For alternate versions of Atlanna, see Atlanna's Character Hub. |
Atlanna is the mother of both Arthur Curry and Orm Marius, and the former queen of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Upon fleeing from an arranged marriage with King Orvax decades ago, Atlanna met and fell in love with Thomas Curry, whom she married later. A few years following Arthur's birth, Atlanna was forced to return to Atlantis and marry Orvax when several Men-of-War attempted to violently take her back under his orders.
However, several years after she gave birth to her second son Orm and took in Princess Mera of Xebel as her protégé, Orvax learned of Arthur's existence, leading him to disown her as his wife and sentence her to the Trench for loving a human. Despite the odds, Atlanna was able to fight her way through the Trench and make it all the way to the Hidden Sea within the Earth's core.
After living there alone for twenty years, Atlanna was reunited with Arthur and Mera when they came to the Hidden Sea to find Atlan's Trident. Once Arthur retrieved the Trident and defeated Orm, Atlanna returned to Maine to be with Thomas.
Biography[]
Meeting Thomas Curry[]
- "You dare speak of Queen Atlanna that way?"
"Your queen left me on my father's doorstep and never gave me another thought."
"Your mother left you to save your life." - ―Mera and Arthur Curry[src]
In 1985, Atlanna fled Atlantis as she did not want to marry Orvax as part of an arranged marriage. She met a human by the name of Thomas Curry, whom she fell in love with and married. A year later, in January, Atlanna had a child by Thomas, whom she named Arthur.[1]
However, due to dangers that would follow her newborn son should he be discovered, Atlanna was forced to abandon him with his father,[1] an act that affected her deeply.[2][3] To ensure her child never forgot where he came from, Atlanna left him her trident as her legacy, and also composed a short letter to be given to him upon reaching a certain age.[4]
Conceiving a second son and rescuing Mera[]
- "I knew her."
"Well, that makes one of us."
"When my parents fought in the wars, she took me in." - ―Mera and Aquaman[src]
- "Your mother loved you more than anything in the world, but she had to return to Atlantis to keep you safe. Her marriage to King Orvax was arranged a long time ago so she had to marry him and bear him a son, Prince Orm. "
- ―Vulko, to young Arthur Curry[src]
Returning to Atlantis, Atlanna was forced to go through with the marriage and some time after had a son with Orvax named Orm. it was likely the tyrannical Orvax forced himself on her to conceive Orm. During the wars in Xebel, when Mera was still a child, Atlanna took in the young princess, training her over the years.[2]
Sentenced[]
- "When Orvax eventually found out about you, he became overwhelmed with jealousy and sacrificed her to the creatures of the Trench."
- ―Vulko, to young Arthur Curry[src]
Eventually, when King Orvax found out about Arthur, he was overcome with jealousy and sentenced her to the Trench. Before she was sentenced, she asked for Vulko's promise that he would protect Arthur.[1]
However, she survived by going through the maelstrom in the Kingdom of the Trench that is a one-way portal leading to the Hidden Sea. There she lived for twenty years, fashioning herself a set of grey armor that resembles the Trench creatures, attempting to obtain the Trident of Atlan which is the only way to escape, but always thwarted by its guardian, Karathen.[1]
Reunited with Arthur[]
When Mera and Aquaman were swept apart by the maelstrom, Atlanna saved Mera from being devoured by a sea monster. Recognizing Mera, Atlanna removed her helmet, shocking Mera to see her former queen alive. Arthur approached the two and is shocked to see his mother alive and well. Atlanna and Arthur happily embraced each other as they're finally reunited after years of separation. Atlanna explained how she managed to survive her death sentence and remained trapped in the lost kingdom for years. She told Arthur not to blame himself for her situation as she made a choice to protect him and his father. When she asked about Thomas, Atlanna is moved when her son explained that his father walked to the pier and waited for her every day for the past years. Atlanna then told Aquaman what he needs to do to retrieve Atlan's trident and watched her son go through the waterfall to retrieve it. He eventually succeeded in retrieving the trident, wearing new Atleanean armor as she proudly called Arthur the true king of Atlantis.[1]
Reunited with Orm[]
After Aquaman defeats Orm in single combat, Orm angrily screams at Aquaman to kill him. However, Atlanna intervenes, asserting that there has been enough bloodshed already. Orm is shocked and overwhelmed at his mother's appearance, and the two share an affectionate embrace. Atlanna tells Orm that she loves him, but that he has been misguided, as the land and the sea are one. She gives his hand a final kiss as he is led away by Atlantean guards.
After Orm's departure, Atlanna hails her son Aquaman as the new king of Atlantis.
Reunited with Thomas[]
After Arthur's crowning as king of Atlantis, Atlanna returns to Thomas's lighthouse just as he walks down to the pier. Once he sees her, the two happily embrace and share a kiss.[1]
Personality[]
- "Your mother left you to save your life! You cannot imagine how it hurt her, what it cost her. But you're not a defenseless child now. It would have been her responsibility to follow that monster to the surface and stop it. Now, it's yours."
- ―Mera to Arthur Curry[src]
Atlanna is a brave, fearless, and caring woman, enough so that she took in Mera, the daughter of Xebel, as her protégée. She is also strong-willed, as she ran away from Atlantis to escape an arranged marriage. When she met Thomas Curry, she attacked him at first, but upon waking the next morning, she was kind to him. She grew to love him and his world, living with him for several years and even raising their son before she returned to Atlantis.
When Atlantis discovered where she was, Atlanna attacked and killed the guards sent to retrieve her by the king, Orvax. Although she loves Arthur more than anything, she knew that she had to return to Atlantis in order to protect him and Thomas. Additionally, though Orm is fathered by King Orvax, Atlanna still loves him, as he is also her son.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Atlantean physiology: As an Atlantean she possesses superhuman abilities that is common among her people. However, as the former Atlantean Queen, her powers were considerably far more greater than most Atlanteans.
- Superhuman Strength: Like all Atlanteans, Atlanna is superhumanly strong and as a warrior queen and therefore a high-born, she is far stronger than most Atlanteans and as strong as other royal-born Atlanteans. She was able to cast her trident with enough force to instantly break Thomas Curry's television and later to impale an Atlantean soldier and lift him off the ground, as well as defeat many of these same soldiers with ease.
- Superhuman Durability: Atlanna is incredibly durable, as she could withstand immense underwater pressures.
- Superhuman Speed: While underwater, Atlanna can swim at supersonic speeds. While on the surface, Atlanna can move at exceptionally high speeds, as she was fast enough to easily subdue Men-of-War before they could react.
- Superhuman Agility: Atlanna naturally has greater agility, flexibility, dexterity, balance and body coordination than a human and even Atlantean, as she managed to deflect multiple shots and overcome attacks by Men-of-War.
- Superhuman Senses: Atlanna possesses enhanced senses to help her better navigate underwater.
- Night Vision: Atlanna's vision is better enhanced to help her see in the darker environment of the sea.
- Aquatic Adaptation: Atlanna is able to breathe underwater. As an Atlantean high-born, she capable of breathing on land without the need to have any artificial aid to continue surviving. Her physiolo allows her to withstand the freezing temperatures of the depths of the sea and the crushing pressure of the ocean allowing her survive heinous conditions of the waters.
- Clairvoyance: Atlanna supposedly had dreams that were either visions of the future or of the past.[5]
Abilities[]
- Master combatant: Atlanna is an immensely skilled combatant, as Mera, who Atlannna personally trained in the arts of combat, stated that it normally would have been her responsibility to defeat Steppenwolf, an ancient warlord of the New Gods, after he invaded the vault for the Mother Box in Atlantis.[2] With her trident, she was able to defeat multiple Men-of-War with relative ease. Atlanna's combat skills was also such that even unarmed, she was able to successfully and single-handedly fight through the creatures of the Trench to survive her execution, which took the combined efforts of her son and Mera, and though she was unable to defeat the more powerful Karathen, she was able to survive multiple attempts to defeat the sea creature, despite Karathen later on stating that many other champions had been killed by her.[1]
- Trident mastery: Atlanna is highly skilled in the use of tridents, easily besting many Men-of-War. She is also able to throw her trident with deadly force, easily hitting one from a distance.
- Master markswoman: Atlanna is exceptionally skilled at using her trident as a ranged weapon.
- Master swimmer: Atlanna, like all Atlanteans, is an extremely skilled swimmer able to masterfully coordinate herself while underwater.
- Master acrobat: Due to her superhuman agility, Atlanna is an extremely skilled acrobat.
- Expert crafter: Atlanna possesses a decent mastery of craftsmanship, having been able to forge a grey armor from the remains of the Trench creatures she defeated over the twenty years she spent in the Hidden Sea
Equipment[]
- White atlantean suit: A skintight white jumpsuit bearing the Atlantean emblem.
- Royal robes: After returning to Atlantis, Atlanna donned regal attire consisting of a flowing white dress lined with pearls, a jeweled belt, and her crown.
Former Equipment[]
- Trident: As the Queen of Atlantis, Atlanna primarily used a 5-pronged trident as her polearm. Atlanna used her trident to defeat several Men-of-War during the attack on the Curry Residence, and later left the weapon behind for her son, Arthur to inherit.
- Trench armor: Following her attempted sacrifice to the Trench, Atlanna used the carcass of a dead Trench as armor against the Karathen.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Allies[] |
Enemies[] |
Trivia[]
- In the DC Comics universe, Atlanna conceived her child with the human lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry within the Pre-Crisis and New 52 continuity. Originally, she died young due to an illness and confessed the truth about her Atlantean heritage to Tom and Arthur on her deathbed. In Post-Crisis, Atlanna has an affair with the wizard Atlan which led to the birth of Aquaman. She was later exiled from Atlantis for many years and after returning she is imprisoned, grows ill and passed away.
- The actress who portrays Atlanna, Nicole Kidman, is known for playing Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever of the Batman Burtonverse.
Behind the Scenes[]
- Joanna Bennett was a stunt double for Nicole Kidman in the role of Atlanna.
References[]
External Links[]
- Atlanna on DC Database
- Atlanna on Wikipedia