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Small Details You Missed In The Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom Trailer – Looper

After years of anticipation, DC has finally debuted the first look at James Wan’s long-gestating “Aquaman” sequel. 

Since cameras began to roll on the sophomore “Aquaman” outing, the DC superhero franchise has gone through a notable amount of changes. Perhaps the most obvious is that James Gunn and Peter Safran are now in charge of the new DC Universe, taking the company’s characters in a fresh, bold direction. This, of course, means that what’s come before doesn’t really matter. While the new slate of franchise offerings won’t debut for some time, audiences still have “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” to look forward to. 

Luckily, director James Wan isn’t super bummed about Gunn and Safran taking over the entire DC continuity, telling Entertainment Weekly that “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” exists in its own separate world — kind of. “But the beauty of this movie, this Aquaman world, is that, very early on, we always said that we are our own separate universe,” Wan revealed. “So, what we do, ultimately, doesn’t get affected by all that stuff, all that noise.”

And by the looks of the first trailer, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is doing its own thing, peeling back the layers of the complicated world of Atlantis. In the trailer, audiences are treated to tons of Easter eggs, references, and nods to Aquaman lore, which makes this sequel feel extremely special. And while plot details are minimal, the trailer does a great job of teasing just how chaotic Arthur Curry’s (Jason Momoa) sophomore adventure will be. 

Read on to learn some of the small details you may have missed in the first trailer for “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” 

That camouflage suit callback

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

Not only is Aquaman back for “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” but the DC sequel expands the fish-friendly hero’s wardrobe, putting a spin on the classic blue stealth suit from the comics.

The blue suit debuted in 1986’s “Aquaman” #1, and its ability to allow Aquaman to blend in while underwater proved to be a contrast to his iconic orange and green outfit. As with all superhero costume changes, the blue camouflage suit has its fans and detractors. However, it’s hard to not appreciate a nod to a deep piece of DC Comics lore. 

It seems that Jason Momoa and James Wan are fans of the blue camouflage suit, as the “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” trailer gives a great look at the hero’s new costume. In the trailer, we see Aquaman donning his new dark-blue suit, using its camouflage technology, which seemingly makes him invisible, to break into the desert prison housing Orm (Patrick Wilson). Although it may not be around for long as we see Aquaman back in his classic costume later, simply referencing Aquaman’s comic book wardrobe change will surely be enough to satisfy diehard fans.

Did you miss Mera? Uh … we did too…

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

At long last, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” sees the return of DC’s favorite couple. Well, maybe not exactly. For those wondering, Amber Heard is reprising her role as the Queen of Atlantis. Her highly publicized defamation trial involving ex-husband Johnny Depp caused a backlash, with fans even calling for her replacement. But lo and behold, she is in one shot of the new trailer.

The majority of the footage shows Arthur’s relationship with his reluctant half-brother Orm and their bid to save Atlantis from Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). So, where does that leave Mera? Somewhere looking confined. Or maybe even embroiled in battle. It’s hard to say. In a succession of increasingly fast-paced action shots, Mera appears in only one brief moment, where she seems to be trying to break through a window underwater. Even when Arthur appears happy with his baby, Mera is nowhere to be found. 

We can all assume that Mera is the baby’s mother, but where does that leave her? James Wan has admitted to Entertainment Weekly that the film doesn’t focus on Arthur’s romantic entanglements but instead on the two brothers. With a scaled-down role in the movie, it makes sense why she doesn’t appear prominently in the trailer. By skipping ahead four years, viewers will have missed out on a lot of the development between Arthur and Mera, but hopefully, we at least get to see her be with her family.

King Shark-style hammerhead shark people

Warner Bros./YouTube

One of the most appealing aspects of “Aquaman” is that there’s no shortage of odd creatures and humanoid hybrids that can come into play when Arthur Curry is in Atlantis. The trailer for “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” offers a glimpse of plenty of new additions, including some hammerhead shark people flanking either side of Arthur and Orm while they’re underwater.

These could very well be some associates of King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), who entered the DCEU in “The Suicide Squad.” King Shark resembles more of a great white in that movie, but he does have a history with hammerheads. King Shark’s first appearance came in “Superboy” #0, where he was a humanoid great white, but he was reintroduced in the New 52 continuity with more of a hammerhead design.

A King Shark cameo in “Aquaman 2” may be too much to ask for, but these sharks could be part of the same race as him and provide greater insight into his roots. Anyone wanting to see King Shark again can check out the “Harley Quinn” animated series or wait for “Suicide Squad Kills the Justice League” to come out … whenever that happens.

Aquaman’s employment struggles mirror Jason Momoa’s own

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

The “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” trailer holds plenty of references to the titular aquatic superhero’s past, but one of its more veiled Easter eggs may actually be a nod to the real-life history of his actor.

The trailer opens with a bit of narration from Aquaman, during which he notes: “Four years ago, I was basically unemployed. A wanderer with no home.” This line about the hero’s history actually mirrors that of Jason Momoa, who has revealed in interviews that he struggled with a prolonged period of unemployment after his breakout stint as Khal Drogo on “Game of Thrones.” 

“I couldn’t get work,” he once told InStyle. “It’s very challenging when you have babies and you’re completely in debt.”

The parallels run deeper. A bit later in the trailer, Aquaman declares that he finally got a job as the king of Atlantis. In a similar vein, Momoa’s struggle to find work improved when he was cast as Aquaman in the DCEU, starting with an appearance in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” The timing lines up, too. Momoa’s final appearance on “Game of Thrones” was in 2012, while his debut as Aquaman came in 2016 — a four-year gap.

It’s up for debate whether this bit of narration is an intentional reference to Momoa’s story or not. Nonetheless, it brings to mind his eventful journey from struggling actor to one of the pillars of DC’s cinematic efforts.

How Black Manta might fridge Mera

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

“I’m gonna kill Aquaman and destroy everything he holds dear. I’m gonna murder his family and burn his kingdom to ash,” says Black Manta in the “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” trailer, making it abundantly clear that he’s out for revenge. That means no one in Aquaman’s family is safe, but what if the main target of Manta’s violence it isn’t the character everyone thinks?

In the comics, Black Manta infamously kills Aquaman’s son when he’s an infant, so with the sequel introducing Aquababy, things aren’t looking too good for the latest addition to Arthur’s family. However, what if James Wan and DC pull a fast one on fans? Misdirection isn’t out of the question, and the studio could be teasing there’s danger on the horizon for the kid, distracting us from the real victim of Manta’s rampage: Mera.

We’ve already covered how little the trailer — and likely the movie — features Amber Heard’s Mera. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” fridging Mera — a trope of killing a female love interest to further a male character’s story — to inspire the hero for his final battle with Black Manta, although disappointing, wouldn’t be that surprising. Given the controversy surrounding the actor, the studio could’ve elected to “cut” Mera out of the picture, killing her in the sequel to avoid future appearances. Although we hope the movie won’t stoop to fridging the Queen of Atlantis, superhero movies have done it before.

James Wan is channeling The Trench for a horror-filled Aquaman story

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

At least one thing is clear from the “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” trailer: director James Wan is letting his horror roots show more than ever. While the first “Aquaman” movie had some scary sequences of its own, the horror dial is clearly getting cranked up to 11 for the sequel, as viewers can see what are ostensibly zombified Atlanteans rising up to do battle with Atlantis.

What casual fans may not have picked up on is that Wan appears to finally be getting an opportunity to make the horror-tinged Atlantis story that he has long desired. At one point in time, the esteemed horror director was slated to direct an “Aquaman” spin-off called “The Trench,” which would focus on the sinister beings that Aquaman faces off against in his first movie. Unfortunately, the project was canned, leaving eager fans worried that Wan’s take on a more overtly horror-inspired DC project would not come to fruition. Thankfully, this latest trailer suggests that he managed to make his wish come true, albeit in a different form.

It seems that “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” may be drawing more from Wan’s scrapped “The Trench” movie than some may have expected. The director once revealed that the canceled film was stealthily going to feature Black Manta, whose gruesome story is now front-and-center here. He has also teased that the “Aquaman” sequel will bring back other concepts from “The Trench.” Speaking to ComicBook.com, Wan said: “Listen, I feel like everything I come up with, everything I do, if I come up with something that I don’t end up using, that doesn’t mean that I cannot be inspired to use that in a different way.”

Jason Momoa has a writing credit on Aquaman 2

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

Perhaps one of the most interesting details in the “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” trailer happens as the first look wraps up. Pay close attention to the final moments as the credits for the film come up and viewers will see that Jason Momoa has received a “Story by” credit alongside James Wan, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett. While Momoa didn’t write the script, “The Lost Kingdom” does feature story ideas from the actor. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in 2022, Momoa expressed just how excited he was to have played a part in the sequel’s narrative, revealing that he wrote a 50-page treatment for the project. “It’s got my heart in it,” the actor said, teasing the sequel.

How did the writing process start? In an interview with Drew Barrymore, Momoa candidly discussed what it was like to cook up the sequel. “After we ended the first one, I went in with my writing partner and we dreamed up the second one,” the actor told Barrymore in 2021. “We went in, we pitched the idea … the best thing I can give you is that I love it so much that I participated in the writing of it,” Momoa said, before explaining how Wan and Johnson-McGoldrick “finished it off.”

Is that a Mecha Manta tease?

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

Black Manta is more powerful than ever in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” thanks to his acquisition of the Black Trident. However, that may not be the only upgrade he gets in the sequel. It may be a bit of a stretch, but around the 0:52 mark of the trailer, he gets inside a vessel that could be a loose adaptation of the Mecha Manta from the comics.

The Mecha Manta is a fairly new addition to Black Manta’s arsenal in the comics, coming into play originally in “Aquaman” Vol. 8 #51, which came out in 2019. It’s an artificial intelligence gifted to the supervillain by Lex Luthor that emulates the thoughts of Black Manta’s deceased father. It also doesn’t hurt it’s encased in a giant robot capable of destroying its opponents. 

Granted, it’s hard to tell from the trailer whether it is, in fact, an adaptation of the Mecha Manta. It could just be another random vessel Black Manta uses to wage his war against sea dwellers. It’s worth noting that audiences saw Black Manta’s father die in the first “Aquaman” movie, and given how the sequel seems to emphasize the importance of family, it wouldn’t be out of the question for dear old dad to come back into the mix. Then again, there’s likely already so much going on in the sequel that adding an AI layer could make things even more convoluted.

The Aquaman trailer emphasizes bromance

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

The debut trailer for “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is filled to the brim with narrative threads that are worth unraveling. While Arthur Curry is definitely struggling with being a father in this cinematic outing, he’s also dealing with being a good brother. At the end of the first “Aquaman,” Curry’s half-brother Orm is imprisoned after his gambit to take over Atlantis flops. While Curry and Orm were never on the best of terms, the final moments of “Aquaman” cemented the animosity the two had for one another.

In “The Lost Kingdom,” Orm is surprisingly back and the vibe he shares with Curry is nothing short of hilarious. The trailer shows Curry having no choice but to break Orm out of prison so they can stop Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) together — making the sequel a true family affair. From there, the trailer makes it a point to hammer home how Orm and Aquaman are on this strange journey together, whether they like it or not. Needless to say, the bromance vibes are oozing thanks to the chemistry between Wilson and Momoa.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, director James Wan candidly discussed how he always wanted “Aquaman 2” to focus on the two estranged brothers. “The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm,” Wan revealed. “So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie.”