Aquaman 2 Director Practically Spoils Controversial Story Moment
The first Aquaman earned over a billion dollars and instantly became the most successful DCEU film. Warner Bros. obviously has high hopes for Aquaman 2, but those hopes may be going down the drain as director James Wan has potentially spoiled a major plot point ahead of the film’s release.
ComicBook.com reports Wan saying the story of Aquaman and Mera’s child is “basically taken straight from the comic book,” leading some fans to think the baby will be killed onscreen by the villainous Black Manta just as he was killed in the comics.
James Wan Spoils The Story Of Aquaman’s Baby?
This may come as a shock to audiences who have watched the trailers for Aquaman 2. One trailer plays up the fact that the title character is now a father and must balance the domestic responsibility of raising a child with the royal responsibility of ruling a kingdom. While James Wan could surprise us with the final fate of Arthur Jr., there may already be some very indirect evidence that the baby meets a grisly end.
Audiences Walked Out Of Test Screenings
The long-delayed Aquaman 2 had test screenings for audiences earlier this year, and one of the most surprising outcomes was that some audiences walked out of their screenings. Audiences not only walked out of their completely free screening (which is surprising in and of itself), but they walked out during the scene when Arthur Jr. was born.
This is only speculation, but considering that Black Manta kills that kid soon after his introduction in the comics and that James Wan has said the baby’s story will be comic-accurate, it doesn’t look like the child is long for this world.
Black Manta And Arthur Jr. In The Comics
If this happens exactly as it did in the comics, this may hint that Black Manta will have a more outsized role in Aquaman 2. Way back in Adventure Comics #452, readers saw Black Manta try to take over an underwater city. He kidnapped Arthur Jr. for one purpose.
To force Aquaman and his sidekick Aqualad to fight until one of them was dead. Aquaman eventually gets an octopus to attack the foe and tries to save his son from suffocating, but much like Spider-Man’s attempt to save Gwen Stacey, the hero is too late.
A Risky Choice
Putting two and two together, it seems like Black Manta may kill Arthur Jr. very shortly after he was born. Specifically, the kid may be snuffed out in the same scene where he was introduced. Narratively speaking, this is a bit risky.
It basically hits the reset button on Aquaman by undoing the major event that has transformed him since the end of the last film. Then again, few motivates are more powerful than revenge, and Aquaman 2 may show us the story of an unhinged Aquaman dead set on ending the life of the man who took his child from him.
Aquaman 2 Releases In Theaters Very Soon
At any rate, we won’t have to wait long to find answers: Aquaman 2 premieres in theaters on December 22, and we’ll soon discover the ultimate fate of Arthur Jr. On a broader level, we’ll also discover whether the DCEU goes out on a high note or dies suffocating, much like Aquaman’s child in the comics. Either way, the last cinematic portrayal of Aquaman has to be better than the post-credits scene of The Flash where we see the mighty Atlantean drunkenly passed out on the street.
