![]() Keep in mind, that’s where Batman sends all of his craziest villains. The second version of Black Manta’s origin was unveiled in 2003 in Aquaman Vol 6 #8, when it was revealed that young Black Manta was an autistic child who was treated in Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum. He didn’t know why Black Manta hated him, and he stopped caring after so many attacks on his friends and family. And as Black Manta, he had the means to get his revenge.įor his part, Arthur had no idea that any of this had happened. He saw Aquaman as the face of everything he came to hate about the sea. But when Arthur failed to see the boy, the future Black Manta began to despise him for it. Desperate to escape his captivity, the unnamed boy tried to get the attention of Aquaman when he saw the future hero swimming with dolphins. In this version, the boy who was destined to become Black Manta was kidnapped and enslaved on a pirate ship when he was very young. Surprisingly, Black Manta wasn’t given a proper origin until 1992 in the pages of Aquaman Vol 4 #6. This is also why Black Manta is the villain that Aquaman despises above all others. That tragedy haunted Aquaman for years and led to the breakup of his marriage with Mera. Aquaman did everything he could to free Arthur Jr., but it was too late to save his son from suffocating to death. This was also the issue where Black Manta struck his greatest blow against Arthur by placing his infant son, Arthur Curry, Jr., in a death trap – one the hero actually couldn’t overcome. But his stated objective was just a front for his lust for power. Black Manta claimed that he was championing the rights of Black people to conquer the ocean to escape their oppression on land. It wasn’t until a decade later in 1977 that readers learned more about Black Manta as he took off his helmet for the first time in Adventure Comics #452 and revealed that he was African-American. Only the unexpected interference of Aquman’s other nemesis, Ocean Master, led to Black Manta’s defeat. As envisioned by writer Bob Haney and artist Nick Cardy, Black Manta was the leader of the Manta-Men who nearly conquered Atlantis in his first appearance. While Aquaman made his first appearance in 1941, Black Manta wasn’t introduced as his adversary until Aquaman #35 in 1967. And this time, Black Manta has a chance to take his place alongside the great comic book movie villains. Black Manta was a secondary threat in the original film, and now he’s out for revenge against Arthur Curry. Later this year, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta is stepping up as the primary villain in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Batman has the Joker, Superman has Lex Luthor, and Aquaman has Black Manta.Īdmittedly, it took a couple of decades for Aquaman to shake off his undeserved reputation as a lightweight and reach the heights of his heroic counterparts, thanks in part to the live-action DC Extended Universe and Jason Momoa’s starring turn in the billion dollar-grossing Aquaman. But only the elite characters have an opposite number who is almost as iconic as they are. Even minor heroes tend to go up against the same bad guys over and over again. Aquaman is still seven months away from release, but here's hoping we get an official still of Black Manta relatively soon.Within the realm of comic books, the great superheroes always have a villain worthy of being their archnemesis. Making Black Manta wear a watered-down suit (pun definitely intended) wouldn't have been good for anyone sticking with the classic Black Manta costume helps him stand out from the crowd. However, Black Manta briefly appeared in the Aquaman footage shown at CinemaCon, and the antagonist's costume reportedly looked like it was ripped straight from the comics. It's worth noting that toys (including LEGO sets) that are tied into a movie don't always reflect what will be shown in said movie. ![]() ![]() Granted, it's difficult to determine from the above image just how the actual Black Manta costume will look fully realized in Aquaman, but the black color scheme and the oversized, alien-like diving helmet (fingers crossed it can shoot laser beams) are good signs. However, if this LEGO figurine revealed by mp_legoleaks is any indication, then Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta will look quite similar to his comic book counterpart. While comic book movies nowadays are more willing to embrace source material rather than distance themselves from it, like with any adaptation, there are still instances where creative liberties need to be taken.
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