Mera
From Aquaman Wiki
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| Mera | |
| Real name: | Mera |
| First Appearance: | Aquaman #11 |
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Created by: | Jack Miller Nick Cardy |
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Affiliations: | Atlantis |
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Abilities: | Aquakinesis, can form structures out of hard water. |
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Portrayed by: | None |
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[edit] History
Mera is the former queen of Atlantis and ex-wife of Aquaman. A red-haired and blue-eyed humanoid alien coming from a watery dimension, she befriended the King of Atlantis in one of her first adventures, eventually falling in love and marrying him.
The trauma of losing her son at the hands of Black Manta drove Mera to leave her husband. Briefly stuck in the hellish dimension called the Netherworld she has since returned. She remains estranged from Aquaman, despite hints of lingering affection, and reigns as the Queen of Atlantis after Aquaman's exile. However she is merely a puppet queen for the new Sorcery Elite, and was recently punished by the sorcerers of Atlantis by being turned into an air-breathing human maiden.
After the "One Year Later" event Mera regained her water breathing abilities, if not her full strength, and became the leader of a small rebel army, taking under her protection some refugees from the lost Atlantis, and the new Aquaman.
[edit] Powers and Abilities
- Amphibian: Though not overtly visible, Mera possesses a set of gills, which allows her to extract oxygen from the surrounding environment enabling her to breathe underwater. Mera can also breathe in an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere, but only for limited periods of time. Prolonged exposure in an above-water environment will cause Mera to weaken, and ultimately die.
- Enhanced Strength: In addition to her ability to perpetually exist underwater, Mera also possesses enhanced density and muscle mass, allowing her to survive at ocean depths that would prove unsafe for normal humans. This additional muscle mass also grants Mera enhanced speed and reflexes, ideal for underwater combat, though she can apply these skills for surface usage as well.
- Telepathy: Mera possesses a limited degree of telepathy, which allows her to communicate with other Atlantean beings. Unlike Aquaman however, Mera cannot use this ability to communicate with lower order marine life.
- Hard Water: Mera possesses the ability to increase the density of water within her immediate vicinity for a wide variety of effects. This ability allows her to create hard water (Sic) objects, reshaping volumes of water into simple geometric shapes. Mera commonly uses this power to create water missiles, which she projects towards a selected target.
[edit] In other media
- Mera appeared in the 1960s The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure hour long series, voiced by Diane Maddox.
- Mera also appeared in the 2001 Justice League animated series by Bruce Timm, voiced by Kristin Bauer. Her origins are not elaborated on, nor is she shown to have the ability to forge structures from hard water as in the comics, so she is presumably an Atlantean. She appears in "The Enemy Below", "The Terror Beyond" and "Hereafter" (attending Superman's funeral with her husband). Bruce Timm's design for Mera is inspired by her Silver Age comics look, but adds elegant touches of regality such as gold jewelry and transparent green draped fabric, as well as a midriff-baring halter.
