Comics writer and artist Rick Remender (Deadly Class, Uncanny X-Force) has revealed a declined proposal in which Aquaman and the Sea Devils would have teamed up to rebuild civilization, after Ocean Master melts the polar ice caps and floods the planet. While only revealing a few details, it establishes how the Sea Devils, long defunct DC heroes, could have made a huge comeback with Arthur leading them.
All but forgotten, the Sea Devils were a team of ocean crusaders from the '60s, based around four friends: Dane Dorrance, Judy Walton (also Dane’s girlfriend), her brother Nicky, and Biff Bailey. They didn’t have any powers, but they cruised the high seas anyway, righting injustices and protecting the deep from outside threats. While the two have teamed up very occasionally, Aquaman tends to fight otherworldly monsters and muddle through Atlantean politics, while the Devils save shipwrecked crews, fight pirates and poachers, and explore ocean depths in the name of science.
In Remender’s pitch, posted on his Twitter account, Lex Corp manipulates the Sea Devils into accidentally placing explosives on the ocean floor. They eventually come to their senses, but not before bombs crack open the Earth’s crust to reveal… a second, sub-ocean. This sub-ocean reveals ancient, powerful beasts that apparently come into play later. Meanwhile, Ocean Master seizes an opportunity to melt the ice caps of Earth, so the whole world is drowned except for a few mega cities that Aquaman and some Green Lanterns are able to protect. Basically, it turns into the movie Waterworld, with bigger cities and the Justice League.
Along with the proposal, a piece of artwork by Rafael Albuquerque (American Vampire, Blue Beetle) shows Aquaman astride a reef full of ocean life, keeping watch over an underwater city. This post comes in the midst of several old pitches and ideas that Remender has shared after spending his quarantine to rifle through his archives. His ideas for Wonder Woman, Batman, and a dark version of Marvel’s Defenders are also now out in the open.
Today, one can only imagine how startling the visuals for their “waterworld” would be in a finished book. Add to that the Justice League fighting in a dystopian future, and old science heroes leading humanity, and it’s a shame that readers couldn’t see more. But, even though this pitch was declined, thanks to the generosity of comics creators, maybe someone else can now read and use it to fuel an even more exciting future story.