Queen of Atlantis. Princess of Xebel. She came from Dimension Aqua. Mera! The hydro-kinetic powerhouse of Atlantean royalty and bride of Aquaman. So how does one control water and Dimension what now? Let’s find out!
Mera comes from the Kingdom of Xebel, one of the fractured kingdoms from the original Atlantis when it plummeted into the seas. Her people learned to control water with their minds and kept it a secret from the other Atlanteans, since they did not trust any of them. So secretive were the Xebel people, they found a dimensional rift where they could live in their own aquatic realm away from Atlantean and surface dweller alike. This rift and all the bizarre effects their magical wards caused on the Earth side would become known as the Bermuda Triangle. Mera is the daughter of King Ryus, who taught her to distrust Atlanteans and surface dwellers, but that all changed when the criminal, Leron, forced his way into taking the throne. Mera would go against her father’s lessons and flee through the rift to seek help, here should would find Aquaman and Aqualad, Atlantean and surface dwelling heroes. Leron would be defeated and while Mera could now return home safely, she had found a bond with Aquaman and decided to stay on this side of the rift.
Living as queen of Atlantis, Mera would give birth to Arthur Curry Jr. the Aquababy. She and Aquaman lived happily together even though his adventures with the Justice League took him from Atlantis often. One of these adventures would arrive too close to home as Black Manta would kidnap their son and hold him ransom in container filled with only air, deadly for a baby Atlantean. Mera would go on a journey back to Xebel to find a way to heal any of the damage done to her son from his suffocation. Sadly, all her work was for nothing as she and her husband would arrive too late, their son had suffocated completely, Mera’s son was dead. This death drove a wedge between Mera and Arthur, she blamed him for all of this. This would lead to the two fighting to the death as Mera could not stand her husband anymore, he would believe he had killed her but she had escaped back to Xebel.
She would eventually return and make amends with her husband as the two realized just how much of a toll the loss of their son had on them. She would take over as queen of Atlantis when Aquaman was missing in time and deal with many hardships the kingdom dealt with. She would also help rebuild Atlantis after it had been destroyed by the Spectre when he was destroying all forms of magic in reality. During this time, Aquaman would die, leaving Mera to grieve yet another loved one. When the Black Lanterns would come back from the grave, this meant that Mera had to fight her husband who was now a Black Lantern, the rage this filled her with became a beacon for a Red Lantern ring, making Mera a Red Lantern. This power allowed her to help fight off the Black Lantern hordes until the White Lanterns light stopped the death and undeath. Having her husband returned to life allowed her to be freed from the Red Lantern rage and ring, but she needed to be healed from the damage the ring’s absence had done. She and Aquaman would begin their relationship once more but deal with the strange aftermath of his resurrection.
In the New 52, Mera comes from Xebel and seeks out the King of Atlantis on land, knowing that the Aquaman is the man she must find and kill. Her father had taught her that Atlanteans were not to be trusted and her reasons for killing Arthur Curry were because she believed he was a murderous tyrant. When she finally meets him, he invites her to lunch and she begins to realize her father was wrong. She finds Arthur to be a kind and caring individual who cares not only for Atlantis, but for surface dwellers and all life above and beneath the sea. The two would begin to fall in love with one another, Mera would leave behind her murderous intent and stay to live with Arthur. The two would have many adventures, including Mera fighting her own sister and Arthur’s brother. She’d become known as Aquawoman by the surface and rule Atlantis as the queen.
There you have it! Mera has been a long standing member of the Aquaman mythos as his wife, queen, and friend. She has gone through many developments over time and has appeared several times in animation and now has been on the big screen twice. Where will Mera go next? We’ll have to wait and see. See you next time!
Suggested Reading
Aquaman #11
Blackest Night
Brightest Day
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
