Aqualad is the alias of several superheroes inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics and appearing inmedia published byDC Entertainment. The character was originally created by writerRobert Bernstein and artistRamona Fradon, serving as thesidekick and junior counterpart to superheroAquaman alongside contemporary,Aquagirl. The character's first incarnation,Garth, debuted inAdventure Comics #269. A native Atlantean unlike his mentor, Garth in both continuities has purple eyes signifying a heritage considered evil and was an outcast taken in by Aquaman. He eventually abandons the "Aqualad" role and adopts the alias, "Tempest".

The second incarnation of the character,Kaldur'ahm, originally was set to debut in 2010, created for theYoung Justice animated television series byBrandon Vietti,Greg Weisman, and Phil Bourassa. Several months before the series' premiere, an altered version of the character,Jackson Hyde, was brought into comic books by writerGeoff Johns and artistIvan Reis. Both versions of the character, sharing the common quality of Aquaman's half-human heritage, are protege of Aquaman whose half human heritage originates from their father, Aquaman villain Black Manta. While sharing similar designs, both versions of the character possess different backgrounds and inherent abilities.

The Garth version of Aqualad made his live-action debut in the television seriesTitans, played byDrew Van Acker.^[1]

Years ago, King Thar and his wife Queen Berra became the reigning monarchs of Shayeris, the capital of a group of Idyllist colonies in the Hidden Valley. Radical Idyllists deposed and murdered King Thar and banished his pregnant wife Queen Berra to Poseidonis, the capital city ofAtlantis; there she gave birth to Garth, a child with purple eyes. Superstitious Atlanteans claimed that Garth had been born genetically inferior due to his purple eyes and banished him to a barren seabed leagues away from Atlantis. He survived and later befriendedAquaman, the sometimes outcast King of Atlantis. He was a founding member of theTeen Titans, and later became known as Tempest.

Jackson Hyde first appeared inBrightest Day #10 (September 2010).^[2] This coincides with the appearance of Aqualad in theYoung Justice animated series (albeit using the name Kaldur'ahm).^[3][4] According to Johns, the new Aqualad is named Jackson Hyde, and is ablack teenager fromNew Mexico.^[2] In a teaser poster for theBrightest Day event, he is shown using "hard water" abilities to create a sword.^[5] This ability had previously been thought to belong exclusively to Aquaman's wife,Mera, and people from her world.

• The Garth incarnation of Aqualad appears inThe Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, voiced byJerry Dexter.^[6]
• The Garth incarnation of Aqualad appears inTeen Titans, voiced byWil Wheaton.^[6]
• The Garth incarnation of Garth as Aqualad appears inBatman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced byZack Shada as a teenager andZachary Gordon as a child.^[6]
• The Garth incarnation of Aqualad appears inYoung Justice, voiced byYuri Lowenthal.^[7]
• The Kaldur'ahm incarnation of Aqualad appears inYoung Justice, voiced byKhary Payton.^[8][9][10]
• The Garth and Kaldur’ahm incarnations of Aqualad appear inTeen Titans Go!, voiced again by Wil Wheaton and Khary Payton.^[6][10]
• The Garth incarnation of Aqualad appears inTitans, portrayed byDrew Van Acker.^[11]
• The Garth incarnation of Aqualad appears inDC Super Hero Girls, voiced byJessica McKenna.^[6]
• An Aqualad live-action series forHBO Max starring Jake Hyde is development, withCharlize Theron, A.J. Dix, Beth Kono and Andrew Haas of Denver & Delilah Films serving as executive producers.^[12]

• The Garth incarnation of Aqualad makes a cameo appearance inTeen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo.
• The Garth and Kaldur'ahm incarnations of Aqualad make cameo appearances inJustice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.
• The Garth incarnation of Aqualad makes a cameo appearance inTeen Titans Go! To the Movies.

• The Garth incarnation of Aqualad appears inAquaman: Battle for Atlantis.
• The Garth and Kaldur'ahm incarnations of Aqualad appear inYoung Justice: Legacy, voiced again by Yuri Lowenthal and Khary Payton.^[10][7]
• The Kaldur’ahm incarnation of Aqualad appears as a playable character inLego DC Super-Villains.^[13]

• The Garth incarnation of Aqualad appears in theTeen Titans Go! comic.^[14]

• Titans Tower: Aqualad
• Comicvine: Aqualad
• Aqualad on DC Database, aDC Comicswiki

• DC Comics superheroes
• Aquatic superheroes
• DC Comics sidekicks
• Comics characters introduced in 1960
• DC Comics Atlanteans
• DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds
• DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
• DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
• Fictional characters with water abilities
• Characters created by Robert Bernstein
• Characters created by Ramona Fradon
• Teenage characters in comics

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