# Aqualad
**Aqualad** is the name of two superhero sidekicks in [DC Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/dc-comics), both associated with Aquaman: Garth, Aquaman's original Atlantean partner introduced in 1960, and Kaldur'ahm, a son of the villain [Black Manta](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-manta) created for the animated series *Young Justice* in 2010. The name has since passed between the two characters, and both have carried the mantle of Aquaman in their respective continuities.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First Aqualad | Garth, created by Robert Bernstein and Ramona Fradon, first appearance in "The Kid from Atlantis!" in *Adventure Comics* #269 (February 1960)[1](https://dcuguide.com/Adventure_Comics_269) |
| Origin | A young boy exiled from Atlantis because of his purple eyes; Aquaman adopts him and trains him as his sidekick[1](https://dcuguide.com/Adventure_Comics_269) |
| Teen Titans founder | Joined Robin and Kid Flash in *The Brave and the Bold* #54 (1964) to form the Teen Titans[2](https://www.toonsmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Encyclopedia-of-Comic-Books-and-Graphic-Novels.pdf) |
| Second Aqualad | Kaldur'ahm, created by Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman, and Phil Bourassa for *Young Justice*, debuted in the episode "Independence Day" on November 26, 2010[3](https://e5058785-d3d1-442e-b0ad-d0045053dde7.filesusr.com/ugd/17c622_90906172d8c74f68bef563351fab6a5f.pdf?index=true) • [4](https://www.comics.org/character/28627/) |
| Comic counterpart | Jackson Hyde, son of Black Manta, first appeared in *Brightest Day* #4 (2010), months before Kaldur'ahm's comic debut in *Young Justice* #0 (March 2011)[5](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/30/a-tale-of-two-aqualads-the-evolutions-of-jackson-hyde-and-kaldurahm) • [4](https://www.comics.org/character/28627/) |
| Powers | Super strength, durability, exceptional swimming ability, underwater breathing, and hydrokinesis, the power to control and form water into solid constructs[6](https://www.dc.com/characters/jackson-hyde) |
| Later mantle | Both characters have been positioned as Aquaman's successor: Kaldur'ahm in *Young Justice* season 3, and Jackson Hyde in the 2021 miniseries *Aquaman: The Becoming*[5](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/30/a-tale-of-two-aqualads-the-evolutions-of-jackson-hyde-and-kaldurahm) • [7](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/24/jackson-hyde-comes-of-age-in-aquaman-the-becoming) |
## The original Aqualad: Garth
Garth was introduced in the seven-page story "The Kid from Atlantis!" in *Adventure Comics* #269, written by Robert Bernstein and drawn by Ramona Fradon, with a cover date of February 1960. In the story, Aquaman helps a rejected child from Atlantis overcome his fear of fish and then adopts him as his sidekick[1](https://dcuguide.com/Adventure_Comics_269) • [8](https://comics.ha.com/comic-issue-index/adventure-comics.s?id=15511). The character's exile was attributed to his purple eyes, which Atlantean society treated as a genetic defect[1](https://dcuguide.com/Adventure_Comics_269) • [9](https://www.dc.com/blog/2019/06/14/breaking-news-aqualad-swims-up-to-dc-universes-titans). Along with series writer Bernstein, Fradon is credited with co-creating the character[10](https://www.tcj.com/ramona-fradon-1926-2024/).
**A founding Titan.** In 1964's *The Brave and the Bold* #54, Aqualad joined the sidekicks Robin and [Kid Flash](https://www.edgepedia.org/kid-flash) to form the [Teen Titans](https://www.edgepedia.org/teen-titans), making him a founding member of DC's teen superhero team[2](https://www.toonsmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Encyclopedia-of-Comic-Books-and-Graphic-Novels.pdf). He served as a founding member of the original team and later took up the codename Tempest[11](https://digibuo.uniovi.es/dspace/bitstream/10651/28577/6/TFG%20JMAnnacondia.pdf). Over the years his powerset varied, from sharing Aquaman's telepathic communication with ocean life to powerful magical abilities that made him formidable in and out of the water[9](https://www.dc.com/blog/2019/06/14/breaking-news-aqualad-swims-up-to-dc-universes-titans). He was killed during the *Blackest Night* event of 2009 to 2010[11](https://digibuo.uniovi.es/dspace/bitstream/10651/28577/6/TFG%20JMAnnacondia.pdf).
## The second Aqualad: Kaldur'ahm and Jackson Hyde
In 2009, Warner Bros. began development on a new DC animated series for [Cartoon Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartoon-network) and hired Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman, and Phil Bourassa to create it[12](https://lewisrhystwiby.wordpress.com/2022/02/06/comics-explained-aqualad/). To create a leader for their version of the team, Weisman and Vietti reimagined a forgotten member of Aquaman's supporting cast: Calvin Durham, first appearing in 1977's *Adventure Comics* #452, a surgically gilled human who served as Black Manta's right-hand man before defecting and rising to political office among the Atlanteans[5](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/30/a-tale-of-two-aqualads-the-evolutions-of-jackson-hyde-and-kaldurahm). The result was Kaldur'ahm, Aquaman's young Atlantean ward, who would eventually discover that his human father was Black Manta himself[5](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/30/a-tale-of-two-aqualads-the-evolutions-of-jackson-hyde-and-kaldurahm).
**A comic debut before the show.** While *Young Justice* was in production, writer [Geoff Johns](https://www.edgepedia.org/geoff-johns), then reinventing the Aquaman universe in the *Brightest Day* series, was inspired by the work in progress on the new Aqualad and included him in Aquaman's story there[5](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/30/a-tale-of-two-aqualads-the-evolutions-of-jackson-hyde-and-kaldurahm). Because comics production runs faster than animation, readers met Jackson Hyde in *Brightest Day* #4 months before Kaldur'ahm reached television[5](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/30/a-tale-of-two-aqualads-the-evolutions-of-jackson-hyde-and-kaldurahm). Johns kept the core concept, an Aqualad who is the son of Black Manta, but gave him a different history: rather than growing up in Atlantis, this version was raised on the surface[5](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/30/a-tale-of-two-aqualads-the-evolutions-of-jackson-hyde-and-kaldurahm). The two characters are therefore related but distinct: Kaldur'ahm is an original creation for the show, while Jackson Hyde is the comics character built from his design and premise[5](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/30/a-tale-of-two-aqualads-the-evolutions-of-jackson-hyde-and-kaldurahm).
## Queer identity and later comics
Both modern Aqualads are depicted as queer, a defining feature of the character's recent history[13](https://www.dccontinuityproject.com/aqualad.html). In 2016, DC's Rebirth initiative rebooted Jackson Hyde, and *DC Universe: Rebirth* #1 depicted him for the first time as a closeted gay young man living under his mother's roof[5](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/30/a-tale-of-two-aqualads-the-evolutions-of-jackson-hyde-and-kaldurahm). He became a regular member of the Teen Titans beginning with 2017's *Teen Titans* #6, where his first male love interest, Kenny, is introduced, and Garth gave Jackson his blessing to use the name Aqualad[5](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/30/a-tale-of-two-aqualads-the-evolutions-of-jackson-hyde-and-kaldurahm).
In 2020, Jackson starred in *You Brought Me the Ocean*, an original young adult graphic novel by Alex Sánchez and Julie Maroh that retold his origin as a coming-of-age and coming-out story. The book received a GLAAD Media Award nomination for its portrayal of Hyde's sexuality and his struggles with adolescence[14](https://www.gamesradar.com/aqualad-graduates-to-aquaman-this-fall-with-his-own-solo-series/) • [15](https://comicbook.com/comics/news/you-brought-me-the-ocean-dc-interview-alex-sanchez/).
**Becoming Aquaman.** In the main comics continuity, the six-issue miniseries *Aquaman: The Becoming* (2021), written by Brandon Thomas and drawn by Diego Olortegui, marked Jackson's final transformation from Aqualad to Aquaman[7](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/24/jackson-hyde-comes-of-age-in-aquaman-the-becoming). In *[Young Justice](https://www.edgepedia.org/young-justice-tv-series)* season 3, Kaldur'ahm likewise advanced beyond the sidekick role: no longer Aqualad, he became Aquaman and chairman of the [Justice League](https://www.edgepedia.org/justice-league), and was given a boyfriend, the Atlantean Wyynde, presenting him as bisexual[5](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/30/a-tale-of-two-aqualads-the-evolutions-of-jackson-hyde-and-kaldurahm).
## Screen adaptations
Aqualad has appeared across several DC screen properties. Kaldur'ahm has been a fixture of *Young Justice* since the series premiere, "Independence Day," on November 26, 2010[4](https://www.comics.org/character/28627/). The live-action series *[Titans](https://www.edgepedia.org/titans-2018-tv-series)* cast [Drew Van Acker](https://www.edgepedia.org/drew-van-acker) as Garth for its second season in 2019, describing him as a founding member of the Titans and Aquaman's eager sidekick[9](https://www.dc.com/blog/2019/06/14/breaking-news-aqualad-swims-up-to-dc-universes-titans). In 2021, Variety reported that [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) was developing a live-action Aqualad series based on the Jackson "Jake" Hyde version of the character, in which Jake does not yet know his true heritage[16](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hbo-max-is-developing-an-aqualad-live-action-series-report/1100-6502343/).
## References
1. [Adventure Comics #269, DCU Guide](https://dcuguide.com/Adventure_Comics_269)
2. [Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels](https://www.toonsmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Encyclopedia-of-Comic-Books-and-Graphic-Novels.pdf)
3. [Kaldur'ahm character profile (publication information)](https://e5058785-d3d1-442e-b0ad-d0045053dde7.filesusr.com/ugd/17c622_90906172d8c74f68bef563351fab6a5f.pdf?index=true)
4. [GCD :: Character :: Aqualad](https://www.comics.org/character/28627/)
5. [A Tale of Two Aqualads: The Evolutions of Jackson Hyde and Kaldur'ahm, DC.com (Alex Jaffe, 2021)](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/30/a-tale-of-two-aqualads-the-evolutions-of-jackson-hyde-and-kaldurahm)
6. [Jackson Hyde, Official DC Character page](https://www.dc.com/characters/jackson-hyde)
7. [Jackson Hyde Comes of Age in Aquaman: The Becoming, DC.com (Tim Beedle, 2021)](https://www.dc.com/blog/2021/06/24/jackson-hyde-comes-of-age-in-aquaman-the-becoming)
8. [Adventure Comics #269, Heritage Auctions issue index](https://comics.ha.com/comic-issue-index/adventure-comics.s?id=15511)
9. [Breaking News: Aqualad Swims Up to DC Universe's Titans, DC.com (Tim Beedle, 2019)](https://www.dc.com/blog/2019/06/14/breaking-news-aqualad-swims-up-to-dc-universes-titans)
10. [Ramona Fradon, 1926-2024, The Comics Journal](https://www.tcj.com/ramona-fradon-1926-2024/)
11. [Appendix: Character Biographies, Universidad de Oviedo thesis](https://digibuo.uniovi.es/dspace/bitstream/10651/28577/6/TFG%20JMAnnacondia.pdf)
12. [Comics Explained: Aqualad, Lewis Twiby's Past and Present (2022)](https://lewisrhystwiby.wordpress.com/2022/02/06/comics-explained-aqualad/)
13. [Aqualad, DC Continuity Project](https://www.dccontinuityproject.com/aqualad.html)
14. [Aqualad graduates to Aquaman this fall with his own solo series, GamesRadar+ (2021)](https://www.gamesradar.com/aqualad-graduates-to-aquaman-this-fall-with-his-own-solo-series/)
15. [Alex Sanchez on Crafting Aqualad's Coming Out Story in You Brought Me the Ocean, ComicBook.com (2020)](https://comicbook.com/comics/news/you-brought-me-the-ocean-dc-interview-alex-sanchez/)
16. [HBO Max Is Developing An Aqualad Live-Action Series, GameSpot (2021)](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hbo-max-is-developing-an-aqualad-live-action-series-report/1100-6502343/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Visual arts and design › Illustration and illustrators › Comic books and characters › Comic book characters and teams › DC Comics characters and teams*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license