6 Interesting Facts About Aqualad
Image Source: IGN
A significant reframing of Aquaman and Atlanteans has occurred during my lifetime. Aquaman was very much played for laughs before the Justice League animated series and the creation of The New 52. One overlying characteristic that came along with this post-2000s vision for the Atlanteans was a grounding, less humorous take on the characters. We see Aquaman as initially untrusting and dismissive. We have also been introduced to a new character, Jackson Hyde.
Jackson Hyde or Kaldur’ahm is my first Aqualad. I watched him learn about leadership, betrayal, love, and duty on the Young Justice television series. He is the product of a strong Atlantean mom in Lucia and a villainous father in Black Manta. His character spoke to a generation that had been plagued by broken homes and alienation. His powers were cool, and his journey was fascinating. Today, we are going to take a deeper dive into the world of Aqualad.
RELATED:
There Have Been Two Iterations Of Aqualad
Image Source: CBR
The first iteration of Aqualad is Garth, who made his first appearance in Adventure Comics #269 in February of 1960. The second iteration is Jackson Hyde (Kaldur’ahm/Kaldur), who was a primary fixture in the Young Justice animated series and made his comic book debut in August 2010 in Brightest Day #4.
Garth Co-Founded Teen Titans
Image Source: DC Comics
Garth had a rough introduction to life. His parents were royalty, and his father was murdered by guards after having mistaken him for having lost his mind. His mother was then exiled from the kingdom after this event. When he was born with purple eyes, his mother took this as a bad omen and abandoned the boy. He was later discovered by Atlan, the father of Aquaman. Through his connection with Aquaman and the Justice League, he would co-found the Teen Titans.
Garth Became Tempest After Learning Sorcery
Image Source: Comic Vine
Under Atlan’s tutelage, Aqualad learned sorcery and was able to use his newfound abilities in his work as a superhero. These powers included astral projection, inter-dimensional travel, and telepathy, among others. With these new powers, he took on the moniker Tempest. This era of his life saw him battle extraordinary foes. He even teamed up with Darkseid to defeat Imperiex, Destroyer of Worlds!
Jackson Hyde Grew Up In New Mexico
Image Source: GamesRadar
Although Hyde’s mother Lucia is Atlantean and his father is Black Manta, he grew up in the desert state of New Mexico. Lucia adopted the last name Hyde and ran from Jackson’s father to protect him. When Lucia discovered Black Manta’s villainous nature, she knew she had to keep Jackson away from him. Jackson inherited his mother’s Atlantean abilities, including “hard water” abilities which allowed him to create physical weapons like swords out of water.
Hyde Is A Member Of The LGBTQIA+ Community
Image Source: ComicBook.com
In the Young Justice episode titled “Unknown Factors,” Jackson kissed Wynnde, who was one of King Orin’s Royal Guards in Atlantis. Wynnde was formerly a part of a group of extremist Atlanteans called the Purists, who had targeted Hyde in the past.
Hyde Became Aquaman
As had become customary in several superhero universes, Aquaman became a mantle that was passed on to those deemed worthy. One of these worthy individuals was Jackson Hyde. He became Aquaman when he inherited the title from Arthur Curry.
READ NEXT:
Source(s): DC Database