Despite his fate being uncertain in the longer-term DC universe, fans of Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry are taking the time to appreciate the comic-accurate version of his character from the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Not only did Momoa don a full-blown gold-colored suit in 2018’s Aquaman, but Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta and Patrick Wilson’s Ocean Master also looked ripped straight from the comics, a rarity for the movie genre.
Though 2018’s Aquaman gave the modern DC cinematic universe its first billion-dollar film, the franchise is poised to undergo a reboot under the direction of DC Studios’ new co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. That means the DC Extended Universe — launched by 2013’s Man of Steel — will be coming to a close. In its place will be the more concisely-named DC Universe, which will officially kick off with 2025’s Superman Legacy.
For one Reddit user on the r/DC_Cinematic subreddit, Momoa emerging in front of a waterfall with his shining yellow regalia represented an all-time great DC movie moment.
Another movie fan noted just how far we’ve come since the days of the early X-Men films featuring the superhero team wearing black leather while actively poo-pooing the “yellow spandex” of the comic original.
Many DC fanatics agreed that Aquaman remains quite underrated, despite pulling in ten figures at the box office worldwide.
Speaking of underrated, a lot of love was also given to Wilson’s performance and look as Ocean Master, AKA Orm Marius.
Abdul-Mateen’s Black Manta was also praised for that distinctive drip.
Given the aforementioned DCU reboot, it’s not entirely surprising that few are forecasting Momoa’s Atlantean will transition into the new universe. However, rumors are also swirling that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is testing poorly with audiences so far, as We Got This Covered previously reported.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Momoa is down for the count when it comes to DC, though. Last fall, Momoa made teases on social media and in interviews about a mysterious new dream project under Gunn’s tenure. We don’t know what the dream role is just yet, but there is strong speculation it could be Momoa playing a long-held fan-demanded role as the space bounty hunter known as Lobo.
As for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the James Wan-directed sequel splashes into theaters on Dec. 20.