Aquaman is a fictional character and a superhero appearing in comics published by DC Comics and in all adaptations based on these comics. Aquaman was created by writer Mort Weisinger and artist Paul Norris and made his debut in More Fun Comics vol.1 #73 (November 1941). The character has undergone many changes, with his later incarnation largely inspired by the Marvel Comics character Sub-Mariner, who debuted in Marvel Comics vol.1 #1 (1939), as well as the superhero known as The Shark, whose adventures were published in Amazing-Man Comics from 1939.
Originally (in More Fun Comics vol.1 #73), he was an ordinary human, the son of a sea explorer who gained the power to live underwater as a result of an experiment performed on him, so he could uncover the secrets of the ancient civilization of Atlantis. The character’s later origin was significantly changed. In Adventure Comics vol. 1 #260 (May 1959), he was shown as a hero with the name Arthur Curry, the son of a lighthouse keeper and a woman banished from Atlantis. Initially, the character was a supporting character in DC comics, but later, separate Aquaman comics were published. In the late 1950s and 1960s, known as the Silver Age of Comics, Aquaman was one of the founders of the main team of DC Comics superheroes – the Justice League. His origin was rewritten again by Peter David in the 1990 series The Atlantis Chronicles, where he was depicted as the king of Atlantis, named Orin, and his parents were the Atlantean queen Atlanna and a demigod named Atlan.
Aquaman is known as a superhero who can live underwater, is capable of swimming at a speed of 100 miles per hour, and communicating telepathically with oceanic life forms. For decades, his costume consisted of an orange tunic, black swim trunks, and green gloves and leggings. In recent years, his trident has increasingly been used as a weapon, commonly associated with the Greek god Poseidon or the Roman god Neptune. Known as the King of the Seven Seas, he is one of the main members of the Justice League.
The character of Aquaman has also appeared in live-action TV shows, animated series, and films, as well as computer games. In the TV series Smallville, the role of Aquaman was played by American actor, model, and singer Alan Ritchson. The CW network also planned to air a separate Aquaman series with Justin Hartley (later the actor who played Green Arrow in Smallville) in the title role, but the pilot was never even broadcast and was later available for download on iTunes. Warner Bros. has announced plans to make a live-action Aquaman film several times. Aquaman first appeared on the big screen in the film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, with Jason Momoa playing the role. In 2017, Aquaman appeared in the film Justice League as a member of the superhero group of the same name. A solo Aquaman film premiered at the end of 2018.