In the post-Crisis period of the ’90s, many comic book heroes like Aquaman found their stories and origins in flux, reshaped itno something new in the wake of DC’s massive shake-up. Unfortunately for the King of the Seven seas, his new origin story  came with a terrible curse.

Traditionally, Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, is described as the product of two worlds. When Queen of Atlantis, Atlanna, meets and falls in love with a lighthouse keeper named Tom Curry, she becomes pregnant with their son, Arthur. It quickly became obvious that Arthur isn’t like other children, given his natural swimming ability and the ability to talk to fish. Eventually, Atlanna would reveal who she is and that Arthur os the rightful heir to the throne of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis.

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Post-Crisis, however, DC created a new origin for the King of Atlantis. In 1990’s Atlantis Chronicles #7, writer Peter David offers up a more supernatural source for Aquaman’s powers, thanks to an equally supernatural father. Atlan, a magical Atlantean prince is stated to have used his powers to seduce Atlanna. Together, the two conceived a child—meaning that neither Atlanna’s husband nor the land-living lighthouse keeper Tom is Aquaman’s true father. The secret of his conception is, unfortunately, not a secret easily kept due largely to Atlan’s distinctive blonde hair and Atlantis’ long-held superstitions.

In ancient Atlantis, Kordax was known as a brutal tyrant, and was easily recognizable due to his bright, blonde hair—seemingly a rarity in Atlantis. It was believed that any child born with blonde hair had the Curse of Kordax. Naturally, when Atlanna’s husband, King Trevis, sees his newborn son and his bright blonde hair, he decides that the infant Arthur is cursed. In a classic kingly move, the king of Atlantis decides to enter into the ancient practice of infanticide by exposure and abandons the baby on the chillingly named Mercy Reef to die.

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Returning home, Trevis stumbles upon Atlanna’s diary entries, which reveal that the baby is not his. Soon after, King Trevis commits suicide, taking the secret of the baby’s location to the grave. Lucky for Aquaman, however, he has the ability to speak to fish and is quickly adopted by a pod of dolphins, before he is old enough to make his way to land and the lighthouse where he would grow up. This dramatic beginning smacks of the wild ’90s world of comic books, with just a touch of the classics with its story steeped in ideas around kings and legitimate heirs. And, because it’s comics, the Curse of Kordax ends up being Aquaman’s biggest blessing, as it sets him on the path to becoming the great hero that he is.

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Bug Norman
(127 Articles Published)

Bug Norman is writer, reader, and lover of popcorn television. A current ESL educator, she’s answered phones, scrubbed toilets, worked as an intern on a film set, and now writes comic news for Screen Rant. She currently travels the world teaching English, and video chats with her elderly cat, McGonagall.

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