Aquaman's Ascendancy in the New Dark Knights of Steel Saga

By  Published Apr 14, 2026, 5:30 PM EDT TJ Mills is an editor on ScreenRant's Comic team, where she combines her lifelong passion for DC with her analytical background as a former Intelligence Analyst. Since joining ScreenRant in 2026, she has specialized in covering major DC storylines, character evolutions, and industry developments.  follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

DC has officially announced a new 12-part fantasy series starring the , and ahead of its summer release, the company has also revealed Aquaman’s new redesign for the series, which is nothing short of majestic.

Tom Taylor’s D is officially returning in 2026 with a brand-new chapter that will bring back fan-favorite characters and introduce new additions to the main storyline, such as Arthur Curry. For those unfamiliar with Dark Knights of Steel, it is a DC story set in a high-fantasy world where iconic characters like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and many others are reimagined for this alternate universe.

Related

Wonder Woman's new costume for DC's Absolute Power event is the battle-ready armor the Amazon Princess deserved in Tom Taylor's Dark Knights of Steel.

Posts By 

The original Dark Knights of Steel saga saw alliances and rivalries form across the three great houses of El and Wayne, the Kingdom of Storms, and the Amazons. These three kingdoms were drawn into a conflict they didn't fully understand until it was revealed that shape-shifting invaders had engineered the war from the shadows, driving the kingdoms into chaos and turning them against each other.

With this revelation, the Els, the Amazons, and the Kingdom of Storms formed a league, fighting off these invaders together. This marked the beginning of what has essentially become the Justice League in this world, and now the July 15, 2026, release of Dark Knights of Steel II seems poised to expand the League's membership, starting with Aquaman.

Where Does Aquaman Fit Within Dark Knights of Steel Continuity?

Cover by Reiko Murakami for Dark Knights of Steel II Special: Heir to the Sea #1 (2026)

Those who have been keeping up with the Dark Knights of Steel universe will remember that while Aquaman has yet to make his debut in the main storyline. And has thus far only been featured in Tom Taylor and Riccardo Federici’s backup story for Jay Kristoff and Taylor’s Deathstroke-centric .

The backup story followed Jonathan and Martha Kent’s discovery of a mysterious child cast from a kingdom at war beneath the waves. This story will soon be collected in the 48-page Dark Knights of Steel II Special: Heir to the Sea #1, releasing July 22, 2026, and will serve as a companion tale to the unfolding events of Dark Knights of Steel II. In other words, it all but guarantees that we will be seeing a fully realized Aquaman in the upcoming sequel.

CBR.COM CBR · Quiz CBR Exclusive · Quiz WHICH DC HERO ARE YOU? The Justice League Is Waiting for Your Answer Gotham’s Dark Knight. Metropolis’s Man of Steel. Themyscira’s warrior princess. The Fastest Man Alive. The universe’s emerald guardian. Twenty questions stand between you and the truth. Answer honestly. Your destiny awaits. 🔥Batman 🌟Superman ⚔️Wonder Woman ⚡The Flash 🟢Green Lantern FIND OUT WHICH HERO YOU ARE → QUESTION 1 / 20COURAGE 01 You’re outnumbered and outgunned. What do you do? A hero’s instinct is defined in their darkest moment. AMelt into the shadows and pick them off one by one. BStep forward. My presence alone changes the equation. CCharge in — no weapon forged can stop my will. DTake them all out before they can even react. Speed wins. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 2 / 20LOYALTY 02 Your team disagrees with your plan. How do you handle it? Every Justice League member has their own idea of teamwork. AMy analysis is correct. I’ll execute it alone if I have to. BListen to everyone. Hope is built on unity, not orders. CTruth wins the debate. I state my case and hold the line. DMake a joke, defuse the tension — then find the fastest path forward. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 3 / 20IDENTITY 03 What does your hero identity mean to you? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything. AIt’s a weapon — the fear I create is the real power. BIt’s a symbol of hope. The world needs something to believe in. CIt’s who I am — no secret identity, no division, just truth. DIt keeps my friends safe — and honestly, the costume is pretty cool. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 4 / 20JUDGMENT 04 How do you typically make big decisions? A hero’s process shapes their outcome. AI’ve already modeled 37 contingencies. I pick the optimal one. BAsk what’s right for the greatest number of people. CConsult the wisdom of the ages — and my own warrior’s instinct. DMove fast, trust my gut, course-correct in real time. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 5 / 20EGO 05 Someone takes credit for your work in front of everyone. You: Pride is the armor and the weakness of every hero. ANote it. Every debt gets settled eventually. BLet it go. The outcome — people being safe — is what matters. CCall it out directly. Deception poisons everything it touches. DCrack a joke about it and move on. Life’s too short — and I run fast. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 6 / 20AUTHORITY 06 A government agency wants to oversee your activities. Your response? Accountability is the line every hero must face. AI already monitor them. Oversight runs both ways. BI want to earn the world’s trust, not demand it. I’ll cooperate. CI answer to a higher law — the laws of truth and justice. DSure, happy to help. Just don’t expect me to slow down. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 7 / 20CONFLICT 07 When facing a villain, your strategy is: Every fighter has a philosophy. AI prepared for this exact scenario. Months ago. BAbsorb whatever they throw. I won’t stop until it’s over. CDisarm, redirect, end the conflict with minimum bloodshed. DThirty takedowns before they know I’ve arrived. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 8 / 20SELF-KNOWLEDGE 08 Your biggest personal flaw is: Every hero has a crack in the armor. AI don’t trust anyone completely — not even my closest allies. BThe weight of what I could do paralyzes me sometimes. CMy convictions make me inflexible. I struggle to compromise. DI act before I think. Fast reflexes, slower wisdom. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 9 / 20LEADERSHIP 09 A rookie hero is overwhelmed on their first mission. You: How a hero mentors others reveals their character. ANeutralize the threat, then debrief them with hard truths. BInspire them — remind them why they put the suit on. CWalk them through it. Warriors are forged in battle, not classrooms. DHandle it in seconds, then pretend they did it — boost their confidence. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 10 / 20MOTIVATION 10 What drives you more than anything else? The “why” behind the hero is everything. AVengeance transformed into purpose — I channel grief into justice. BHope — the world becomes what it believes in. CTruth and justice — not as ideals but as living practice. DProtecting the people I love. Family, then the rest of the world. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 11 / 20RESILIENCE 11 You’ve just suffered a crushing defeat. What’s next? A hero is measured by how they get back up. ARetreat to the cave. Analyze every mistake. Come back prepared. BGet back up. Hope is not a feeling — it’s a decision. CA warrior does not grieve long. I return stronger. DShake it off. Literally — I’ve lapped the city before I process it. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 12 / 20INTEGRITY 12 You could end a threat permanently — but it crosses an ethical line. You: The hardest choices define a hero from a weapon. AFind the third option. There’s always a third option. BRefuse. The moment I cross that line, I become the threat. CI will not kill. No exceptions. My lasso was not made for that. DFind the fastest non-lethal solution. Ingenuity over brutality. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 13 / 20FEAR 13 What do you actually fear most? Even the mightiest hero has something to lose. AFailing the city I gave everything to protect. BBecoming what I fight against — a god who rules, not serves. CA world without justice — where the innocent suffer in silence. DLosing someone while I was fast enough to save them. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 14 / 20PERSONA 14 People who just met you would describe you as: First impressions carry a grain of truth. AIntense, intimidating — like they’re being evaluated. BWarm, steadying — someone who makes you feel safe. CRegal and direct — a leader even when not trying to be. DDisarmingly funny — and then suddenly impressive. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 15 / 20ENVIRONMENT 15 What’s your ideal base of operations? Where a hero operates reveals how they think. AA fortified cave beneath a city I know better than its criminals. BA watchtower above the Earth — so I can see everywhere I’m needed. CAn island paradise forged for warriors — or the front lines. DAnywhere with wifi. I’m rarely standing still long enough to need one. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 16 / 20PHILOSOPHY 16 What does “being a hero” actually mean to you? The philosophy behind the power is the real definition. AWaging a war that never ends so others never have to. BBeing the proof that the best of humanity is worth saving. CChampioning those who have no champion. Especially the truth. DShowing up in the worst moment with a grin and a plan. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 17 / 20LEGACY 17 What do you want to leave behind? The mark a hero leaves is their truest measure. AA city so safe it no longer needs me. BThe knowledge that one person’s choices can change everything. CA world where truth and justice are not aspirations but reality. DProof that an ordinary person can run alongside gods. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 18 / 20PROTECTION 18 Someone you love is in danger. Your first move is: Crisis strips away everything but the truth. AI already have a contingency in place. It’s being executed now. BGet between them and the threat. That is not negotiable. CRemove the threat. Permanently if necessary. The innocent come first. DThey’re safe before they even know there was danger. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 19 / 20POWER 19 Your power — where does it come from? Origin shapes destiny in the DC Universe. APain, discipline, and an unbreakable will. I have no other source. BA yellow sun — but the choices I make are entirely my own. CAncient gods and the sacred purpose they gave me. DThe Speed Force — a living energy that chose me. TRANSMIT ANSWER → QUESTION 20 / 20DESTINY 20 The final battle. Everything is on the line. You: This is the moment that defines everything. AExecute the plan I built for exactly this moment. BStand up. No matter how many times I get knocked down. CFight without mercy or retreat. For those who cannot fight themselves. DMove so fast the battle ends before anyone else blinks. REVEAL MY HERO → THE DC UNIVERSE HAS SPOKEN YOUR HERO IDENTITY

Your scores are shown below. The character with the highest number is your match. Read their description to discover which hero the universe chose for you.

🔥 Batman 🌟 Superman ⚔️ Wonder Woman ⚡ The Flash 🟢 Green Lantern 🔥 BATMAN

Disciplined, relentless, and driven by a grief that never fully heals. You’ve built yourself into something formidable not through luck or cosmic accident, but through sheer, grinding will. You plan further ahead than anyone else in the room and trust fewer of them. The darkness you carry isn’t weakness — it’s your greatest weapon, and your most dangerous blind spot. But beneath the armor, you still believe in justice. That belief is what separates you from the monsters you fight.

🌟 SUPERMAN

Powerful beyond measure, yet defined by your humility. You were raised to believe that the measure of a person is what they do with what they’re given — and you’ve taken that lesson to heart. The world looks to you as a symbol, and the weight of that is something you carry quietly. You could impose your will on everything, and you choose not to. That choice, made every day, is the most heroic thing about you.

⚔️ WONDER WOMAN

A warrior forged in honor, guided by truth. You came to this world not born into its compromises, and that perspective gives you a clarity that cuts through politics, spin, and fear. You fight hard, hold the line without flinching, and refuse to let injustice be normalized around you. People are sometimes surprised by your compassion — they expect the sword and forget the heart it serves. You are both, in perfect, formidable balance.

⚡ THE FLASH

Quick, warm, and far more capable than your jokes let on. You use humor as a shield and velocity as a solution, but your greatest gift isn’t speed — it’s heart. You feel everything deeply and act faster than most people think. The people around you don’t always realize how much you carry, how much you process in the quiet between seconds. You make the impossible look easy, and you do it without making anyone feel small for being slower than you.

🟢 GREEN LANTERN

Chosen because your will is extraordinary. The ring didn’t create you — it recognized you. Your power is literally your imagination and your resolve, which means your ceiling is whatever you believe it to be. You can be reckless, and you can be arrogant, but your capacity for growth is equally limitless. You operate on a cosmic scale but never forget the small things worth protecting. In the universe’s darkest sectors, you are the light.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

Aquaman's Design for Dark Knights of Steel II Is Beyond Majestic

Main Cover by Yasmine Putri for Dark Knights of Steel II #1 (2026)

We also have further confirmation of Aquaman being a main player in the series, thanks to his character design reveal on Yasmine Putri’s main cover for Tom Taylor and Otto Schmidt’s Dark Knights of Steel II #1. The cover features the recognizable high-fantasy designs of Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Superman.

The main reveal here is Aquaman’s design, which we are seeing for the first time in Putri’s art style, who was the original artist for the Dark Knights of Steel saga. Putri is an incredible artist, and her design for Aquaman is nothing short of majestic, featuring a clean-shaven face, long flowing blond hair, emerald green and golden armor, and his bare chest on full display.

The design gives off , and Screen Rant is fully here for it. Aquaman’s singular golden crab-shell shoulder pauldron and his golden fish-scale armored skirt are immaculate design choices. Hopefully, Schmidt will follow through on this design for Aquaman when he takes over the interior art for the series, as it's perfect.

Everything You Need to Know About Dark Knights of Steel II, Including Reading Order

Preview Page Comes from Tom Taylor's Dark Knights of Steel II #1 (2026) - Art by Otto Schmidt

The official DC press release for Dark Knights of Steel II further teases what is to come:

“This July, the world of Dark Knights of Steel enters a new era as an ancient war stirs beneath the waves. And when the conflict threatens to rise from the deep, it carries with it a force capable of shattering the peace the League fought so hard to build.

But the greatest danger may not come from the ocean at all—a traitor moves among them, hidden in plain sight, and their first strike will test the League’s unity like never before. The result is a 12-issue saga of war, magic, and destiny that pushes this universe into its most perilous age yet.”

For the best reading experience, fans are encouraged to read Dark Knights of Steel in its entirety, as well as Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter, where they will find the Aquaman-centric backup story. If fans wish to skip Allwinter, that is still possible, given that the Aquaman backup story will be released in full within Dark Knights of Steel II Special: Heir to the Sea #1. No matter how you choose to read it, new and returning fans will not want to miss Aquaman joining the Dark Knights of Steel universe’s Justice League.

Dark Knights of Steel II #1 from DC Comics on July 15, 2026!

Genres Superhero Alliance Atlantis, Justice League

Expand Collapse

Follow Followed Like Share Close Trending Now