15 greatest sidekicks in comic book history
8. Aqualad
Garth is the more popular version of this Aquaman sidekick. Although, there have been a couple of heroes who would go by the name of Aqualad. Born to the queen of Shayeris with unique purples eyes which many had deemed a curse and should be sentenced to death.
Garth was abandoned by his mother and found by the king of Atlantis. Though he wasn’t initially accepted, he would work diligently and earn the respect of the people, though to no avail. One day he rescued Aquaman, and with that feat, he earned the title Aqualad. Together he and Aquaman would embark on many adventures until his mentor married the love of his life Mera, and had a son. Just like that his adventuring days were over, replaced by the feeling of abandonment. Like the other heroes on the list, he would no longer bear the title of sidekick, instead, he’d be one of the original founders of the Teen Titans. Garth has been featured on Teen Titans the animated series, Young Justice, and Teen Titans Go!.
With Aquaman coming to theaters December 21. 2018 maybe we’ll get to see a young Garth on the big screen sometime in the future, or maybe he’ll make an appearance on DC’s live-action Titans.
The other teen who claimed the mantle of Aqualad is Kaldur’ahm whose human name is Jackson Hyde. He’s the son of one of Aquaman’s greatest nemesis, Black Manta but the seashell fell far from the seas in Kaldur’ahm’s case. Instead of following in his fathers he cruised down the path of justice… Young Justice. The animated series is where many fans were first introduced to Garth’s successor. It wouldn’t be until 2010 that he would become a mainstream character in DC Comics. Before he was known as Kaldur’ahm, Jackson was thought to be an average teenager.
However, when a sequence of events occurs his true identity was revealed and he became who we now know to be Aqualad. Kaldur’ahm has returned to DC continuity in Rebirth and can be seen in DC’s Young Justice. While there hasn’t been a live-action depiction of Kaldur’ahm, let’s hope that there will be one in the DCEU someday.