Cal Durham

Cal Durham is a male comic character who features in DC Comics.

Biography

Cal Durham

During his struggles with Aquaman, Black Manta at times recruits his henchmen by using the pretense that as an African-American, his ultimate objective is for his people to be dominant in the oceans below, after having been oppressed for so long in the lands above. Believing these claims, Cal Durham joins Manta's crew and work his way up to Manta's lieutenant. Over time, Durham discovers that Manta is more obsessed with the destruction of Aquaman than fulfilling his idealistic pledge. When he tries to remind Manta of that goal, his doubts are forcefully rebuked and Manta orders him to accompany him in confronting Aquaman, whom had recently been captured. When Durham rebels at Manta's attempt to have Aquaman killed, he is rendered unconscious and and ejected into the sea through a torpedo tube. While Manta proceeds to have Aquaman strapped to a missile, Durham's gill implants finally begin to work, allowing him to survive. He is then able to free Aquaman from Manta's deathtrap. (Aquaman v1 #57)

Aquaman goes in search of Black Manta, fighting his way through Manta's undersea henchmen. Meanwhile Black Manta is dealing with the potential rebellion of his lieutenant, Cal Durham, who believes that Manta has let thoughts of vengeance cloud his focus, and has put aside his pledge to make an underwater refuge for his people. Manta forcefully squelches Durham's doubts just before they both go to confront a recently captured Aquaman. When Manta attempts to have Aquaman killed, Durham rebels but is knocked unconscious by a henchman. Durham is ejected out to sea in a torpedo tube, apparently to drown. Meanwhile Manta has Aquaman strapped to a missile.

Notes

• Cal Durham was created by David Micheline and Jim Aparo where he made his first appearance in Aquaman v1 #57 (September, 1957).

In other media

Television

• In Young Justice, Cal Durham appeared in the setting of the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Phil LaMarr. He was noted to had been a henchmen of Black Manta where he had been genetically enhanced to infiltrate Atlantis. However, he came to fall in love with Sha'lain'a and defected where they decided to raise a son together named Kaldur'ahm. He did not initially know that he was not Kaldur'ahm's biological father; Black Manta was.

Appearances

• Aquaman v1: (1957)

External Links

• DC Database Entry

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