Yesterday, all of comic book geekdom was abuzz when Warner Bros. unveiled is lineup of live-action DC Comics films from now until 2020. One of the bigger reveals wasn’t just that Game of Thrones alum Jason Momoa is confirmed to play Aquaman, but that the King of Atlantis would also be getting a solo film. Of course, a superhero movie is more than just its main character, and now there’s new information about who his supporting cast might be in 2018.
Hours after the news broke, fan site The Aquaman Shrine tweeted the other characters that will appear in the film, including an ally, some big villains and a race of evil ocean dwelling monsters.
Here’s a quick primer for those of you uninitiated on the history of one of the most unnecessarily mocked superheroes of all time. First off, Mera is Aquaman’s wife, but not Atlantean born. She originally hailed from Xebel, an inter-dimensional underwater colony inhabited by the descendants of Atlanteans who were banished centuries ago. Originally sent to kill Aquaman, she fell in love with him and became his queen. As a Xebelian, she not only can breathe underwater like Atlanteans, but is is able to create "hard water" objects with her aquakinesis. It’s similar to the construct Green Lantern makes, but with water instead of a weird green energy.
Unlike Batman and Superman, Aquaman doesn’t have many villains, making Orm and Black Manta all the more important. Orm, better known as Ocean Master, is Aquaman’s half-brother, both sharing the same mother. While Aquaman was living on the surface in his youth, Orm remained in Atlantis and was poised to become its king. However, when Aquaman eventually discovered Atlantis and took the throne (he was born first, so it was his inheritance), they became bitter enemies.
Then there’s Black Manta, whose often considered to be his arch-nemesis. While Manta’s background is still largely a mystery (including his real name), the New 52 established that he’s seeking revenge for Aquaman accidentally killing his father. While Manta has committed many atrocities, one of his most evil moments was killing Aquaman’s baby son. As for The Trench, they are a race of cannibalistic sea creatures that live beneath the ocean floor.
The plot of this movie is still unknown, but it's possible that Orm will be the main atagonist while Black Manta is set up as an assassin who could appear in sequels. It wouldn’t be the first time those two worked together. As for Mera, it’s unclear whether she’ll be his wife when the film starts or if he’ll meet her during the story, but either way, it would be wise to include her Xebellian backstory to create some tension between the couple. We’ll find out when the movie is released, which according to another scoop from The Aquaman Shrine, will be in July 2018.
While news of the solo movie was huge, Momoa playing Aquaman wasn’t that shocking since many publications confirmed the casting during the summer, and Momoa didn’t do a great job denying it. However, now with the cat out of the bag (or rather, fish), he took to Instagram to spread the news with his own Hawaiian flair.
Now one of the pressing questions is whether Momoa will keep the long hair and beard for the role, or go with the character’s clean-shaven shorthaired look.
