Warner Bros has sought fit to assuage some concerns about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. A quote from James Wan made us believe Jason Momoa mightn’t fight a form of Shark Man in the blockbuster, and the latest trailer makes clear he absolutely does, with him giving Karshon a clean right hook.
The DCU villain for Aquaman 2 generally appears akin to King Shark – humanoid, but with a shark’s head. Wan has previously commented that what we see in the upcoming DC movie “is not a shark character,” causing us to worry we wouldn’t be getting a lowkey Street Sharks reboot.
Alas, in Momo, we trust, and Arthur Curry’s clearly battering a very shark-like DC character in the newest spot for the new movie. It’s preceded by him wrecking a bunch of human goons, but we know that’ll happen; show us the weird aquatic mutants!
It’s a good thing, too, because despite being an evangelist for 2018’s Aquaman, I have my concerns about the sequel. There have been numerus delays, suggestions that Wan has over-stuffed the picture since The Trench spin-off was canceled, and since the DC Universe is getting rebooted, a sense of overall futility.
But, if Aquaman 2 can deliver on the comical, tongue-in-cheek fun of the first, then it’ll be worthwhile. Momoa truly shines when he’s allowed to let his natural charisma do the work, and Arthur Curry has been a reliable conduit for that. Aquaman and both versions of the Justice League are better for his performance, and as this is his last time playing the aquatic hero, hopefully, he gets to really let rip.
Patrick Wilson returns, as King Orm, Curry’s estranged brother. The movie villain in the first movie now has an uneasy alliance with Arthur, similar to Loki and Thor in the Thor movies. They face Black Manta, who threatens to take down Atlantis once and for all. Really, though, doesn’t everyone have a go at something existential like that?
We need more superhero movies with personal stakes. Forget destroying the world; what about ruining someone’s life? Well, Black Manta did that to Aquaman as well, once upon a time, and we could be getting a retelling.
Time will tell – I’m just glad Momoa will fight a shark at some point. Check out our guides to the Superman: Legacy release date and the Brave and the Bold release date to see how the new DCU is shaping up.