Aquaman
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Real Identity: King Orin
Affiliation(s): Atlantis and Justice League
Appearance(s): Independence Day Part One, Part Two, Downtime, Homefront, Revelation, Coldhearted, Agendas, Usual Suspects, Auld Acquaintance, Happy New Year, Alienated, Before The Dawn, War, Intervention, Summit, Endgame, Quiet Conversations, Teg Ydaer!, Nautical Twilight, Ebb Tide, Emergency Dive, Leviathan Wakes, and Zenith and Abyss
Appearances (Comics): Stopover, Monkey Business, Face Your Fears (Memory), What's The Story?, Fears, The Pit..., ...Here There Be Monsters, and Yesterday's Children: Memory Six
Appearances (Games): Legacy
Powers/Skills: Maritime Telepathy, Enhanced Strength, Underwater Survival, and Unarmed Combat
Voiced By: Phil LaMarr
Orin was born in 1981. While Atlantean, Orin was raised for time by a human foster father and went by "Arthur Curry." Orin became ruler of Atlantis and watched over two thirds of the planet. Many came to know him as the superhero Aquaman in 2001. Years ago, Aquaman joined several heroes from the surface world to aid in a crisis and stopped the Appellaxian invasion in February 2003. Aquaman co-founded the Justice League as its 6th member that month.
During a battle against Ocean Master in 2008, who was secretly his older half-brother Orm, Aquaman was defeated and aided by two students named Garth and Kaldur'ahm. Aquaman recovered and defeated Ocean Master. He contemplated the need for someone to one day inherit the mantle of Aquaman and he offered the boys the chance to become his protege. Garth turned down the offer but Kaldur'ahm accepted and became Aqualad.
Two years later, on July 4th, at 6:02 Hawaiian Standard Time (HST), 29 year old Aquaman and Aqualad defeated Killer Frost then traveled to the Hall of Justice in Washington D.C. somehow beating Flash and Kid Flash. On July 5th, 12:41:16 Coordinated Universal Time Offset -03 (UTC-03), in the Atlantic Ocean, Aqualad clarified he and others meant no disrespect to the Justice League. Aquaman quickly acknowledged their actions were rather wise. On August 21st, he attended Kent Nelson's funeral. On August 27th, he and Queen Mera announced they were going to have a child. However, the celebrations were interrupted when he was called away for Justice League mission to Tokyo Bay.
On September 7th, Aquaman was on a mission with the Justice League but later returned to Poseidonis. He pardoned Ronal for helping defeat Ocean-Master. At 07:01 UTC-2, he thanked Aqualad, Superboy, and Miss Martian for their help. On September 22nd, Aquaman arrived with other members of the Justice League to find the Cave invaded, the Team neutralized, and Red Tornado missing. On October 2nd, 01:55 Central European Summer Time (CEST), Aquaman and Martian Manhunter fought Plant Creatures in Paris, France. They later arrived in Bayou Bartholomew with the rest of the Justice League. On November 11th, Aquaman worked with Aqualad, Batman, Flash, and Robin to destroy a Flying Ice Fortress. On November 25th, 06:54 EST, Aquaman attended a League meeting at the Watchtower. He was against Red Arrow being inducted and cited his disrespectful attitude then questioned Captain Marvel's status as a member in the wake of the revelation he was actually a 10-year-old boy. On December 30th, Aquaman was present at the Hall of Justice for the induction of The Atom, Dr. Fate, Icon, Plastic Man, and Red Arrow. At 23:46 EST, the enthralled League welcomed Vandal Savage to the Watchtower.
On December 31st, after 23:16 EST, Red Arrow was pursued by Aquaman, Green Arrow, and the Flash in Washington D.C. put he escaped them by going into a drainage pipe. Around midnight, Aqualad opened an airlock on the Watchtower to immobilize Aquaman, Flash, and Green Arrow. They were knocked out when they collided into the closing door then Curotech was applied to them. On January 1st, Team Year One, Aquaman was present at the debriefing about Red Arrow. On February 1st, Aquaman became a father. Orin and Mera's son Artur was born. Over time, Aquaman also became mentor to Tempest and Aquagirl that year. In Team Year Two, Ocean-Master's secret identity was revealed and he was captured. In a span of six years, Orin tried to visit Orm in prison 16 times but left each time without seeing him. He became mentor to Lagoon Boy in Team Year Four.
On February 17th, Team Year Five, Aquaman went to Santa Prisca to investigate the sudden rise of toxic metals in the water and soil. After a communication with Watchtower in the vicinity of Atabey's Shrine, Aquaman was captured by Bane. Bane kept Aquaman's belt buckle while he was transferred to the custody of Black Manta, who relished the chance to kill his sworn enemy. The Team, meanwhile, deduced Lex Luthor's connection to the Light's global search for fragments of a millenia-old statue and went to Santa Prisca. Batman transmitted rendezvous coordinates to Alpha Squad but they ran into Black Manta Troopers instead. Alpha made their way to the drilling site under Atabey's Shrine. They disabled the Manta Flyer before it could fully power up then destroyed several generators, freeing Aquaman, and defeated Black Manta. Black Manta suddenly revealed Aquaman had been keeping something from Aqualad for years. Aquaman quickly reminded Alpha that Luthor was getting away with the statue fragment.
Aquaman elected to slow down Luthor's hovercrafts from below the surface while Apha targeted the engines. They reunited on the lead craft and ran for Luthor but he fled the scene. Back at Mount Justice, Aqualad pushed Aquaman to explain what Black Manta was alluding to. Aquaman revealed Black Manta was Aqualad's biological father. Shocked at the revelation and Aquaman's choice to protect with a lie, Aqualad stormed off. Distraught, Aquaman didn't continue and exited the Cave by Zeta-Tube.
In Team Year Six, Aquaman was shaken out of his denial when he saw firsthand that Aqualad was now working with Black Manta. He voiced his regret over concealing the fact Black Manta was Aqualad's biological father. This did little to sway Aqualad and he fired a missile at the heroes. On March 31st, Aquaman joined a conversation between Captain Atom and Nightwing to inform them of the Reach going public before the Justice League could expose them. On May 23rd, 21:21 EDT, Aquaman attended a briefing aboard the Watchtower on what would be later identified as the Warworld. He helped in the rescue effort when Warworld's gravitational influence caused mini-tidal waves.
On May 26th, Aquaman and Nightwing coordinated the joint offensive on the Warworld. On May 30th, Aquaman guarded the Crystal Key chamber with The Atom and Flash. On June 19th, 05:24 EDT, Aquaman was present on the Watchtower when Aqualad was given back leadership of the Team from Nightwing. Things took an unexpected term when the unconscious Black Canary, Captain Marvel, and Black Lightning were returned to the Watchtower by a Hush Tube and watched as the Warworld left Earth's orbit. On June 20th, Aquaman was assigned to Eta Squad with Tempest to disable the Magnetic Field Disrupters. He attended Wally West's funeral later that month. In Team Year Seven, Orin retired as Aquaman to focus on his duties as High King of Atlantis and passed the mantle on to Kaldur'ahm according to his long-term plan. On January 2nd, after 11:19 UTC-2, Team Year Nine, Kaldur'ahm introduced a recently rescued meta-human girl to High King Orin and Wyynde but she did not want to reveal her name. Orin told her it was all right because she was starting a new life in Atlantis and when the time was right, she could choose a new one.
She thanked him but was curious why he stopped being Aquaman. He noted ruling Atlantis was more than enough responsibility for any person and it was always his intent for Kaldur'ahm to succeed him when he was ready. Orin believed he was most certainly ready. He was honored. Orin complimented his work with the League and it honored all of Atlantis. He revealed news of the Outsiders already reached Poseidonis and he and Queen Mera were impressed, particularly with their defeat of Professor Ivo. Kaldur'ahm agreed they did admirable work under difficult circumstances then apologized about ending their conversation but they had a prior rendezvous. Orin understood and wished him godspeed. On April 20th, 15:56 UTC-2, Team Year Ten, Orin welcomed the delegates of the Atlantean city states to the opening ceremonies of their annual conference in Poseidonis then introduced his cabinet and had the delegates introduce themselves. Nanaue voiced his displeasure at the absence of a delegate from Xebel. Orin assured everyone the delegate would arrive by the time the conference began proper the next day.
They adjourned and he invited them to sample the pleasures of Poseidonis. He asked Mera to contact her father, Ryus Nereus, again to get him to send someone. He went outside and thanked La'gaan for keeping an eye on Artur. Artur inquired where his mother was going. When Orin revealed it was to talk to his grandfather, even Artur knew that was troublesome. Orin agreed and they departed with Rodunn escorting them. On April 21st, 09:58 UTC-2, Orin was aghast the delegate sent from Xebel was Bishop Beluga then called the conference to order. The delegates discussed increased hostility between borders but Nanaue blamed the effects of climate change on the ocean's food chains to justify his raids for the sake of survival. Orin tried to stress remaining civil if they were to hope to find any solutions. Calvin Durham brought up the wealth gap between Poseidonis and the other city states. Orin was about to present some viable solutions but Ocean-Master attacked them then the city with Neptune's Trident.
Orin declared he made a grave error. Ocean-Master advised him not to think of him as a brother because he did not. Orin dodged his blasts and tried to disarm him but he was electrocuted by the trident. He was then blasted into the sea floor. The others were no match for Ocean-Master but they were saved by a hooded stranger who accessed powerful mystic arts. Mera believed it was the Prophecy of the One True King coming true but Orin tabled that discussion to focus on the relief effort for Poseidonis. On May 14th, 07:42 UTC-2, Kaldur'ahm returned to the still-wrecked conference building and reported to Orin that he could not find Ocean-Master then apologized. Orin stated no apologies were necessary and reminded him he knew Ocean-Master was always a slippery fish and was aware Black Lightning pulled him away twice to lead Justice League missions. Orin was still bothered by Ocean-Master's sudden change in methods and sowing chaos for chaos sake. Kaldur'ahm speculated he just wanted revenge. Orin countered with why would he wait so long if that were the case. He asked La'gaan for his report.
La'gaan revealed there was unrest in nearly every city-state. Orin assumed the most was in Xebel. La'gaan confirmed King Ryus Nereus was inciting it and Poseidonis' reconstruction efforts made it look like the other city-state's needs were not as important. Orin believed they could not leave Poseidonis in ruins and repairs came from the general fund anyway, not the Atlantean treasury. He was annoyed it was an issue of perception. He remembered when he was Aquaman, everyone complained his focus was not on Atlantis and when Atlantis was his sole concern, no one was ever satisfied with his decisions. Kaldur'ahm understood the old adage "Heavy is the head that wears the crown" applied to the situation. Orion took some solace he got it. Orin met with Mera in the throne room. Mera believed the source of the unrest was those believing the stranger was part of the Prophecy of the One True King. Orin pointed out they drove Ocean-Master away before. Mera countered it was more about perception, to his chagrin. He asked her what the exact words of the prophecy were. She summoned the Tablet of the Widowhood and recited the prophecy.
Orin noticed the first condition of the prophecy was fulfilled perhaps too perfectly. He wondered if Ocean-Master threw the fight on purpose since that kind of manipulation would be more his style but admitted the stranger had real power. He asked Mera to gather the Widowhood and make the search for the stranger their top priority. He took a long look at the mural depicting him riding a giant seahorse. Poseidonis soon had a new threat to deal with, a pillar of fire left behind by a Lord of Chaos named Child. Orin used his telepathy to warn the sea life to stay clear of the pillar and the red waters around Poseidonis. He then issued a priority alert to all city-states and ordered every to stay inside the city's dome. He realized his role was crowd control. Orin noticed Blubber and helped get back back inside Poseidonis then ordered Rodunn to seal the dome. Orin was aghast at Ocean-Master arriving to capitalize on the chaos for his own ends. Ocean-Master revealed he came to help since ruling a dead ocean was of no interest to him.
Both Mera and his magic was not enough but the stranger returned and they successfully dissipated the pillar. Atlanteans recognized it was the prophecy. As expected, Ocean-Master turned on them but he was defeated by the stranger again. Orin stated he was under arrest. Ocean-Master charged but Orin decked him with an uppercut. Orin and Mera asked the stranger for his name so they could properly honor him but he was not interested. At her behest, he revealed he was Arion, the first ruler of Atlantis. On June 1st, 17:28 UTC-2, Orin and Mera were on hand at the Science Center when Vulko and Blubber ran tests to confirm Arion's identity. The results were inconclusive. Orin knew that was the best they could get short of recovering his crown and testing the hair follicles on it. Arion believed it was entombed under Xebel. Orin recalled archaeologists searched for centuries but found nothing. Arion pointed out their excavations barely went down a millennium. Orin imagined King Nereus was stewing in his own juices at the moment thanks to the rioting in the name of Arion there. Mera noted how well recent events lined up with the prophecy even if it muddied the waters.
Orin tasked Kaldur'ahm with taking a covert squad to Xebel to search for Arion's crown in the Undersea without drawing attention. He stressed the mission needed to be a success to prove or disprove the prophecy once and for all. On June 2nd, after 08:37 UTC-2, Orin visited Ocean-Master's prison cell. He wanted to know if he hated him from the start or if Vandal Savage turned him. Ocean-Master was not interested in repeating himself like in the past 16 visits. Orin realized something was wrong and asked Blubber to run DNA tests on Ocean-Master. He then headed to the Ninth Tride in search of Danuuth. M'chiste barred his entry into a bar and told him there was nothing to find there except trouble. Orin hinted his loyal subjects would disagree. M'chiste and the others looked up and saw many, many sharks above them. Orin went inside and found Danuuth. He confirmed his suspicions Ocean-Master was an impostor. Blubber revealed he was a clone. Orin was sure the arrival of the clone and Arion at the same time was not a coincidence and wanted to speak to the latter but he was missing.
On June 6th, 08:01 UTC-2, Orin confronted Ocean-Master but he denied he was a clone. Miss Martian performed a cursory read and verified he believed he was telling the truth. Orin took pity on him then revealed he visited the prison 16 times but never could bring himself to go to his brother's cell. Ocean-Master refused to believe it. Orin pointed out the visits would be of public record and stated his mind was not his own. Miss Martian offered to help but he refused to admit he was a clone. On July 3rd, 18:58 UTC-2, Orin, Mera, Lori Lemaris, and Nanaue Sha'ark discussed the growing crisis. Ryus Nereus naturally blamed Orin and Mera for failing to rule their kingdom. Orin had enough and countered that Nereus plotted his overthrow for years and sowed the seeds of the current crisis to both their rules. Nereus took insult to his words. They called a conference of delegates to order with the remaining remotely in attendance. Topo acted as Coral's proxy since she was in labor. Mera did not understand what he meant.
Topo clarified he thought they would be voting for the next High King. Orin deduced they were willing to hand the kingdom to someone they knew almost nothing about in order to protect their positions of power. Mera tried to convince him he didn't have to go through with the vote. Orin stated he was a king, not a dictator. Six voted for Arion and Nereus nominated himself. Arion was declared High King. Orin prayed their decisions were the right one for all their sake. At 19:36 UTC-2, Arion gave a public speech. Miss Martian hailed Orin on comms with news she restored the Ocean-Master clone's real memories along with the revelation that Arion was also a clone but with the memory engrams of the original Ocean-Master. Orin realized it was too late and no one would believe him. Kaldur'ahm arrived with the crown. Arion summoned it. Orin pleaded with Arion, revealing he knew he was Orm. Arion stated they were never brothers and put it on. The Lords of Order struck him down and he was vaporized.
Mera detected the crown was drained of power and what happened was proof Arion was false to the prophecy. She pleaded with everyone to take it as a sign to believe in themselves and not false prophets and that Orion was their true High King. He turned it down and proclaimed Mera was the one that fulfilled the prophecy, citing she was the best of those three cited in it. The people and the delegates all agreed. Mera was hesitant to accept but Orin admitted he was never comfortable with being king and she was raised for it. She accepted the crown and declared Atlanteans would be reunited as one people and their seven seas as one ocean. Orin led the kingdom in hailing its new High King. Kaldur'ahm inquired what his plans were. Orin revealed he would help raise Artur, support his wife and her rule, and return to active duty with the Justice League. Kaldur'ahm quickly relinquished the mantle but Orin mused if the League could include four Green Lanterns and two Flashes, it would embrace two Aquamen or three. La'gaan was shocked by the offer. Orin believed it was time. Kaldur'ahm congratulated him and revealed he would take a leave of absence.
Some time later, Miss Martian finished clearing the Orm clone's mind of programming and outside influence. Orin thanked her and informed the clone he was free to go. He did not understand. Orin explained he could not be held responsible for the crimes of the original Orm nor the crimes committed when his mind was enslaved by the Light. Orin then extended him the opportunity for a chance for them to be brothers. Orin returned to the throne room and settled in with Mera and Artur. For the Justice League Reserve System, Orin suggested to Superman that Atlantis was a potentially untapped resource for candidates. On September 13th, 17:38 EDT, Aquaman was present on the Watchtower when Miss Martian arrived to help establish communication with the trafficked meta-human residing within the Kaizer-Thrall. She discovered his name was Danny Chase and after being abducted, tested, activated, and trafficked, his brain was removed by Desaad and placed into the Kaizer. Aquaman was horrified by the barbaric act.
Chase wished to talk to everyone present and she set up a psychic link. Orin expressed remorse over what happened but Chase assured him it was not their fault but was happy they could see him. Black Lightning pledged they would do everything in their power to help him. After Prince J'emm J'axx and Phantom Girl zetaed to the Watchtower, Miss Martian introduced J'axx to Aquaman, Black Lightning, Probationary Green Lantern Forager, and Danny Chase. Phantom Girl then revealed she saved Superboy from the Gene Bomb explosion on M'arzz but due to several factors they both accidentally phased into the Phantom Zone and he fell under the influence of a Kryptonian criminal named Dru-Zod. Orion later arrived and a plan was formed to open a Boom Tube on Trombus, an uninhabited planet orbiting a red sun. Aquaman held down the fort while everyone boomed to Trombus.