One of the few DC Extended Universe sequels currently being developed is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is a follow-up to the 2018 smash hit blockbuster film. Not much is currently known about what direction it will take the hero and his underwater world in, but fans may have gotten a hint on the form of Arthur Curry’s new blue duds. The DCEU version of the blue stealth armor suggests that the sequel could be adapting the 1986 Aquaman comic in which the costume debuted.
This post-Crisis on Infinite Earths reintroduction for Aquaman changed the characters in a lot of ways, making it easier for scribes such as Peter David to take him onto even wilder, more successful paths down the road. It also featured a villain gathering mysterious objects of great power, not unlike Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here’s how the story played out as well as how it might factor into the DCEU’s development.
Aquaman: The Rise and Fall of Atlantis
Aquaman’s new blue costume debuted in the first issue of the second volume of Aquaman‘s comic book series, which was written and drawn by Neal Pozner and Craig Hamilton. The stealthy purpose of this camouflage costume was to allow Aquaman to infiltrate the group known as Thierna Na Oge. This group opposed his sovereignty and wished to make war with the surface world, maintaining their isolationism.
Once Aquaman was captured by the group, it was revealed that the theft of the Royal Seal of Atlantis and other recent events were the work of none other than Ocean Master, a.k.a. Orm Marius and Arthur’s half-brother. He had grown resentful of Arthur and his powers and now attempted to use his already much greater proficiency in magic to enact the ultimate revenge.
The Royal Seal and another artifact contained the mystical Zodiac crystals, and when united with the other ten, they bequeath their user with almost god-like power. Unable to stop his brother physically, Aquaman was spiritually empowered by Nuada Silverhand, the Queen of Thierna Na Oge. She used astral projection to send his spirit to face Orm’s own, drawing upon his years of trauma and tragedy to empower Arthur while having his love for his brother deplete Orm’s own energy. When the battle was finally won, Aquaman initially assumed his brother was dead, and the Zodiac crystals were never seen or heard of again.
Aquaman and the Infinity Stones of Atlantis
The plot of this story is very similar to the Infinity Gauntlet comic from Marvel, as well as its adaptation, Avengers: Infinity War. This is despite, of course, the Aquaman comic coming out about five years before Marvel’s cosmic tale. The idea of becoming all-powerful through mystical gems is reminiscent of Thanos and the Infinity Stones. Likewise, Aquaman’s thinking back on his life and his tragedy would probably remind some viewers of Thanos and the Avenger Hawkeye‘s “losing everything” scenes. For this reason, a direct adaptation of the story is highly unlikely.
Nevertheless, the Aquaman sequel could still draw some inspiration from the post-Crisis comic besides just the blue costume. The film’s title speaks of a lost kingdom, which was exactly what Thierna Na Oge was to Atlantis in the comics. Thus, the blue stealth suit could likely play a similar role in the new movie as it did there. Given how mystical and based in legend the first Aquaman movie already was, following up with a sequel that is even more tied to mythology only makes sense.
This could also lead to some big changes in Aquaman and his role in the DCEU. The Post-Crisis Aquaman was tonally a much different character than beforehand, with many of the campy visuals which had thereafter been used to deride Aquaman no longer present in the comics. Instead, the book became a dark fantasy adventure series, delving heavily into myth and legend and eschewing the trappings of typical superhero tales. Since he was less of a generic superhero, Aquaman himself took on a more violent and gruff persona, making way for the grungy harpoon-hand version of his character in the ’90s.
The first Aquaman movie was notably lighter than some DCEU films, but things could change if the sequel follows the source material. After all, director James Wan originally wanted the first film to be a horror movie, and the inspiration for this movie and its supposed complexity could see that finally come to pass.
To see Arthur’s new armor, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is scheduled for release on Dec. 16, 2022.
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