Making Aquaman cool is a tricky job. Generally known for being squeaky-clean, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, and possessing the questionably useful superpower of being able to talk to fish (and breath underwater), for much of his existence, the character has been the butt of the joke.
Jason Momoa intends to flip that perception around however and drag Aquaman back into the superhero A-list alongside Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. In a ludicrously manly photoshoot and interview with GQ (He climbs mountains! He rides motorbikes! He throws arrows!), the actor explained that he’s going to set the tone for the character.
We’ve never really seen anything from this guy before, so it’s fun to have a level playing field. There aren’t like four Aquamans before me. I get to set the tone for it.
He’s got a point when it comes to the big screen, but the King of the Sea has made some live action appearances on TV in the past, popping up in Smallville, Entourage (sort of…), and in failed CW pilot Mercy Beach. Still, a big budget blockbuster is a different kettle of fish, and judging by the positive reception to his role in the Justice League trailer, it’s looking as if every future actor wielding the trident will be compared to Momoa’s interpretation.
“The guy was never really accepted on land, and he was never really accepted in Atlantis. He’s a half-breed. But he’s the best of both worlds. He just doesn’t know how to handle his powers. So it’s kind of a coming of age for a young man to a man, or a man to a king. He’s lost a lot of things and he’s got to cope. He’s an outsider.”
We’ve already caught a glimpse of him in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but we’ll see him make a proper appearance in Justice League later this year, with a solo Aquaman adventure planned for release on December 18th, 2018. Can Momoa really make the character cool, though? We’re about to find out.