Next year, comic book movie fans will have the opportunity to see Jason Momoa‘s Aquaman in action alongside the rest of the Justice League before venturing forth into his own solo film. Now it looks like director James Wan is going to kickoff his potential franchise with the biggest villain in Aquaman’s rogue’s gallery!
The Wrap is reporting that Black Manta will be the primary villain in the Aquaman film. In addition to being one of Aquaman’s most vicious foes, Black Manta is also one of the most prominent African American villains in the DC Universe. That could potentially make the role attractive to some A-list Hollywood actors. Nerdist has reached out to Warner Bros. for confirmation, but they declined to comment at this time.
Bob Haney and Nick Cardy created Black Manta in 1967, and he has played a prominent part in Aquaman’s mythology ever since. There are several conflicting origins for Black Manta, whose full name has yet to be revealed. The most recent version of his backstory is a bit convoluted. The gist of it is that Black Manta killed Aquaman’s father, and Aquaman retaliated by killing Black Manta’s father under the assumption that he was the murderer.
Much like Aquaman, Black Manta was considered a joke after his appearances in the Challenge of the Super Friends animated series. But make no mistake, he’s no lightweight! Black Manta is a tactical genius, a skilled fighter, and he can breathe underwater thanks to his artificial gills. His armor is also outfitted with lethal weapons, including optic blasts from his helmet. Prior to the New 52 reboot, Black Manta was also the father of Jackson Hyde, a.k.a. Aqualad.
Thus far, only two roles have been confirmed for Aquaman other than the title character: Amber Heard as Mera and Willem Dafoe as Vulko, both of whom will also be in the Justice League movie. The Aquaman film will be released on July 27, 2018.
Are you excited to see Black Manta take on Aquaman in the feature film? Let us know in the comment section below!
Image: DC Comics
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