Aquaman and Mera's 50th Anniversary

by Shrine Correspondent Russell Burbage

Today is Arthur's and Mera's Golden Wedding Anniversary! According to the 1976 DC Calendar, they were married on June 27. Their actual wedding was shown in Aquaman (Vol. 1) #18, December 1964.


From the time I was a kid I always put Aquaman, The Flash, and Hawkman in a different, more "grown-up" group than, say, Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern. Sure, there were actual books called Superman Family and Batman Family, but think about it. What kind of hoops did Superman fly through in order to not commit to Lois Lane? How many girlfriends did socialite Bruce Wayne have? And how messed up was Hal's relationship with Star Sapphire? On the other hand, Aquaman, the Flash, and Hawkman were all happily married to smart, independent, beautiful women! To a geeky fat kid growing up, these guys were real heroes! Remember when The Atom was about to get married, and he couldn't decide whether to tell Jean Loring who he really was, or to keep it a secret? Regardless of how that marriage ended up, remember the advice Arthur, Barry, and Katar gave him? These were men who were glad to have such wonderful women in their lives. These were men who knew how lucky they were to have found such great wives.

Aquaman made his debut in 1941. His wedding was in 1964. That means that he was twenty-three years old when he got married; that seems about right for the times. (I got married when I was twenty-five, and that wasn't fifty years ago!) No word on how old Mera was; when she made her debut she appeared to be several years younger than Arthur. When asked her age she clammed up tight. For fifty years Arthur and Mera have lived, worked, and swam side-by-side. Like all married couples they have had their ups and downs; their laughter and tears. They knew the joy of bringing a son into the world; they knew the devastation of losing him.


They argue over what to watch on Netflix, and what to plant in the octopus garden. Sometimes he spends too much time at the satellite, and sometimes she goes crazy and tries to kill him. But their love has never weakened, even when threatened by murderous relatives. So join us and their innumerable friends and fans to congratulate them on their Golden Anniversary. Here's to Arthur and Mera, may you have another fifty years of happiness!