The character was created by Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Phil Bourassa for the television series Young Justice, and voiced by Khary Payton.

In the comics, Jackson (birth name Kaldur'ahm) was originally born to an unnamed Xebellian woman and Black Manta in the Kingdom of Xebel, the young infant was granted powers due to extraordinary circumstances.

The character would begin working as a member of Teen Titans, adopting the Aqualad alias (per a request from Tempest) similar to his prior comic version.

Jackson has kept this secret hidden for years, lying to his girlfriend about being afraid of drowning, being unable to swim and being in the dark about the mysterious tattoos he has had since birth.

Once the chest is opened, Jackson is shown a recording from Mera, who explains that his father and mother had been kidnapped and tortured by the people of Xebel while exploring the Bermuda Triangle, where the gateway to the colony is located.

Xebel's king had ordered that the child, the first "outsider" born there in centuries, be experimented on to serve as a key that would finally free them from their exile.

Fearing for the child's safety, Mera had stolen the infant and brought him to the surface world, where she subsequently gave him to the foster family that ended up raising him.

Once the recording is over, Jackson discovers several items which Mera had left for him, notably a soldier's uniform from Xebel and a pair of "Water Bearers", metallic constructs that help him control his water-manipulation abilities.

After using his bio-electrical abilities to cauterize Aquaman's wound, Jackson and Mera seal Black Manta, Siren, and the rest of the invaders in the Bermuda Triangle.

Kaldur'ahm is granted various powers through his Atlantean-based hybrid physiology, possessing superhuman strength, durability, enhanced senses, capability to breathe underwater and swim at fast speeds, and one mentioned to have resistance towards poisons.

In addition to his powers, Kaldur is an expert combatant and is considered a capable tactician and leader, having led both the Team and later became the chairman of the Justice League.

[25] An alternate universe variant of Kaldur'ahm makes a cameo appearance in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox as a member of Aquaman's army before being killed in battle with the Amazons.