Summary
- Black Manta is set to carry a black trident in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, possibly obtained from Triton or created by himself using Atlantean steel.
- The origin of the black trident could be related to a confrontation between Black Manta and Triton, where Manta steals the weapon for his battle against Aquaman.
- While Aquaman’s Trident of Atlan is likely more powerful, Black Manta’s trident is not to be underestimated, as Manta is a skilled smith and combatant.
Black Manta will carry a black trident in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and there are numerous possible origins for his new weapon. Black Manta is well-known as one of Aquaman’s arch-enemies in the comics, a sea-faring mercenary who dons a high-tech, Manta-like suit to battle the King of Atlantis in the depths of the ocean. 2018’s DCEU movie Aquaman saw David Kane, a.k.a. Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), make his cinematic debut, with David holding Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) responsible for his father’s death and seeking revenge upon him.
In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s story, Black Manta is set to return to fulfill his vendetta once more and will pose such a threat that Aquaman must team up with Orm, a.k.a. Ocean Master (Patrick Wilson), to defeat their common enemy. Black Manta will also carry some new tools for battle in the sequel, with the movie’s new trailer tease showing him wielding a black trident against Aquaman in a fight scene. Here are the possible origins of where Black Manta got his black trident in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
The Black Trident’s Possible DC Comics History Explained
One possible explanation for Black Manta’s black trident in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could relate to the character Triton. As the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, Triton carries his own trident like Aquaman and other Atlantean warriors do. In the comics, Triton’s trident is sometimes – though not always – illustrated to look darker, and this potentially might play a role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
In his mission to track down Arthur Curry and those closest to him, Black Manta might have crossed paths with Triton, interrogating him for information on his Atlantean enemy. Black Manta might use this as a key opportunity to round up some new weaponry to go up against Arthur, and he might specifically steal Triton’s black trident to use as a melee weapon. However, this is not the only possible explanation for how Black Manta acquires his weapon to face Aquaman head-to-head.
Black Manta May Have Created The Black Trident
Not only is David Kane a ruthless pirate, but he is also a tech genius and innovator. Aquaman shows David creating his Black Manta suit from Atlantean technology, including battle armor, lasers for the manta rays blasted from his helmet’s eyes, and blades on his forearms forged from Atlantean steel. The latter could be especially relevant to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, with David possibly making his black trident himself from the same Atlantean alloy as his wrist blades.
As the ending of Aquaman indicates, David surely does not intend to fight him again without significantly lethal upgrades to his suits offensive and defensive capabilities. With David hard at work armoring up for his rematch with the King of Atlantis, he could very conceivably decide to create his own trident to be better prepared to face Arthur in close combat. Black Manta might even see making his own trident from Atlantean steel as a way to sweeten his revenge, turning not only Atlantean materials but even Aquaman’s signature weapon of combat against him.
Is The Black Trident More Powerful Than Aquaman’s Trident?
It is hard to say exactly how powerful Black Manta’s trident is compared to Aquaman’s, but the mythology around Arthur’s suggests his trident has the edge. Arthur wields the Trident of Atlan, which gives Arthur his claim to the Atlantean throne and which has clearly strong abilities in combat. With Arthur shattering the trident carried by Orm in Aquaman‘s final fight, the Trident of Atlan is an undeniably powerful weapon in the hands of a skilled Atlantean warrior like Arthur.
At the same time, Black Manta is also quite adept in bladed combat, and the possible scenarios of how he gets his trident show how much his weapon should not be underestimated. Triton’s trident gives Black Manta a weapon with plenty of battle-tested history in underwater warfare. David making his own trident from Atlantean metal also gives him a weapon designed to be on par with the best of the Atlantean army, and could hold its own against the Trident of Atlan. In either case, Black Manta will definitely have a tool for a much more up-close-and-personal revenge match in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
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