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A familiar but patently bizarre supervillain from Aquaman’s distant past has resurfaced, and he’s out for Arthur Curry’s blood one way or another.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Aquaman 80th Anniversay 100-Page Super Spectacular #1, on sale from DC Comics.
While Aquaman may not have a rogues gallery quite as extensive and infamous as several of his prominent Justice League teammates like Superman or Batman, Arthur Curry certainly has a whole host of recurring antagonists that have tormented him and his friends over the years. And while the most notable of Aquaman’s formidable foes may be Black Manta and Ocean Master, there are some supervillains in the character’s history that are just too bizarre to be adapted into the DC Extended Universe. One such figure is the strange and powerful Aquabeast, who has just made his auspicious return to the DC Universe with an ax to grind for Aquaman.
As Aquaman, his wife Mera and Garth, the original Aqualad, enjoy a coastal hangout at a scenic beach, Aquabeast arrives, easily defeating Garth before setting his sights on Aquaman for revenge. Aquabeast had spent years struggling to escape the supposed fate he was condemned to in the oceanic depths, motivated by his obsessive and unrequited love for Mera and his undying hatred and jealousy for Arthur for winning the object of his desire’s affections. Surprised by Aquabeast’s return, Aquaman’s idyllic family outing has turned into a super-powered showdown in the short story “It’s a Family Affair” — by Shawn Aldridge, Tom Derenick, Nick Filardi and Rob Leigh — in the pages of Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1.
Aquabeast was introduced by Doom Patrol co-creator Bob Haney and Nick Cary in 1964’s Aquaman #34 as Peter Dudley, a wealthy playboy who fell in love with Mera after seeing her and Aquaman together while he was at sea on his private yacht. In order to win Mera’s affections, Dudley used his family fortune to hire geneticist Doctor Hans Ludorff to not only make him physically resemble Aquaman and replicate his aquatic abilities but to significantly improve upon them, making him a much more physically imposing figure. After besting Aquaman in hand-to-hand combat, Aquabeast was targeted by an invading alien, with both enemies falling into a whirlpool on the ocean floor that seemed to stretch endlessly. Dudley and the alien were presumed dead for years.
Revealing that it took him years to manually crawl out of the bottomless whirlpool, subsisting on anything he encountered on his long ascent back to the regular ocean, Aquabeast appears to retain all of his augmented strength and speed, quickly gaining the upper hand over Aquaman. However, Mera and Garth quickly come to Arthur’s aid to stop Aquabeast, with the villain stunned that Mera would stand against him despite his single-minded devotion towards her. And as Aquaman’s dolphin sidekick Sandy distracts Aquaman, Arthur is able to rally himself and deliver the knockout blow before dumping Aquabeast back into the whirlpool prison where he was last seen.
Despite exiling Aquabeast to such a seemingly inescapable chasm, Arthur and Mera observe that it’s likely not the last they’ll see of the hulking antagonist, pondering if it will once again take Aquabeast years to climb out and menace them once again. In the meantime, Aquabeast may still be much stronger than Aquaman, Arthur doesn’t stand alone and that difference gives him an edge should Aquabeast ever resurface for another rematch. After Mera personally threw fists at him, hopefully, Aquabeast will actually learn how to take a hint.
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