Aquaman 2 Footage Description: Black Manta's Villain Origin Continues
Warner Bros. screened new footage from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom at CinemaCon that confirms Black Manta's villain origin story continues. The DCEU film is a direct sequel to 2018's Aquaman, which starred Jason Momoa as the titular hero, otherwise known as Arthur Curry. The sixth film in the DC Extended Universe also saw Yahya Abdul-Mateen II portray the ruthless pirate and mercenary David Kane, who dons an Atlantean-powered suit to become Black Manta and take on Momoa's character. Both will return for Aquaman 2, which was delayed from December 2022 to March 2023.
Aquaman briefly presented Black Manta's origin story when it revealed Arthur killed the leader of a pirate gang attempting to hijack a Russian submarine. David, the son of the slain pirate leader, vows revenge against Arthur. Later on in Aquaman, the present king of Atlantis, Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson), gifts David the Atlantean battle suit to kill Arthur. David rechristens himself as Black Manta and manages to injure Arthur; however, Arthur ultimately defeats him. Despite that, Aquaman's mid-credits scene shows marine biologist Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park) rescue David, who agrees to lead Shin to the fabled Atlantis in exchange for his help in getting revenge on Arthur.
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During Warner Bros' presentation at CinemaCon, which Screen Rant was present for, the studio premiered new footage from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Although not a ton of footage from the actual movie is shown, it does briefly tease Black Manta's villain origin continuing. The teaser opens with Black Manta on a brand new ship, and it appears a dark energy has taken over him as he races towards his revenge quest
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