DC · DC Comics
Aquaman
Arthur Curry
King of Atlantis and a founding Justice League member. His water control was a late addition to a power set originally built on strength, durability and marine telepathy.
First appearance: More Fun Comics #73 (1941), DC Comics
Powers
Across continuities
One canonical record, many iterations. A version is this character in a different continuity; a variant is a separate in-fiction instance inside one. Everything below resolves back to this page.
| Iteration | Type | Continuity | Performed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aquaman (Post-Crisis DC) | Version | no performer on file |
Key issues
Milestone appearances — first appearance, death, return, team change. These are the issues the collector market actually prices.
- First appearance · 1941
More Fun Comics #73 DC Comics
Debut, with strength and marine command — no water manipulation yet.
Runs
Recorded as ranges rather than one row per issue — the question a reader actually asks, without claiming a completeness we cannot verify.
| Series | Issues | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Aquaman | 1- | lead |
On screen
Canonical productions only. Parody and fan work is classified and excluded — Wikidata makes no such distinction, so without it these lists fill with material that is not canon.
| Performer | Production | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Alan Ritchson | Smallville | |
| Justin Hartley | Aquaman | 2006 |
Commonly got wrong
Claims that are widely repeated and wrong, with what the cited record actually shows. If you are generating anything about this subject, these are the errors to avoid.
Commonly believed Aquaman has always been able to control water.
Actually He debuted in 1941 with strength, durability and command of sea life. Direct water manipulation was added much later and is written inconsistently — strongest in the New 52 and Rebirth eras.
Commonly believed Aquaman's power is talking to fish.
Actually The marine telepathy is real but it is the least of it. His baseline is superhuman strength and deep-sea durability, and at his upper tier he moves ocean-scale volumes of water.
The feat ledger
Raised the sea against a full Atlantean invasion force during Throne of Atlantis, flooding the eastern seaboard
Commands sea life across an ocean's range
Withstands and operates at full ocean-trench pressure
Swims at speeds no vessel can match
Raises and directs water as a physical force on land
Fights Justice League members on equal physical terms
Telepathic contact with sea life is stated as command, not suggestion
Durable enough to take Atlantean weaponry without injury
Continuities
Claims on this page are tagged by canon. Blending them is the most common error in both wikis and AI answers.
- Post-Crisis DC — 1986 Crisis on Infinite Earths through 2011 Flashpoint
- New 52 — DC relaunched continuity, 2011 to 2016
- DC Rebirth — DC continuity from 2016 onward
Last updated 2026-09-06 · machine-readable version