WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Aquamen #2, now on sale from DC Comics
The Aquaman cast of characters are quietly among DC’s most powerful heroes, with a variety of physical and mystical capabilities at their disposal. But sometimes, that means they discover how frightening they can really be when they have the opportunity — with one former Aqualad pushing his moves to a dark place.
A new move utilized by Jackson Hyde in Aquamen #2 (by Chuck Brown, Brandon Thomas, Sami Basri, Vicente Cifuentes, Adriano Lucas, and Andworld Design) effectively gives the DC hero the ability to bloodbend from Avatar: The Last Airbender — and it might be a slippery slope the young hero can’t afford to take.
The investigation of a number of Atlantean sleeper cells across the United States has forced Jackson Hyde and the rest of the Aquaman family into a difficult situation. Not helping matters in the slightest is the Arthur Curry’s recruitment of his long-standing nemesis Black Manta. Enraged, Jackson Hyde goes on his own to confront the imprisoned Orm and try to force out any information from him. But when Orm ignores Jackson’s attempts and dismisses him as not the “real Aquaman,” a frustrated Jackson embraces a more painful interrogation technique. Using his powers to manipulate and shape water, Jackson reveals that he can easily take control of the water running through Orm’s body — and quickly uses it to twist Orm’s body into painful contortions.
Notably, it’s not even a super difficult technique for Jackson to utilize, with Jackson easily able to continue his interrogations while causing the typically deadly villain to scream out in pain. Given Orm’s typical taciturn response to pain, this suggests that Jackson’s technique is a particularly painful one. It’s a brutal maneuver by Jackson, highlighting how ruthless the young hero has the capability to become — especially after the injury of his mother brought out the angry side of the hero. The move is also notably similar to another famous universe’s most vicious technique. But given the dark implications and imagery associated with the move, it might not be the ideal technique from Avatar for the young hero to be emulating.
In the Avatar franchise, Waterbenders are one of the four classes of elemental manipulators. Among the rarest and darkest of Waterbending techniques is Bloodbending, where-in the bender manipulates the water within the blood of others to control their movements, effectively puppeteering them around. In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Hama introduced the technique in Season 3, teaching it to a reluctant Katara. Meanwhile, Bloodbending proved to be a crucial element of the storyline in The Legend of Korra, by which point the move had become increasingly taboo in Bending communities. Jackson’s control of the water inside Orm shares many similarities with how Bloodbending was portrayed in the Avatar franchise, particularly in terms of how painful it looks.
Jackson is currently on his way to becoming as important of a hero to the DC Universe as his mentor, and is poised to join the Justice League in his stead following the events of the upcoming Justice League #75, which will kill off most of the League (likely including Arthur Curry). It’s vital for Jackson to embrace his power and potential as a hero. But while he’s increasingly showcased incredible abilities, his rage over his father and his mother’s injuries have shown how brutal he can become when enraged. With the DC Universe approaching some tumultuous times amid the coming Dark Crisis, it’s vital for the hero to get control of his emotions — and maybe treat his bloodbending-like technique more as a last resort than something to use on interrogations.
About The Author
