Warning: Spoilers for Aquamen #5 ahead!
Arthur Curry, better known as the Aquaman, may be bitter rivals with his nemesis Black Manta - but when circumstances force the pair to work together, their partnership allows them utter mastery over the entire ocean. Not only is their physical and martial prowess unmatched, but between Arthur's command of Atlantis and Black Manta's personal army, there is no place on Earth they cannot reach. While they may be enemies, their rivalry means that each of them is familiar with the full scope of the other's capabilities, and as such, they are able to act as the perfect team.
It takes an extraordinary set of circumstances to push such enemies together, but both Aquaman and Black Manta face a challenge that threatens to destroy all they each hold dear – and has pushed one of DC’s most infamous villains into becoming a hero. When team-up between Ocean Master and the Scavenger activates dozens of Atlantean sleeper agents around the world, it jeopardizes the fragile diplomatic state between Atlantis and the surface. Even worse, Scavenger deliberately targets Jackson Hyde during these attacks - and Black Manta will let no assault on his son stand.
Although Aquaman and Black Manta struggle to work together, the partnership between the two reaches its fruition in Aquamen #5 by Sami Basri, Brandon Thomas, and Chuck Brown. While Aquaman leads Black Manta's forces around the world to repair the damage being done by the rogue sleeper agents, Black Manta himself is tasked with tracking down and dealing with Scavenger. Black Manta confirms the villain’s location, but when the fight with Scavenger turns sour, Arthur shows up in the nick of time. In a brilliant tag-team, Aquaman launches one of Manta's jet-skis straight into Scavenger, and Manta promptly detonates the vehicle remotely to end the fight.
Because the two of them have battled so long and have worked so hard to thwart each other, each of them has a near-perfect understanding of the other's capabilities. This means that when Aquaman and Black Manta actually have a common goal, they're able to work in perfect sync with each other. Aquaman's mastery of the ocean paired with Black Manta's crack squad means that a team of highly trained aquatic professionals can traverse the world in mere minutes, such as when Aquaman, hoping to earn the surface world’s respect during this attack, leads the crew from a downed plane crash in the ocean to a flooded subway in New York. When the two fight Scavenger together, Aquaman and Black Manta barely have to say a word to each other to move in perfect tandem, thrashing a villain whom they've each struggled against individually.
Both Black Manta and Aquaman have a ruthless core in their center - each of them is willing to do whatever it takes and make almost any sacrifice to get the job done. It's taken a global threat to make them see eye to eye, but with Aquaman doing the impossible and teaming up with Black Manta, it's difficult to imagine anything posing a legitimate danger to the oceans ever again. Aquaman's greatest partner has always been Black Manta - it's simply taken an eternal rivalry before they could finally admit it.
Aquamen #5 is now available from DC Comics.