Comic Book Profiles in Leadership — Aquaman

Respect the King of the Seven Seas

Leadership is not management. Every business consultant in history has made this point, but they’re usually just using the words to make you feel better.

Aquaman, Arthur Curry, is among the most maligned and misunderstood characters in comics. By both readers and other characters in the books themselves. Many of you think of Aquaman and see this:

Aw, isn’t he cute on his fancy seahorse?

So many people were confused when Aquaman was cast for the Justice League movie, and you saw something… different:

This article is about leadership, but it’s also a clarification of who Aquaman is. I won’t say ‘defense’ because he doesn’t need one.

Aquaman is a king. He is a hero. And he is a badass of epic proportions.

Background

While Aquaman’s history has been rewritten more than once, the prevailing version names him at the son of the Atlantean Queen Atlanna and her lover, Thomas Curry, a lighthouse keeper (and surface dweller).

Arthur is a “half-breed” (surface and Atlantean), caught between two worlds. His mixed heritage has led to his being mistrusted by both Atlantis and most of the leaders of the surface nations.

Arthur strongly resembles his father, displaying prominent physical attributes uncommon in Atlantis (like his blond hair and blue eyes, in the comics). This resemblance has led to his being hunted by superstitious Atlaneans and those who would use them.

He has been hated. He has been hunted. There are others in the Atlantean Royal court and in the military who constantly plot to overthrow him. Most of the surface dwellers either distrust or mock him, or both.

Yet Arthur spends most of his time ruling Atlantis and protecting both worlds, above and below the sea. He is a King. He will not be denied by other world, even if they both hate him.

Reputation

Let’s get this out of the way : Aquaman is incredibly strong and physically tough by the standards of a race that lives on the ocean floor. You know, the ocean floor where the water pressure is high enough to crush steel?

He’s not bullet-proof, but he’s close.

He is strong, he is fast, and he is well aware of his capabilities. Yet people do not take him seriously. Honestly, I think it’s the orange shirt.

Moving on…

King Arthur

Arthur Curry is the legitimate heir to the throne of Atlantis and, by extension, the recognized King of the Seven Seas (also known as ‘everything on Earth under water’). He rules Atlantis fairly and tries to maintain peaceful relations with the nations of the surface, many of whom don’t even recognize Atlantis as a sovereign nation.

There are numerous groups, large and small, both above and below the surface, who plot to kill him and/or to usurp his throne.

One such group is led by his brother, Orm (“Ocean Master”), who believes that the pursuit of peace is foolish, wasteful, and weak. Orm would describe surface dwellers in the same three terms.

At the same time, most surface dwellers see Aquaman in one of two ways: the joke of the Justice League or as an imminent threat — a foreign king with a massive standing army, strength approaching Superman, and control over sea life.

How can someone so powerful be seen as a bad joke? Because he allows it.

I’m not saying it doesn’t make him angry. It does. But he’s too busy to concern himself with everyone else’s prejudice. He comports himself to most as a king, and he usually just sighs before addressing the next crisis. He will happily correct people’s misconceptions in conversation, if they are willing.

Even his friends need a little more convincing, on occasion

The picture above? He was going home to address a terrorist attack on an embassy he had just built on the ocean shore. The US Army put him in handcuffs, and he cooperated, still trying diplomacy until it became clear that they intended to keep him imprisoned with no chance for defense.

He broke the handcuffs, left their (concrete) bunker through a wall with no door, and started walking back to the shore. What you see above is Superman trying to take him back to the Army without asking him what had happened.

That’s the reaction of a King maligned but, more importantly in this case, a friend betrayed. Would you like to see how that little fight scene ended?

Lower right caption: They’re waiting for me to say “Attack”

That’s the advance guard of the Atlantean Army, come to save their King from illegal imprisonment by a foreign government who had invited him, under diplomatic treaty, to visit and build an embassy.

Arthur sent them home. Then he finished talking to Superman and followed.

Royal Politics

Atlantis is a monarchy. It has always been such. Arthur has followed his mother’s lead and worked diligently to promote equality, and not all of his subjects agree.

We’ve seen how Arthur handles diplomacy with the United States. He tried to be conciliatory, then fought back when necessary. He did not, however, allow his army to engage is what would arguably have been a justified attack.

Internal threats to his rule are often more… personal. By which I mean, people try to discredit or kill him. Individuals, groups… it is a nearly constant struggle for this benign king to maintain power. He will not fail.

I’ll let this one speak for itself

While he willingly listens to differing opinions from his advisors, he does not tolerate dissent. He has, more than once, fought his own people to protect the surface world from attack spurred by rogue factions.

Leadership

Arthur’s life is a constant struggle. He protects the world with the Justice League. He defends the oceans and ocean life constantly. He rules a kingdom that often turns against him due to his insistence on peace while the oceans are abused, their floors mined and drilled for oil, and used as dumping grounds by humans who don’t bother to recognize his authority.

From ‘Kingdom Come’, a story set somewhat in the future

He could easily walk away. Let Atlantis attack. Let the surface attack. Let both sides have the war they so eagerly pursue.

But he won’t. He is the King. He knows that he is quite possibly the only thing preventing global destruction from such a conflict. So he takes the jokes. He fights with the surface heroes when needed.

He walks both worlds because few people will. He leads by example, and he will neither fail nor be denied. Partially, it is because the throne is his heritage and responsibility. Mostly, it is to protect both worlds from those who might lead in his absence.

This is leadership. You intervene between conflicting groups when necessary. You set the example for behavior, attitude, and success. You accept responsibility and then you hold yourself accountable for it. You correct others when necessary, even when it’s not popular or pleasant.

Delegation is perfectly appropriate, but you then make sure your delegates are acting properly and moving towards success. You teach them how to make their own decisions and accept the consequences, and you guide them on that path. You inspire loyalty when your actions warrant it.

You know the drill. Heavy is the head…

Respect the King of the Seven Seas. He has earned it.