Aqualad (Character)

Publisher: DC Comics

Real Name: Kaldur’ahm

Alias: Kaldur, Jackson, Jackson Hyde, Kaldur’ahm

Nationality:  American

Team Affiliations: Teen Titans

Legal Status: High school minor with no criminal record

Height: 5′ 9             Weight: 170 lbs

Eyes: Brown         Hair: Black

Relatives: Lucia (Mother), Black Manta (father), Deluge/Delilah (Sister), Unnamed grandmother (Status unknown), Lokua (Grandfather, deceased)

Skills and abilities: Skilled in the use of weapons

Powers: Jackson has the power of Hydrokinesis- allowing him to shape, manipulate and control water in his immediate vicinity. In addition to this, he manifests webbed hands and gills when in contact with water. He can also release an electrical charge throughout his body. Since being born in the Bermuda triangle it has been theorized that he has the additional power to unlock the Xebel prisons found there.

He also possesses weapons called “water bearers” which allows him to better focus his powers.

(Brightest day/Pre-New 52)

Created by: Greg Weisman, Brandon Vietti, and Phil Bourassa

1st appearance: Brightest Day #4, 2010

Biography

Jackson’s mother was abducted in the Bermuda triangle by Xebel forces (a rogue fanatic sect of Undersea people who can manipulate water). They performed experiments on his mother and him and she died while undergoing the process. The experiments gave him the power to release them from their prison but he was stolen by princess Mera who took him to his Aunt and Uncle in New Mexico.  As he grew up he was warned to never come in contact with water but as he grew older however he eventually did and manifested powers. His adopted dad took him to a place containing a treasure also left by Mera and his biological father Black Manta and Aquaman showed up and battled for the boy. Traveling with Aquaman he learned of his heritage and his destiny as prophesied in the Aquawar. He joined with the rest of the Aqua family to battle Black Manta and the Xebel Forces. It was he who successfully sealed the dimensional breach thus ending the threat to the world.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

(New 52-Era)

First Appearance: DCU: Rebirth #1 (July 2016)

Created by: Greg Weisman · Brandon Vietti · Phil Bourassa

Biography

Jackson’s mother hailed from the Atlantean Kingdom of Xebel in the Bermuda Triangle, while his father was the treasure hunter and super-villain known as Black Manta. They met when Manta infiltrated Xebel to get access to the map that leads to the Black Pearl, a powerful artifact. Jackson’s mother was unaware of his true nature and helped him, being promised life on land after they succeeded, but when she learned of his secret intentions, she fled to the surface world with the map and started calling herself Lucia Hyde.

On the surface world Lucia gave birth to Jackson, who quickly showed signs of having inherited her Atlantean physiology and hydrokinetic powers. To keep Jackson safe and secret from his father, Lucia moved to New Mexico as it was very far from the ocean. Growing up Jackson wasn’t told anything about his father and had to keep the secret of his power, even though he yearned to learn about his heritage and the origins of his powers. Believing that she couldn’t fully take away Jackson’s history, Lucia gave Jackson the Black Pearl map, enclosed in a necklace, even though he wasn’t aware of that. At some point, Jackson came out as gay, which his mother was apprehensive about, as it made him stand out more. In defiance of this Jackson bleached his brown hair blond and got a boyfriend named Kenny.

Joining the Teen Titans

Feeling trapped in his home town Jackson made plans to leave and join the teenage super-hero team Teen Titans. Upon telling Kenny about this and revealing his powers he promptly broke up with him. Once Jackson arrived at the Titans Tower and met the team, consisting of Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Kid Flash, he was immediately dismissed by Robin. Despite being left behind Jackson followed them on a mission to fight the Aquaman villain King Shark, who had taken over a prison. He defeated the villain and discovered he could breathe underwater while saving Robin from drowning. Afterward, Robin allowed Jackson onto the team and gifted him a modified diving suit as a costume.

During a team-up with the Titans, Jackson was asked about his heritage by Tempest and he admitted that he didn’t know about it himself. Garth offered to help him find out someday.

Blood of the Manta

After training with Robin he gave Jackson a portable water tank with two hilts to gain better control of his power, focussing it on small constructs such as melee weapons. At his first reunion with his mother since he left for San Francisco, she explained that he inherited his powers from her and that she hid him to protect him from his evil father. They were attacked by Black Manta, who revealed that Jackson was his son and made him accompany him on a quest to find the Black Pearl, using the map from his necklace. Before arriving Jackson was grabbed by a giant sea monster, but Manta helped him use his powers to defeat it. He forced Jackson to access the artifact, as only those of the seas could reach for it, but upon realizing that Manta only used him Jackson attacked his father. With his new power, Black Manta easily defeated Jackson and each of the arriving Teen Titans until Jackson released a powerful blast of electricity, that knocked him out. Taking back the Pearl and leaving him to drift off, the team returned to Titans Tower. There Jackson was granted a belt buckle with the symbol of Aquaman and the title of Aqualad by its former holder, Tempest.

When Star City was threatened by a tidal wave, caused by the villain Onomatopoeia, Aqualad was instrumental in collapsing the wave before it could hit the city.

Super Sons of Tomorrow

When Tim Drake from an alternate future, called Savior, wanted to eliminate Superboy because his Solar Flares threatened humanity, Aqualad was decidedly against killing him, along with Starfire and Kid Flash. After a small Solar Flare destroyed Titan Tower, the trio was temporarily entranced by Raven, who decided to follow Savior along with Beast Boy. To get to them before the other team Jackson traced the way to the Super Sons’ secret hideout through the water. They arrived at their base first and Aqualad was able to incapacitate both Robin and Superboy.

Family Matters

One night Jackson is approached by Black Manta, who wants his help for a personal mission. They travel to a cemetery on Rhode Island, where they encounter a man named Oscar at Black Manta’s mother’s grave. Oscar was Jackson’s grandmother’s second husband, after Black Manta’s father Jesse Hyde. Black Manta confronted him about not using the money he left them for her treatment, but Oscar replied that she never wanted to accept his bloody money. Jackson intervened before Black Manta could attack Oscar, throwing the two of them off a cliff. Once they got underwater the fight ended abruptly, after Black Manta couldn’t quite bring himself to drive a harpoon through his son.

One day Jackson was attacked by the Electrocutioner, who wanted to draw Black Manta out by publically beating his son. Jackson beat him up instead, only to find himself confronted by his father. He quickly ended the fight by breaking his helmet and filling it with water but made sure to let him survive.

Following the shattering of the Source Wall, this incarnation of the Teen Titans was disbanded.

Amnesty

Jackson traveled to Amnesty Bay with the hopes of becoming Aquaman’s partner. He helped with the resettling of the Sea Gods of the World[15][16] and aided Aquaman in the fight against a mythical sea monster.[17] When Amnesty Bay was attacked by Black Manta’s Mecha Manta[18] Jackson had a confrontation with his father[19] and then joined up with Mera to deliver a finishing blow to the Mech, utilizing their combined aquakinesis and his electrokinesis. However, Black Manta managed to get away with the Mech’s head as an escape pod.

Almost a year after the fight Jackson’s mother had joined him in Amnesty Bay, where they helped watch over Aquaman’s newborn daughter Andy. When she got kidnapped by the Ocean Master Jackson struck a deal with Black Manta to get the Mecha Manta’s head, with which they were able to find her.

Family Business

Around the time of the Atlantean wedding ceremony for Arthur and Mera Jackson delivered on his promise to Black Manta. In return for the pod, he had to go to Xebel and plant a device there that granted Manta access to the city. Once he got to the city he befriended a guard named Ha’Wea. The two quickly became close. Not long after the city was attacked by the Trench.[24] Jackson played a pivotal part in defeating the intruders, but he had to quickly return to Atlantis and left Ha’Wea with a kiss. He contemplated installing Black Manta’s device at first but decided that he should no longer live in fear of his father. Jackson and the Mech joined the battle against Orm’s forces and he was present for Arthur’s wedding to Mera.

The Becoming

Jackson spent time with Andy when the two of them were attacked by treasure hunters led by Scavenger. They were after the guide-stones, one of which Andy had found. Jackson defended her against them but had to be rescued by Mera. Insecure about his abilities he asked Arthur to step up his training.

Arthur took Jackson to Atlantis and introduced him to the Well, a virtual reality training simulator in a private grotto in the royal palace. After he finally beat the “Apokolips Campaign”, a scenario where he was the last surviving member of the Justice League on Apokolips, Arthur went on a mission to Mars, leaving Jackson to temporarily take on his duties as Aquaman. Jackson went to the surface and spent the day in Amnesty Bay, where he foiled a bank robbery and stayed for hours with a hostage until she felt safe again, all the while observed by an unknown man. That evening he returned to the Well, and a man in golden Atlantean armor emerged from the grotto and attacked him. The assailant overpowered Jackson and detonated a bomb, destroying the Well and part of the palace. Shaken, Jackson emerged from the grotto and was arrested by a squad of Atlantean soldiers for terrorism.

• 

• 

•