When we said that the DC Universe is taking things to the Next Level, Aquaman took that literally. Starting this month with issue #15, the ongoing Aquaman comic series by Jeremy Adams and John Timms is rebilling itself as Emperor Aquaman—a lofty title indicative of the huge strides Aquaman has taken in the past year and change. For those of you who haven’t been keeping up with the book…well, let’s just say that you’re a few fathoms behind on what the King of the Seas has been up to lately. That’s perfectly fine. Showing up late is fashionable. We’re here to catch you up with the rest of the group.

LONG LIVE THE KING

So, the first thing you’ve got to know, in case you’ve been following the last few runs of Aquaman to this point: you may recall that Arthur spent a long time coming to the decision to abdicate the throne of Atlantis and abolish the monarchy, a decision which stood at the end of his previous run. Well…that didn’t take. Sometimes, a monarchy is what the people want. So, Aquaman, despite really preferring to spend his time going on heroic adventures, is sitting back down on the throne to govern Atlantis again.
 

THE NEW POWERS

The second thing you’ve got to know is that these days, Aquaman can do a whole lot more than swim well and talk to fish. You remember the Absolute Power event from a couple years ago, right? How Amanda Waller took everyone’s powers for a bit with a fleet of Amazo robots? Well, not all of them got put back the right way and Aquaman ended up with his wife Mera’s abilities to magically manipulate water.

But that’s just the start of it. Aquaman’s biggest upgrade comes from his new status as Avatar of the Blue. What’s the Blue, you ask? Well, in much the same way that Swamp Thing as Avatar of the Green has dominion and control over all plant life, Aquaman, after challenging the ancient tyrant water god Dagon for the title of Avatar, can now control all water, anywhere, and sense whatever occurs within it. That means, for instance, he can bring the full pressure of the ocean to crush you if you happen to challenge him within it.

He also wields a new weapon, forged for him by Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake, who also crafted the legendary sword Excalibur. Aquaman’s new blade—Thalassa, the Trilance Saber—is a weapon halfway between a sword and a trident with an extendable and retractable middle prong. The first time Aquaman used it, he cut through an entire sailing ship, lengthwise.

The most troubling of Aquaman’s new abilities, however, and the most untested, is that following the defeat of Darkseid in the DC All In Special, Aquaman was absolutely riddled with Omega Energy. It may be what’s allowing him to channel the Blue, and it may have some other effects on him yet to be explored. But all together, we’ve seen Aquaman take on not just ancient aquatic deities, but even a demon-possessed Superman and triumph. In short, Aquaman has spent the last year shooting way up the list of Justice Leaguers you don’t want to mess with.
 

THE NEW TEAM

Along with Aquaman’s new powers comes a new team of aquatic heroes, amassed during his confrontation with Dagon who now serve as his entourage. Informally, you can see them as a counterpart to Red Tornado’s own color-coordinated team, the “Justice League Blue.”

A brief roll call:

  • Arion, Lord of Atlantis – Ancient Atlantean sorcerer, displaced in time in the Blue through the water magic hoarding of Dagon.
     
  • Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake – Transformed upon Aquaman’s meeting of her into the monstrous sea witch Jenny Greenteeth, Aquaman and Arion teamed up to restore her to her former state as Arthurian legend.
     
  • Captain Nemo – Legendary undersea explorer of the 19th century in his submersible The Nautilus, also displaced in time by Dagon’s capture. For more on his adventures, you can read Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
     
  • Lori Lemaris – Psychic mermaid and Superman’s college girlfriend. Once beholden to Dagon as leader of his shock troops, “The Mer-Cenaries,” until Aquaman liberated her from his control.
     
  • Titanus – The team’s super strong powerhouse, a hammerhead shark-headed humanoid who once served as part of Dagon’s personal guard. Turned on Dagon to join Aquaman when Dagon started indiscriminately killing his own people.
     
  • Zan – The half of the Wonder Twins who can turn into water. (For his sister Jayna’s whereabouts, see Jeremy Adams’ Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps.) Aquaman found him trapped in a jug.
     
  • And finally, rounding out the team—until just a couple issues ago, that is—was a figure presumed to be Andrina Curry, Aquaman’s own infant daughter, aged by decades within the Blue. The truth is…more complicated.
     

THE STORY SO FAR…

Okay, so here’s what you need to know. When our story opens, Aquaman is training with Mera to use her new powers and doing his best to avoid his royal duties by jumping at any opportunity to fight aquatic bad guys. During one such occasion against a sentient elemental water beast, he returns to Atlantis to find it has disappeared along with everyone in it. Mera, Tempest, the other Aquaman, Jackson Hyde, his daughter Andrina—everybody. All that is left is a magically resonating pearl that Jackson had found on a prior escapade. With the Justice League’s help, Aquaman takes the pearl to a gateway in the ocean that matches its magical signature, which opens a gate to another realm—a gateway branded with Darkseid’s Omega symbol.

Aquaman takes the one-way trip through, absorbs the Omega Energy, and enters the Blue: the mystic heart of all aquatic life. There, Aquaman learns about the ancient water god Dagon, who has been using artifacts like the pearl—a “Tide Jewel”—to seize control of the element of water in all realms, planes and realities for himself. Gathering a team of allies from Dagon’s captives and subordinates, Aquaman overthrows Dagon with his new awesome powers and signature weapon, slaying the ancient god and taking his title for himself.

But through victory did Aquaman also find great tragedy, discovering his kingdom had aged decades while contained within the Blue in his absence. His queen, Mera, passes away on her death bed as Arthur comes to her side. Tempest and Jackson Hyde both perish in the battle with Dagon. And Andrina, who has grown up without him, joins his retinue as a capable warrior in her own right, so much like her mother.

But what Aquaman and the others (pardon the deep sea cut) don’t know is that Andrina is an imposter among them, who fabricated the aged Atlantis while keeping the true Atlanteans and their modern day denizens trapped elsewhere. In truth, the so-called Andrina is not Mera’s daughter, but her mother—the Xebelian Crimson Queen, Lolanna Meranna Challa. Working with Dagon, Lolanna uses a pair of Tide Jewels to siphon Arthur’s control over the Blue to herself as he competes in the King Omega tournament over in DC K.O. The true Mera, breaking free from her imprisonment to confront her mother, arrives just in time for Aquaman to return from the tournament, only for the Crimson Queen to banish him back into the Blue…which is where our story has us treading water now.

As for the “Emperor” aspect? Well, that’s yet to be told. But what we can say is that shortly before this confrontation, the Crimson Queen used her new powers to consolidate all seven of the undersea kingdoms—you’ll recall those from the Geoff Johns Aquaman run, or maybe even the Aquaman movies with Jason Momoa—under her solitary rule. Who’s to say what comes after that? One thing we feel comfortable guessing, however, is that uneasy though his head may be, Aquaman isn’t going to put down that crown any time soon.
 

Emperor Aquaman #15 by Jeremy Adams, John Timms and Rex Lokus is now available in print and as a digital comic book.

Alex Jaffe is the author of our monthly "Ask the Question" column and writes about TV, movies, comics and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Bluesky at @AlexJaffe and find him in the DC Official Discord server as HubCityQuestion.