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Art by Patrick Gleason
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Aquaman
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Orin, adopted as Arthur Curry
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DC Comics
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'' More Fun Comics '' # 73 (November, 1941)
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Paul Norris <br /> Mort Weisinger
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Missing
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Justice League , All-Star Squadron ( Pre-Crisis Earth-Two continuity)
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The Sea King
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Queen Atlanna (mother, deceased), Atlan (father), Orm Marius (half-brother), Deep Blue (half-sister), Arthur Curry, Sr (adopted father, deceased), Koryak (son, deceased), Mera (wife), Arthur Curry III (son, deceased), Garth (adopted son, status uncertain)
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Undersea adaptation,<br />telepathy with marine life,<br />enhanced physical attributes,<br />enchanted left hand
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is a
DC Comics Superhero . Created by
Paul Norris and
Mort Weisinger , he first appeared in ''
More Fun Comics '' # 73 (1941).
Like
Marvel Comics '
Sub-Mariner , Aquaman is an undersea hero originating from the
Mythical kingdom of
Atlantis . In the traditional version of his origin, he was Arthur Curry, the son of a human
Lighthouse keeper and an outcast from Atlantis. Recent comics, however, depict Aquaman as an
Orphan of purely underwater heritage who was raised by the lighthouse keeper. In either case, Aquaman eventually learned about his origins and powers and vowed to defend the
Ocean s and their inhabitants, becoming the ruler of Atlantis and the undersea world in general.
As an Atlantian, Aquaman possesses the abilities to breathe underwater, communicate, via
Telepathy , with all forms of sea life and swim at fast speeds. In some depictions, Aquaman also possesses varying degrees of superstrength and endurance.
Aquaman was a minor but durable hero during the
Golden and
Silver Ages of
Comic Books , appearing in back-up stories of
Comic Book s featuring other superheroes or in a supporting role to them. He eventually became a founding member of the
Justice League Of America .
He was included in ''
Super Friends ,'' the 1970s/80s, cartoon adaptation of the League series, which helped him become somewhat of a household name. However, perhaps because of his place among giants
Superman ,
Batman and
Wonder Woman , Aquaman has been mocked for having limited and relatively useless powers (see
Cultural References ). Although, like most well-know comic book characters, Aquaman has his fair share of defenders.
In response, the
Modern Aquaman has become a darker and more powerful character, often been portrayed as angry and righteous. He also uses more assurance, even arrogance, in his role as king.
In his Golden Age appearances, Aquaman was presented as the son of a human scientist who gave him the ability to breathe underwater, but had no other powers whatsoever.
This version of Aquaman was, in later years (following the establishment of DC Comics'
Multiverse ), described as being the Aquaman of
Earth-Two , an alternate
Earth . The only appearances of the Golden Age/Earth-Two version of Aquaman after the Golden Age were in ''
All-Star Squadron '' #59 and 60, just before he was
Retroactively eliminated from existence due to the changes wrought to DC's history by 1985's ''
Crisis On Infinite Earths ''.
In 1946, Aquaman's adventures moved from ''More Fun Comics'' to ''
Adventure Comics '', where he remained through the rest of the 1940s, the 1950s and early 1960s as a backup feature to the book's star,
Superboy .
Most of Aquaman's adventures in the 1940s and 1950s had him dealing with various criminals,
Pirate s such as his archfoe Blackjack, and so forth, as well as threats to aquatic life and sailors. The first recurring supporting character Aquaman gained was Topo, his pet
Octopus , in ''Adventure Comics'' # 229 in October 1956.
.]]
Starting in 1959, Aquaman saw the first major revisions to his mythos since the Golden Age, with various new supporting characters added and several adjustments made to the character.
In ''Adventure Comics'' # 260 and subsequent Silver Age comics, it was revealed that Aquaman was Arthur Curry, the son of a human
Lighthouse keeper named Tom Curry and Atlanna, an outcast from the lost continent of
Atlantis . Due to his heritage, Aquaman discovered as a youth that he possessed various abilities, including the power to survive underwater, communicate with sea life, and tremendous swimming prowess. Eventually, Arthur decided to use his talents to become the defender of the Earth's oceans, starting a career as "Aquaboy." As Aquaboy, he eventually met
Superboy (Earth's only other superpowered hero at the time) on one occasion. Eventually, Arthur grew up and changed his name to "Aquaman."
In 1960, Aquaman was included in the ''
Justice League Of America '' comic, appearing with the team in their very first adventure in ''
The Brave And The Bold '' # 28, and was later revealed to be a founding member (as shown in
Flashback in ''Justice League of America'' # 9). Aquaman took part in most of the 1960s adventures of the superhero team.
Around this time, Aquaman also began gaining his familiar cast of allies and enemies, starting with
Aqualad , an outcast,
Orphaned youth from Atlantis whom Aquaman takes in.
Aquaman gained his own comic for the first time in 1962, which saw further additions to Aquaman's mythos, including the introduction of
Mera the queen of an aquatic world in another dimension; eventually, Mera and Aquaman were wed and the two later had a child together (named Arthur Jr. or "Aquababy").
The 1960s also saw the introduction of enemies such as
Ocean Master and
Black Manta , would-be conquerors of the sea.
A noteworthy story from this era unfolded in ''Adventure Comics'' #452 (July-August 1977), in which Black Manta (as part of a trap) killed Aquaman's infant son.
In the early 1980s, Aquaman disbanded the Justice League, then reformed the group with a roster of younger members, as well as relocating the team's headquarters to
Detroit, Michigan ; this new version of the team, however, proved short-lived, and was disbanded during the events of the 1986 ''
Legends '' mini-series.
A noteworthy aspect of the Silver Age Aquaman comics was that the primary artist for his adventures was
Ramona Fradon , one of the few female comic artists of that period.
In 1986, following the ''
Crisis On Infinite Earths '', a four-issue Aquaman
Limited Series was published, featuring Aquaman in a new (largely deep-sea blue) costume. The series failed to stir much interest, however, and was soon forgotten. In 1989, Aquaman received notice once again with that year's ''
Legend Of Aquaman '' special, which was soon followed by a five-issue limited series. The following year saw the publication of ''
The Atlantis Chronicles '', which successfully revived interest in the character. In 1991, a 13-issue ''Aquaman'' limited series was published.
In 1993, Aquaman was featured in yet another limited series, ''''; the four-issue series delved into further details concerning Aquaman's origins.
In August 1994, Aquaman finally received his own comic again, initially scripted by
Peter David , who had also penned ''Time and Tide''. The series ran for 75 issues; David left after working on the series for nearly four years, and was replaced by
Erik Larsen (with a brief stint by
Dan Abnett and
Andy Lanning bridging the two). Larsen's work did not prove popular, however, and he was soon replaced by
Dan Jurgens , who saw the series through to its cancellation with issue #75.
In 2002, a new ''Aquaman'' series started production, and is currently still being published by DC. Writers who have contibuted to the series thus far include
Rick Veitch ,
John Ostrander ,
Will Pfeifer and
John Arcudi .
After the 1985 ''
Crisis On Infinite Earths ''
Limited Series , several short limited series in the late 1980s and early 1990s attempted to rewrite the Sea King's mythos and origin, though keeping most of his Silver Age history intact. The current version of Aquaman's origin and history is as follows:
.]]
Aquaman, born as Orin to Atlantean Queen Atlanna and the mysterious
Wizard Atlan, was abandoned on
Mercy Reef as a baby because of his blonde hair, which was seen by the
Superstitious denizens of Atlantis as a sign of a curse they called "the Mark of Kordax." The only one who spoke up on Orin's behalf was Vulko, a scientist who had no patience for myth or superstition, and while his pleas were to no avail, Vulko would later become a close friend and advisor to the young Orin. As a child, Orin was found and taken in by a
Lighthouse keeper who gave him his human name, Arthur Curry. One day Orin returned home and found his adoptive father had disappeared, so he set off on his own. In his early teens, Orin ventured to the far north, where he met and fell in love with an
Inupiat girl named Kako. He also first earned the hatred of Orm, the future
Ocean Master , who would later be revealed to be Arthur's half-brother. He was driven away before he could learn that Kako had become pregnant with his son,
Koryak .
Orin returned to the seas; he crossed paths with humans from time to time but for the most part stayed well out of sight of humanity, until a fateful day when Orin happened on the city of his birth, Atlantis. He was captured by the city's then-dictatorial government and placed in a prison camp. He was helped by Vulko, at the time also a prisoner of the state, who taught Orin the language and ways of the Atlanteans. While Orin was there he realized that his mother was also being held captive, but once she was killed, he broke out and fled. Eventually, Orin made his way to the surface world, and became a hero named "Aquaman." From this point on, Aquaman's history mostly followed his Silver Age history as outlined above, with a few differences.
When Aquaman eventually returned to Atlantis, he found that it's citizens had been inspired to liberate themselves by his daring escape and that Atlantis was now a free city. Aquaman was recognized as the son of Queen Atlanna and so became the King of Atlantis. Aquaman began a policy of slowly reintroducing Atlantis to the surface world, though after being ousted by a villain named Shark, he decided to become a more traditional superhero, even though he could have taken the throne again following Shark's defeat. Around this time, Arthur met and married Mera, a queen from another dimension, and they had a son, Arthur Jr.
Eventually, Aquaman's foe
Black Manta kidnapped and ultimately murdered Arthur Jr., causing a rift between Aquaman and his wife. Mera was driven insane by grief and was soon committed to an
Asylum in Poseidonis. Shortly afterwards, an alien force conquered Atlantis. Arthur was forced to save the day, and in the process was hampered by an escaped Mera who personally blamed Arthur for the death of their son. In a fit of rage, Mera left Aquaman's dimension. After Atlantis was freed, Arthur knew he had to remain in Atlantis, and thus he resigned from the Justice League. For a time, he served as Atlantis's representative to the
United Nations , but always found himself thrust back into the superhero role. Becoming more and more of a
Workaholic and solitary figure, Aquaman eventually returned to the oceans. He soon became tangled up in Black Manta's latest attempt at destroying Atlantis by dragging it into a war with a surface nation. In the aftermath of the war, Arthur received the Atlantis Chronicles, thus learning all about the history of his people and discovering that Ocean Master was really his half-brother, Orm. With all the chaos in his life, Arthur fell into a bout of severe
Depression .
Around the time of the ''. This new harpoon had a retractable reel that he could fully control.
.]]
He rejoined the Justice League when it reformed, and remained an active member of that team until the ''
Our Worlds At War '' storyline, in which Aquaman, the city of Atlantis and most of his supporting cast mysteriously disappeared. It was later discovered that Atlantis and its denizens were taken into the ancient past by a powerful Atlantean
Sorceress named Gamemnae. The people of Atlantis were made slaves by their ancestors, and Aquaman himself was transformed into living water and imprisoned in an ornamental pool.
After a few months of their time - but fully fifteen years for the Atlanteans - the Justice League freed Aquaman, and returned Atlantis and its people to the present, though not before Aquaman was forced to sink ancient Atlantis. This caused displeasure among some of the city's denizens, and Arthur was once again driven out of Atlantis; he later spent some time in Ireland, where he met the
Lady Of The Lake , who gave him a new prosthetic hand composed of magical water. From there he returned to his more traditional look: orange shirt, clean shaven, and short hair.
Later, Aquaman went to
San Diego after a massive
Earthquake plunged half the city into the
Pacific Ocean . He soon discovered that the survivors of the catastrophe were able to breathe underwater, and began helping them rebuild their submerged portion of the city (now called "
Sub Diego "). During this time, Aquaman picked up a new sidekick named Lorena, who eventually became the new Aquagirl. For a time, it appeared that Aquaman might reconcile with Mera, as he attempted to take her to the surface in order to save her from the Atlantean mages who had transformed into an air-breather.
Shortly thereafter, during the ''
Infinite Crisis '' event, Atlantis was destroyed by the
Spectre , and many of its citizens were killed, including Aquaman's son, Koryak, and his oldest friend (and father figure), Vulko. Aquaman led the survivors to Sub Diego, in the hope that the two displaced peoples could help each other. When Black Manta attacked the sunken city, Aquaman defeated him and left him for dead, surrounded by carnivorous fish. (It was later revealed that Manta survived, although it is unclear whether Aquaman intended him to).
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Cover to ''Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis'' #40<br>Art by Butch Guice
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background:#8080ff
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Aquaman
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Arthur Joseph Curry
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DC Comics
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''Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis'' #40 (2006)
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<br> Butch Guice
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background:#ffc0c0
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Active
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Phillip Curry (father), Elaine Curry (mother), Arthur Curry (great uncle)
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Undersea adaptation,<br />enhanced physical attributes
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As part of DC's '' and sorcery fantasy elements into the book.
While awaiting transport to Miami, a young man named Arthur Joseph Curry is washed out into the sea when a storm ruptures the tank he was in. This Arthur Curry, whose origin closely resembles that of the Golden Age Aquaman, is the son of oceanobiologist Phillip Curry, who was forced to use a mutagenic serum on his son when he was born three months premature. Arthur's mother, Elaine, died in childbirth. Arthur has lived his whole life in the main tank of his father's research facility at Avalon Cay, except for a few brief visits to the ocean, with his only window to the outside world being television.
Shortly after his arrival in the sea, Arthur is mentally contacted by the mysterious Dweller of the Depths, a deformed humanoid with tentacles where his hair and beard would be, and tells Arthur to help
King Shark fend off a gang of marauders. Later, the pair meet the Dweller, who gives Arthur an Aquaman-like costume and believes Arthur to be the original Aquaman. This enrages King Shark, who still bears scars from a previous battle with Aquaman during the
Recent Crisis .
The Dweller, still confusing Arthur for Aquaman and calling him his "charge", tells Arthur and King Shark of a prophecy regarding Arthur's future, a prophecy which seems to be a distorted version of the original Aquaman's history. Arthur tells the Dweller that he is crazy, but King Shark points out the resemblance between the prophecy and the previous Aquaman's history, and that Aquaman disappeared some time ago. The Dweller replies that the original Aquaman was ''"transformed into one akin to a great and terrible enemy of your people and become the vessel of power strange, ancient and terrible."''
After Arthur and King Shark leave, the Dweller updates his diary, recording that the events of which he told Arthur must be true, feeling as if he experienced them himself. He is writing with his own hand, which is made of hard-water, just like Orin's. When Arthur later meets
Mera , the Dweller finds himself unable to go with him.
Aquaman's companions over the years have included:
- '' Mera '': Aquaman's ex-wife. Mera possessed the power to form structures made of hard water.
- '' Aqualad '': An outcast orphan from Atlantis whom Aquaman took in, and became for a time Aquaman's sidekick. Aqualad currently goes by the name ''Tempest''.
- '' who was Aquaman's pet in various 1950s stories.
- ''Vulko'': The chief scientific advisor of Atlantis. Also spelled ''Vulco'' in his first appearance.
- ''Cal Durham'': An African American hero who befriended Aquaman. He once served as Black Manta's lieutenant and was given the ability to breathe underwater.
- ''''.
- '' Lorena '': Also known as Aquagirl II, Lorena was a regular human from San Diego who was changed into a water-breather during the disaster that befell that city.
- '' Dolphin '': Aquaman's brief amnesiac love interest with alien-enhanced Atlantean-like physiology.
- '' son by Kako, an Inupiat woman. Koryak, who possessed powers similar to Aquaman's, plotted with Vulko to take over Atlantis and was exiled, but was pardoned after the events of the ''Obsidian Age'' storyline. He died during an attack by The Spectre .
- ''Nuada Silverarm'': Queen of the Atlantean underwater city named Thierna Na Oge. Nuada Silverarm is a powerful sorceress and friend of Aquaman.
- '' Neptune Perkins '': A Golden Age water breathing hero, US Senator. Died during Infinite Crisis.
- '' Tsunami '': Japanese heroine, ex-wife of Neptune Perkins.
- ''Deep Blue'': Daughter of Neptune Perkins and Tsunami.
- ''Iqula'': The king of Tritonis.
- ''Lady S'Ona'': Wife of Iqula, the king of Tritonis.
- ''Letifos'': A shark finned mermaid.
- ''Lagoon Boy'': A green skinned aquatic teen.
Enemies of Aquaman include:
- '' Black Manta '': A would-be conqueror of Atlantis from the surface world; Black Manta is also noteworthy as the murderer of Aquaman's infant son, Arthur. Possibly killed by Aquaman.
- '' Ocean Master '': Another long-time foe of Aquaman. Ocean Master was revealed in the 1960s to be Aquaman's half-brother, an Atlantean named Orm.
- '' Charybdis '': A villain who was responsible for the loss of Aquaman's left hand.
- '' Marine Marauder '': A villainess with mental control over undersea life.
- '''s enemies, Aquaman fought this mutated Tiger Shark on various occasions.
- '' gimmicks to commit crimes.
- '' The Awesome Threesome '': A trio of villains named Magneto, Torpedo Man, and Claw.
- '' Electric Man '': A villain who is immune to electric shocks.
- '' Aquaman.
Aquaman's first media appearance was as the star of his own cartoon series from 1967 until 1968; the series failed to find a large audience. The series featured Mera, Aqualad, a pet
Walrus named Tusky, and Aquaman and Aqualad's large
Sea Horse s, Storm and Imp. Aquaman was voiced by
Marvin Miller , better known as the voice of
Robby The Robot from ''
Forbidden Planet ''.
He was also a major character in the long-running
Animated Series ''
Super Friends '' (1972-1985). ''Super Friends'' is often credited with having exposed Aquaman to a much wider audience outside of the comic book community, but ''Super Friends'' is also blamed for making Aquaman unpopular and even laughable alongside other heroes and is accused of having portrayed him in an unflattering light. During the Super Friends tenure, he was often paired with
Wonder Woman , leading some fans to speculate on a possible romance between the Atlantean King and the Amazon Princess.
The character made an appearance in one episode of the 1990s cartoon ''''; he was voiced by
Miguel Ferrer . He was drawn in the "classic" Aquaman appearance as having an orange shirt, green gloves, green pants with green boots, a gold belt with gold "A" insignia belt buckle, short hair and a clean shaven face, but had a fairly intense personality.
Aquaman has guest starred in several episodes of the cartoons ''
Justice League '' and ''
Justice League Unlimited '', where he is voiced by
Scott Rummell . This version was based very closely on his hot headed anti-hero persona, especially with the "Viking" appearance and hook, but some feel it gave him even more depth than his "Viking" phase had given him. Here, he sacrificed his hand to save his infant son from being killed in a plot against his life by his evil brother Orm. Though a founding member of the Justice League in the comic books, he was left out of the main line up for the animated series in favor of the tomboyish Hawkgirl/Shayera Hol so that the team could have another female character opposite Wonder Woman. While the Justice League series remains popular, a number of fans were genuinely disappointed that Aquaman was not included as a regular character. According to the website
Television Without Pity , producers changed Black Manta's name to "Devil Ray" and removed Aquaman from the series before the episode "To Another Shore" because the rights to Aquaman were no longer available; see
The Bat-Embargo for more.
He also appeared in the '''' for
Xbox ,
Gamecube and
PlayStation 2 .
played Arthur Curry in an episode of the television series ''Smallville''.]]
Arthur Curry appeared in an episode (titled "
Aqua ") of the television series ''
Smallville '' which aired on
October 20 ,
2005 . The episode features Arthur investigating the devastating effects to marine life of a project
Lex Luthor has been developing for the
United States military. In this incarnation, Arthur is revealed to have the power to fire water-based energy balls at his opponents, as well as the ability to swim faster than
Clark Kent . It is also revealed that Arthur wears his orange and green costume because he attends the
University Of Miami . Arthur was played by former
American Idol contestant
Alan Ritchson .
The CW Television Network has announced plans for an ''Aquaman'' television series. The show will most likely launch in the fall of 2006, and stars
Justin Hartley as 'A.C.' Curry (a younger version of Aquaman's traditional human alter ego),
Ving Rhames as 'MacCaffery,' a lighthouse keeper and mentor to the young superhero,
Denise Quinones as Rachel, Arthur's love interest, and
Adrianne Palicki as an evil mermaid-like character called a 'siren'. The pilot is being produced by
Alfred Gough and
Miles Millar , co-creators of ''Smallville'', but is ''not'' a literal spin-off of that show's 'Aquaman' episode (though there are certainly various similarities between the two interpretations of the character). The show will apparently involve mysteries surrounding the
Bermuda Triangle (which is somehow connected to Atlantis and Aquaman's origins), as well as a top-secret military organization of some kind. The working title at present is ''
Mercy Reef ''
- Shown to be a lazy, unfair ruler in '' Family Guy ''.
- One of 7 Housemates in '' Robot Chicken '' - The Real World: Metropolis
- In MTV 's Sketch Comedy show '' The State '', Aquaman is belittled by the other members of the Super Friends for his comparably uninteresting powers. Superman assigns all of the other members difficult tasks, and then flippantly tells Aquaman to "go...talk to some fish."
- Thomas Farr and Jeff Klein also made a fan film entitled "Aquaman - Cast Of The Angler" in 1984. Running for 21 minutes, it was never released commercially.
- The song ''Arthur Curry'' by the band Ookla The Mok on their album ''less than art'' talks about the grimmer and grittier portrayal of Aquaman in the comics.
- In the 1990s Sitcom '' Seinfeld '' episode "The Deal", George and Jerry debate Aquaman over lunch. "What's the deal with Aquaman?" asks George. "Can he go on land or is he restricted only to water?" Jerry replies, "No, I think I've seen him on land a couple times."
- In the animated series '' South Park '', the episode " Super Best Friends " includes a character named "Sea-Man" (pronounced " Semen " by the other Super Best Friends), who is a spoof of Aquaman.
- In an episode of discusses Aquaman with Dr. Katz, asking why anyone would want to be Aquaman. "What the hell would you want to say to a fish?" The episode of points out that a fish's lack of short-term memory would make Aquaman's conversations with them rather uninteresting.
- In the '' Family Guy '' episode "The Father, the Son and the Holy Fonz", the opening scene shows the Griffin family watching Aquaman (on TV) abusing his powers to communicate with the fish.
- In the animated series '' The Fairly OddParents '', Timmy Turner wishes for "the best friends ever," and receives spoofs of several superheroes, including an analog of Aquaman named "Wet Willy," who summons whales to crush things. He is continuously made fun of by the others for his useless powers.
- In the '' Futurama '' episode "Less Than Hero", after using Dr. Flim Flam's Miracle Cream, both Fry and Leela receive superhuman powers, the tube of cream lists off the powers it may cause, one of which is "commanding loyalty from sea creatures".
According to DC Comics' current statistics, Aquaman stands at 6 foot 1 inches tall (1.85 meters) and weighs 325 pounds. His exact age is unknown, but he appears to be in his 30s.
