DC Unveils New Aquaman Origin Story, And It’s Already Required Reading

Published Jul 25, 2026, 4:17 PM EDT Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot. DC has returned to its astonishing realm of swords, sorcery, and superheroes with Dark Knights of Steel II, the 12-issue sequel series. Dark Knights of Steel’s narrative is absolutely jam-packed in its own original limited series, full of dramatic knife-twists and fascinating fantasy reimaginings of characters and their mythologies. Dark Knights of Steel II has only released one issue so far and has already featured wonderful new layers to the lore. It’s also completely narratively satisfying because it not only follows Dark Knights of Steel, but also Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter, which contains a backup story that is now vital to understanding the backstory of Dark Knights of Steel II’s Aquaman, King Arthur of Atlantis. Dark Knights Of Steel II Is Also An Heir To The Sea Sequel As of this week, “Heir to the Sea” has been reprinted as its own one-shot, Dark Knights of Steel II: Heir to the Sea #1, and for great reason. If DC fans missed out on Dark Knights of Steel, then they might’ve also missed out on Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter. And if they missed out on Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter, then they definitely missed out on the original, serialized edition of “Heir to the Sea” that debuted within its pages. Dark Knights of Steel II: Heir to the Sea won’t literally be required reading for anyone to understand what’s going on in Dark Knights of Steel II, yet it may well be if his history and unique origin story have anything to do with the primary plot of the sequel series. Dark Knights of Steel II features Arthur in a pivotal role, though he doesn’t seem like he’ll be an antagonist, as the cover for issue #1 had previously suggested. The solicitation for Dark Knights of Steel II: Heir to the Sea, out now, teases this and reads as follows: CATCH UP ON THE SECRET ORIGIN OF AQUAMAN IN THE DARK KNIGHTS OF STEEL UNIVERSE! Before the rise of the House of El, two steadfast soldiers within the Wayne army, Jonathan and Martha Kent, make a startling discovery: a child, left among the waves, orphaned by a civil war raging beneath the water's surface. The Kents hope to hide him from the bitter violence of the world he left behind... but no one runs from their destiny forever. Originally seen in the pages of Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter, witness the origin of a deep-sea king whose journey leads directly into his royal debut in Dark Knights of Steel II #1. Dark Knights Of Steel II Hasn’t Forgotten About Allwinter Likewise, Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter itself is a great read that could also be considered required reading before fans plunge further into Dark Knights of Steel II because Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter explains where Bruce Wayne was between Dark Knights of Steel and Dark Knights of Steel II. It’s unknown if we’ll see Slade or any of the characters from Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter’s frozen lands again, but Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter is a terrific scroll of parchment added to Dark Knights of Steel’s rich tapestry of lore. There are a lot of loose threads from Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter that Dark Knights of Steel II could follow, making it far more narratively significant across all books. With that much lore to catch up on in both stories, it’s only imaginable what Dark Knights of Steel would look like if different characters had their own ongoing runs, rather than each series being a massive crossover epic. For now, we have at least another year’s worth of Dark Knights of Steel II to look forward to from DC, and it’ll be fun to see how the sequel series takes shape. Dark Knights of Steel II: Heir to the Sea #1 is out now. Dark Knights of Steel II #2 is scheduled to be released on August 19, 2026. Aquaman, DC Comics’ King of Atlantis, is Arthur Curry—a half-human, half-Atlantean hero. Wielding a magical trident, he commands the oceans, communicates with sea life, and is an iconic member of the Justice League. POWERS Marine Telepathy, increased Physical Attributes, wielder of the Trident of Neptune (and various others) TEAM Justice League NAME Arthur Curry