Warning! Spoilers ahead for Aquaman #65
A new era has just begun for Aquaman and Atlantis in the finale issue of Kelly Sue DeConnick's run on DC's Aquaman series. Not only does Arthur Curry finally marry his love Mera, but they also have their new child, Andy, who was recently introduced in the comics. Furthermore, the new family won't have to worry about the duty of rule, seeing as Aquaman #65 completely changed the status quo of the monarchy under the ocean waves, leaving Aquaman with much more freedom to be a hero, not just to Atlantis, but to every undersea realm and the land as well. This will be the future young Andy Curry will be inheriting from her father, as seen in previews for DC's Future State. As a result, is it possible that this new Aquawoman will be a greater hero than her father ever was?
DC's Future State will see Jackson Hyde (the current Aqualad) becoming the new Aquaman, working alongside Andy Curry, who will have grown up and become Aquawoman, following in her father's heroic footsteps as a member of the future Justice League. Despite her youth, it seems as though Andy will have plenty of power behind her. Seeing as how she's the daughter of both Aquaman and Mera, it's possible that she could have inherited both their power sets, resulting in a major force to be reckoned with. Regardless, she'll also probably be more free than her parents ever were to actually be a hero, thanks to her parents' current efforts in the present.
Aquaman #65 from DeConnick and artist Miguel Mendonça sees Arthur and Mera successfully fighting for an end to the monarchy of Atlantis. Abandoning its long-standing tradition of a singular ruler on the Atlantean throne, said throne will now be empty, and the fate of the underseas kingdom will no longer be dictated by a singular voice. That voice often belonged to either Arthur and Mera as King and Queen at different times in the DC Universe's history. While Mera gathered the Seven Kingdoms to make her desires known across the seas to end the monarchy, Arthur fought and defeated his half-brother Orm in a trial by combat when the Ocean Master tried to stage a coup in response. In the aftermath, a new dawn is born for Atlantis that will extend into the future.
This can only be a good thing for Andy Curry once she's grown up to become a hero in her own right. The throne of Atlantis was often a burden and obstacle that got in the way of both her parents' desires to be heroes. This couldn't have been more true for Arthur, who was constantly torn between his duties as King of Atlantis, and his desire to aid his fellow members of the Justice League. Now, after this issue, Andy isn't going to have to deal with that same inner-conflict in the future when she becomes Aquawoman. Her freedoms to be a hero will be much greater than her father's ever were.
While it will certainly be interesting to see Aquaman and Mera operate as heroes going forward without the burden of heavy crowns, DC's upcoming Future State event will see Andy never needing to wear one in the first place, which will be a truly fun dynamic for the young hero (so long as the Atlantean monarchy isn't revealed to have returned in the interim).