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Atlanna was the Queen of Atlantis and mother of Aquaman.

Earth-One History

Atlanna was born many centuries ago, on the continent of Atlantis, well before that nation sank beneath the ocean. She was, therefore, a citizen of the city-state during the time of the reign of Arion, Lord of Atlantis. She was a scientist by trade…a profession which, in those days when magic ruled, was held in much disfavor…and was able to survive the cataclysm by taking a serum of her own design that allowed her to breathe underwater; the serum also slowed her aging indefinitely, making her functionally immortal.

Over the years, Atlanna hid herself away from her fellow Atlanteans, continuing to live in seclusion for fear that her blonde hair, coupled with her miraculous survival of the sinking of the city, would make her an outcast. (Atlanteans have a long history of being suspicious of people with blonde hair, as shown in The Atlantis Chronicles; additionally, she was unaware that others had used sorcerous means to make the surviving Atlanteans water-breathers.) She continued her scientific research and became quite skilled in robotics, but over the years became extremely lonely as well. Finally, in the latter part of the 20th century, she met an American lighthouse keeper and former Navy man named Thomas Curry, whom she fell in love with and married. Recognizing that she would outlive him, however, she planned to have him by her side forever by copying his memories into electronic form and transferring them into a robot that she would create. As time went on, Atlanna became pregnant, and in due time gave birth to a son, who was named Arthur by his father and nicknamed Orin by Atlanna. This child would ultimately grow up to become the hero Aquaman.

Unfortunately, the birth process was extremely hard on Atlanna, sending her into a coma that was so deep that it seemed she had died. The grieving Tom Curry commissioned his wife's body to the sea that she loved, and she remained in that comatose state for many more years before awakening again. When she did, it was clear that she had lost her grasp on sanity as well.

In this state, she wandered about the ocean floor, and came across a prophecy that had been delivered by the Delphius Oracle…whom Atlanna's sister, Atlena, had served as a priestess before the Great Cataclysm. In this prophecy, it was foretold that a child would be born who would be the savior of both land and sea. Atlanna became convinced that her son, Aquaman, was that prophesied savior, and that this was an abomination in the eyes of God; thus, she determined that she would have to slay Aquaman, and set about the task of creating and gathering allies to help her do this. Among these allies were Aquaman's half-brother and longtime foe, THE OCEAN MASTER, and her own creation, the robotic POSEIDON.

Ultimately, Aquaman was able to save himself from this plot, and Atlanna was apparently killed in the resultant battle.[2]

New Earth History

The collapse of the Multiverse following the Crisis on Infinite Earths restructured Atlanna's known history. In the rebooted timeline, Atlanna was actually the wife of sterile King Travis of Atlantis, but she had a son with the magus Atlan. Her son Orin was born with blond hair, a trait that was considered an ill omen to the superstitious Atlanteans. She was exiled from Atlantis for many years. She eventually returned to her home country, but was imprisoned. During her incarceration, she became close with the elderly scholar Vulko. Orin saw his mother only once as an adult during a time when he too was a prisoner. Atlanna grew ill and passed away in the prison.[3]

Powers

Abilities

Weaknesses

  • Asphyxiation: Atlanteans can only exist outside of water for a limited period of time or else they will dehydrate, asphyxiate and ultimately die


  • Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.

Related

Footnotes



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Aquaman Family member
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This character is or was an ally of Aquaman, and a member of the Aqua-Family and/or its supporting cast. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "Aquaman Supporting Cast" category. See also: Aquaman Villains.

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