The Only Aquaman 2 Character That Matters Gets The Respect They Deserve

The popular comic book character made a surprise cameo in 2018’s Aquaman, delighting fans and proving that Wan wasn’t afraid to lean into the whimsical elements of the Aquaman comics (via Superhero Hype).

Speaking about the fan reaction to the cameo, Wan said, “when I saw how well Topo was received in the first one, it gave me permission to bring him to the forefront,” adding, “I knew immediately from the get-go that we had to put him in a significant role in this one.”

Aquaman 2 already looked like a promising project, but the fact that Topo the Octopus is getting a full-fledged role in the film should make fans even more excited.

You could hardly be blamed if you missed his brief appearance in the original film or don’t remember it. The cameo was fun and short, but it hardly qualified as Topo being a fully realized character.

It seems like Aquaman 2 is going big in many ways, and it will be interesting to see how Topo the Octopus factors into the story James Wan and screenwriter David Leslie Johnson are trying to tell.

If you’re unfamiliar with Topo, he’s a DC comic book character who first debuted in DC’s Adventure Comics #229. He hasn’t taken on different iterations over the course of DC comic history, with the original Topo being an intelligent pet for Aquaman that loved music.

Later, Topo would be reintroduced in the post-Crisis On Infinite Earth event as a human-like creature before ultimately being depicted as a giant octopus-crab hybrid in the New 52 era of DC comics.

Aquaman can summon this powerful beast using his telepathic abilities. It’s unclear how much Aquaman 2 will be leaning into the history of Topo the Octopus, but it’s cool that he’ll be in the film regardless.

Aquaman 2 stars Jason Momoa as the titular character who must face off with the vengeful Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who is on a warpath after the death of his father.

Black Manta acquires the mythical Black Trident to take on Aquaman and his family, causing Aquaman to team up with his imprisoned brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to defeat Black Manta and protect the kingdom of Atlantis. Undoubtedly, Aquaman will also need to rely on allies like Topo the Octopus to face off against the forces being gathered by Black Manta.

Aquaman 2 will be the very last film that is still connected to the now-defunct DCEU before James Gunn and Peter Safran take over with the DCU in 2025 with Superman: Legacy.

It remains to be seen if Gunn decides to bring back any characters from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but Topo the Octopus definitely would be a good fit for the superhero films James Gunn likes to make.

In any case, you can check out Jason Momoa, Topo, and the rest of the Aquaman characters when Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrives in theaters on December 20.