Early life and training Arthur Curry was born in 1986 to
Thomas Curry, a lighthouse keeper of
Māori descent living in
Maine, and
Atlanna, queen of
Atlantis. Atlanna entrusts her son Arthur to her trusted advisor
Nuidis Vulko for training, leaving him her trident, and voluntarily goes back to Atlantis, where she is sentenced to certain death by banishment to
The 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.
Security footage In 2015, through files
Bruce Wayne takes from
Lex Luthor, footage of Curry attacking an
NSA drone that was following him in the Pacific Ocean is shown. Curry is one of several
metahumans that Luthor had been researching in an attempt to blackmail them. Wayne sends this information to fellow metahuman
Diana Prince.
Stopping Steppenwolf Theatrical cut 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 in
Superman's absence, especially after a global threat emerges when
Steppenwolf 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 as
Batman, Curry angrily declines Bruce's offer until he notices Steppenwolf's
Parademons invade Atlantis. He helps Princess
Mera against the demon, though both are subdued as Steppenwolf takes a
Mother 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, and
Victor Stone, saving the team from a wall of water after they prevent Steppenwolf from taking a Mother Box guarded by humans under
the bay between
Metropolis and
Gotham 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 with
Lois Lane to regain his memories, the five other heroes recuperate at the
Batcave. 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 to
Apokolips when his own minions attack him.
Director's cut 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 brother
Orm 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 up
Clark 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 a
boom tube and Wonder Woman decapitates him. Following the battle, Curry says goodbye to Vulko and Mera to see his father, Thomas.
King of Atlantis . One year after Steppenwolf's defeat, Curry begins to engage in more
vigilantism, officially gaining the moniker
Aquaman from the media much to his chagrin. He confronts pirates hijacking a
Russian Akula-class submarine. Their leader, Jesse Kane, is killed in a failed attempt to kill Curry, and his son
David vows revenge.
Orm Marius, King of Atlantis and Curry's half-brother, convinces
King Nereus of
Xebel 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 a
tsunami summoned by Orm. Curry reluctantly accompanies Mera to a rendezvous with Vulko, who urges Curry to find the Trident of
Atlan, 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 the
Sahara desert where the trident was forged and unlock a holographic message that leads them to
Sicily, 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 himself
Black 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 mythical
leviathan 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.
Project Butterfly Sometime later, Curry is summoned by
Amanda Waller to assist the vigilante
Christopher 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 members
Diana Prince,
Clark Kent, and
Barry 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.
Erased and Restored After Barry Allen changes history by preventing his mother Nora's death, he finds himself in an alternate 2013 about to be invaded by
General 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.
Life as King of Atlantis Four years after becoming King of Atlantis, and after his last meeting with the Flash, 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 for
Orichalcum and burn it to drastically increase the
Greenhouse 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 subordinate
Stephen 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 the
United Nations, giving a heartfelt speech that only by working together can the world be safe. ==Alternate versions==