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After a year of delayed movies, a number of highly anticipated comic book projects are coming together. For DC, this includes James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which recently began principal photography. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will be back as the villainous Black Manta, and has a great description for getting his Aquaman body back.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II made his DCEU debut in the first Aquaman movie, and the post-credits scene certainly set up his return in the upcoming sequel. Since then the actor picked up an Emmy for Watchmen, and has been getting ripped to battle against Jason Momoa on the big screen. The proof is in the pudding, complete with an A+ caption below.
I don’t know about you, but I’m suddenly feeling very concerned for the people of Atlantis. Because it looks like Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is ready to kick ass and take names as Black Manta returns in Aquaman 2. We’ll just have to see where his character goes in his next DCEU appearance.
The above image comes to us from the personal Instagram of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. While he looks absolutely massive in the image, his caption indicates that he’s still “under construction” for his work filming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Because when you’re working opposite Jason Momoa, there’s no limit to how swole you should get.
DC fans can re-watch the original Aquaman on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
Of course, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II isn’t the only Aquaman star who has been getting into comic book shape for the upcoming DC sequel. Oceanmaster actor Patrick Wilson has been sharing his own videos getting into shape. So has Amber Heard, who will reprise her role as Mera. As such, it looks like we’re going to be treated to some absolutely ripped cast members during The Lost Kingdom’s underwater adventures.
In the first Aquaman movie, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta was ultimately a secondary villain, striking a shady deal with Oceanmaster. Both of those villains will appear in the sequel, and their reunion would definitely be interesting. The post-credits scene revealed that Black Manta survived his encounter with Arhur Curry, and set up a possible ally with Randall Park’s Doctor Stephen Shin. Unfortunately, it’s unclear if Park will participate in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, especially with his ongoing role in the MCU.
As previously mentioned, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II recently won an Emmy Award for his performance in HBO’s Watchmen series. Clearly the actor is experienced within the comic book genre, and is able to bring larger than life characters to our screen. Let’s just hope that Black Manta gets more to do in Aquaman 2.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently expected to arrive in theaters on December 16th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
