(Photo Credit: WB)
The 2025 Aquaman comic series brought many new changes for Arthur Curry. Chief among these were new powers and a new role as a cosmic champion. Now, with DC moving into the Next Level phase of their DC All-In initiative, the King of Atlantis faces a new mission.
The previous year of Aquaman comics by Jeremy Adams and John Timms tested Arthur Curry in many ways. First, he found his powers augmented by a new ability to control water, like his wife, Mera. This was a precursor to the revelation that he had developed a connection to a primordial force called the Blue.
(Image Source: DC Comics / John Timms)
The Blue is similar to the Green and Red forces that connect all plant life and animal life respectively. The Blue, however, is connected to both, being tied to the water that sustains all life. It is also a symbolic source of hope and magic. Aquaman was chosen to act as the latest avatar of The Blue, and stand as its champion across the DC Universe. However, as he mastered his new powers and sought other champions of the Blue, Atlantis was cut off from the outside world.
What is Aquaman’s new mission?
Emperor Aquaman #15 retains the same numbering scheme of the previous volume. However, it is effectively a fresh start for Arthur Curry and the people of Atlantis. This issue resolves all the ongoing storylines, as the King returns home to his wife, daughter, and people. More, he restores Atlantis to its rightful place in space and time.
(Image Source: DC Comics / John Timms)
While this homecoming is joyous, it is also a moment of reflection and revelation. Aquaman is not content to rest on his laurels. His odyssey over the past year gave him a new perspective on all that lay beyond his kingdom. It also drove home to him how little he had done in the past with his power as both a superhero and a ruler.
To that end, Arthur Curry declares that from now on Atlantis will “safeguard our world by saving others.” Like the lighthouse that guides people to safety in the harshest storms, so too will they offer a guiding light and shelter to those in need. This is a marked changed from the previous political policy of non-interference outside the interests of Atlantis. More, Aquaman asks his people to join him in the mission of protecting not just the oceans of Earth, but all oceans connected through the Blue.
(Image Source: DC Comics / John Timms)
Another major change is that the Atlantean people seem firmly behind the declaration of Aquaman. Previously, the King found himself fighting conservative factions who wished to hide Atlantis away from the surface world. It seems likely similar conflicts will be on the horizon. For now, however, the people of Atlantis are behind the self-appointed Emperor Aquaman.
Emperor Aquaman #15 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
