| Arthur Curry Aquaman | |
|---|---|
| DC Extended Universe character | |
 Promotional picture of Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) | |
| First appearance | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) |
| Last appearance | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) |
| Based on | |
| Adapted by | |
| Portrayed by |
|
| Voiced by | Jason Momoa (The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part) Cooper Andrews (Aquaman: King of Atlantis) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | The Aquaman King Orin |
| Species | Human-Atlantean hybrid |
| Title | King ofAtlantis |
| Occupation | Lighthouse keeper Fisherman Vigilante |
| Affiliation | Justice League |
| Family | Thomas Curry (father) Atlanna (mother) Orm Marius (half-brother) Atlan (ancestor) |
| Spouse | Mera (wife) |
| Children | Arthur Jr. (son) |
| Origin | Maine, United States |
| Nationality | American,Atlantean |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, sight, hearing, and healing, swordcraft, hydrokinesis, marinetelepathy,amphibious adaptation, gifted intelligence |
Arthur Joseph Curry, also known by his superhero monikerAquaman, is a fictional character in theDC Extended Universe based on theDC Comicssuperhero of the same name. He is portrayed by American actorJason Momoa. Originally appearing as a cameo inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Curry had a prominent role in the filmJustice League and itsdirector's cut, and is later the subject of his own filmsAquaman andAquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Momoa also cameoed in the first season finale of theHBO Max seriesPeacemaker and the filmThe Flash. The DCEU marks Aquaman's first portrayal in cinema, with his character having been re-imagined as compared to his comics counterpart.
First appearing in 1941 inDC Comics storylines,Aquaman was adapted to television with cartoons such asThe Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure andSuper Friends. He would also be adapted to films in theDC Animated Universe and was mentioned or briefly portrayed in live-action television such asSmallville, and atelevision pilotbased on the character was produced byThe CW withJustin Hartley playing Arthur "A.C." Curry/Aquaman. However, Aquaman has also been mentioned numerous times in the media as the butt of jokes due to his campy portrayal on certain media, with shows such asThe Big Bang Theory,South Park, andRobot Chicken ridiculing or parodying his character.[1][2][3]
Attempts to bring Aquaman to the big screen began in the 2000s. In 2004,FilmJerk.com reported that Sunrise Entertainment's Alan and Peter Riche planned to bring Aquaman to the big screen forWarner Bros., with Robert Ben Garant writing the screenplay.[4] However, the attempt fell through. In 2007,Santiago Cabrera was cast as Aquaman in aJustice League film calledJustice League: Mortal.[5] That movie was also shelved later in the year.[6] Years later, it was reported that an Aquaman film was in development atLeonardo DiCaprio'sAppian Way Productions, though that film also was never created.[7][8]
"It's nice not being theseventh Batman. It's nice to be the first one. And good luck being the next one."
ActorJason Momoa was cast as Arthur Curry/Aquaman in theDC Extended Universe after the success ofMan of Steel,[10] withGeoff Johns tellingVariety that Aquaman was a priority character for the studio once the DCEU was greenlit.[11] Momoa says of his portrayal of the character, the first in cinema: "It's nice not being theseventh Batman. It's nice to be the first one. And good luck being the next one."[9] Momoa also notes similarities between his character and himself, such as "feeling a connection to water" with his paternalNative Hawaiian ancestry, being raised by a single parent, and living in two drastically different locations in his youth, namely Hawaii andIowa. He claims the role is "definitely the closest thing I’ve ever played to myself."[12]
For the films, Momoa and other actors and stunt doubles had to learn to fight with atrident. They were also attached to harnesses during filming to simulate fighting under-water.[13] Specifically forAquaman, severalspecial effects studios, such asIndustrial Light & Magic (ILM),Method Studios,Scanline VFX,Digital Domain and others were employed to render Arthur's underwater and fighting scenes and hair movement in water, with the effects visible in scenes such as Orm and Arthur's first duel, Arthur and Mera's fight against Black Manta, and Arthur and Mera's visit to the Trench.[14][15][16][17] A specially designed 700fps shot was used in the scene where the camera travels through Arthur's eyes.[15]
InAquaman, a younger Arthur Curry is portrayed by various actors, including an uncredited infant, Tainu and Tamor Kirkwood at age 3, Kaan Guldur at age 9, Otis Dhanji at age 13, and Kekoa Kekumano at age 16.[18]
Unlike traditional comic book portrayals of Aquaman, the DCEU iteration of the character has a drastically different appearance, including being covered in tattoos and carrying a gruff demeanor. Miles Surrey ofThe Ringer describes Aquaman's portrayal in the films as a "natural extension of the larger-than-life man portraying him, Jason Momoa, who once auditioned for his role asKhal Drogo inGame of Thrones by doing theHaka."[19] Clarisse Loughrey ofThe Independent notes that Aquaman, once the butt of many jokes due to his "garish orange and green attire, bleached blonde hair, and friendly relationship with the sea critters" in the comics andSuper Friends, has been re-imagined as a muscled, trident-wielding hero. She says of Momoa: "The actor is the complete opposite of the Aquaman we know. This Aquaman is cool."[9]
As portrayed in the films, Arthur Curry is described as arrogant but good-hearted and self-aware and has also been called an "outsider" and an "outlaw" by the films' creators.[9] Like other superheroes in the DCEU such asSuperman/Clark Kent andBatman/Bruce Wayne, Arthur faces self doubt, in part due to feeling alienated from both mankind and the Atlanteans for his half-Atlantean, half-human heritage, but does not suffer a tortured psyche like the other two.[19][20] Arthur hides his insecurities and troubled past behind a tough and intimidating attitude, choosing to alienate himself from others and almost never showing sympathy towards anyone. He is notably reluctant to embrace his potential as a king and join in on heroics, initially declining requests for help from Bruce Wayne andMera. However, he can be more relaxed and friendly around those he trusts and is close to, such as his father and Mera, and displays what Surrey calls a "bro-y charm".[19] Despite his somewhat gloomy and fearsome exterior, Arthur is ultimately a selfless and compassionate person, indicated by him frequenting an Icelandic fishing village during the winter in order to feed its hungry inhabitants with fish and being careful not to inflictcollateral damage on civilians during his battles. He also displays a dry sense of humor and is seen to be a thrill-seeker, and is also rather intelligent and fluent in several languages, similar toWonder Woman/Diana Prince.
Arthur Curry was born in 1986 toThomas Curry, a lighthouse keeper ofMāori descent living inMaine,[21] andAtlanna, queen ofAtlantis. Atlanna entrusts her son Arthur to her trusted advisorNuidis Vulko for training, leaving him her trident, and voluntarily goes back to Atlantis, where she is sentenced to certain death by banishment toThe Trench for Curry's illegitimate birth. While growing up, Curry is unable to control his abilities, such as communicating with sea creatures and breathing underwater, and later discovers them while fending off bullies. He is later trained by Vulko, though he rejects Atlantis upon learning of his mother's supposed execution.[a]
In 2015, through filesBruce Wayne takes fromLex Luthor, footage of Curry attacking anNSA drone that was following him in the Pacific Ocean is shown. Curry is one of severalmetahumans that Luthor had been researching in an attempt to blackmail them. Wayne sends this information to fellow metahumanDiana Prince.
In 2017, Wayne and Prince follow up on their plans to recruit the metahumans named in Luthor's files to form a team of superheroes inSuperman's absence, especially after a global threat emerges whenSteppenwolf arrives in an attempt to destroy all life on Earth. Wayne attempts to recruit Curry, whom he encounters in a remote Icelandic village. Despite Wayne revealing his secret identity asBatman, Curry angrily declines Bruce's offer until he notices Steppenwolf'sParademons invade Atlantis. He helps PrincessMera against the demon, though both are subdued as Steppenwolf takes aMother Box under the Atlanteans' protection. Mera convinces Curry to go after Steppenwolf after mentioning his mother, who he believed had abandoned him.
Curry, who initially resents the Atlanteans, has a change of heart and comes to the aid of Wayne's team, which now includes Prince,Barry Allen, andVictor Stone, saving the team from a wall of water after they prevent Steppenwolf from taking a Mother Box guarded by humans underthe bay betweenMetropolis andGotham City.
Joining the team for good, Curry expresses skepticism as Batman decides to use the Mother Box to resurrect Superman. Though the team successfully revives him, Superman, having lost his memories, is provoked to briefly attack the group. In the skirmish, Steppenwolf takes the last Mother Box, as it was left unattended. As Superman leaves withLois Lane to regain his memories, the five other heroes recuperate at theBatcave. As the team resolves to confront Steppenwolf once more without Superman, Curry gives an impassioned speech, expressing gratitude for meeting the other metahumans and being part of something bigger than himself in the event they die.
Curry takes a part in the battle, protecting Cyborg as he attempts to pull apart the Mother Boxes, though the team's plan is foiled by Steppenwolf. Superman arrives, however, allowing the team to defeat the demon, who, overcome with fear, retreats back toApokolips when his own minions attack him.
Curry explains he wants to be "left alone" when Wayne invites him to join his team.Nuidis Vulko pleads for Curry's help in defending the Atlantean Mother Box when Arthur's half brotherOrm Marius refuses to send help, giving Curry the armor and his mother's trident. Curry personally saves Mera by intercepting Steppenwolf's axe while attempting to guard the Mother Box. After rescuing the team under Gotham Harbor, Curry joins in the unanimous vote amongst the team members to resurrect Superman, though he later expresses doubt. He and Prince join Stone and Allen in digging upClark Kent's body in Smallville, with Curry and Prince conversing about the historical rivalry between the Atlanteans and Amazons, which they both disagree with. Curry also expresses concern for Stone carrying out the final attack on the Mother Boxes mere hours after the death of his father,Silas.
After Stone and Superman separate the Mother Boxes in Russia, Aquaman impales Steppenwolf with his trident before Superman punches him into aboom tube and Wonder Woman decapitates him. Following the battle, Curry says goodbye to Vulko and Mera to see his father, Thomas.
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One year after Steppenwolf's defeat,[b] Curry begins to engage in morevigilantism, officially gaining the monikerAquaman from the media much to his chagrin. He confronts pirates hijacking aRussianAkula-class submarine. Their leader, Jesse Kane, is killed in a failed attempt to kill Curry, and his sonDavid vows revenge.Orm Marius, King of Atlantis and Curry's half-brother, convincesKing Nereus ofXebel to help unite Atlantis and attack the surface world for polluting the oceans. Nereus notes that if Orm unites all four kingdoms, he will receive the title of Ocean Master, commander of the most powerful force on the planet.
Mera, who is betrothed to Orm, refuses to help them and tries to recruit Curry to stop the war. She gains his trust by saving Curry's father Thomas from atsunami summoned by Orm. Curry reluctantly accompanies Mera to a rendezvous with Vulko, who urges Curry to find the Trident ofAtlan, a magic artifact of Atlantis' first ruler, to reclaim his rightful place as king. They are ambushed by Orm's men, and Curry is captured. He is chained and presented to Orm, who blames him and the surface for Atlanna's death. Orm offers Curry an opportunity to leave forever, but Curry challenges him to a duel in a ring of underwater lava. Orm gains the upper hand and nearly kills Curry before Mera rescues him.
Curry and Mera journey to the fallen Kingdom of the Deserters hidden under theSahara desert where the trident was forged and unlock a holographic message that leads them toSicily, Italy. There they retrieve the trident's coordinates. The two are then attacked by David, who is now armed with Atlantean weapons and armor by Orm and calls himselfBlack Manta. Curry is caught off-guard and injured, but manages to defeat David and Mera destroys a tracking device from Orm disguised as a bracelet gifted to her. At their destination, Curry and Mera fend off amphibious monsters of the Trench and a wormhole transports them to an uncharted sea at the center of the Earth. They are reunited with Atlanna, who, 20 years earlier, survived her banishment to the Trench and escaped to the uncharted sea, alive and well.
Curry faces the Karathen, a mythicalleviathan and keeper of the trident, and voices his determination to protect both Atlantis and the surface, proving his worth and reclaiming the trident, which grants him control over the seven seas. Curry and Mera, with the assistance of Karathen and the Trench, lead an army of marine creatures against Orm. Orm's followers embrace Curry as the true king upon learning he wields Atlan's trident. Curry defeats Orm in combat but spares his life, and Orm accepts his punishment after discovering that Curry has rescued their mother. Atlanna reunites with Thomas, while Curry ascends to the throne with Mera by his side.
Sometime later, Curry is summoned byAmanda Waller to assist the vigilanteChristopher Smith / Peacemaker and a group of A.R.G.U.S. agents in their fight against an alien parasitic species, the Butterflies, alongside fellow Justice League membersDiana Prince,Clark Kent, andBarry Allen. However, they arrive too late to help, as Smith and the agents had already killed nearly all of the Butterflies. There, Smith confronts the League about their untimeliness, and mocks Curry regarding rumors about him engaging in sexual intercourse with fish, much to his irritation.[23]
After Barry Allen changes history by preventing his mother Nora's death, he finds himself in an alternate 2013 about to be invaded byGeneral Zod's forces. He and his 2013 self attempt to assemble the Justice League and contact Thomas Curry to learn Arthur's whereabouts. However, in this timeline, Thomas never met Atlanna and so Arthur never existed. Later, when Barry restores the timeline, he meets a drunk Arthur and tells him about his adventures.
Four years after becoming King of Atlantis,[c] and after his last meeting with the Flash,[d] Arthur has married Mera and had a baby son named Arthur Jr., who inherited his ability to communicate with marine life. He juggles his time raising his son in Thomas' home, being a superhero, and ruling Atlantis, but grows increasingly frustrated by the ruling council constantly vetoing his ideas. David Kane, still seeking revenge against him, acquires the Black Trident and becomes possessed by the ancient ruler Kordax. David's forces raid Atlantis forOrichalcum and burn it to drastically increase theGreenhouse effect, also unleashing a plague that kills several citizens including Vulko. Arthur suggests working with the surface world to reverse the environmental damage and cure the plague, but the council again vetoes him.
When Mera is hospitalized by a raid, Arthur decides to break Orm out of his prison in the desert and ask for his help. Orm agrees for the sake of the ocean and Atlantis. They interrogate an underwater mob boss called Kingfish and learn David hides in an island called the Devil's Deep. On the island, the brothers begin to bond while fending off monstrous plants and animals mutated by the orichalcum. They defeat several of David's men before David nearly overwhelms them. Reinforcements including a recovered Mera force David to flee. From Orm briefly touching the Black Trident, he learns of the history of the Lost Kingdom, Necrus, and how David needs a blood sacrifice from a descendant of Atlan to free Kordax from imprisonment. Realizing his son qualifies, everyone rushes to Thomas' home, but are too late to prevent David from injuring Thomas and abducting Arthur Jr.
David's repentant subordinateStephen Shin releases a signal allowing them to track David's submarine to Necrus in Antarctica. While they fight off monsters in Necrus, Stephen delays David from sacrificing Arthur Jr. long enough for Arthur and Mera to arrive and defeat him. When Mera flees with her son, David hurls the Black Trident at her, but Orm catches it and is possessed by Kordax. The possessed Orm sheds Arthur's blood and revives Kordax. Arthur grabs the Black Trident and is nearly possessed, but resists and successfully urges Orm to resist. Arthur destroys the Black Trident with the Trident of Atlan, destroying Kordax as well. When Necrus begins collapsing, Arthur attempts to save David, but he spitefully allows himself to fall into a fissure.
Arthur and Mera thank Stephen and Orm for their parts in saving their son. Since Orm is still widely hated by the Fisherman Kingdom, they allow him to hide and lie that he died in the final battle. Later, Arthur reveals Atlantis' existence to the surface world and asks for membership into theUnited Nations, giving a heartfelt speech that only by working together can the world be safe.
Zack Snyder's Justice League depicts a moment when the Mother Boxes converge, killing Curry and the Justice League. This version of events is erased whenBarry Allen enters the speed force and reverses time.
In visions of the future that Stone and Wayne receive,Darkseid personally murdered Arthur at some point while enslaving the Earth and corrupting Superman into his minion, prompting Mera to join Batman's resistance force to seek revenge.
Jason Momoa reprises his role as Aquaman inThe Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. Despite the other DC Comics figurines maintaining their classic comics appearances in the film, Aquaman's figurine has taken on his DCEU appearance and characterization, with the "Classic Aquaman" figurine serving as asurfboard for Momoa's rendition of the character.[25]
During the animated end credits sequence in the 2019 filmShazam!, Aquaman is seen having his picture taken with fans.
Though theHBO Max animated mini-seriesAquaman: King of Atlantis is non-canon to the main DCEU,[26] it references several events from the films and takes place shortly after Arthur becomes king inAquaman. He is voiced byCooper Andrews in the series.[27]
The DC Extended Universe version of Aquaman was included in the 2018 video gameLego DC Super-Villains. Alongside appearing as a playable character, two levels were included based on the2018 film.[28] The character was also featured as an outfit in the online video gameFortnite. Two outfits were released, one being his King of Atlantis outfit and the other being his alter ego Arthur Curry.[29]
Aquaman's reinvention in the DCEU has received general praise throughout the character's appearances in the DCEU, resulting in renewed interest in the character.[9] Miles Surrey described Jason Momoa's take on the character as "refreshing".[19] In a three-star review of the character's eponymous film, Geoffrey Macnab writes that Momoa's "self-deprecating" performance helped balance the film's portentousness, and that the film was an overall improvement over previous installments in the film series such asBatman v Superman andJustice League.[30]Matt Zoller Seitz ofRobertEbert.com likewise notes that Aquaman, as portrayed in the film, is able to balance absurdness with serious matters.[20] In addition, some analysts have noted similarities between Momoa's Aquaman andChris Hemsworth'sThor in theMarvel Cinematic Universe.[19]
CameosRT was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).
The plot description and characterization were adapted fromAquaman,Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,Justice League (film), andAquaman (film) at the DC Extended Universe Wiki, which are available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license.
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