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Atlanna was an Atlantean royal and the mother of the half-brothers Arthur Curry (Aquaman) and Orm (Ocean Master).

In her earlier youth before ascending the throne of Atlantis, princess Atlanna would often wander from the confines of her undersea kingdom. One night during a horrendous storm a sailboat carrying her future husband, Tom Curry, capsized, throwing him overboard to drown. Atlanna saved the seafarer and the two would soon fall in love.[3] Atlanna would live with Tom at his lighthouse in Amnesty Bay, their union ended up begetting a son whom she would ask to be named as a surface dweller. Thus, Arthur Curry was born and named on dry land.

They were happy for a time, watching over their child as he began to grow up. But the dutiful wanderer soon remembered she was of Atlantean royalty and could not safely stay with her new family.[4][5] With a broken heart, Atlanna would eventually return home to her lonely solitude, where she was married off in an imperial wedding to resident naval captain Orvax, who was then a decorated veteran of the Atlantean Army. Atlanna eventually gave birth to a son with Orvax, whom they named Orm. But the matrimonial pursuit was a less than happy one. Her new husband was an abrasive sort with a history of mental and emotional instability, who regularly abused his wife and son while exceeding his authority.[6]

Much of their marital fallout stemmed from the inherit surface-hating persona her husband blatantly showcased. He and his confidantes in the Atlantean Army would regularly sink human ships out of spite, a pastime which greatly perturbed Marius's wife. Whenever Atlanna would confront him on his cruelty, he would assault her in full view of their son.[6] These relational disputes reached a fever pitch when Orvax found Atlanna wanting to return to the surface so she could be with her other family, but the cruel king consort boasted he had already killed them in another of his surface raids to keep her from leaving him.[7]

In a fit of rage and despair, the embittered queen stabbed her husband through the heart with her royal scepter, killing him instantly. When Orm walked in on his father's murder, Atlanna pled innocent stating her husband had been assassinated by one of his many enemies.[7] On Orm's adolescence ascension ceremony, Atlanna had prepared his favorite play to be shown in order to commemorate the occasion, but this was in fact an elaborate ruse in order to escape the oppressive rule of her homeland and its stifling laws.[6] She faked her own death in an 'accident' during the play where it would seem that she had been incinerated. The Atlanteans blamed Orm, which was never Atlanna's intent, and she made her escape from Atlantis forever.

Maelstrom

After having left her home, Atlanna used an old transportation artifact called The Maelstrom and found herself a new domain to live her own life in a place called Pacifica. She eventually created a tumultuous peace there, until Arthur of Atlantis showed up.[8] The secret land was founded by other sea-dwelling nomads who wished to flee the obstructive regime of Atlantean culture. After meeting and defeating Arthur, the disillusioned former queen refused to believe he was truly her son, believing him dead at Orvax's hands. Her chief advisory Lenu informed Arthur and his beloved Mera about how Atlanna had been studying up on ancient lore in secret which would enable her to finally escape Atlantis and never be found. Lenu said that Atlanna used Maelstrom warp gates to travel across the world as well as to other worlds in order to find Pacifica. She also rounded up any and all purple-eyed Atlanteans who knew of the sordid history of her new domain for their protection, as well as to use their help to bury any mention of its existence.

Brandishing a particularly cultivated hatred of her former life, she recounted how treacherous and horrible her culture truly was - from her experiences with power hungry militants eagerly marrying into the throne, to the obvious hatred the Atlantean Council showed towards the ruler. As she prepared her sacrifice to the island's volcanic entity Karaku, her son recovered enough strength to whisk away Mera. Atlanna would soon give chase after staving off the volcano god, communing with the island herself to get a fix on their location. Shortly after catching up to the trio, Arthur's battalion showed up through the portal in order to aid their king. Meanwhile, Karaku descended upon both parties, flinging down Fire Trolls on all of them.

Lenu surmised the volcanic beast had become threatened by all the different entities teaming upon its island and now acted to wipe them all clean. Atlanna fought off Karaku, realizing that she would be doomed in doing so but refusing to give up. Arthur managed to save her at the last possible moment.[9]

In order to distract Karaku, Atlanna rescued Arthur from the volcano god's wrath while Mera destroyed Karaku using her hydrokinesis. With the volcano god defeated, Arthur and Mera comforted one another before Atlanna moved in to deliver the killing blow. Still refusing to believe that Arthur was her son even after everything they had been through, with all other options exhausted Arthur finally proved his worth to Atlanna by showing her what he inherited. He called all the amalgamated creatures within the surrounding area to his side, proving to her once and for all that he was truly her son. Left in tears at this revelation, Atlanna simply opened the doorway back to Earth sending both her son, Mera and the rest of their party back to the home which she left behind. She also sent Arthur's Royal Trident back with her royal signet attached to it, as well as a Shell of Sounds, which delivered a message to her son.

In the message, Atlanna said that she now believed her newfound son's words and actions. She asked Arthur not tell Orm that she was alive until she is ready to tell him herself, genuinely believing that Atlantis may be changing for the better under the rule of her son of both worlds.

Powers

Abilities

Equipment

  • Shell of Sounds: A relic that can contain recorded memories and dialog from the user, in order to convey their memories to future generations.

Transportation

  • The Maelstrom: Atlantean themed warp gates which were used by the old Atlantis as a means of expedient travel across the world and to other dimensions. They can only be accessed by relics of Atlantis as well as special destination tablets depicting desired locations.

Weapons

  • Staff of Storms: A powerful Atlantean spear which holds the forces of a hurricane within its tip, she can discharge bursts of torrential energy capable of stunning even super-Atlanteans like Aquaman.


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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