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“ | My name is Siren, Queen of Atlantis, but you... you can call me Mera, if that's what gets you off. | „ |
~ Hila reveling herself to Aquaman |
“ | Evil? What you do is evil, Mera. You betrayed your own people! Your own sister! To the king of Atlantis! A false king hated by his own people for the surface blood that flows through him! But now he knows your lies and he rejects you as i do. You are a pariah, Mera! An outcast who will forever be alone! | „ |
~ Hila to Mera |
“ | I'm tired of traditional methods of eco-terrorism-- blowing up tankers. Singing ships to their doom... The best way to keep the surface-dwellers out of the water is to make them fear it! Someday I'll be strong enough to raise the fear in them all! | „ |
~ La Sirène la Bailene |
Siren (real name Hila) is a minor antagonist in the DC Comics universe.
She is the younger twin sister of Mera. Siren is an outcast among the Xebelians and lacks real hydrokinesis abilities. She uses dark methods to acquire skills similar to Mera’s, with the help of Kandor. She is the leader of a death squad sent by Aquaman's enemies in Xebel to assassinate him. She is a recurring character in Brightest Day comics.
A new Siren was known as La Sirène la Bailene was introduced in the Post-Crisis timeline prior to Hila's first appearance during Brightest Day. This version of the character was minor Lwa (spirits from the African, Haitian and Dominican mythology) similar to a mermaid. On Earth, she became a eco-terrorist and joined forces with Vandal Savage as an enemy of the Teen Titans. During Infinity Crisis, she became a member of Alexander Luthor Jr.'s Secret Society of Super Villains.
Siren (Hila) first appeared in Aquaman #22 (August, 1965). She was created by Nick Cardy.
History[]
Pre-Crisis[]

Hila was the "black sheep" of her family. According to Mera, she's done nothing but caused trouble since the day she was born. At some point, Hila fell in love with the criminal Kandor and became involved in his schemes, and they were eventually exiled from their dimensional water world; Aqua. Years later, Hila and Kandor plotted to snare Mera's husband Aquaman on a quest to locate the Golden Eels and acquire their powers, as they could not use them outside of their homeworld.
So Hila went to Atlantis to trick Mera, but she was confused by Aquaman on the way, who kissed her without knowing that Mera had a twin sister. Hila claimed that since she was exiled from Aqua her life has been a nightmare. Hila said that for a long time she wanted to be good again, but Kandor won't allow it, and temporarily released her on a mission to obtain a jeweled starfish from an ancient hidden wreck.
So she asked Mera and Aquaman for help to free her, but when they arrived at Kandor's lair, he tricked them and imprisoned them. Meanwhile, Hila went to the royal palace of Atlantis and pretended to be Mera, being admired by the population. However, when Hila discovered that this day was her and her sister's birthday, she regretted it and left Atlantis to save it.
Hila returned to confront Kandor and freed Aquaman from his captivity. It was then revealed that Kandor was controlling her using the hypno-dye yellow cloud, whose only antidote was the starfish's ruby glow. During the fight, Kandor mistook Hila for Mera and struck her with the cloud. The sisters then began a fight, where a brainwashed Mera ended up stabbing Hila with her spear. Realizing what he had done, Kandor regretted it and realized that he truly loved Hila, healing Hila and freeing Mera from her control shortly thereafter. Young Aqualad then appeared and revealed a message from her homeworld saying that she and Kandor had been forgiven for their past crimes. Since then, Hila has never appeared in a story again until the multiverse reboot after the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Post-Crisis[]

“ | You will die on our kness. | „ |
~ Hila to Aquaman |
“ | Siren; The people of the surface claim the oceans and its resources for theirs, Aquaman. Why do you fight for them? Aquaman; I never said i was on their side, Siren. Siren; So you're truly alone then. |
„ |
~ Hila and Aquaman |
The events of Crisis on Infinite Earths greatly changed and altered the history of the DC Universe. Hila's origin and her kingdom's history were considerably revamped by the event. In this version, Hila was Mera's younger sister instead of her twin, and was born in the underwater world of Xebel, sealed off from Atlantis.
Xebel started out as a penal colony centuries ago when a group of separatists was banished from Atlantis during one of their many civil wars. Thousands were sealed off in the atlantic behind an impenetrable invisible field. For centuries, they fought to escape what most today call the Bermuda Triangle, but they failed.
Hila's father was the king, and trained Mera from birth to be his ultimate weapon of hate against the atlanteans, with both sisters being raised with his hateful view of Atlantis. When a fissure opened in the field of Xebel, was discovered that only one person could pass through before it was sealed off. The king chose Mera, to find the king of Atlantis and assassinate him, but she fell in love with him instead. After Mera left, Hila became her replacement as leader of the Xebelian death squad.
During the Brightest Day event, Hila (now calling herself Siren) and her squad attacked Mera and Aquaman on an oil rig in an attempt to kill the king as Mera failed, but she saved him and they fled.
Hila and her death squad then approaches Black Manta at Thomas Curry's tombstone and destroys it. The Squad began fighting Manta, but before the fight can get too far along, Hila stops them and tells him that they need to work together to find his son; Jackson Hyde. The evil duo eventually track down Jackson, and Manta shoots a trident-shaped dart at the boy's foster father. However, Aquaman arrives on the scene blocking and crushing the dart, protecting Jackson and his foster father from the Hila and Manta.
Then, the heroes are ambushed by Hila and her Xebellian soldiers. The fight continues onto the beach, where human citizens get caught in the crossfire. Hila lies to Aquaman by telling him that her Mera was captured by her Death Squad and that she had killed her sister herself. As Aquaman is about to strike back at Hila, Manta springs from the water and severs his right hand. Mera later arrives with Aquagirl and saves Jackson, who is able to work with Mera to seal Hila, Manta, and the Xebelian army away in the Bermuda Triangle.
The New 52[]

In the Post-Flashpoint continuity, Hila came across dark sorcerers from a alternate version of Atlantis known as Thule to obtain hydrokinetic powers similar to her sister's, with the addition of illusion casting, allowing her to shape-shift and change her physical appearance. She eventually captures Mera and impersonates her to seduce Aquaman and have sex with him, before turning Atlantis against him. Impersonating Mera, Hila used influence to make Atlantenas believe Aquaman was prophesied to cause another cataclysmic event, which is truly caused by Thules. She then sends her mercenaries and Atlantean special forces to kill Aquaman. However, Mera eventually was freed from captivity and fights Hila, exposing her to Atlantis as an impostor and easily overpowers her with her hydrokinetic powers.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
“ | I have my sister's gifts. The sorcerer kings made sure i was her equal in every way. | „ |
~ Hila's New 52 counterpart |
Hila has the same the same powers of her twin sister Mera; water breathing, telekinetic control over water and "hard water" manipulation, as well as enhanced strength and stamina. She is also a highly trained warrior and a natural manipulative person.
- Atlantean Physiology: The Atlanteans are offshoots of humanity that are biologically adapted to the deep ocean environment. All their abilities are by-products of their bodies being adapted to survive unprotected in the tremendous pressures of the ocean depths.
- Amphibian
- Superhuman Strength
- Superhuman Speed
- Superhuman Durability: Hila is able to withstand the huge pressures of deep ocean.
- Superhuman Reflexes
- Superhuman Stamina
- Enhanced Senses
- Enhanced Vision: Hila is able to see perfectly in the pitch blackness of the deep ocean.
- Enhanced Hearing: Hila's hearing is far greater than any human's.
- Magic: A shifter, Siren is capable of using magic.
- Shape-shifting: As a shifter, she is a master of illusion and deception. Hila was able to make herself look exactly like her sister.
- Hydrokinesis: Unlike the rest of her family, Hila did not naturally inherit the ability to shape water like her sister. Instead, she gained the ability through magic supplied by sorcerers of Thule and augmented to rival that of Mera's own. She is able to create hard water objects, increase the density of water strong enough to pin a Super-Atlantean, and rip the blood out of a person's body.
- Illusion Casting: As a shifter, she is capable of casting realistic illusions.
Abilities[]
- Occultism
- Deception: Skilled in the art of deception, she was able to impersonate her sister successful while rallying Atlantis against Aquaman by convincing him he was a prophesized destroyer of all.
- Swimming
In other media[]
Animated Appearances[]
- Main article: Siren (DC Super Hero Girls)
Hila appears in DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis, voiced by Erica Lindbeck. This version is a power-hungry sea witch who sought to steal the Trident of Atlantis and use it to conquer the world. After acquiring the necessary artifacts needed for fulfilling her ambitions, she betrays and imprisons Mera while prepping to sink Superhero High along with Metropolis. She was defeated by Mera, the Super Hero Girls, and Aquaman, after which she was returned to Xebel.
Live-action appearances[]
Siren (appearing in human form as "Nadia") appeared in the pilot episode of Aquaman, portrayed by Adrianne Palicki.
Video Game Appearances[]
Hila appeared in DC Legends and DC Unchained as a playable character.
Quotes[]
“ | #...While her watery waves caress the smooth, white bones... of the drowned and gone, in the deep, cold sea... still the sirens sing of the froth and mist and the silver fish and the coral reefs... so that sailors ships smash on rocks and cliffs, tangling men and skiffs up in seaweed tombs... where the deep ocean deep sings their fears to sleep, while the watery waves caress the smooth, white bones...# | „ |
~ La Sirène la Bailene |
“ | And so what if i have? It is my ocean. My right! I've heard about you! Tempest, isn't it? The atlantean ambassador! You're here to help the surface dwellers? WHY? Why would you do that? What kind of traitor are you? | „ |
~ La Sirène la Bailene to Tempest |
“ | Let me GO! You can't keep me here! How DARE you?! How DARE you?! I'm from the gulf of Benin! You cannot KEEP me here in the COLD! Agwé will come looking for his little siren. La Sirène la Bailene will hunt for you! The lwa will strike you down! | „ |
~ La Sirène la Bailene to Tempest |
Trivia[]
- Hila is the younger twin, as Mera directs Hila as her younger sister to Arthur.
- Siren is also known as the Queen of Atlantis, though only she calls herself that.