Atlantis (DC)

Atlantis is a place that features in DC Comics.

History

Pre-Crisis

In an effort to stop the destruction, Atlena of Atlantis created machines to send the inhabitants of Atlantis into a limbo-dimension in order to keep them safe. However, the machines were not ready and it instead left Atlena trapped in the timeless dimension. (World Finest Comics v1 #262)

All the magic of destroyed Atlantis was said to had been recorded in the Lost Book of Thoth. (More Fun Comics v1 #58)

Post-Crisis

Early groups of explorers from Atlantis went out into world that became lost to their city's history. (Aquaman v5 #19) In time, there were the Seven Golden Cities of Atlantis. However, five lost cities of Atlantis that resided in the world that were practically incarnations of different aspects of Atlantean history. (Aquaman v5 #21) These included:

• Thierna na Oge : was the third of the five lost cities and served as a mystic city of magic users that was once the stronghold of Atlantean sorcery. (Aquaman v5 #21)
• Tlapallan : a city populated by yellow skinned Atlanteans in Mayan designs and was the site of one of the pieces of the Zodiac Crystal. (Aquaman v2 #4)
• Hy-Brasil : was named after the ancient high warlord Basil which was a place of potent weaponry, scientific defense and offense. (Aquaman v5 #21) One of the kingdoms of Atlantis was Hy-Brasil that was considered the most heavily armed city of the realm and held as the nucleus of protection of the continent. (Aquaman v5 #18)
• Dreaming City : situated in the Himalayas where it became a place of spirituality. (Aquaman v5 #21) Half a dozen Atlantean tribes migrated here where they combined magic and science to fashion a home for themselves within the mountain. (Aquaman v5 #19) However, Orm and Neron would eventually blacken the soul of the place along with its people. (Aquaman v5 #21)
• Sharaia : a city that was inhabited by a race of aquatic manta-people. (Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis v1 #48)

Since the sinking of Atlantis, each of the undersea cities developed their own unique culture as they all operated in isolation. (Aquaman v2 #1)

The New 52

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Around 47,000 years ago, the queen of Atlantis when it was on the surface with her becoming pregnant with two male heirs with her husband the king first crafting the Zodiac Crystals. (Justice League v3 #16) During Atlan's reign, Atlantis was at war with the inhabitants of the deserts but a peace would be forged whereby the deserters would share their arcane secrets. In time, Atlan would open his kingdom to the rest of the world to create a single great nation and his fear of outsiders would diminish. However, his brother Orin who led a sect that opposed Atlan's decisions that harmed Atlantean culture and he orchestrated a plot to kill him. King Atlan was wounded and fled but his wife and children were slain by the betrayal. A distraught Atlan would adopt a vow of silence whilst being hunted where he used the secrets of the deserters to forge the six Artifacts of Atlantis. After being equipped with them, he returned to Atlantis where he killed his brother and his wife whereupon he was attacked by the other Atlanteans. With his revenge accomplished, Atlan plunged his trident into the ground and shattered Atlantis which sank beneath the ocean. The cataclysm killed 90% of the population but the fragments that survived became the Seven Kingdoms of Atlantis with the survivors mutating to adapt in their changed environment. Four of these kingdoms were lost to modern times and the remaining three became occupied by the Atlanteans of Atlantis, the exiled people of Xebel and finally the monstrous Trench. (Aquaman v7 #24)

In an effort to ease tensions with the surface, Atlantis established an embassy called Spindrift Station that was to be headed by Mera. (Aquaman v7 #50)

Overview

Leadership in Poseidonis was held by the council of seven who by the rule of law conducted debates on the appointment of a new leader should the king die without an heir. (Aquaman v5 #11)

A number of locations within Atlantis include:

• Caves of Death : a forbidden location with anything living that entered it having its life ripped from it and left as bones. (Atlantis Chronicles v1 #3)
• Leviathan Gate : one of the gates that served as an exit Atlantis. (Aquaman v7 #36)
• Nautila Theater : site of a bloody battle hundreds of years ago where there was a rebellion with a theater being built as a symbolic gesture of change. (Aquaman v7 #36)
• Penitentiary Vault : a site used to hold prisoners. (Aquaman v8 #7)
• Tower of the Widowhood : home to the Widowhood that were the most sacred order in Atlantis that inducted the monarchs betrothed into the wisdom and tradition of the Atlantean people. (Aquaman v8 #8)

Atlantis was unlike any other landmass in the world as when its Atlantean's inhabitants died their electrical impulses and essence itself was absorbed into the strata where it became part of a city wide system. As such, it was able to sense the rule of Atlanteans only otherwise it would tear itself apart. This system was only in place when the previous ruler passed away whereupon control was transferred to the new reigning monarch. (Aquaman v7 #35)

The Royal Seal was an important relic to their people and seen as a national treasure as well as a symbol of the old ways. (Aquaman v2 #1)

White Magic was practiced by the good priests of Atlantis to overcome their more evil kin. (More Fun Comics v1 #58)

Inhabitants

• Atlanna :
• Vulko :
• Dardan : male leader of the Shalakites who sat on the council of seven who cautioned against leaving Atlantis that was suffering from an upheaval. (Aquaman v5 #11)

Notes

• Atlantis within DC Comics was created by Gardner F. Fox and Fred Guardineer where it was first mentioned in Action Comics v1 #17 (October 1939) but depicted in Action Comics v1 #18 (November 1939).
• It was based on the Atlantis from mythology.
• According to History of the DC Universe v1 #1 (1986), after the emergence of man in the centuries that followed great civilizations flourished and empires formed with magic taking hold on Earth with it settling in the kingdom of Atlantis. Corruption among the mystics saw them wage constant war against the practitioners of science that threatened to destroy the island leading to some fleeing to the sea on board ancient Swan ships. One such group reached the land of Skartaris whilst violence remained in Atlantis until the rise of Arion who sought peace until aliens arrived that battled the high mage with the conflict sinking Atlantis leading to the end of the first heroic age.

Alternate Versions

• In Action Comics v1 #18 (1939), Atlantis was shown to be a city that had sunken underneath the ocean long ago. From the Atlanteans did mankind arise from with their civilization responsible for raising agricultural plants and developed the domesticated animal breeds. They were described as the first students of the occult and were aware of the wealthy colony of Ophir. From their mother colony did Egypt and Greece emerge with them raising all manners of food stuff and the Atlantean armies held the greatest army legions in the world. Around this time, they came to worship a giant octopus called Roor. During their reign, Earth was orbited by two Moons one of which fell towards the planet causing fearful storms that flooded the world and Atlantis. As the city sunk, those of the higher order of mankind took shelter in subterranean chambers where over the course of thousands of years created a garden city to live in peaceful isolation. They came to believe that worship of Roor the evil one and ancient foe of all life had brought about the downfall of their civilization. The creature was sealed away within a temple and all were forbidden to enter otherwise the beast would be unleashed against the world. In the modern day, Zatara along with Setap discovered Atlantis where they discovered some of its inhabitants that included Gath and Loalla when Roor was accidently unleashed.
• In Weird War Tales v1 #111 (1982), an alternate version of Atlantis situated in the Pacific was shown as being an advanced civilization thousands of years ago inhabited by the Atlantides. It terrorized Europe and Africa until prehistoric Athenian forces defeated when Atlantis sank beneath the ocean. Prior to their destruction, the inhabitants journeyed to Atlantis II that was made to be a sanctuary in case their home was destroyed. In time, the Atlantides replaced their bodies into mechanical parts that resembled flesh thus turning them into a race of robots that maintained their military in their underwater city. The Creature Commandos encountered them and managed to stop Atlantis II from conquering the world when G.I. Robot J.A.K.E. sacrificed himself by turning the city's weapons against it thus destroying it.
• In Tangent Comics: Atom v1 #1 (1997), New Atlantis was created over the former site of Atlanta after its destruction in Earth-9's Cuban Missile Crisis in 1969 where it became a powerful center for trade and power.

In other media

Television

• In The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, Atlantis appeared as a domed city at the bottom of the sea populated by Atlanteans and ruled by Aquaman who was the sovereign of the seven seas. During ancient times, it was revealed in the episode "The Return of Nepto", a race of undersea Viking styled giants once lived underwater with their leader being a red bearded one called Nepto who once was a tyrant at Atlantis and armed with a black trident that could fire energy blasts. However, by unknown means, he along with his three warriors fell into a deep slumber by a volcano until the modern day when they were awakened and defeated by Aquaman. In "The Rampaging Reptile-Men", the Atlanteans had established a power station to feed Atlantis energy until it was sabotaged by the villainous Reptile-Men who intended to conquer the city until they were sealed in their cave lair by Aquaman and Aqualad. In "The Deadly Drillers", a race of technologically advanced mole people from the center of the Earth had sent automated drill crafts from underground into the ocean were dispatched by their king to destroy Atlantis only to be driven back by Aquaman. The episode "Vassa - Queen of the Mermen" introduced a race of green skinned Mermen led by Queen Vassa who had constructed robotic whale ships that she launched to destroy Atlantis only for her forces to be defeated by Aquaman.
• In Justice League, the undersea kingdom of Atlantis made a number of appearances in the DC Animated universe. It was shown that long ago, it resided on the surface where it was led by King Poseidon who used magic to keep the island afloat. This was until Earth drew the attention of extradimensional entities known as the Old Ones that were led by Icthultu. To protect his people, King Poseidon summoned all his magic to vanquish the Old Ones back but this came at the cost of the sinking of Atlantis that came to reside at the bottom of the ocean. By the modern day, Atlantis was ruled by Aquaman who served as King alongside his Queen Mera with their newborn baby being the prince of the kingdom.
• In Young Justice, Atlantis and its inhabitants would make their appearance in the show with Kaldur'ahm raised there. The episode "Downtime" depicted the underwater kingdom with its capital being Poseidonis. A number of locations within Atlantis included the Conservatory of Sorcery that was a magical institution maintained by the Atlanteans with Queen Mera teaching its students in the use of magic and included combat sorcery that was said to require improvisation. Another site was the Science Center where Vulko was studying the echinoderm that they had discovered frozen in the ice. Black Manta was dispatched by the Light to recover the organism and laid siege to Atlantis causing widespread destruction until he was thwarted by Aqualad and Garth.
• In The Flash, the Earth-2 Atlantis was mentioned in the episode "The Darkness and the Light". Jay Garrick stated that on his Earth Atlantis resided in the surface and he noted it as a place he visited.

Film

• In Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, the underwater city was said to had once been on the surface until a cataclysm caused it to sink beneath the ocean. It was the king of Atlantis that saved his people and the city by using magic to turn the Atlanteans into an aquatic race. Powerful mystical seals were created that hid Atlantis from the rest of the world allowing the Atlanteans to live isolated for centuries until the modern age.

Video games

• In Injustice: Gods Among Us, the royal throne room of Atlantis featured as a playable stage in the video game.
• In Injustice 2, Atlantis appeared in the video game sequel where it was a playable stage and featured in the story mode. After the fall of the One Earth Regime, Aquaman cut ties with the surface world and adopted a period of isolationism. Batman dispatched Hal Jordan to enlist Atlantis's aid to fight Brainiac's invasion but Aquaman decided to defend his city and people. Atlantis was one of the many cities that were collected by Brainiac on-board his Skull Ship.

Appearances

• Aquaman v7:

External Links

• DC Database Entry

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