We may know him best as Khal Drogo in ‘Game of Thrones’, but Jason Momoa’s latest role sees him cast as one of DC’s most famous superheroes. But who exactly is Aquaman and what does his inclusion mean for Batman v Superman and the future Justice League movie?

Jason MomoaJason Momoa will be Aquaman

Who is Aquaman?

This is complicated. The son of an underwater explorer who discovered the kingdom of Atlantis, Aquaman made his first DC comics appearance 1941. In his original incarnation, he battled Nazi U boat commanders during World War II along with various other water based villains including the evil pirate Black Jack. But as DC moved into its Silver Age, Aquaman’s backstory became more fleshed out and his true identity as Arthur Curry was revealed. Now Aquaman’s father was Tom Curry, a lighthouse keeper who hailed from the lost city of Atlantis. Arthur’s magical heritage meant he was born with superpowers, which he decided to put to good use, devoting his life to defending the earth’s oceans. In the 1960s, Aquaman gained a protégée in Aqualad, a young orphan whom the hero took in and began to mentor. As for his personal life, after becoming the King of Atlantis, Aquaman married a woman named Mera and together they would have a son, Arthur Jr, who would also be known as Aquababy.

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But in 1989 Aquaman was rebooted and given a new (slightly more complicated) origin story. This time his real name was Orin and he was the son of Queen Atlanna and a wizard named Atlan who lived in the city of Poseidonis. Due to his blonde hair (which was the sign of a curse to Atlanteans) he was abandoned by his parents and forced to fend for himself in the ocean among the sea creatures. As an adult he would eventually returned to Poseidonis after the dictatorship was overthrown and became their new king. He then met and married Mera, with his story then picking up from where it had left off in the previous comics.

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What are his powers?

Aquaman’s main (and coolest) power is the ability to communicate with marine life and summon them great distances. Unsurprisingly he’s also a very strong swimmer who can breath underwater and see in near total darkness. However Aquaman also has once important weakness, he must come in contact with water at least once every hour or he will die. Later this problem was solved when Batman invented a ‘water suit’ for Aquaman which would allow him to walk on land for an indefinite amount of time.

Jason MomoaJason Momoa, soon to swap the sword for a harpoon

How does he fit into the Justice League?

Aquaman was a member of the original Justice League where he teamed with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter. He was also a founding member again when the team was relaunched as part of DC’s ‘new 52’ series, this line up would feature the additions of Cyborg, the Atom, Firestorm and the Elephant Woman to the team. As it pertains to the Batman v Superman movie, we know that Wonder Woman and Cyborg have been cast, so the question is, now we have an Aquaman who’s next? We wouldn’t want to speculate but perhaps it’s time to start lining up potential Atoms or Firestorms as the next additions to the Batman v Superman cast.