Tula (Atlantean Tυλα,[1] 1994[2]—February 18, 2015[4]) was an Atlantean superhero under the name Aquagirl. She served with the Team and was in a romantic relationship with Garth until her death in battle against Tiamat.
Physical appearance[]
Tula resembled a Caucasian teenager with ruddy hair, aquamarine eyes and a slender build. Her hair was worn in a pixie cut with longer bangs framing her face. She wore a skintight, light yellow tank-top that revealed her midriff, with aquamarine hemming in a pattern resembling a low neckline and around the edges. Around her waist she wore a short sarong-like cloth fastened with a ring with the end of the cloth hanging to her front. On her forearms were light yellow, short, fingerless, formal gloves while on her ankles and feet she wore what resemble light yellow yoga socks. She also wore an aquamarine choker around her neck.
History[]
Early life[]
Tula is from the city of Poseidonis.[5] She was the childhood friend and former crush of Kaldur'ahm. She studied along with Garth and Kaldur at the Conservatory of Sorcery in Atlantis. After Kaldur left to become Aqualad, Tula and Garth became involved.
2010[]
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When Kaldur returned to Poseidonis for a dinner with the royal family, he invited Tula as his guest. She eventually told him about her relationship with Garth, and the two reconciled during an attack on the city lead by Black Manta. Protecting the Queen, and Poseidonis, Tula took part in the battle, but was wounded when taking an electric blast for Garth. She later recovered.[6]
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At the Conservatory, Tula and Garth greeted their old friend Kaldur'ahm, who introduced Miss Martian and Superboy to them.[7]
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Garth and Tula explained what had happened to Topo: he was attacked by purists, a group of Atlanteans who wished to rid Poseidonis of all "fish-heads". During their conversation, they witnessed an altercation between their classmates from the Conservatory and Ronal and his friends. After Kaldur, Garth and Tula threatened to use their magic, each group went their own way.[7]
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The abduction of Queen Mera had left the kingdom in uproar. Prince Orm led the search, sending Kaldur, Superboy and Miss Martian after a tip that the purists were held up in the trench. Garth, Tula and the other students followed them, and could provide assistance when the tip turned out to be an ambush. Ocean-Master's magics weakened Aqualad and the other "impure" Atlanteans, but Garth and Tula were unaffected. Tula proposed going after Ocean-Master with Garth, but Lori Lemaris objected, as this would only feed the purists' misconceptions about the "impure".[8]
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The group eventually tracked Ocean-Master to a nearby cave. They attacked, but Ocean-Master could beat them off with the magic he had absorbed in his trident. Garth summoned the power of the Tempest, which overpowered Ocean-Master. With his magics gone, the villain was forced to retreat.[8]
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Tula witnessed a heated argument between Ronal and King Sha'ark.[8]
2011-2015[]
Tula adopted the alias "Aquagirl" and joined the Team as its eleventh member[3] in 2011.[9]
2015[]
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Aquagirl monitored Alpha Squad's mission to Olympia together with Red Tornado. When Tornado detected an unidentified GPS signal nearby, she suggested that it might be related to their mission, finding archeologist Helena Sandsmark. When Artemis and Alpha Squad found the source—a tablet computer apprently belonging to Doctor Sandsmark—Tula warned them it might be a trap.
Surmising the Light was after an artifact Sandsmark found, Aquagirl started to research their subject. If Alpha could not find it at the dig site, it was probably already on display at the Museum of Natural History in Athens. After notifying the Squad, she contacted the museum's director, who informed her of the location of the artifacts from the dig.
After the squad recovered the artifact from Sportsmaster, they regrouped in the Cave and held a debriefing. Aquagirl attended via a video connection. Based on the information learned from Sandsmark and a tracer Artemis placed on her father, they learned their next objective was in Verhoyansk, Siberia.[10]
Aquagirl stayed in contact with the squad, though her communications were jammed at first. After Superboy destroyed the signal jammer, she got through again. She reloaded the tracer's information, giving Alpha a better position for Sportsmaster.[11]
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Aquagirl traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the artifacts recovered from Greece and Siberia. Aqualad hoped she could learn more about them in the museum's research center. Once she arrived, she contacted the Team.[11]
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In addition to her work on the artifacts, Batman also asked her to find information on Atabey's Shrine. Once she was done, she relayed her findings to Aqualad.[12]
Alpha Squad recovered a third artifact, which was sent to Aquagirl as well. With it, she could piece together that the fragments were Babylonian, and had an ancient cuneiform inscription. Her studies of history and xenology led her to suggest is was tied to the legends of Marduk and Tiamat. She explained the myths and legends about this battle between good and evil to the Team, and that Marduk won and was granted godhood in reward. While the Team went off to search for another fragment, Tula contacted Green Lantern, hoping the Guardians knew more about the alien angles of Tiamat's origin.[13]
Some time later, she was ambushed by Klarion. He pretended to be Tempest to catch her unawares, and stole the artifacts from her. Tula did not let him get away with it, and jumped after him through his portal.[13]
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On the other side of the portal, Tula did not do so well. She was overpowered and brought to Marduk's Temple. Blockbuster chained her to a pillar near the well where Tiamat was trapped. Beta Squad, led by Nightwing, arrived on the scene, but Klarion's magic was too strong for them. He explained to them he wanted to use his own magic to revive the alien weapon, but he might just as well siphon off Tula's.
She was helpless as Klarion revived Tiamat, and saw what he was really after: the Tablet of Destiny, an artifact of order, to which Tiamat had been previously bound. Klarion and Teekl escaped with the tablet, leaving Beta to fight the water-snake form of Tiamat. Though Tula believed it to be impossible to defeat her, they did. However, that water-serpent was not Tiamat's real form, and she arose from the pool in all her glory. This form, too was defeated, finally giving Nightwing the time to free Aquagirl. Witnessing the rise of a third form of Tiamat, Aquagirl realized there was only one person that could stop her, with the Tablet of Destiny gone and Klarion's other equipment destroyed.
Using her magic, she charged at the well while Beta Squad fought Tiamat and her underlings. They succeeded in driving her back in the pool, and Tula gave her all to contain her. Nightwing expected her to stop, but she had to go on, she explained. Marduk sacrificed himself in order to stop Tiamat—and she had to do the same. She did not let anyone stop her as she amped up her magic. After a final farewell to her friends and a declaration of love to Garth, she finished the ritual, locking Tiamat and herself under rubble. Tempest and Aqualad arrived only moments too late. They recovered Tula's body from under the debris.[4]
Powers and abilities[]
- Atlantean attributes: Atlanteans, although human, have through scientific and sorcerous means[7] developed several abilities which allow them to live comfortably under the sea:
- Underwater breathing: All Atlanteans are capable of surviving the aquatic atmosphere under the sea. Some accomplish this without the presence of visible gills.[6][7]
- Temperature resilience: Resistant to low temperatures[14] and the effects of freezing,[15] although notably hindered by high temperatures.[16]
- Durability: Dense flesh, although not invulnerable.[17][7][18]
- Strength: Ranging from undetected levels to super strength.[15][7][19]
- Atlantean sorcery: Tula studied in advanced classes at the Conservatory of Sorcery. She has skin icons which are not visible when not in use.[6]
- Hydrokinesis: Tula has the ability to manipulate water due to her teachings at the Conservatory of Sorcery.[6]
- Electricity generation: Tula can generate electricity and project it from her hands.[6]
Appearances[]
- Season 1
- 08. "Downtime"
- 16. "Failsafe" (illusion, no lines)
- 26. "Auld Acquaintance" (flashback, no lines)
- Season 2
- 08. "Satisfaction" (picture)
- 09. "Darkest" (picture)
- 10. "Before the Dawn" (flashback, no lines)
- 13. "The Fix" (illusion, no lines)
- 20. "Endgame" (picture)
- Season 3
- 12. "Nightmare Monkeys" (illusion, no lines)
- Season 4
- 14. "Nautical Twilight" (picture)
- 17. "Leviathan Wakes" (picture)
- Young Justice: Legacy
- Companion comics
- 05. "What's the Story?" (flashback)
- 10. "Hot Case" (picture)
- 12. "The Pendulum" (dream)
- 14. "Under the Surface..."
- 15. "...Here There be Monsters"
- 18. "Monkey Business" (dream, no lines)
Background information[]
- In the comics, Tula was Aquagirl. She was an honorary member of the Teen Titans.
- The relationship between Garth and Tula was part of their comic history as well, having dated for many years, until Tula's death during the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
- This is Tula's first animated appearance. A different version of Aquagirl named Mareena, the daughter of Aquaman and Mera, previously appeared in Batman Beyond.