When Jason Momoa suits up as “Aquaman” for his standalone film, he will face off against one of the seafaring superhero’s greatest foes.
TheWrap has exclusively learned the bad guy of the movie will be Aquaman’s deadliest and most-famous opponent — Black Manta. “Aquaman” diehards should go nuts for the film’s adherence to DC lore — “Aquaman” first introduced the villain in 1967. In DC’s “New 52” reboot, Black Manta is a man in a suit with no innate super powers.
Warner Bros. had no comment.
Black Manta (pictured above) has had several distinct origin stories over the years. In the latest version, Aquaman killed his father in retaliation for a murder committed by the young Black Manta. So begins Black Manta’s quest for revenge.
The character has spent some time in Belle Reve prison, during which Amanda Waller tried to get him to join Suicide Squad. Interestingly, fans floated a now-disproven rumor last year that Common would play Black Manta in “Suicide Squad.”
Jason Momoa will next be seen as “Aquaman” in 2017’s “Justice League” along with fellow Atlanteans Mera (Amber Heard) and Vulko (Willem Dafoe). “Gangster Squad” screenwriter Will Beal is writing the screenplay based off a treament by Geoff Johns and James Wan. Wan is directing the “Aquaman” film, which is slated for release on July 27th, 2018.
Check out more on the history of Black Manta below.