Aqualad (Kaldur'ahm)

Aqualad
Jackson Hyde and Deadman. Brightest Day #10, artist David Finch
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Young Justice "Independence Day"
First comic appearance	Brightest Day #4 (August 2010)
Created by	Greg Weisman, Brandon Vietti & Phil Bourassa (based upon the character Garth by Robert Bernstein & Ramona Fradon)
In-story information
Alter ego	Kaldur'ahm
Species	Atlantean\Human hybrid
Place of origin	Atlantis
Team affiliations	Teen Titans
Notable aliases	Jackson Hyde, Waterboy, Kaldur
Abilities	Superhuman strength Adapted to underwater environments can swim at superhuman speed levels. hydrokinesis bio-electric energy blasts Hydro swords that can shift into a shield and various weapons

Kaldur'ahm is one of two fictional superheroes codenamed Aqualad in stories published by DC Comics. The character was created by Greg Weisman, Brandon Vietti and Phil Bourassa for the television series Young Justice, and voiced by Khary Payton. His name is a reference to the character Calvin "Cal" Durham, formerly a henchman of the super-villain Black Manta who was sent to infiltrate Atlantis, but defected to the Atlanteans.

Kaldur'ahm was subsequently adapted for the DC mainstream continuity by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis, debuting under the name Jackson Hyde in Brightest Day #4 (August 2010).

In the Young Justice animated series, Aqualad was first seen as the protege of Aquaman. He was later unanimously elected by the team to be their leader after their first mission together, as he was perceived as having good leadership skills. In the second season of the series he uncovered he was in fact the son of Black Manta. Because the character was originally created for the animated series before being brought into Brightest Day, he has a different origin from his comic book counterpart, including being a citizen of Atlantis developed his powers in a year studying Atlantean sorcery. Though he still maintains the birth name of Kaldur’ahm, he does not use the Jackson Hyde alias created for the comics. He is portrayed as the most mature member of the group. The episode "Downtime" reveals that he and his friend Garth had saved Aquaman's life during a battle with Ocean Master. Aquaman offered to take on both teens as his proteges, but Garth chose to remain in Atlantis to continue his studies in sorcery, while Kaldur chose to travel with Aquaman and become Aqualad. He also had an interest in a girl named Tula, who became involved with Garth after Kaldur left Atlantis.