.
* GreenEyedMonster: This seems to be subverted. He seems to genuinely care for Arthur, and wouldn't mind him being king. However, eventually, he comes to think that he ''would'' be the better king, though it's still not driven by envy.
* MakingASplash: His crown controls the sea.
* PetTheDog: Protects Erin and her son Tommy from criminals released from prison by the Crime Syndicate, albeit reluctantly. ''Aquaman'' #25 reveals that he actually ended up [[MoralityPet staying with Erin]].
* SelfMadeOrphan: Although Vulko speculates that Orm killed Atlanna in order to become king, he's wrong.
* ShockAndAwe: His trident can generate and control storms through unknown means.
* SuperStrength: All Atlanteans have this. Though Orm is quite a bit stronger than the average Atlantean.
* VillainHasAPoint: During one of his discussions with his human advocate while he is in prison, he criticizes how the death he caused during the war qualifies as murders in the eye of the government, whereas ''Atlantean'' death are completely ignored.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Piranha Man (Charybdis)]]
The villain who caused the loss of Aquaman's hand, Charybdis was a terrorist who lost his wife, Scylla, in the same incident that gave him control over fish. He attacked Aquaman, and was mutated into a piranha/human cross in the process.
----
* FreudianExcuse: He was already a wanted criminal, but losing Scylla did nothing for Charybdis' sanity.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Named for a whirlpool in Greek mythology that sucked everything down.
* PiranhaProblem: Sicced a school of them on Aquaman, and resembles one himself.
* UnholyMatrimony: With Scylla.
* WesternTerrorists
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Thanatos]]
An evil version of Aquaman from another dimension. He was eventually killed by Major Disaster.
----
* EvilTwin
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Kordax]]
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-Kordax_1127.jpg]]

A mutated Atlantean prince with blond hair and green scales, Kordax was exiled at birth, only to return later in life and make a bid for the throne. The horrors of his invasion of Atlantis, and Kordax's own unnerving appearance, sparked the legends that led the Atlanteans to see all blonds as cursed. Returning in the present day, Kordax tried to usurp the throne of Atlantis, coming into conflict with Aquaman.
----
* TheAntichrist: Not really, but boy do the Atlanteans think he is.
* {{Badass}}
** HandicappedBadass: Has only one hand.
* BastardBastard: Born a bastard child of incestuous rape, Kordax's parental and abandonment issues made him a bastard in every other sense by the time he was an adult.
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Kordax's hand was severed in punishment for his crimes. He replaced it with a sword.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: Not only is he totally evil, but he caused the Atlanteans to think anybody sharing his hair colour must be pure evil.
* ChildByRape: His father, Dardanus, raped his mother, Cora, as part of his revenge against her father. Just to heighten the squick, Dardanus and Cora were [[KissingCousins cousins]].
* TheDreaded: Still spoken of in hushed tones in Atlantis.
* DrivenToSuicide: Killed himself after being defeated by Aquaman.
* EvilIsBigger: Kordax is essentially Aquaman's EvilCounterpart, but as the villain of the piece, is considerably taller and heavier (6 feet, 6 inches, and five hundred sixty-five pounds).
* TheEvilPrince: Son of the Queen of Atlantis, he sought to destroy all it stood for.
* FamedInStory: Infamous in-story.
* FishPeople: Taken all together, Kordax's deformities make him look very reptillian or icthyoid. He's basically this trope, but with blond hair.
* {{Foil}}: To Aquaman, with their similar curses, appearances, powers, lineage, back stories, and handicaps. It verges on EvilCounterpart.
* FreudianExcuse: His ParentalAbandonment and subsequent raising by Dardanus did nothing for his personality.
* GeniusBruiser: A charismatic leader and strategist, as well as a six and a half foot tall killing machine.
* ImmuneToBullets: Thanks to his heightened durability.
* InTheBlood: His father Dardanus, and his grandfather, Shalako, were as bad or worse than he was.
* LightningBruiser: Every bit as fast and strong as Aquaman himself.
* TheMagnificent: Kordax the Destroyer.
* ManipulativeBastard: Takes advantage of Koryak's anger to turn him against his father, Aquaman.
* {{Mutant}}: Scaled and huge, weighing at over five hundred pounds, all of it muscle.
* ParentalAbandonment: Was abandoned as a child due to his grotesque appearance.
* PointyEars
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld
* RedRightHand: Cora viewed Kordax's deformities as proof his evil nature and abandoned him accordingly. This ultimately resulted in Kordax being raised by his father, Dardanus, and turning out to be every bit as bad as you would expect.
* SpeaksFluentAnimal
* SpikesOfVillainy: On his ShouldersOfDoom.
* SuperStrength: All Atlanteans are, but Kordax is capable of matching Aquaman himself.
* {{Telepathy}}: A pretty damn powerful one. When he psychically clashed with Aquaman, every creature in the sea was nearly driven insane due to the mental shockwaves. Fish and Atlanteans.
** Of course Kordax wouldn't care if they were mindless husks either way.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Thirst]]
The personification of drought, and the ideological opposite of the Waterbearer, the Thirst is an ancient attacked Aquaman after he became guardian of the Secret Sea. Taking the form of a golem made from dry river mud, The Thirst tried to drain the Seven Seas (the reservoir of human imagination), and the entirety of the world's rivers, all as part of its attempt at claiming Aquaman's soul.
----
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of drought.
* AntiMagic: Being of the Secret Sea where Orin derives his water hand, Thirst is uneffected by mystical arcanum. [[spoiler: As Tempest, [[BrokenAce an accomplished sorcerer in his own right;]] [[ButtMonkey would come to find the hard way in his attempt to stop him]].]]
* BadassLongcoat
* BaldOfEvil: As a golem, The Thirst is hairless.
* CainAndAbel: With his "sister" the Waterbearer.
* EvilCounterpart: To the Waterbearer.
* {{Golem}}: A golem made from dry river mud, to be precise.
* HumanoidAbomination: The Thirst is roughly human in appearance, with a head, arms and legs in all the right places.
* KilledOffForReal
* ManOfKryptonite: His ability to drain water from his victims makes him very dangerous to Aquaman.
* MeaningfulName
** NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: It's not as obvious as with some villains, but to anybody reading a comic about an aquatic auperhero, the presence of a being called "The Thirst" should instantly set off warning bells.
* {{Necromancer}}: Can resurrect those that he has slain as mindless, zombie husks slaved to his will.
* RedEyesTakeWarning
* SlaveMooks: The victims he has drained and resurrected.
* VampiricDraining: Sucks the life energy and water from his victims.
* WalkingWasteland
* YourSoulIsMine: Wanted Aquaman's soul more than anything else.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Deep Six]]

Six minions of ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}, the Deep Six are aquatic terrorists who carry out the will of their master. Originally dispatched to battle Orion, the Six were thought to have died at his hands, but resurfaced in Aquaman, during Peter David's run. It is revealed that this new Deep Six is made up of spawns of the originals, who were raised on Earth, and are thus more attuned to its oceans then those of their homeworld. They battled Aquaman, Dolphin and Koryak, after apparently killing Koryak's mother, Kako. The Six are Gole, Jaffar, Kurin, Shaligo, Slig, and Trok.
----
* AnAxeToGrind: Trok wields an axe on a leather thong, which he whirls about.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: Shaligo.
* BodyHorror: Slig and Jaffar can rearrange a person's features with a touch, with Jaffar at one point removing Dolphin's face completely.
* CoolHelmet: Slig, Gole, Kurin and Trok each wear one.
* CoolMask: Gole's helmet, which includes a mask that completely covers his face.
* TheCorrupter: Try to corrupt Kako after her transmutation into a fire elemental, by allowing their spawn to feed on her.
* DualWielding: Gole's sai.
* FishPeople: All six have a serious ''Film/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoon'' vibe going for them.
* GenerationXerox: It is revealed that whenever one of the Six dies, they are replaced by one of their identical spawn.
* GoodWingsEvilWings: Shaligo's wings are very evil--batlike, razor sharp, and used as weapons.
* ItsPersonal: Koryak and Arthur take their "murder" of Kako, and Jaffar's disfigurement of Dolphin very seriously.
* KnifeNut: Gole dual wields twin sai.
* TheLeader: Slig seems to be first among equals.
* MadArtist: Jaffar, who considers the mutations he causes in others to be artistry.
* ProngsOfPoseidon: Favoured by Kurin, who uses a short-handled trident singlehandedly.
* PsychoForHire: All six of them clearly enjoy their work.
* PunnyName
* QuirkyMinibossSquad
* SuperStrength: All of the six are stronger then your average human, and are capable of taking punches from the likes of Aquaman.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Eochaid Bres]]

The sister of Nuada Silverhand, Bres launched a coup against her sister, gaining control of Thierna Na Oge for herself. A manipulative schemer, she came into conflict with Aquaman as well, when the latter arrived in Thierna Na Oge, hunting for Ocean Master. She was eventually deposed by Nuada, and post-Crisis, died when she allied herself with an alien force that sought to invade Atlantis.
----
* CainAndAbel: The Cain to Nuada's Abel.
* DistaffCounterpart: As the jealous younger sibling who schemes to seize the throne for herself, she is Thierna Na Oge's answer to Ocean Master.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen
* KilledOffForReal: Killed by Nuada post-Crisis when she leads an alien attack on Thierna Na Oge.
* ManipulativeBastard: Convinced the ruling council of eleven that Nuada was unfit to be monarch and that the gods favoured her own ascension.
* {{Narcissist}}: Bres almost never stops bragging about how great she is.
* PublicDomainCharacter: She and Nuada are named for (male) characters from Celtic myth.
* SmugSnake: Very full of herself.
* SorcerousOverlord
* VainSorceress: Arrogant, convinced of her own supremacy, and a capable mage.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Post-Crisis. If you hadn't read her original appearance, Bres seems to come out of nowhere right at the start of ''Aquaman #21'' and then dies at the end of the issue.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Scavenger (Peter Mortimer)]]
A deep-sea [[ExactlyWhatIsSaysOnTheTin scavenger]] and pirate, who Arthur has a history with.
----
* PoweredArmor: His diving suit is a less badass version of Black Manta's.
* RememberTheNewGuy: Whenever he appears, it's clear he and Arthur have a history, but it's never elaborated on.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Hila (Siren)]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1308246_siren01.jpg]]

-->"''[[BadassBoast King of Atlantis... You will die on your Knees]]''"

'''Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis incarnations'''

Pre-Crisis, Hila was little more than a rambunctious albeit vicious troublemaker and eponymous pain in the ass for her Gemini, Mera.

Renowned in their family as the black sheep of the lot, she would often cause all kinds of havoc anywhere she went, more often than not at Mera's expense since they look [[CriminalDoppelganger identical]]. Being the bad girl she was, Hila eventually fell in with a bad boy sorcerer and long time enemy of Aquaman by the name of Kandor, both of whom were exiled from their native home dimension Aqua for past crimes. Together, the two conspired against Aquaman and Mera in a bid for power, but both suffered a change of heart in the following events and redeemed themselves.

In the Post-Crisis continuity, Hila is one amongst a colony of vicious inmates from the PrisonDimension of Xebel which was located within TheBermudaTriangle. The [[Characters/GreenLanternBlackAndWhiteCorps White Entity]] undid the seal that bound her and fellow exiles in their [[PhantomZone concentration reality]] to test Arthur by letting them unleash terror upon the world and it's unsuspecting masses as well as kill the current monarch of Atlantis as revenge for her people.
----
* MakingASplash: Like her sister and all Xebel prisoners, Hila has incredibly potent hydrokinetic shifting capabilities.
** TheAce: Also like her sibling yet unlike other aquamancers she uses a more advanced form of water shifting powers. Ones which don't rely upon the waterbearers like those of Jackson Hyde or her fellow criminals.
* EvilBrunetteTwin: Physically the two are practically adjacent to one another, and Siren is the [[BigLittleBrother younger]] of [[YoungerThanTheyLook the two]] no less.
** YouGottaHaveBlueHair: In Hila's case ultra violet.
* FantasticRacism: Like most if not all Xebelians, Hila is an incredibly perspicuous speciest towards Atlanteans, half-breeds and especially surface dwellers due to her prison home upbringing. The former is due to right wing bigoted supremacy thinking the world and everything spawned from the sea belongs to her people. The latter of which because the ruling power of Atlantis' life imprisonment sentence,
* HeelFaceTurn: In her Pre-Crisis days, Hila had initially taken the place of Mera to better earn Aquaman's trust. But after seeing just how much the kingdom and it's monarch truly loved her, she had a change of heart.

'''New 52 Incarnation'''

Hila is the demented twin sibling of Aquaman's wife Mera and a resident of Xebel. Sometime in her life she ran with [[SorcerousOverlord the Thule]] in order to reclaim the seven seas and, as an eventual milestone, the world at large by encroaching their dimension into Earth's own. To this end, Hila's natural capabilities had been [[MagicEnhancement augmented]] by their potent dark magics, this coupled with her [[{{Shapeshifting}} Shifter]] background enables her to better infiltrate Arthur's throne and impersonate Mera, ruling in both the former when implicating monarchy in her place after casting out the latter as a conspirator against the crown and kingdom, turning Atlantis Against him.

* AxCrazy: Had a precocious slasher smile she got when she was bleeding Arthur dry after laying him. And her eyes were shot wide open while comparing herself to Mera with him in the sack.
* BedTrick: After Arthur comes to reconcile with who he believed to be his wife, only for the doppelganger to reveal her true colors to him [[ForTheEvulz as a jest]].
* EvilTwin: To her more mellow sibling.
* MakingASplash: She was outfitted with water crafting abilities by her [[EvilSorcerer benefactors]] rivaling those of her sister.
** BloodyMurder: Unlike her sibling counterpart, however, Hila uses them to much more lethal endeavors to which Aquaman can quite [[OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank painfully attest]].
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: As we learn, Hila may be or is a decedent of a resident from Thule called a Shifter. Master spies, and weavers of falsehood who can alternate their outward appearance or even cast illusions at will. Turns out she and a host of they're thought to be Extinct race have taken over the throne of Atlantis from the ruling royalty in order to pave the way of Thule's incursion into Earth 0.
** ShapeshiftingSeducer: Suckered Aquaman into courting her in bed before giving hi the Wham event by revealing her true self to him.


[[/folder]]

[[folder:Chimera]]

A diver of Triton Base named Coombs, he was attacked by sharks before being saved by Aquaman. However the damage to his body was too severe. A scientist at the base under the claim of wanting to use desperate measures to save him, repaired his mostly dead brain with tissue from the Karaqan, an ancient Atlantean creature killed by Aquaman. With cells from the most dangerous sea life spliced into it, the Chimera awakened and killed the scientist responsible for its creation.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Dead Water (Jonah Kendry Payne)]]
An engineer who comes to possess a SuperPoweredEvilSide called Dead Water under mysterious circumstances. Dead Water manifests when Jonah is around water.
----
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Dead Water kills people who have slighted Jonah.
* SuperPoweredEvilSide: Dead Water to Jonah.
* {{Teleportation}}: Dead Water can transport itself through any body of water, no matter how large or small, from a swimming pool to a ''cup of water.''
[[/folder]]

!Characters From the Past

[[folder:Shalako]]

The brother of King Orin I of Atlantis, Shalako was a sorcerer who grew jealous of his brother's position and power. Leading a group of exiles to live in Tritonis, Shalako manipulated events to transform them into fishlike merpeople. When it was revealed that this mutation was his own fault, his people ultimately killed him.
----
* {{Bishonen}}
* BlondGuysAreEvil
* CainAndAbel: With Orin I. This is a theme in Atlantean history; there is a prophecy that two brothers will always war for control of Atlantis.
* DealWithTheDevil: Made a deal with dark gods in exchange for powers after he was forsaken by the goddess of the sky.
* EvilSorcerer
* {{Expy}}: He's essentially a better looking Ocean Master. Given that he is supposed to be the originator of the prophecy about the brothers warring over rulership of Atlantis, and Ocean Master is a part of that prophecy, this is justified.
* FaceHeelTurn: At one point he and his brother were genuinely close. Then the fall of Atlantis happened and it all went downhill from there.
* GreenEyedMonster: Towards Orin I, whose throne he sought after.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Speared to death by the people of Tritonis.
* MakingASplash: One of his mystic powers enabled him to form hard water weapons.
* OffingTheOffspring: His ghost kills his son, Dardanus, after the latter kills Orin I.
* {{Pride}}: His great sin. Shalako could not accept that anybody, including his own brother, might be better at something then he was.
* ReligionOfEvil: Believed in dark gods and human sacrifice, ultimately killing his own wife on the sacrificial altar.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Dardanus]]

The son of Shalako, and the father of Kordax, Dardanus initially seemed like he would turn out to be one of the heroes. Having witnessed his father sacrificing his mother, Dardanus turned on Shalako, revealing to the people of Tritonis that it was Shalako, and not King Orin I of Poseidonis who was to blame for their mutated condition. Resurfacing as an adult, Dardanus proved himself every bit as bad as his father. He raped Princess Cora, impregnating her with Kordax. He later found Kordax after his abandonment, and raised him to be a weapon, eventually using his son as a pawn in a gambit to seize control of Atlantis.
----
* BlatantLies: Tells the people of Tritonis that their condition is Orin I's fault, despite he himself having revealed to them years ago that it was Shalako's.
* BlondGuysAreEvil
* {{Ephebophile}}: Cora was fourteen when Dardanus raped her.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Dardanus' love for his mother would seem to have been his only redeeming trait.
* InTheBack: Stabs King Orin I in the back during a pause in their duel.
* InTheBlood: Would seem to have inherited Shalako's egoism and cruelty, which he then passed on to his own son, Kordax.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Dardanus needed the world to orbit him. Nothing, not even his own child, mattered to him beyond his own position and power.
* KarmicDeath: Slain by the ghost of his father, Shalako.
* ManipulativeBastard: Manipulated his own son, Kordax, into becoming a weapon, and played the people of Tritonis for fools.
* {{Narcissist}}: Dardanus' every action was dedicated to his own advancement, and his egoism and sense of self-worth knew no bounds. Convinced the world revolved around him, and seeing almost everyone as a potential pawn, he was a textbook narcissist.
* {{Patricide}}: Not directly, but by telling the people of Tritonis that it was Shalako who caused their mutations he ensured his father's death.
* RapeAsDrama: Raped Cora and impregnated her with Kordax.
* SmugSnake

[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Dead King/Atlan]]

The architect, builder, and very first king of Atlantis, in the New 52. However, along with giving life to Atlantis, [[spoiler: he also was the one to destroy it. He is also not Aquaman's ancestor. In fact, Aquaman descended from Atlan's brother, Orin, who killed his family and usurped the throne of Atlantis.]]

* AnIcePerson
* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:His brother, Orin betrayed Atlan and killed his family and servants to take hold of the throne.]]
* GeniusBruiser: Physically strong enough to contend with Aquaman. Along with being the lead designer of the building of Atlantis, as well as having arcane knowledge which he used to forge the seven artifacts.
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:When his family was murdered]]
* {{Egopolis}}: Atlantis is this to him.
* FaceHeelTurn
* FallenHero: [[spoiler:Even Vulko admits Atlan was a great hero while Aquaman's ancestors were the villains.]]
* MagicStaff: His scepter, which can control the Trench, [[spoiler:who are later revealed to be descended from the Atlanteans. Aquaman believes the scepter does not control them; instead, the Trench have a primal instinct that causes them to obey whoever holds the staff because of their shared ancestry with the Atlanteans.]]
* RoyallyScrewedUp: After being woken by Aquaman's telepathy and re-taking the throne, Atlan enslaves any Arthur loyalists while he attempts to regain rule over the seven seas.
* TheGoodKing: He was this in the past. Not so much in the present.
* TheParagonAlwaysRebels: He was betrayed by his followers but the trope still stands.
* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler:Originally, Atlan was a wise and just king who believed that there could be peace between all species. His brother Orin and his advisers, however, were warmongers who betrayed Atlan and killed his family. Outraged, Atlan killed Orin and his wife and started a civil war. Using the scepter, Atlan sunk Atlantis.]]

[[/folder]]

* [[spoiler:LukeIAmYourFather: He actually is Black Manta's son.]]

** Seers: If Aquaman concentrates hard enough he can gain insight as to what needs to be done and where he ought to be.

** {{Seers}}: All purple eyed atlanteans are living historical records.

* DisabilitySuperpower: His grappling-hook hand and, later, his magical water hand.

* HandicappedBadass: Minor example. Garth is colourblind.

* ProngsOfPoseidon: Been handed both the mystical trident and soverignty over Atlantis that came with it for a time

** {{TookALevelInBadass}}: More like Took Several levels actually, after he ousted his brother from the throne and ended a war between two worlds before it began, he's quickly established himself as a competent leader and monarchical figure to both peoples of the world, both respected and greatly feared by the surface world at large as a whole. The hit points he makes just keep climbing from there:

[[folder:Dead Water (Jonah Kendry Payne}]]

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Dead Water is killing people who have slighted Jonah.

* DistaffCounterpart: As the jealous younger sibling who schemes to seize the throne for herself, she Thierna Na Oge's answer to Ocean Master.

[[folder: Scavenger (Peter Mortimer)

Renown in their family as the black sheep of the lot, she would often cause all kinds of havoc anywhere she went, more often than not at Mera's expense since they look [[CriminalDoppelganger identical]]. Being the bad girl she was, Hila eventually fell in with a bad boy sorcerer and long time enemy of Aquaman by the name of Kandor, both of whom were exiled from their native home dimension Aqua for past crimes. Together, the two conspired against Aquaman and Mera in a bid for power, but both suffered a change of heart in the following events and redeemed themselves.

* ContinuitySnarl: Geoff Johns' run mentions him being a purple eyed youth attacked by other Atlanteans. Cullen Bunn's has him being Dick Grayson's age.

* DependingOnTheArtist: Her hair. During Geoff Johns' run, her hair was a brownish red, as seen in the picture above. However, afterwards, it became straight up brown. It ''could'' be that the hair is just part of her helmet, but it's up in the air. The reason is likely because the colourist changed.

* RetGone: In the New 52, there has never even been ''one'' Aqualad.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: In ''Forever Evil'',when Ultraman moving the moon out of orbit causes rising tides to desecrate his father's grave.

* BarbarianHero: Played With. His new appearance in the Bunn-McCarthy run certainly has traits showcasing a real He-Man or Conan style scheme. It's even somewhat reminiscent to his old Peter David outlook.

[[folder:Queen Mera]]

** AmplifierArtifact: Been known that the trident has the property of increasing inherent magical powers of the wield, turbo charging

* RetGone: Subverted. Initially in the New 52, along with most of the original Titans, and hasn't been reintroduced since. He was mentioned in Aquaman #14 as being a newborn and was later reintroduced in DC Sneak peek Aquaman and Titans Hunt #1, and [[{{Retcon}} apparently was on a teen team of heroes with Dick Grayson, Donna Troy and Roy Harper]].

* TookALevelInBadass: As Tempest, when he added magic to his power set and after aquiring the trident of Poseidon; came to be regent of Atlantis.

* ContinuitySnarl: Geoff Johns' run mentions him beigna newborn. Cullen Bunn's has him being Dick Grayson's age.

* OfferedTheCrown: Eventually in the wake of Aquaman's death and Mera's inability to rule, Garth is eventually crowned king of atlantis in their stead.
* RetGone: Subverted, Initially in the New 52, along with most of the original Titans, and hasn't been reintroduced since.
** He was mentioned in Aquaman #14 had been reintroduced in DC Sneak peek Aquaman and Titans Hunt #1

* ProngsOfPoseidon: Favors a trident. In his time he wielded both the mystical tridents of Poseidon Greek God of the sea and Neptune Roman God of Oceans, both of which like their namesakes gave Aquaman access to vast meta-mystical powers affording him control over the waters and the storms they equate.

* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Designed for optimum performance both underwater and on land. In a more literal similarity with the TropeNamer, the laser blasts from his helmet are a close analogue to {{Superman}}'s heat vision.

** Flight: Has the divine quality of somehow bestowing flight.