Mera Facts

Are you a fan of The Queen of Atlantis? Cuz we got One Dozen Mera Facts!

1. Mera appeared in "Aquaman #11" in 1963. In her first appearance she becomes Aquaman's wife and Queen of Atlantis by the end of the issue, and later gave birth to their son Arthur Jr./Aquababy. 

2. Mera is one of the few love interests in DC Comics to rival her significant other in strength. Like Arthur, Mera has super strength, super speed, durability, and the ability to maneuver in the deep sea. However, due to her heritage, Mera is also a Hydrokinetic (meaning she can manipulate water on any scale). She uses this power to create solid water constructs, manipulate vapor and ice, and drain liquids from the human body.

3. After The New 52, Mera had been made a reserve member of The Justice League and substituted Aquaman as a JL member and as ruler of Atlantis when Aquaman had to leave the throne to clear his name. She also briefly used the name "Aquawoman" with a costume similar to Arthur's.

4. Following the death of Aquaman and the event "Blackest Night", Mera had become a deputy of The Red Lantern Corps. Her Red Ring was fueled by the anger of seeing her dead husband revived as a Black Lantern zombie. After he was fully revived, Mera's rage ceased and she was released from the Red Lantern Corps.

5. The aforementioned son of Aquaman and Mera sadly died after he had been kidnapped and suffocated by Black Manta. This sent Mera into an unstable phase were she had to be locked up in an asylum in Atlantis. She later beat up Aquaman and blamed him fore the death of their son. During her battle against the Black Lantern Aquaman and Aquababy, Mera shockingly reveals she never wanted children.

6. Mera comes the kingdom of Xebel, within "The Dimension Aqua" and located in The Bermuda Triangle. Xebel Atlanteans have the ability to manipulate water and they all share the trait of red hair. Jackson Hyde/Aqualad can also manipulate water like a Xebel, but he is only half Atlantean. He uses special Water Bearers to better focus his powers.

7. Other Xebel Atlanteans of note are Leron who was an Atlantean criminal and Mera's sister Hila. Hila became the villain Siren and attempted to kill Aquaman multiple times, even going so far as to kidnap her sister and disguise herself as her to get close to Arthur and command the army of Atlantis to capture him for treason. After the New 52, the character of Nereus was created as the King of Xebel and Mera's betrothed.

8. In the 1990's Mera had been kidnapped and sent to a dimension called Netherworld by the Aquaman villain Thanatos. There, Mera is brainwashed by Thanatos. Mera also has a second child named AJ and, due to time moving differently in this dimension, he appears to be ten when the two of them break free from Netherworld. The two of them cannot stay on Earth as it would accelerate AJ's aging, so they leave to the planet Oceanid. The planet is all water-based and is being drained of it's resources by other aliens. So Aquaman helps Mera and AJ defeat the aliens. Mera chooses to be with Aquaman again, but AJ stays behind and becomes the Aquaman of Oceanid. It is never revealed whether AJ's father is Aquaman or Thanatos.

9. Mera didn't receive her own series in 2018, when Dan Abnett wrote a six-issue miniseries starring her.

10. In the world of "Flashpoint", Arthur Curry was raised in Atlantis as a teenager after his father was assassinated by Atlanteans. Due to this, he and Princess Diana of Themyscira were to be married as adults to union both races. However, this was sabotaged when Diana's mother was killed by an Atlantean, this turned out to be a plan formulated by Arthur's brother Ocean Master and Diana's aunt Penthesleia. Atlantis went to war with The Amazons with mankind as the battleground. After Diana learned Aquaman married Mera, Diana killed Mera and wore her crown to mock Arthur.

11. In the animated adaptation of "Flashpoint" titled "Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox", the catalyst behind the Atlantean/Amazonian War was changed. This time, Queen Mera discovered her husband Arthur having an affair with Princess Diana. Mera confronted Diana later, leading to Mera being beheaded, waved in front of Arthur, and having her crown taken by Diana. Leading to their war.

12. During the time in which Mera was stuck in Netherworld, Aquaman formed a romance with a character named Dolphin. Dolphin was a young woman who had been experimented on by aliens and became a water-dwelling superhero. She teamed up with Aquaman and Aqualad numerous times and became Arthur's lover. When Mera returned, Aquaman and Dolphin broke things off just as Aqualad returned from studying magic. Aqualad now called himself Tempest and won Dolphin's heart. Taken aback, but otherwise happy for them Aquaman blessed their wedding and he and Mera were present for the birth of Tempest and Dolphin's son.

Thanks for reading.

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