Mera



Mera is the former queen of Dimension Aqua, and current Queen of Atlantis and wife of Aquaman.

She also has a twin sister named Hila.

Background Information
Fleeing the criminal Leron that seized control of her kingdom, Mera arrived on Earth meeting Aquaman and Aqualad who vow to help her. Leron captures them, imprisoning Aquaman and Mera back in Dimension Aqua. Aided by the water sprite known as Quisp, Aquaman managed to free Mera and defeats Leron. Mera abdicates the throne of Xebel to Queen V'lana, and returns to Atlantis to marry Aquaman.

Soon after, in 1973 Mera gave birth to Aquaman's son, whom they named Arthur Curry, Jr., aka, Aquababy.

A few years later, in late 1977; Mera suffered the greatest tragedy in her life. Aquaman's nemesis Black Manta kidnapped Arthur Curry, Jr. and confined inside of a translucent tank filled with poison.

The child lapsed into a coma and Mera embarked upon an ambitious crusade to save him. She found the means to return to Dimension Aqua and fought against the tyrant Leron in order to learn the location of a special healing device. She discovered that Leron had taken all of Mera's possessions and cast them away into the Great Pit. Mera braved the pit and fought against elemental monsters in order to retrieve the device. Her quest proved successful, but as she returned home to Atlantis the summer of 1978, she found that she was too late. Arthur Curry, Jr. had died.

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.
 * 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.
 * Hydrokinesis: 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" 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.
 * Dimensional Travel: Mera has the ability to travel between her native world of Dimension Aqua and the Earth realm. Her aptitude with this power has not always been consistent, and there have been occasions when Mera has been forced to find an alternate recourse for crossing the barriers.
 * 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.

Weaknesses

 * Mental Instability: Throughout her adult life, Mera has had to deal with bouts of mental instability. This began after suffering a nervous breakdown following the death of her son and continued for many years. She was remanded to the care of the Atlantis Health and Rehabilitation Department and remained a patient at one of their facilities until finally returning to her native dimension. It has also been suggested that prolonged exposure to this reality may have altered Mera's brain chemistry, exacerbating her prolonged mental health issues.

Appearances
As a Wax Figure in late 1975:
 * SuperFriends Comic Book issue: Limited Collectors' Edition #C-41 (December 1975 / January 1976)