Aquaman’s been the butt of countless jokes over the years, largely thanks to people who’s pop culture knowledge with superheroes stops right around the ’70s with the Superfriends. But there's nothing funny about someone powerful enough to live at the bottom of the ocean. Every Atlantean is used to existing at pressures that would turn the average human into a pile of mush. That’s why they’re all stronger, faster, and have far better senses than we ever could.
But those abilities belong to literally every Atlantean. What about the best of the best? Who are the absolute strongest of the underwater dwellers, and what makes them stand head and shoulders above the rest?
10 JACKSON HYDE
The second Aqualad to be introduced to the DC Universe, Jackson Hyde first appeared in DC’s Young Justice cartoon before making a splash in the comics. The son of the super-villain Black Manta, Jackson proved that nurture can win out over nature and wound up working alongside Aquaman.
As the son of an Atlantean and a human, he can exist in both environments. He’s proven capable of having control over water, shaping it into whatever weapons he likes. But even more impressive is he can somehow emit electricity from his body, making him the master of two separate elements.
9 ORM
In the post-Flashpoint world, Orm was the King of Atlantis before Arthur came along. His role as king gave him a royal crown which granted complete mastery of the seven seas. With this crown on his head, Orm was able to manipulate the ocean however he wished, causing massive waves that he used to help wage war on the surface.
He also had access to a trident which gave him powers not unlike Arthur’s did, though to a different extent. Orm’s trident gave him the ability to manipulate the weather, and summon lightning to the trident and channel it back out as attacks. It’s no wonder his power was respected as king.
8 GARTH (TEMPEST)
The original Aqualad, Garth began as the sidekick to Arthur. The two both shared origins, as Garth was abandoned because his people were superstitious. Garth grew up trained by the wizard Atlan, proving to have access to some incredible magic.
Garth has spent plenty of time learning about his abilities and mastering new spells, and thus has a variety of abilities Arthur could not. He’s capable of firing energy blasts from his hands, but he’s also able to control water around him, and can generate extreme temperatures through his powers. He’s even proven to be a world-class teleporter, teleporting the entire city of Atlantis away during an attack from an alien.
7 ATLANNA
Though her history can change some depending on the version, one thing that’s constant is Atlanna’s status as the Queen of Atlantis. In the Pre-Flashpoint world there isn’t much to her, which is in contrast to her role in the current era.
Her status as the true Queen of Atlantis means she’s aware of many things about her nation and it’s past that others simply wouldn’t know. That’s why she has access to something known as the Maelstrom, which work as warp gates across the planet. She also wields the Staff of Storms, a spear which can fire off torrential power that equals a hurricane.
6 QUEEN MAJISTRA
Queen Majistra was once considered a goddess of Atlantis. Granted, she was the goddess of darkness, so don’t expect her to start giving out swimming lessons. As a goddess, she was responsible for shaping much of Atlantis’ early history through her machinations and the powerful children she bore with her husband Calculha, Arion and Garn Daanuth.
Majistra is capable of draining magic from others, and she’s learned how to channel the power of an area known as the Darkworld to bolster her own magic powers. She’s proven exceedingly knowledgeable, can blind another mage’s own senses to danger, and can control darkness.
5 GARN DAANUTH
Garn was the son of Majistra and Calculha, Garn took more after his mother than his father, attempting to help her take out Atlantis itself once. Training under his mother, Garn has been able to harness his magic to do much.
He draws on the power of the Darkworld, and has proven capable of summoning some of the evil gods who once held sway over Atlantis. The rest of his powers read like a laundry list: invulnerability, shooting energy blasts, elemental control, weather manipulation and even more besides.
4 ATLAN
In the Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths version of the DC Universe, Atlan was Aquaman’s father. In this timeline, Atlan is a sorcerer of immense power that’s seemingly ageless, and he just happened to sire a child with Atlanna, the Queen of Atlantis.
This child would grow up to become Aquaman, though he would first be shunned for the blond hair he inherited from his father, as they believed him to be cursed. In the New 52/Rebirth era, Atlan was a king who was betrayed by his brother and created a series of weapons to reclaim his nation...but eventually wound up sinking Atlantis out of frustration for his lost family. Regardless of the era however, Atlan is immensely powerful.
3 MERA
Originally a member of the rival tribe of Xebel, Mera was meant to get close to Arthur and assassinate him. To place that level of expectation on her means she had to be strong, and indeed she is. She received years of combat training, having battled some of Aquaman’s most dangerous foes, from Black Manta to Ocean Master, without issue.
She’s also capable of taking control of any water source around her. Though this is common for the Kings and Queens of Atlantis, Mera doesn’t need any help to achieve this. Her status as a royal family member of Xebel simply allows her control over water, even to the extent that she can drain someone of their moisture.
2 AQUAMAN
Is there any doubt that Arthur Curry, King of Atlantis and Aquaman himself, belongs on this list? Arthur has a connection with all life on Earth, though he specializes in marine telepathy, which allows him to give commands to sea life. He’s also been given a trident which once belonged to Neptune himself.
With this trident, he was able to absorb and redirect any manner of magical energy and attack someone, create force fields, and even increase his own physical abilities. He also possesses Poseidon’s trident, which controls water, the weather, and even allowed the King of Atlantis to take flight.
1 ARION
It seems a bit limiting to refer to Arion as merely an Atlantean. The son of a god and goddess, Arion was an immortal trained by the Lords of Order themselves. With these powers he’s proven capable of nearly anything—we’ve seen him use illusory abilities, control the elements, and so much more.
One of his earliest fights saw him repel Majistra and Garn from attacking Atlantis, and he’s never really known how to rein himself in since. He even once attacked Superman, claiming his heroic actions would lead to worse catastrophe.