Aquaman’s prosthetic hand has a fascinating DC Comics history, and it sticks around for a fair amount of time. The original harpoon that he attaches to his arm after his dismemberment is destroyed shortly after it is introduced and is replaced by an upgraded one. However, “Aquaman” #51 does away with the harpoon and sees Arthur Curry take on a new arm attachment as the 1999 issue introduces a robotic hand for the hero to use against the forces of evil. Of course, this doesn’t last too long either.
Thanks to the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legend, Aquaman is given a hand made completely of water before things get a bit weird for the character. In “Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis” #57 — the final issue of a series dedicated to Arthur’s successor, Arthur Joseph Curry — it comes to light that Arthur has become a magical being known as the Dweller in the Depths. The Dweller is killed a few issues before this is revealed, but the original Aquaman’s story doesn’t end there. DC’s massive “Blackest Night” storyline brings him back from the dead with his original hand intact.
It stands to reason that the minds behind the DC film and television slate won’t go through this much rigmarole to give Jason Momoa’s Aquaman his hand back — assuming he’ll lose it in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” to begin with — but the fact that he lost and regained is in the comics goes to show that the harpoon doesn’t have to be a feature of the character forever.
