Arthur McKenzie (Amalgam Universe)

Arthur McKenzie (Amalgam Universe) AQUA-MARINER Real Name(s): Prince Namor; Arthur McKenzie

Identity/Class: Extra-dimensional (Earth-Amalgam) metamutant

Occupation: super hero; (formerly) King of Atlantis

Affiliations:
(currently) the JLX (member), Apollo (Ray Summers), Firebird (Beatriz Grey), Mercury (Pietro "Pete" Allen), Nightcreeper (Kurt Ryder), Runaway, Wraith (Todd Gambit); Iron Lantern (Hal Stark); the Challengers of the Fantastic, Ben "Rocky" Grimm, Johnny "Red" Storm, Reed "Prof" Richards, Sue "Ace" Storm; (formerly) the Judgment League: Avengers (former member), Angelhawk (Warren Hall), Canary (Dinah Barton), Captain Marvel (Billy Mar-Vell), Dark Claw (Logan Wayne), Hawkeye (Clint Archer), Super-Soldier (Clark Kent); the All-Star Winners Squadron (former member), American Belle, "Brooklyn" Barnes, Human Lantern, Whiz

Enemies: Will Magnus; Jocasta; the Sentinels; Sinistron; H.E.C.T.O.R.; the Weaponers of A.I.M.

Known Relatives: unnamed wife and son (both presumed deceased)

Aliases: Prince Namor the Aqua-Man, Mariner, "Son of the Seas"

Base of Operations: (formerly) Poseidonis; All-Star Winners Squadron Midtown Clubhouse, Metropolis; JLA Headquarters; Atlantis

First Appearance: JLX#1 (April, 1996); Marine Mystery#1 (in Amalgam continuity)

Powers/Abilities:
A metamutant, Aqua-Mariner is able to breathe both in air as well as underwater. He also possesses superhuman strength and an enhanced physiology that allows him to survive the water pressure of the ocean's depths as well as age at a much slower rate than normal humans. Presumably, the wings that sprout from his ankles enable him to fly. Aqua-Mariner is also proficient in the use of his grappling trident.

History:
(Marine Mystery #1) - Prince Namor was the lone survivor of the destruction of his birthplace, the underwater city of Poseidonis. His wife and son both lost in the cataclysm that destroyed Poseidonis, the water-breathing Namor traveled to the surface world where he took the name "Arthur McKenzie" and dedicated his life to protecting the oceans against further danger from the land-dwellers as the Aqua-Mariner. Aqua-Mariner also began to search for Atlantis, the lost underwater civilization of his people and the ancestral home of metamutantkind. [See Comments]

(All-Star Winners Comics) - Soon after the outbreak of World War II, Aqua-Mariner reluctantly joined the alliance of land-dwelling heroes known as the All-Star Winners Squadron. Although a member of the team, the arrogant and aloof Aqua-Mariner remained distant from his teammates, often crossing his arms and haughtily turning his back to them when in their presence -- not to mention referring to himself in the third person.

(Super-Soldier: Man of War#1) - "Deadly Cargo" - In February of 1942, Super-Soldier (Clark Kent) arrived at the Midtown Clubhouse of the All-Star Winners Squadron in Metropolis. Aqua-Mariner was among the team members present. Super-Soldier had just left a top-secret mission briefing in Washington, D.C. and informed his fellow Winners that he had been ordered to follow a consignment of stolen government equipment being smuggled overseas. While the other Winners eagerly offered to accompany Super-Soldier on his top-secret assignment, the disgruntled Aqua-Mariner just stood silent with his back turned and arms crossed.

(Challengers of the Fantastic (vol. I)) - In the modern age, Aqua-Mariner crossed paths with the Challengers of the Fantastic. Although Challenger member Sue "Ace" Storm was romantically involved with her teammate Reed "Prof" Richards, she found herself attracted to Aqua-Mariner.

(Showcase of Suspense) - Aqua-Mariner continued his search for Atlantis and his battle against those who would harm the world's oceans in modern times.

(JLX#1 (bts)) - Aqua-Mariner joined the alliance of heroes known as the Judgment League: Avengers.

(Adventures to Astonish #76) - During a battle for Krakoa the Living Dinosaur Island, which served as the villainous Will Magnus' base of operations, Aqua-Mariner was stripped of the artifact known as the Serpent Crown, which contained encoded clues concerning the location of Atlantis, by an attacking Sentinel robot. The Serpent Crown eventually fell into the hands of the Sentinel's creator, Will Magnus.

(Judgment League: Avengers (vol. II)#122) - "Trial of Mariner" - The metamutant member of the Judgment League: Avengers known as Aqua-Mariner was framed for the destruction of three Roxxon oil freighters, a heinous criminal act which was actually perpetrated by the metamutant-hating madman known as Will Magnus. Given Aqua-Mariner's longtime personal war against surface dwellers who would harm his undersea habitat, the United States government automatically labeled him an "eco-terrorist" and sent in an army of troops to apprehend him without so much as an investigation. Aqua-Mariner was eventually captured by his fellow Judgment League: Avengers teammates and imprisoned without trial. Aqua-Mariner's imprisonment, which was undertaken by Super-Soldier and the other non-metamutant members of the Judgment League: Avengers, caused a rift within the team that split the organization down metamutant lines.

Outraged by the manner in which their fellow metamutant was imprisoned without trial, the members of the New Blood (a sub-division of newer, primarily metamutant, members of the Judgment League: Avengers), under the guidance of the mysterious New Gotham power broker known only as Mr. X (Marco Xavier), freed Aqua-Mariner from JLA custody and set out to find the lost city of Atlantis under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. But the non-metamutant members of the Judgment League: Avengers were not about to give up Aqua-Mariner without a fight. ..

(JLX#1) - "A League of Their Own!" - The Judgment League: Avengers finally caught up to Aqua-Mariner and his rogue New Blood allies (now calling themselves the JLX) on the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. As the JLA attempted to forcefully board the JLX Wavecrusier, Aqua-Mariner wanted to fight the entire JLA by himself. As the King of Atlantis and first among metamutants, the proud Aqua-Mariner did not want the JLX to fight his battles for him and felt guilty that it was because of him that the metamutants of the New Blood split away from the core JLA team. But Runaway, one of Aqua-Mariner's JLX teammates, convinced him to let the JLX help. A battle between the Judgment League: Avengers and the JLX ensued and Aqua-Mariner engaged his former JLA teammate Goliath (Oliver Queen) in hand-to-hand combat. The battle came to an end only after the Judgment League: Avenger member known as Angelhawk (Carter Hall), who was secretly a metamutant in league with Mr. X, feigned a severe back injury, causing the JLA to retreat in order to seek medical attention for their comrade. Aqua-Mariner, who had fought many battles to protect his oceans from the depredations of surface-dwellers, was amazed at the compassion that the JLA had for Angelhawk.

With their former Judgment League: Avengers allies no longer a threat, Aqua-Mariner and his fellow JLX members entered their Wavecruiser and prepared to submerge beneath the ocean's surface in search of Atlantis, the legendary ancestral home of metamutantkind. Although the Wavecruiser's hull was damaged by the JLA member known as Captain Marvel (Billy Mar-Vell) during the previous battle, the JLX decided that it was worth the risk of flooding if it meant that they would finally find Atlantis. With the Serpent Crown lost to Will Magnus, Aqua-Mariner allowed Mr. X to use his telepathic powers to enter his mind and slice through all of the pain and confusion of the recent trauma so that he could access Aqua-Mariner's memory of the Serpent Crown. Mr. X located Aqua-Mariner's memory of the Serpent Crown and projected it as a three-dimensional illusion so that Aqua-Mariner could read the encoded clues engraved upon the ancient artifact and rediscover Atlantis' location.

Aqua-Mariner plotted the course to Atlantis in the Wavecruiser's navigational computer. But he was suspicious of Mr. X's agenda. He had been told that Mr. X had never been anything but a New Gotham crimelord who used his telepathy to stay one step ahead of the law. But while Mr. X united the JLX and inspired them to free Aqua-Mariner from JLA custody, Mr. X never claimed to be a metamutant himself. Mr. X responded that there are other kinds of outcasts in addition to metamutants. Aqua-Mariner's questioning of Mr. X's motives was cut short, however, soon after the JLX Wavecruiser submerged. As the water pressure increased, the Wavecruiser's hull began taking on water. Aqua-Mariner used his superhuman strength to help hold the hull together.

After taking on some water, the JLX Wavecruiser finally made its way to the domed city of Atlantis. But to Aqua-Mariner's, and everyone else's, surprise, the entire city of Atlantis was abandoned. Aqua-Mariner was especially devastated that he had lost his city and his people once again and blamed the surface dwellers for poisoning his oceans and driving his people away. As the JLX began to investigate, they were attacked by Will Magnus, Jocasta, and a small army of Sentinel robots. Will Magnus had used the Serpent Crown that he stole from Aqua-Mariner to locate Atlantis on his own in an attempt to exterminate its metamutant population. Enraged, Aqua-Mariner leapt at Will Magnus and prepared to strike him with his grappling trident. But Aqua-Mariner was blasted by Jocasta, Will Magnus' robotic bodyguard, before he was able to attack. Will Magus then ordered his Sentinels to strike and the JLX found themselves engaged in a massive battle with the metamutant-hunting robots. The dazed Aqua-Mariner was nearly vaporized by an attacking Sentinel robot, but the JLX member known as Mercury (Pietro "Pete" Allen) was able to pull him to safety just in the knick of time. Aqua-Mariner soon recovered and felled a Sentinel with his grappling trident while he instructed the rest of the JLX to fight from rage rather than fear. The battle began to turn in favor of the JLX and Will Magnus soon called off his Sentinels and retreated to the surface in an attempt to repair Jocasta after she was severely damaged in the fighting.

In the final moments of the battle, Mr. X revealed himself to be the shape-shifting J'onn J'onzz, the last survivor of the Martian race known as the Skrull. When the battle ended, Aqua-Mariner and his fellow JLX teammates agreed to remain affiliated with Mr. X, vowing to solve the mystery of why the Atlanteans departed Atlantis and where they have gone.

(JLX#2) - "Apocalypso" - Aqua-Mariner and the JLX were in search of their missing teammate Apollo (Ray Summers) when the black-hearted villain known as Thanoseid attacked. Luckily, Magneto (Erik Magnus) and the Magnetic Men were able to lend a hand.

(JLX#4) - Aqua-Mariner and the JLX teamed-up with the heroine known as Wonder Woman (Ororo).

(JLX#6) - Aqua-Mariner and the JLX battled the villainous Ms. Tique and her Brotherhood of Injustice.

(JLX Unleashed!#1(bts)) - Aqua-Mariner finally located Atlantis' lost population.

(JLX Unleashed!#1(bts)) - The United States Congress passed the Armageddon Agenda, the legislation that permitted Will Magnus and his Sentinels to declare war on all metamutants. Magnus' mandate and funding enabled him to wage a relentless war on the metamutant population, leading to many deaths -- both human and metamutant. Aqua-Mariner's kingdom of Atlantis was halved before he was found and captured by the authorities. He escaped custody once again only to be exiled from Atlantis.

(Iron Lantern / Mariner #1) - The evil mastermind known as H.E.C.T.O.R. and the Weaponers of A.I.M. attempted to take over Earth, forcing Mariner to team-up with Iron Lantern (Hal Stark) in order to stop them. Iron Lantern was able to defeat H.E.C.T.O.R. at the last moment by reversing the polarity of the villain's Ion Cannon.

Comments: created by Gerard Jones, Mark Waid, Howard Porter, and John Dell

Amalgam Comics' first metamutant, Aqua-Mariner (Arthur McKenzie) was created by the legendary Everett Williams and debuted in MARINE MYSTERY#1 during the Golden Age. In the modern age, he was given a makeover (dropping the "Aqua" from his name and simply going by "Mariner") and brought back into prominence as a member of the Judgment League: Avengers. In addition to regularly appearing in the pages of JLA (and later, in the pages of JLX), Aqua-Mariner's adventures in the modern age were also chronicled in ADVENTURES TO ASTONISH and SHOWCASE OF SUSPENSE, a title that he shared with Iron Lantern (Hal Stark) for 32 issues. At the end of SHOWCASE OF SUSPENSE's run, Aqua-Mariner was featured in the IRON LANTERN / MARINER#1 one-shot. Aqua-Mariner also starred in his own title -- PRINCE NAMOR THE AQUA-MAN -- with art by Jim Balent.

Key: Marvel characters are listed in regular, or bold black type. DC characters are listed in bold blue type. Amalgam characters are listed in bold purple type.

In case you're confused, Amalgam Comics didn't really exist beyond those seen in the few DC/Marvel cross-over. The titles you don't recognize are amalgams of similar Marvel and DC comics--Snood.

Everett Williams is an Amalgam Univese version of Bill Everett (creator of Marvel's Sub-Mariner).

MARINE MYSTERY#1 is an Amalgam Universe version of MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #1 (where Marvel's Sub-Mariner debuted in November 1939).

JLA is an amalgam of Marvel's AVENGERS and DC's JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA.

ADVENTURES TO ASTONISH is an amalgam of Marvel's TALES TO ASTONISH (where Marvel's Sub-Mariner appeared during the 1960s) and DC's ADVENTURE COMICS (where DC's Aquaman appeared during the 1950s).

SHOWCASE OF SUSPENSE is an amalgam of Marvel's TALES OF SUSPENSE and DC's SHOWCASE (where DC's Aquaman appeared prior to getting his own title in 1962).

The IRON LANTERN / MARINER #1 one-shot is an Amalgam Universe version of Marvel's IRON MAN / SUB-MARINER#1 one-shot (April, 1968).

PRINCE NAMOR THE AQUA-MAN is an amalgam of Marvel's PRINCE NAMOR, THE SUB-MARINER and DC's AQUAMAN.

Jim Balent is an Amalgam Univese version of Jim Balent.

Amalgam Universe

Earth-Amalgam

In the mainstream DC Universe, Poseidonis and Tritonis are two cities within the larger underwater civilization of of Atlantis. According to DC's ATLANTIS CHRONICLES limited series (written by Peter David), Poseidonis was the main city on the continent of Atlantis before it sank. After a meteorite struck Poseidonis and caused it to sink to the bottom of the ocean with the rest of the continent, a group of religious zealots (who blamed the city's technocrats for the sinking of Poseidonis) fled to the rival Atlantean city of Tritonis.

Presumably, the Amalgam Universe version of Poseidonis is similar to its mainstream DC Universe counterpart in that it comprised a only a fraction of the larger civilization of Atlantis. That would explain how Aqua-Mariner's (Arthur McKenzie) birthplace of Poseidonis was destroyed while other parts of the larger, underwater metamutant civilization of Atlantis survived yet still remained "lost" to Aqua-Mariner for years. Aqua-Mariner may have also suffered from amnesia as a result of the cataclysm that destroyed Poseidonis, which would also help to explain his inability to locate Atlantis.

Poseidonis

Poseidonis was the underwater city once inhabited by Prince Namor. Unfortunately, Poseidonis was destroyed in a cataclysm that killed most of the city's population. Surviving the disaster, Prince Namor ventured to the surface world where he fought injustice as Aqua-Mariner (Arthur McKenzie).

Presumably, Poseidonis was a part of the larger underwater civilization known as Atlantis, the ancestral home of metamutantkind, which Aqua-Mariner began searching for soon after venturing to the surface world. [See Comments]

Poseidonis is an Amalgam Universe version of Poseidonis of the mainstream DC Universe.

-- Amalgam Comics Trading Card#20

The Serpent Crown

The Serpent Crown is a legendary artifact that contains encoded clues to the location of Atlantis, the ancestral underwater home of metamutantkind. The metamutant known as Aqua-Mariner (Arthur McKenzie) had found the Serpent Crown during his seemingly endless quest to locate the city of Atlantis. Unfortunately, in ADVENTURES TO ASTONISH#76, the Serpent Crown (along with all of the clues to the location of Atlantis) were stripped from Aqua-Mariner by one of Will Magnus' Sentinels during a fierce battle on Krakoa the Living Dinosaur Island.

With the Serpent Crown in his possession, Will Magnus located the city of Atlantis and led a team of Sentinels there in an attempt to slaughter the underwater city's entire metamutant population.

The Serpent Crown is an Amalgam Universe version of the Serpent Crown of the mainstream Marvel Universe.

-- JLX #1

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CLARIFICATIONS:

Also assume that the Amalgam characters have no other connection to any others than whom they are Amalgamated, unless specifically mentioned.

Aqua-Mariner is an amalgam of:

• Sub-Mariner of Earth-616, Namor McKenzie, @ Marvel Mystery Comics#1

• Aquaman of the mainstream DC Universe, Orin (Arthur Curry), @ More Fun Comics#73

Poseidonis has no known connection to:

• Poseidon, the Olympian God of the Seas, @ Amazon#1

Last updated: 08/27/03

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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