“Aquaman,” the latest superhero movie from DC Comics and Warner Brothers, swims into theaters this weekend, a story about the origins of the underwater hero and his rise to power, starring charismatic beefcake Jason Momoa.
That origin story includes a plot point that more casual fans of superheroes might not realize: Aquaman was born in Maine.
Yes, that’s right. Aquaman, the son of a human father and a superhuman Atlantean mother, was born and grew up in Maine. At least, the version of Aquaman that’s shown in the movie and in most versions of the character from 1960 onward.
The current version of Aquaman’s origin story is that Atlanna (Nicole Kidman, in the movie), the outcast queen of Atlantis, washes ashore on the lighthouse kept by Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison), a rugged Mainer in the fictional town of Amnesty Bay. The two fall in love, of course, and Atlanna gives birth to a boy. In the movie, Atlanna eventually has to abandon her Maine family and return to Atlantis, where her son is trained to be the Atlantean warrior who eventually becomes Aquaman.
The “Maine” in the movie was not, of course, filmed in Maine — Hasting’s Point in New South Wales, Australia, stood in for one of the, like, bajillions of lighthouses that we already have in Maine. Whatever, though. It’s fine. We’re used to being overlooked by movie blockbusters.
Anyway, there you have it. Aquaman is a Mainer. He was born in a lighthouse, for Poseidon’s sake! We will have to see which side he falls on when it comes to the PETA vs. Maine’s lobster industry debate.
Which side are you on, Aquaman? How many tarps have you got in your backyard?
