Summary
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could end with Black Manta accomplishing his mission to kill Aquaman’s family, but it is the least likely outcome.
- Orm, Arthur’s half-brother, may be the major death that Black Manta is after, especially with the Black Trident tipping the scales.
- Mera’s reduced screen time in the sequel might be due to her character being killed by Black Manta early on, jumpstarting the movie’s events.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will likely see Black Manta kill at least one major character before the new DC Universe comes along, and some have better chances than others. The first Aquaman unexpectedly earned over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. It was one of the most popular DCEU movies, which only makes it fitting for the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to serve as the DCEU’s last film. Jason Momoa’s Aquaman still has no future confirmed for James Gunn’s new DC Universe, so leading Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s cast across the finish line might be Momoa’s last act as the King of the Seas.
After a long time with no updates, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s trailer was finally released recently, showing that fans should expect an adventure between brothers Arthur Curry and Orm as Aquaman — who is now married to Mera and a father — tries to keep his family and the world safe from Black Manta. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s villain will return more powerful than ever in the sequel due to the Black Trident, which makes Black Manta claiming in the trailer that he willmurder Aquaman’s family quite the threat. With Black Manta setting his sights on Arthur’s family, here are the characters he could kill, ranked from most to least likely.
7 Aquaman
Due to it being the last DCEU movie, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could end with Black Manta accomplishing his mission to get revenge on Aquaman for the role Arthur played in his father’s death, perhaps dying alongside Momoa’s hero to put a poetic end to the DCEU version of one of the biggest DC Comics rivalries. However, that currently stands as the least likely outcome of Black Manta’s quest to kill Arthur Curry and his family in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
The DCEU ending with Aquaman’s death would be quite a sad note for the universe, and as Aquaman 3 was teased by James Wan, the director of both Aquaman movies so far, Momoa’s character is fairly safe. Besides, based on Black Manta’s wrath in the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer, it seems like the villain will be more inclined to kill someone close to Aquaman to see him suffer and then try to kill him rather than just go for the hero. Arthur defeating Black Manta, but dealing with the loss of a loved one would then be more impactful than the hero dying.
6 Orm
After being a villain in Aquaman, Patrick Wilson’s Orm will be back with a new role for the sequel. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom features an adventure between brothers Arthur and Orm, with Wilson’s character reluctantly agreeing to help his half-brother deal with the Black Trident. With Orm having a major role to play in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s story, he might be the major death that Black Manta is after. While Orm is extremely well-trained to take on Black Manta, the Black Trident could tip the scales in the villain’s favor. Orm dying after finally bonding with Arthur during their adventure in the film would be tragic.
5 Atlanna
Aquaman first made it seem like Nicole Kidman’s Atlanna had been dead for years, only for it to be revealed that the character was alive, having survived the Trench and living for 20 years alone in the Hidden Sea. Atlanna then got her happy ending when Aquaman and Mera found her on their search for Atlan’s Trident, later going to Maine to be with Thomas, Aquaman’s father. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s trailer showed the Curry family home engulfed in flames due to Black Manta’s actions, and that moment could include the villain killing Atlanna, with her sad past leading to an extremely emotional moment if that were to happen.
4 Thomas Curry
Temuera Morrison’s Thomas Curry was the one who cared for Arthur as he grew up, so Black Manta killing the character would hit especially hard for the DC hero. Besides, the whole point of the villain going after Aquaman is due to the hero having left Black Manta’s father to die, which could inspire him to kill Thomas, making him and Aquaman even. With Aquaman now a father himself, as revealed in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s trailer, Thomas dying to protect his family would be a good way of putting things into perspective for Aquaman.
3 Vulko
Willem Dafoe is not in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, with the superhero movie legend’s absence being confirmed by Wan, who said that part of the reason for Dafoe not appearing in the movie “was because his schedule did not work for us.” Dafoe played Vulko, Aquaman’s trusted advisor in the first Aquaman, a role which will now be given to Kidman’s Atlanna for the sequel. While Vulko will not show up onscreen, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could explain the character’s absence by saying that Black Manta killed him before the events of the movie or around the start of it, making the sequel’s stakes high from the get-go.
2 Mera
Mera actress Amber Heard has a reduced role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. While Heard claimed that was due to her public dispute with ex-husband Johnny Depp, Wan said it was because “The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm.” With Mera having a small role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Black Manta threatening to go after her family, her reduced screen time might be due to the character being killed by the villain early on. Mera’s death would be a shocking way to jumpstart the movie’s events, and it would also allow DC to avoid going a darker path with Black Manta’s kill.
1 Arthur Curry Jr.
Aquaman and Mera’s son — Arthur Curry Jr. — will debut in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. That reveal has inspired fears that Black Manta will kill Aquaman’s son, a very possible scenario, as the villain did just that in the comics. Black Manta killed Aquaman’s son by suffocating him inside a sphere. The moment was one of the saddest and most shocking in Aquaman’s comic book history, and with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s trailer showing that Black Manta is set on killing Aquaman’s family right when Arthur Curry Jr. debuts, the Aquababy is the most likely character for Black Manta to kill in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Key Release Dates
