DCEU: Aquaman's Rogues Gallery / Characters

Enemies and villains faced primarily by Aquaman.

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The Ocean Master Conspiracy

General Tropes

Appearances: Aquaman (2018)

The allies recruited by Orm Marius for his plot to conquer the surface world.

Badass Army: By the film's climax, Orm has the military might of three undersea kingdoms at his command. His battle with the Brine also seems to be going in his favor, given their more primitive weapons along with Orm disabling the Brine King.
Co-Dragons: Nereus and Vulko report directly to Orm, with Black Manta being a remote operative.
Forced into Evil: The Fisherman princess was pressured into joining Orm after he murdered the king before her eyes. Downplayed with Vulko, who had to keep up appearances but was secretly plotting against Orm.
Punch-Clock Villain: Outside of Orm and Black Manta, none of the allies can be truly considered villains. Nereus was tricked into believing the surface-dwellers were a growing threat, while the Fisherman Princess was grieving for her dead father and thus was too emotionally fragile to put up any resistance. After Aquaman and his army neutralize their forces, everyone lays down their arms and allows the battle to be decided by the sons of Atlanna.
Standard Evil Empire Hierarchy:
- The Emperor: Orm, King of Atlantis who seeks the title of Ocean Master to launch a war on the surface world.
- The Right Hand: Murk, Orm's main enforcer and captain of his guard.
- The General: King Nereus, who provides most of Orm's military might.
- The Security Officer: Nuidis Vulko, Orm's vizier. Also The Mole who is undermining Orm.
- The Oddball: Black Manta, a human mercenary who provides a submarine for Orm to fight off and allies with him for revenge on Aquaman.
Super Team: With the majority of Orm's allies being from the sunken kingdoms, they're all blessed with metahuman physiology that allows them to handle high pressures and low temperatures as well as being able to see in the dark and swim faster than the average human can run.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Nobody's all that keen to be working under Orm. Nereus generally doesn't think too highly of anyone outside his kingdom, the Fisherman Princess was press-ganged after waitching Orm murder her father and the Brine King would rather die than be subordinate to Orm. Even Black Manta had no real interest in Orm's ambitions beyond killing Aquaman. Beyond that, Vulko was secretly guiding Arthur to be the last line of defense against Orm's forces.

Orm/Ocean Master

King Orm / The Ocean Master

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/orm_4.jpg

"We have been hiding long enough. The time has come for Atlantis to rise again!"

^{Click here to see him as the Ocean Master}

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantis (Royal Family), Orm's alliance

Voiced By: Daniel del Roble (Latin American Spanish), Alexis Victor (European French), Frédéric Desager (Canadian French), Yuichi Nakamura (Japanese)

Film Appearances: Aquaman | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Appearances in Other Media: The Adventures of Aquaman & Mera | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

"A war is coming to the surface whether you like it or not, and I'm bringing the wrath of the Seven Seas with me!"

The king of Atlantis, son of Queen Atlanna and King Orvax as well as Arthur Curry/Aquaman's younger half-brother. Orm holds claim to the title of Ocean Master and as such, wants to unite the surviving kingdoms that once composed the old Atlantis and turn them against the surface world in retaliation for the pollution and destruction of the seas by humanity.

Orm's plans for world domination were cut short once Aquaman acquired the Trident of Atlan. The two brothers fought for the title of King of Atlantis, with Arthur ultimately claiming victory. Orm was arrested, but Arthur would eventually have to deal with his estranged half-brother once again.

The Ace: Initially he's better than Aquaman at everything, which Vulko attributes to both his pure blood and perpetual underwater upbringing. This is subverted when Aquaman gains the trident of Atlan and lures him to fight on land, where the two are more evenly matched.
Action Pet: Orm's Beast of Battle is a Tylosaurus, a Mosasaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period and one of the largest predators of the Mesozoic seas, which was the era when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Orm having a Tylosaurus showcases just how powerful and just how much of a threat Orm is whenever he engages in combat.
Actually Pretty Funny: When Orm reveals that he's aware Vulko has been working against him, Orm orders Vulko's imprisonment but with the condition to "make sure he has a view" of Orm's victory. Following Orm's surrender after being bested by Arthur, Vulko arrives to imprison him for his own crimes and repeats those same instructions to Orm in regards to witnessing Arthur's coronation as the new king. Orm actually smiles at Vulko's word choice, clearly not missing the irony of the reversal.
Adaptation Amalgamation: The story of Arthur and Orm fighting over the throne is lifted from the Throne of Atlantis storyline and its animated adaptation.
Adaptational Villainy: In the New 52 comics which the film was based on, Orm did love his brother in spite of their opposition towards each other, and was generally a Noble Demon. Here, he Kicks The Dog several times, and is the one who performs the false-flag attack that leads to Atlantis declaring war on the surface. Though the pre-New 52 version was a straight-up villain.
Adaptation Dye-Job: Orm in the comics has black/dark brown hair, while here he is blond. The reverse is true for Aquaman. Incidentally, this makes Orm look more like the traditional comics Aquaman. According to invoked Word of Saint Paul, they went for that look to make Orm more distinct from Arthur:
Patrick Wilson: I knew that I wanted to look really different than Jason. I wanted to be very clean shaven and sharp and since he was very dark I wanted to be blonde.
Agent Peacock: With the exceptions of Vulko and the Fisherman King, Orm comes across as the most cultured and civilised of all the male characters he interacts with, as Arthur, Nereus, Black Manta and the Brine King are all shown to be fairly roughnecked.
Agent Provocateur: Orm's plans for war involve prodding the other rulers through various underhanded tactics, such as a False Flag Operation on King Nereus and agitating King Ricou to the point where killing him looks like self-defense. Orm also goads Arthur into fighting him on his own terms, which nearly ended with Arthur's death.
A God Am I: He believes himself to be (metaphorically, at least) the Karathen incarnate only to meet the real one in the climax when Arthur uses it against him.
The Alliance: This is the goal Orm is planning to achieve: unite the surviving nations of Atlantis. He mostly does this so that he can have the manpower to destroy the surface world and is willing to do anything - down to committing regicide and invading a nation - if it means that he can gain others' loyalty. After deposing him, Arthur receives recognition from the four surviving Atlantean kingdoms, thus finally uniting Atlantis.
Alternate Company Equivalent: Orm isn't a thousand miles away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe interpretation of Loki. He's the younger brother of the protagonist, who himself is an Alternate Company Equivalent to the MCU's Thor. His signature colors consist of a secondary colour with brilliant metallic accents (green and gold for Loki, purple and silver for Orm). He masquerades as a benevolent and responsible leader while performing all sorts of underhanded mischief that would benefit only himself. After being outed as a villain he's Put on a Prison Bus so he can reappear in the sequel. Then in said sequel, he ends up forming a reluctant Enemy Mine with his estranged brother where they gradually form a Fire-Forged Friendship and Orm would pull a Heel–Face Turn while eventually seeing Arthur as his true brother, similar to what Loki did in the sequel and triquel to the first Thor film.
Always Someone Better: Orm completely thrashes Arthur in their first fight, due to being more acclimated to the ocean depths than Arthur is. In their second encounter he's still stronger than Arthur due to the latter having no time to train, but Arthur has acquired the Trident of Atlan and learned from his mistakes, so he gains the upper hand on Orm simply by fighting with his head.
Ambiguous Situation: How exactly did Orm turn out in the Altered Timeline? Since his mother never had a child with a human, she would have never been exiled and would have been a constant presence in his youth. That is, assuming Orm even exists in that timeline.
Ambition Is Evil: His desire to be the Ocean Master leads him to commit several atrocities, including a fratricide attempt.
Ancestral Weapon: His trident previously belonged to his father, King Orvax. Aquaman destroys it, making Orm the final owner.
Apparently Human Merfolk: Orm, much like his brother, is an Atlantean, biologically designed to live and thrive in water. As revealed in Arthur's story arc, their race were originally humans who chose to live underwater and adapt to an aquatic lifestyle.
Arranged Marriage: Orm and Mera were betrothed due to the two of them being royalty. Neither seems to have any real interest in the other, with Orm even telling Black Manta to kill Mera after promising Nereus he'd spare her life. On another note, Orm himself is the result of an arranged marriage between Queen Atlanna and King Orvax.
As You Know: Orm greets Nereus with a history lesson about the seven kingdoms and the height of their power and unity that Nereus should probably already know since he's a fellow king. Nereus fires back with another exposition dump about how Orm uniting at least the four kingdoms will grant him the title of "Ocean Master".
The Atoner: In the sequel he realizes that he has a lot to atone for. By the end of it, he is on good terms with his family, the Brine and Xebel.
Badass Boast: He gives one before his first fight with Arthur.
Orm: You have our mother's trident - powerful, but flawed, like her. I wield my father's, and it has never known defeat!
Badass Cape: A Warrior Prince who wears a nice black cape when he meets with Nereus. When Orm prepares to invade the Brine Kingdom, he switches to a purple cape.
Battle in the Rain: Orm and Arthur have their last climactic battle in the surface under a dark, drenching rain complete with thunderstorms.
Beard of Sorrow: In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Orm's imprisonment has reduced to him to a shell of a man, badly dehydrated and often abused by the guards, and his broken-down circumstances are reflected in his appearance: once impeccably groomed, Orm is reintroduced with shaggy, tangled, overgrown hair and a thick beard that makes him look even more unkempt than Arthur.
Beast of Battle: Like his fellow Atlanteans, Orm carries along with him an aquatic beast which which he rides into battle. In Orm's case, he rides upon a Tylosaurus, a member of the Mosasaur family of extinct marine reptiles, likely to showcase his strength and ferocity.
Benevolent Boss: For all of Orm's villainy, he's a pretty decent boss. He paid Black Manta a hefty amount of gold for a damaged submarine and even though Manta declined payment he still gave him the money. Later on he gave Manta next-generation Atlantean weaponry and armour, equipment that was even better than what Orm's own elites had and he just had Vulko imprisoned for treason instead of executing him outright.
Big Bad: Of Aquaman. Orm's plan is to force enough surviving colonies of Atlantis into a coalition so he can be crowned "Ocean Master" and have an army large enough to declare war on the surface world.
Bizarre Taste in Food: In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, when Arthur pranks him by claiming that cockroaches are a surface world delicacy, Orm eats a live one and seems to enjoy the taste. The Stinger shows him grabbing another cockroach and putting it on a cheeseburger, which he seems to consider an improvement.
Bling of War: His battle gear is colorful and shiny, to say the least.
Blood Knight: Orm tries to maintain a civilised front, but he's clearly chomping at the bit to get some fighting done, often by goading everyone around him into a frenzy so he can act like the more reasonable party.
Brains and Brawn: During his Enemy Mine with Aquaman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, he serves as the Brains to his brother's Brawn. Aquaman is a man of action far more comfortable in battle than making policy, and he tends to charge into situations with fists swinging. Orm tends to think things through more, and defaults to using firearms in combat whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Break the Haughty: Orm's ego gets bruised after Arthur not only breaks his father's trident - which had previously been undefeated - but shatters it to pieces with the Trident of Atlan using the technique Vulko taught him at the end of their duel. His humiliation is so great he outright begs to be killed.
Cain and Abel: Aquaman and Ocean Master are half brothers and they come to blows. Orm is the villain and Cain of the pair. He initially states that he would rather avoid the fight, but later both fights his brother and hires a mercenary to murder Arthur, something he can't do openly because of the promise he's made to an ally. Yet when he shoots the ship with Arthur down and believes his brother dead, he is not happy about it.
Cape Snag: During his second bout with Aquaman, Ocean Master's cape gets snagged in the propellers of an upturned Atlantean submarine. Since they were using the hull of the submarine as their battle-ground and both possess superhuman strength, Orm is able to avoid getting pulled to his death.
Character Development: Orm starts Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as arrogant as ever, though his interactions with Arthur slowly encourage him to open up to the idea of forgiving his brother and coexisting with the surface world. The end of the film has him fully reconciling with Arthur, and opting to live under the radar on the surface, even taking the time to enjoy the simple pleasures that Arthur insisted he was missing out on.
Climax Boss: Orm's defeat signals the end of the Atlantean conflict. Not only because Atlantean customs dictate that the king surrender the throne if bested in combat, but because his opponent was his elder brother, who had obtained the Trident of Atlan, thereby making him king by default unless Orm accepted his challenge and won.
Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames:
- His full name from the comics, "Orm Marius", is not pronounced by anyone, but it does appear on a video game-like transparent display showing his pros and cons and those of Arthur right before their ritualistic duel starts.
- Downplayed, in the sense that "Ocean Master" is not a personal codename, but is an official ceremonial title for the supreme military leader of all of the underwater kingdoms, something similar to the title of dictator in Ancient Rome. Technically, Orm never even actually becomes the Ocean Master, as he never commands the majority of the military needed to claim it, but he does take possession of the name nonetheless and uses it when referring to himself, signalling how power-hungry he is.
The Comically Serious: While Orm isn't completely without humor, most of his interactions with Arthur in the sequel have his more composed, dignified attitude contrasted against his brother's enthusiasm.
Composite Character: He seems to be one of both his pre-52 and New 52 comic characterizations. Orm has his pre-52's disdain towards his half-brother, and ambitions to take over the throne and go to war with the surface, however, he also does display his New 52's care for his half-brother (as seen when he offers to let him walk away and seems sorrowful when he believed he was dead), and his reasons towards war with the surface are semi-sympathetic, making him lean towards his more Anti-Villain characterization. He seems to develop more towards the latter characterization in the end when his mother returns, as he's filled with regret of his actions, joy of her survival, and does seem to appreciate the offer of talking his brother makes.
Consummate Liar: He promises Mera's father not to harm her right before secretly hiring David Kane / Black Manta to kill both her and Arthur.
Control Freak: Orm wants everyone and every living thing in the ocean to submit to him as his subjects.
Dark Horse Sibling: Orm becomes the king of Atlantis, despite not being the first-born son of queen Atlanna, while first-born half-sibling Arthur is shunned by him and lives on the surface. However, Orm is ruthless and tries to wage war against the surface world, while Arthur succeeds in gaining the trident of Atlantis' first king, making him the true ruler of Atlantis. In the end, Arthur defeats Orm and takes his rightful place on the throne.
Death Faked for You: As a reward for his help at the end of the sequel, the heroes agree to claim that Orm was killed in battle and his body hopelessly lost, allowing Orm a measure of freedom, as long as he lays low and doesn't cause any trouble.
Death Seeker: For a desperate moment, Orm would rather die than live with the knowledge that his half-breed brother bested him in combat.
Despair Event Horizon:
- Orm comes to this point when Aquaman shatters his father's trident, leaving him unarmed and humiliated. He begs to be killed, only for Atlanna to appear and calm him down enough to just accept a prison sentence.
- He gets another one in DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special. After being bound and blinded, Orm is marched into a prison held in the depths of the Deserters Kingdom. Despite his obscured vision, Orm counts every step, memorizes the feel of the air and temperatures and steels himself until the moment to escape is just right. When Orm puts his plan into action, everything seems to be going his way, until he finds out that the prison was rebuilt around him just in case the Deserters ever got hold of a prisoner as wily as Orm. This shattered the last of his confidence.
Despotism Justifies the Means: Orm's plans to become Ocean Master involve superseding the other kings and pitting their armies against each other so that the survivors can launch an attack on the surface world. He shows absolutely no concern over the fact that he's doing his own people a massive disservice just so he can have some extra power.
Did Not Think This Through: Due to his plan being global in scale, if Orm did manage to beat Aquaman, it would only be a matter of time before his actions drew the attention of the Justice League. Superman alone would be more than enough to handle him even with Atlantis backing him up. And given that Darkseid is planning to invade Earth in the near future, it's a very unwise idea for Orm to be picking fights with potential allies.
Do Unto Others Before They Do Unto Us: Orm convinces Nereus that the technological and military advancements of the surface world can't be ignored any longer, when in reality the surface world at large doesn't even know of any underwater kingdoms.
Ear Fins: His Ocean Master cowl includes a pair.
Early-Bird Boss: Orm's first bout with Arthur has the hallmarks of such a battle, being that it keeps their conflict in focus until the climax, establishes how powerful Orm is and how urgent it is for Arthur to acquire the Trident of Atlan.
Eco-Terrorist: He wants to start a war with the surface to stop the pollution of the oceans. That being said, Orm isn't above letting the inhabitants of the ocean die pointless deaths for his cause.
Engineered Heroics: Orm almost single-handedly disposes of the submarine that attacks his forces and the Xebellians. Except he is the one behind the attack, as he paid Black Manta to get the submarine for him. His reason for doing so was to convince the other kingdoms that the surface world is a threat to them, when really he just wants complete domination over the Atlantic Ocean.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: As ruthless and bloodthirsty as he is, Orm dearly loves his mother. It's implied that her presumed death is a serious motivator for his crusade against the surface, and when she returns, he surrenders peacefully and seems to acknowledge his own failures.
Even Evil Can Be Loved: Both his mother and his half-brother care about him despite what he's done. Arthur tells Orm right before their first fight how tragic it is that they'd be fighting to the death and Atlanna talks Orm out of dying senselessly. Last of all, Arthur offers him the chance to talk over their differences when he's ready, after a spell in the brig.
Evil Counterpart:
- As the son of the queen of Atlantis, Orm is naturally this to Arthur. Both are held up as heroes to their respective worlds, fight with tridents and enjoy a good fight. The difference being that Orm is a power-hungry misanthrope that puts on a benevolent facade while Arthur is a humble man with a good heart that puts on a gruff exterior.
- He's also one to Mera. They're both the heirs to their respective kingdoms, were mentored by Atlanna and have a low opinion of the surface-world. Except Orm blindly hates surface-dwellers to the point of genocide while Mera is at least willing to let them live so long as they respect the oceans.
Evil Overlord: With Arthur refusing to take the throne of Atlantis, Orm became king by default and his plan to declare war on the surface world kickstarts the plot of Aquaman. Interestingly, he doesn't appear to be much of a tyrant to his own people. Atlantis appears to be thriving under his leadership and his people seem to adore him, if their reaction to his entrance during the Ring of Fire is any indication, although he does submit the other kingdoms by force.
Evil Is Petty: During his first duel with Arthur, the stat board hologram he pulls up is slightly biased. It basically gloats of all his accomplishments as pros, lists no cons, while for Arthur he lists no pros while the cons are "surface dweller", "half-breed" and "drunk."
Evil Virtues: Courage, diligence, takes responsibility for his kingdom, is incredibly determined and capable of love. Before they duel in the arena, Orm even offers Arthur one last chance to back down and live. As much as he hates Arthur for being a half-blood, they still share the same mother whom Orm loves dearly, and he outright stated that he doesn't want to kill him until he's left with no other choice.
Expository Hairstyle Change: Whenever he is out of his depth (when Mera temporarily puts him out of action during his first duel with Arthur, or when he is defeated in the second duel), his orderly hair suddenly get very messy.
- In the sequel, Orm's hair is shown to be unkempt in numerous scenes. At one point he lets it grow down to his shoulders with a matching beard that makes him resemble his brother.
Expressive Mask: The eyes of his Ocean Master helmet are built with an unidentified but highly refined technology that allows him to show various facial expressions.
Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: His handsome clean-cut image is a very effective cover for his manipulative and violent tendencies. Vulko and the rulers of the other three kingdoms see through it well enough, but the general populace swallow his act hook, line and sinker.
False Flag Operation: Orm secretly bought David Kane's services and instructed him to attack the Council of the Kings during his meeting with King Nereus, which he accomplished with an empty remote-controlled military submarine, thus instigating their alliance. Ultimately subverted as Nereus saw right through the ruse, but pretended to have fallen for it as he also wanted to attack the surface world.
- Orm also tried to blame the surface-dwellers for the Parademon attacks on the Atlantean guards.
- By tasking Black Manta with killing Mera after promising to spare her life, Orm was likely planning to ensure Nereus would have even less qualms about attacking the surface-world.
Fantastic Racism: Orm's not keen on surface-dwellers and wants them to suffer. He also doesn't seem to hold the less human-looking Atlanteans in high esteem either, as he killed the Fisherman king and would have done the same to the Brine king if Nereus didn't warn him that their alliance needs him alive.
Final-Exam Boss: Arthur was completely outclassed when he first fought Orm, as he simply charged into a fight without thinking. Arthur beats Orm in their second fight by heeding the advice of Vulko and Mera, as seen when he obtains the Trident of Atlan and uses a trident-spinning technique that Vulko taught him.
Final Solution: Orm wants the total annihilation of the surface world.
Freudian Excuse: He hates Arthur because he holds him responsible for the execution of their mother Atlanna. Arthur being a son of Atlanna and a surface-dweller also makes Orm hate all surface-dwellers as well because of his pureblood upbringing. As his actor explains it:
Patrick Wilson: What’s interesting is his personality. Sure, that's shaped by bad parenting by his father, a loveless marriage between his parents, and an older brother he never had but wished he did.
Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Implied. After telling Arthur his Freudian Excuse for his plans and offering him a chance to leave Atlantis, Arthur simply tells Orm that he could not let his plans happen at any cost.
Frontline General: When he leads his forces against the Brine, he does so from the front, tearing through soldiers left and right.
The Ghost: Orm is mentioned throughout Zack Snyder's Justice League as preparing to wage war on the surface world. Vulko and Mera specifically seek out Arthur's help because Orm has no interest in confronting the Apokoliptian invasion despite them being a greater threat to Atlanteans.
Gold-Colored Superiority: When Arthur is brought before him in chains, Orm is the powerful ruling king who wears a golden suit of armor. In the third act, it is Arthur who wears gold while Orm's armor has silvery elements, visually imparting that he is about to lose to Arthur before their second duel even starts.
Good Hair, Evil Hair: He is the Big Bad with slicked-back hair, which contrasts Arthur's darker, wilder hair.
Graceful in Their Element: As a high-born, Orm can thrive on land, but due to spending his entire life underwater he's not as acclimated as Atlanna, Mera or Vulko.
Graceful Loser: He takes his ultimate defeat remarkably well once Atlanna shows up and makes no effort to keep fighting, being led off by guards with no resistance and not implying that he has any intention of seeking revenge. He even smiles when Vulko asks that he be given a room with a view.
Hair-Contrast Duo: Orm's hair contrasts Arthur's quite heavily, being light in colour, short in length and very sleek. During their second match, Arthur's hair is slicked back from both the rain and the ocean, while Orm's hair becomes unkempt from being hidden under his Ocean Master helm. Averted in the sequel, where he lets his hair and beard grow out and even goes shirtless.
Heel–Face Turn: In the sequel he gradually starts to lean more towards his brother's view on things. By the end of it he believes Arthur's a good king, Atlantis is in good hands and he even decides to give the surface world a chance.
Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: To better differentiate and contrast against Arthur's brighter clothing and manly facial features, Orm wears a helmet that just screams villainy.
The High King: The title of Ocean Master is given to those who claims and reigns control of the Seven Seas, a title that Orm manages to hold onto just in time before he is confronted by Arthur for their Final Battle.
Homefield Advantage: Arthur and Orm's two fights against each other show this; when they fight each other underwater, Orm completely dominates Arthur thanks to being accustomed to aquatic combat, unlike Arthur. When Arthur brings the fight out of the ocean in the finale he gets the upper hand against Orm, who isn't used to fighting on the surface.
Honor Before Reason: When Arthur arrives to rescue him from the Deserter Prison,Orm refuses to be rescued at first because that could risk's Atlantis' diplomatic relationship with the Fishermen Kingdom, showing that he genuinely cares for his people more than his freedom despite of everything he endured for years. He accepts getting out only after learning from his brother that Black Manta is actively destroying the world and only with his help the villain can be stopped. Later he admonishes Arthur for risking Atlantis safety like this, and behaving beneath a king.
Horse of a Different Color: He rides a Tylosaurus in battle.
Humans Are Bastards: He has a contemptible view towards humankind, partly because of his mother romancing one that led to the birth of his half-brother, which coincidentally also got Atlanna tried for execution and partly because humans continue to pollute the oceans recklessly.
Hypocrite: For all his talk of uniting the remaining underwater kingdoms and fighting the surface world, Orm has no qualms about killing his fellow monarchs, exhausting their military resources fighting each other and working with a surface-dweller to terminate any ocean-dwellers who won't cooperate with him.
I Shall Taunt You: Orm expertly provokes Arthur into their first duel on his turf, and later draws the Fishermen King into attacking him so that Orm can kill him, all with words and facial expressions.
Ironic Echo:
- Orm insists that Arthur can never live in Atlantis, let alone become its king, because he is not a full Atlantean by blood. Arthur flips this on its head after he defeats Orm, refusing the latter's plea for him to mercy kill him, as an Atlantean would. He would not do it, because he is not a full Atlantean.
- Orm orders his soldiers to hold Vulko captive in his ship, so he can watch him conquer the seven seas and launch the assault against the surface on front seats. After he is defeated, Vulko tells the same soldiers to hold Orm captive in the same spot, so he can watch Arthur's coronation on front seats. Orm gives a sardonic smile at that, apparently appreciating the irony.
Irony: A conversation between the two brothers in Lost Kingdom reveals that the whole reason why Orm went after Arthur in the first film was because his father, Orvax, told him that his brother would eventually seek his throne. However, Arthur only went after Orm because the latter struck first. As Arthur himself directly lampshades, if Orm had left him alone, he might still be king.
Join or Die: Orm tries to coerce the three remaining kingdoms to his side through means outside of their own will. First he uses Steppenwolf's attack on his own kingdom to keep his own people in a state of paranoia. He goes on to stage a False Flag Operation on Nereus to persuade him into an alliance. He then outright murders the Fisherman King and drafts their army to his side by implicitly threatening to do the same to his wife and daughter. The Brine Kingdom gave Orm the greatest challenge, as their king would rather die than form an allegiance, leading to a full-scale war.
Kick the Dog: Most of his villainous acts are still pretty reasonable given his upbringing and Freudian Excuse, but one evil act that stands out in particular is him killing the Fishermen King Ricou in cold blood, simply because he stands in the way of his plan, leaving the princess traumatized and a puppet queen under his rule without any choice in the matter.
The Kingslayer: Orm kills Ricou, the king of the Fishermen, for refusing to join his campaign against the surface world. He very nearly does the same to the Brine King until Nereus points out that doing so would forfeit any official claim over the Brine's army or the title of Ocean Master.
Kneel Before Zod: When Arthur is arrested and brought to Orm, he's chained to the palace floor with several guards pulling him to his knees while Orm sits on a throne atop a flight of stairs.
Knight Templar: Humans polluted and destroyed the oceans, and he wants to make them pay for this. More personally, he holds the surface responsible for tempting away and ultimately dooming his mother.
Know When to Fold 'Em: Orm's smart enough to know that fighting Aquaman would be suicidal once his trident is destroyed. He initially begs Aquaman to kill him and get it over with, but when Atlanna appears he settles for a prison sentence.
Large Ham: Orm tends to yell his head off while extending his arms to get his audience to hype up or bolster his armies.
Orm: RIIIIIIIIIISE!!! ATLANTIIIIIS!!
Leitmotif: "King Orm's Theme", which makes liberal use of brass instruments to showcase Orm's ego and threat level.
Light-Haired Swimmer: Orm's hair is blonde and as an Atlantean he's a very powerful swimmer.
Light Is Not Good: Orm has bright blonde hair and wears shining silvery armor into battle as well as a suit of golden armor when he sits in his brilliant white throne room, but he's a warmongering Evil Overlord.
Manipulative Bastard: He orchestrates a fake submarine attack on King Nereus to convince the latter to side with him in a war against the land-dwellers. However, as he knows that the Fisherman King will still refuse to enter said war, he purposefully provokes him into attacking and then kills him in cold blood "in self-defense." That is enough to intimidate the King's daughter into submission.
Marquee Alter Ego: Orm wears his signature Ocean Master mask just once throughout the entire film. Given he's trying to maintain a benevolent facade while he prepares the underwater kingdoms for war, wearing a sinister mask would be counter-productive to his plans.
The Millstone: The reason Steppenwolf was able to get the Atlantean Motherbox so easily was because Orm was miserly with the kingdom's military resources. He could have easily spared some extra troops or given the guards upgraded weapons, but focuses all of that on preparing for his imminent war.
Mirror Character:
- Orm and Arthur have numerous parallels across their character arcs. Both have had to deal with the loss of their mother Atlanna in ways that left them resenting entire races. Arthur was born of the surface and lived a humble life before ascending to the throne, while Orm was born under the sea and became king before he was ousted. Arthur allies himself with Mera despite his hatred of Atlanteans, while Orm allies himself with Black Manta despite his hatred of surface-dwellers. Arthur sees himself as little more than a tough guy yet displays plenty of booksmarts, while Orm sells himself as an intellectual who in reality is a warmongering brute.
- He's even got a bit of this going on with Black Manta. Both blame Arthur for the deaths of their parents, both rely on technology from each other's worlds to carry out their ambitions and both are willing to endanger the lives of their own people in the hopes it will kill the target of their wrath.
Missing Mom: His mother, Queen Atlanna, was tried for execution because she mothered a son with a human. As a result, Orm spent a good deal of his childhood without any parental care, and it's clear that the lack of such affected his mental state to the point where he became a Knight Templar who vowed for revenge against the surface-dwellers for supposedly playing a role in his mother's execution.
Moral Myopia: Orm hates surface-dwellers for damaging the ocean and endangering its inhabitants, yet he himself manipulates one kingdom to his side by recruiting a surface-dweller to destory an Atlantean heritage site, strongarms another kingdom and goes to war with a third when they refuse to submit to his rule. Not to mention leaving a Motherbox unguarded so that Steppenwolf could potentially boil the oceans.
My God, What Have I Done?: He never outright says it in the sequel, but it's obvious from his expression and body language that he heavily regrets many of the choices he made when he was king. One particular choice is him going after Arthur, because his father had told him that Arthur wanted the throne of Atlantis and was thus a threat. Arthur tells him that he never even wanted the throne, so his entire campaign to strike at Arthur in the first film was all for nothing and ironically he might still have been king if he left his brother alone.
No Badass to His Valet: Orm may be a Villain with Good Publicity among the general Atlantean populace, but to the people who regularly interact with him he's viewed as little more than a Royal Brat. Vulko and Mera straight-up want to knock him off the throne and let his apathetic brother take over, while Nereus and the other kings aren't endeared by his self-appointment as the leader of a potential alliance.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Downplayed. Several characters think that he is motivated by power, since uniting the kingdoms to attack the surface world would make him the Ocean Master and the most powerful man on the planet; he is also clearly possessed of pure-blooded elitism as well as Fantastic Racism against the surface dwellers (though in this he seems like a typical Atlantean high born, rather than just a personality failing), not to mention a truckload of parental and sibling issues. However, that being said, his desire to destroy the surface world to stop them from ruining the oceans and to protect his people does seem genuine; it just isn't his only motivation as he so frequently claims.
- If his negligence regarding the Motherbox his people were tasked with guarding is any indication, Orm's argument regarding the wellbeing of the oceans might be more about claiming the moral highground than preserving ecosystems, as he should be fully aware that if Darkseid or his minions ever got ahold of it, they'd do far more damage to the oceans within the space of a day than humanity has done over several decades.
Perma-Shave: Unlike his half-brother, Orm is very clean shaven. He does let his hair grow out in-between films after being disgraced, making the resemblance between him and Arthur more pronounced.
Pet the Dog: Despite being an Evil Overlord through and through, he still has some moments of this:
- Even if he hates Arthur for being a half-blood and is the reason for their mother Atlanna being executed, he's still willing to give Arthur one last chance to walk away without harming him after Arthur tells him that he genuinely wants to connect with Orm as his half-brother.
- After discovering Vulko's treachery, Orm still respects the man enough not to kill him and instead just locks him up. Atlantean tradition treats treachery very seriously and would have dealt a death sentence to any traitor, with not even being members of the royal family allowing you to be spared of this fate. The fact that Orm intends to kill Mera - the woman who was his betrothed - for betraying him, but lets Vulko live and not killing him on the spot after he did the same speaks volumes.
Princeling Rivalry: Arthur and Orm are half-brothers who fight for the throne of Atlantis. Arthur, the older one, is larger, less sophisticated, more laidback and heroic, while Orm, the younger one is more wiry (but by no means less strong), elitist, stern and villainous. Orm wins their first duel, but is defeated in the end.
Prison Changes People: After a few years of torture and Humiliation Conga from the Deserter Remnants, Orm goes from an elitist, racist and self-righteous prince to someone more altruistic, and willing to at least listen to Arthur about humans. By the end of the movie, he earns his redemption and freedom.
Prongs of Poseidon:
- Orm's weapon is a trident he inherited from his father, King Orvax. He makes good use of the trident as a weapon during his duel with Arthur for the throne in Aquaman.
- He wields the Black Trident too for a short amount of time in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Unlike in the first movie, he did it accidentally while saving Mera from being speared by it, and gets mind-controlled by Kordax to use the trident as a result.
Purple Is Powerful: He's determined to invade the surface, and he wears a bright purple and silver suit of armour in the climax.
Putting the Band Back Together: Orm's ambition is to reunite the remaining four underwater kingdoms under his flag and become Earth's greatest military superpower. To his chagrin, it's Aquaman who manages to do this once he reclaims the trident of Atlan.
Rage Helm: Subverted with his Ocean Master mask, which echoes and enhances his facial expressions.
Rank Scales with Asskicking: As King, Orm has spent his entire life being trained for combat by the very best, and it shows. He's utterly formidable in battle underwater and dominates his first fight with Arthur.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: His Ocean Master mask has red lenses that coupled with the sculpted glaring eyebrows along the frames (that move with his real eyebrows) make him look like a demon.
The Resenter: Orm's bitterness towards his brother stems mainly from the fact that their mother willingly chose to leave Atlantis and settle down with a surface-dweller. As Arthur is the older brother, it's clear from the outset that Orm's existence was only possible because Atlanna was forced to come home and provide Orvax with an heir. And then Atlanna was sentenced to death for mingling with a common surface-dweller, depriving Orm of a mother and driving him to hate Arthur long before he ever met him.
Royal Blood: He is the son of late king Orvax and queen Atlanna, and would protect his claim to the throne at all costs.
Screaming Warrior: Especially in his duel with Arthur, Orm has a tendency to scream to rile up the crowd.
Seriously Scruffy: After 4 years of being held in the Deserter Prison away from any source of water, Orm looks emaciated and dirty, probably not even allowed to wash himself for years. His hair is long and messy, and sports a Time-Passage Beard.
Sibling Murder: He gets within a hair's breadth of killing Arthur, but the timely intervention of Mera puts a spanner in his plans and ultimately proves to be his undoing.
Sibling Rivalry: Princeling Rivalry, to be more precise. He is Arthur's half-brother, and the two fight for the throne of Atlantis. Orm attempts to murder Arthur during both of their duels, when he shoots Mera's ship down as she and Arthur escape Atlantis, and by hiring Black Manta to do the killing for him. Yet he offers Arthur the chance to back down from the first duel and is visibly distressed when he thinks he has killed both his brother and Mera.
Signature Move: Orm's most well-known combat tactic is to use his trident to grip either lava or deck plating and utilize it as a projectile towards his enemies.
Shirtless Captives: Orm is held shirtless in prison and wears only a pair of dirty trousers. None of the scenes are played for fanservice, as his looks like a emaciated old man.
Slobs vs. Snobs: Orm has this dynamic with Arthur and he plays it to the hilt during their bout in the ring of fire, advertising himself as an intellectual of impeccable pedigree while selling Arthur as a drunken mongrel from the enemy's world.
Spare to the Throne: Zigzagged. As the younger brother, he's only considered king because Arthur is not present. Since both of his parents are of royal blood (and both are Atlanteans to boot), his claim to the throne is somewhat stronger.
Strong and Skilled: A major reason why Orm is stronger than Arthur as well as the latter having to search for the Trident of Atlantis is because Orm is not just stronger, but also has years of combat experience which dwarfs what Arthur is capable of. This is also shown in their last battle; while Arthur has a trident that is stronger than Orm's, the latter is still the more experienced fighter and manages to keep Arthur on his toes a number of times. In fact, Orm was only defeated by a technique Arthur had that Orm himself didn't know, which allowed the former to surprise and shatter the latter's trident.
Three-Point Landing: Foot, knee and trident upon the ship deck after surfacing in the climax.
Today, X. Tomorrow, the World!: "Today we unite our kingdoms. Tomorrow we scorch the surface!"
Tyrant Takes the Helm: Not so much a tyrant to Atlanteans themselves since they seem to appreciate him, but definitely one to the kingdoms he submits as the Ocean Master.
Underestimating Badassery: Orm believes that Aquaman won't gain an advantage just because he's acquired the Trident of Atlan due to his "inferior" pedigree. He failed to recognise that he was lured into a fight above water so that Aquaman could fight in his preferred style.
The Unfavorite: Deconstructed. Besides his deceased father, everyone in his inner circle likes or winds up liking Arthur more than him from Vulko to Mera to (as he rightfully suspects) his own mother. However, it's not that Vulko and Atlanna outright care for Arthur more than him and it's just that they believe in Arthur. Both of them clearly are not eager to put him and Arthur against one another nor enjoying the possibility of having him killed, Atlanna outright refusing to let him be executed and showing while she may consider Arthur as the rightful heir, that doesn't necessarily mean that his mother doesn't love him.
Universally Beloved Leader: Orm is beloved by the people of Atlantis, which is made obvious when he turns his fight with Arthur into a spectator sport that the people unflinchingly lap up.
Villain Forgot to Level Grind: Despite being able to breathe above water, Orm spent his entire life underwater and as such never bothered adapting his combat style to such an environment. Vulko and Mera notice this and tell Arthur to take advantage of it. Given his plans to conquer the surface, it's telling how short-sighted Orm's plans for world conquest really are.
Villain Has a Point: Part of Orm's motive is that he holds the surface world responsible for polluting the oceans and infringing on the Atlantean way of life. Not a single character disagrees with him on this (Mera says it outright at one point and Arthur doesn't deny it), they just think that trying to wipe out all of humanity for it is a step too far.
- When one considers that both Lex Luthor and Amanda Waller - two people who consider metahumans to be a threat that must be either controlled or exterminated - have detailed information on Aquaman, Orm's paranoia towards the surface isn't totally unfounded.
Villainous Cheekbones: He has a narrow face and high cheekbones, which is fitting for a Big Bad.
Villainous Valor: Despite the inevitably of losing to Arthur in their second bout due to his inferior trident and fighting in an unfamiliar environment, Orm still proves to be a great challenge as his superior fighting skills let him still counter anything Arthur throws at him and even starts to overwhelm him, to the point where Arthur has to reveal Atlantis's greatest trident technique that Vulko taught only him to beat Orm and destroy his trident.
Violence is the Only Option: The crustacean Brine don't bow down to any other power, so subjugating them by force is the way to go for any would-be Ocean Master. Orm doesn't even bother to diplomatically try gaining them as allies and attacks them immediately after press-ganging the Fishermen in his ranks.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Orm gets one in the sequel, which shows he's just as ripped as his brother.
Warrior Prince: Orm is one of the best fighters in Atlantis, participating in the war against the Brine Kingdom and winning three out of four onscreen battles.
White Hair, Black Heart: His silver-blonde hair indicates that he is the villain in the film.
Worf Had the Flu: His second fight with Arthur has him suffering this. He had been brought out of the seas where he had been trained to fight in to the land where his half-brother had been fighting in for years. This subsequently lets Arthur fight and pressure him as Orm struggles to adjust to the new environment. Just when he has finally regained his bearings and seems to be beating Arthur back again, Arthur decides to pull off the one trick that Vulko, their shared mentor, taught only him, Atlantis's most powerful trident technique, and as Orm hasn't learned it from Vulko, he ends up being easily knocked down by the move and has his trident destroyed by Arthur's stronger Trident of Atlantis as he is no longer able to bring into bear his superior skill in such a condition.
Wrecked Weapon: Orm's trident is shattered in his second fight with Aquaman.
You Are a Credit to Your Race: Orm hates surface-dwellers, yet has no qualms recruiting the surface-dweller Black Manta to realise his schemes, which involve terrorising his fellow Atlanteans. Emphasised by the fact that Orm is white while Black Manta is black. Of course, having a surface-dweller assasinate the Xebellian princess works very well in Orm's favour, so in all likelihood he only sees Black Manta as a pawn.
You Killed My Mother: Orm blames Arthur for their mother's execution, not caring that Arthur didn't ask to be born. He eventually puts his grudge behind after finding out that their mother is still alive.

Manta Men

General

Appearances: Aquaman (2018) | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Combat Tentacles: The Octobots naturally have these.
Decomposite Character: The Manta Men who appear in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom wear diving suits similar to Aquaman villain the Scavenger.
Equal-Opportunity Evil: Black Manta is shown to employ men and women in equal measure, and doesn't seem to care about race.
Evil Wears Black: The Manta Men all wear black diving suits and they ruthlessly slaughter people when hijacking ships.
Red Shirt Army: Anytime they go up against Aquaman, the Manta Men get beaten with minimal effort.
Ruthless Modern Pirates: In the first film, Jesse's crew had already acquired advanced military technology such as a stealthy submarine. Subverted in the sequel, where the Manta-Men now use ancient (but still highly efficient) technology from Necrus.
Submarine Pirates: The Manta Men specialize in the hijacking of conventional submarines, using an advanced prototype of a stealthy submarine they stole prior to the events of the first film.
- In the sequel Black Manta and his crew find a Hammerhead shark-shaped submarine in Antarctica. They use the submarine to attack Atlantis and travel all around the world searching for orichalcum. The submarine is armed with devastating weapons created with the lost technology from Necrus.

David Kane/Black Manta

David Kane / Black Manta

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackmanta_8.jpg

"I will show you the same mercy you showed my father and gut you like the fish you are!"

^{Click here to see him unmasked}

^{Click here to see his new suit}

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Affiliation(s): Manta-Men, Atlantis (in service of Orm)

Portrayed By: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Voiced By: Erick Selim (Latin-American Spanish), Baudouin Sama (European French), Martin Desgagné (Canadian French)

Film Appearances: Aquaman | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Appearances in Other Media: The Adventures of Aquaman & Mera | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

"I'm gonna kill Aquaman and destroy everything that he holds dear. I'm gonna murder his family and burn his kingdom to ash."

A ruthless pirate and mercenary equipped with a suit of powered diving armor he made using Atlantean technology. He has a score to settle with Arthur Curry/Aquaman after the latter let his father die.

Absurdly Sharp Blade: David originally used regular blades against Arthur, which were completely ineffective. The swords equipped to the Mark 1 suit are made from Atlantean steel, a metal that's far more potent and allows Black Manta to wound Arthur.
Adaptation Name Change: He's given the last name Kane, whereas Black Manta's last name in the comics is either Hyde or unknown. Since his real name is never said out loud in his film debut, it's easy to overlook.
Adaptational Sympathy: Black Manta's grudge against Aquaman for killing his father is emphasized, and does help to make his motives seem understandable without downplaying the fact that he's an unrepentant villain.
Ain't Too Proud to Beg: When his father is in danger, Black Manta begged Aquaman to save him. However, due to what they did (namely, ruthlessly killing sailors), he refuses.
Alternate Self: Black Manta has one on Earth-167.
Amplifier Artifact: In the second film he gets his hands on the magical Black Trident. This weapon greatly enhances his strength and durability while he wields it, letting him go toe-to-toe with Aquaman without the need for Power Armor.
Ancestral Weapon: His father gives him a dagger that once belonged to his grandfather. Though he initially scoffs at it, he ends up keeping it to honor his grandfather's legacy. When he fights with Arthur in Sicily, Black Manta makes a point of stabbing him in the shoulder with that same dagger as a form of poetic justice.
Animal Motifs: He's deliberately trying to emulate a manta ray by using weapons that cause intense pain and adding rockets to his suit to glide around. Downplayed as his fiery temper is unlike real manta rays, who have a very laid-back disposition. Not to mention making his new suit bulky and extravagant is at odds with a manta's streamlined body and natural camouflage. Essentially Black Manta is a prime example of a guy who tries too hard to act cool and intimidating without trying to understand the very thing he's emulating.
Arch-Enemy: Black Manta regards Aquaman as his for the death of his father. Arthur initially doesn't see him as anything more than another run-of-the-mill pirate, but their second encounter in Sicily gives Arthur pause and makes him reconsider the way he treats his enemies.
Armored Villains, Unarmored Heroes: Both times that he's gone up against Arthur, Black Manta has worn some kind of protective gear, while Arthur dresses plainly. Necessary, as Black Manta is an ordinary man while Arthur is acclimated to the ocean depths and thus much more physically gifted.
Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: Black Manta's a hothead, so it stands to reason his helmet would come equipped with two high-pressure plasma blasters that give him Fire Ball Eyeballs every time he uses them.
Attack Its Weak Point: Though Aquaman's skin is too dense to be pierced by ordinary steel weapons, after Black Manta stabs him with an Atlantean steel blade, he then stabs him in the wound with his ancestral dagger, which is extremely painful.
Awesome, but Impractical:
- The prototype helmet was smaller and made of metal, which meant the charge from the plasma blasters caused it to overheat far too quickly and self-destruct.
- The second helmet was made from more heat-friendly materials and had a wider surface area, but was not as durable as a metal helmet would have been, demonstrated when Arthur was able to smash it with a chunk of cement.
Badass Normal: Black Manta's the only genuinely human antagonist of the first film and he requires Atlantean tech to be a real match for Aquaman in battle. That being said, he is the only person in the first film who came close to actually killing Arthur, as Mera had only precious moments to heal him after their second bout.
Bad People Abuse Animals: Manta killed a snow leopard because it got in his way while on a treasure hunt. Contrast this with Arthur, who was also accosted while trying to obtain a treasure and managed to win over its guardian through communication.
Benevolent Boss: In the sequel, Manta is quite accommodating to those working for him, blasting Orm after he aims a gun at Manta's second-in-command and proving to be remarkably patient with Dr. Shin, giving him second chances and treating the scientist reasonably well. Even when Shin betrays and tries to kill Manta in the third act, Manta only disables Shin, rather than kill him.
The Berserker: Black Manta's fighting technique is based around just charging at his quarry using whatever weapons he has at hand. When he first confronted Aquaman he used an automatic rifle and his swords, but when that didn't work he started using Atlantean tech in much the same way.
Beta Outfit: The prototype Black Manta helmet was smaller and made from metal, but couldn't handle the blowback from its laser vision. The perfected helmet is not only larger but looks to be made of materials that won't absorb the excess heat generated.
BFG: Defied. While experienced in the use of firearms, this guy clearly prefers using various blades for killing. When given the large plasma rifle by Orm, he instead reworks it into a diving helmet and refitted the plasma emitters to work as optic lasers so he could keep his arms free for close-quarter combat.
Big Bad Wannabe: Black Manta aspires to be the death of Aquaman, but since he's a regular human who can't keep his cool going up against a superpowered being that's previously dealt with a god-tier invader, he's thwarted twice. He's not even the central threat in his debut film, being little more than Orm's assassin, who himself views Aquaman as a minor annoyance in the big picture. Adding to his humiliation is that Black Manta has zero impact on the story, with even the wounds he inflicted on Arthur healing up overnight thanks to Mera's medical expertise. That being said, out of all the antagonists in the film, Manta is the one who came the closest to actually killing Arthur. He's more of a threat in his own right in the sequel, but it's still clear from beginning to end that he's ultimately just a pawn of Kordax.
Black Knight: Black Manta fits the archetype in more than just appearance. He's an enigmatic villain who engages the hero in combat whilst wearing black armor that was gifted to him by a villainous monarch and his character arc involves him clashing with a future king.
Black Swords Are Better: To match with the rest of his outfit, Black Manta adds a coat of dark paint to the white blades that Orm gave him.
Blade Below the Shoulder: His initial pirate suit and his first Black Manta suit both include retractable blades on the arms. The first suit's blades were plain steel and thus, were of no use against Aquaman's super-durable skin and ended up being broken in combat. The blade on the first Black Manta suit is made of a much tougher metal (Atlantean steel) and can definitely hurt Aquaman.
Blade Enthusiast: Black Manta seems to favor short blades. The reason he customized a plasma cannon into a helmet was so he could keep his hands free for stabbing and slashing. After beating down Arthur with his Atlantean weapons, he drove his grandfather's knife into an open wound as a symbolic gesture.
Blood Knight: At the beginning of Aquaman, Black Manta reveals that he looked forward to fighting the half-human half-Atlantean, but the latter proves to be too tough for conventional weapons and the situation degenerates into It's Personal territory. On their next encounter, he delights in stabbing Aquaman several times.
Brick Joke: Black Manta's first test of his helmet lasers, before he has the firing mechanism down, causes him to nearly shoot himself and blows a hole in the roof. When Dr. Shin is studying the damaged suit after rescuing him from the ocean, Manta warns him about that problem, and it similarly blows a hole in Shin's roof after a near-miss.
Broken Faceplate:
- Due to combining the offensive power of Atlantean tech with surface-world armor, the first two helmets are ruined by their own power.
- In the climax of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Black Manta's new helmet gains a cracked lens during his final clash with Aquaman.
Cape Busters: The Black Manta armor is entirely designed to track and kill Aquaman. The Atlantean steel-made armor provides mostly No-Sell level durability against the human-Atlantean's Super-Strength, the blades can hurt him and the plasma beams also leave him with burns to some extent. Whilst he doesn't succeed, Manta wounds Arthur to the point of exhaustion, causing him to lose consciousness. Not counting the full synchronization of the Unity that the Flash undid, Black Manta's the one opponent in this timeline who has come the closest to killing Arthur in the entire DCEU.
Captain Nemo Copy: In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, he becomes the owner of an ancient submarine built by Atlanteans, which he uses to mine for orichalcum and attack the Seven Kingdoms. He is a fearsome pirate obsessed with taking revenge on Aquaman for killing his father, and with the help of the Black Trident, he comes very close to destroying everything Arthur holds dear.
Card-Carrying Villain: Black Manta makes no attempt to justify his actions. He openly states to the submarine captain that he's a pirate, tells Aquaman that he "plunders the seas" and seems amazed at the fact that his group's reputation precedes them.
Category Traitor: He's an ordinary human that allies himself with an Atlantean who plans to wage war on humanity. Being a pirate, misanthropy would come naturally to him, but to let his entire race be conquered (with himself possibly among the casualties) shows that he has no principles whatsoever.
Character Tic: Sheathing and unsheathing his knife in an agitated manner. By his own admission, in The Lost Kingdom, he also displays the habit of only drawing his blade when he intends to draw blood.
Clothes Make the Superman: Despite being an ordinary (or at best, Badass Normal) human, he wears a Powered Armor made of Atlantean steel that allows him to go toe-to-toe with super strong Atlanteans, including Aquaman.
Color Character: Black Manta. When he shows up in Sicily wearing his first official suit, he's the only character wearing black.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf was an extraterrestrial working for an overlord that wanted to scorch the Earth and he saw the likes of the Justice League as little more than a hindrance to his plan. Black Manta is a regular human working for an overlord who wants to flood the Earth and he's made it his life's mission to kill Aquaman.
Cool Helmet: Black Manta's visual signature, as in other media. We actually see him create it from modifying Atlantean tech, with the signature manta-shape being a practical design choice rather than a purely aesthetic one. This is because when he first added the blasters onto the prototype helmet's face, it exploded due to being too small.
Costume Evolution:
- Black Manta initially wears the same diving combat suit as his father and the rest of their gang of hijackers. Then he builds himself a more powerful and distinctive one out of the Atlantean technology Orm gives him.
- After his first suit was damaged in his confrontation with Aquaman, Black Manta reappears in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom wearing an outfit with an even closer resemblance to his comics incarnation. His new helmet is silver and his diving suit flaunts his muscular build.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Black Manta is in WAY over his head when trying to use conventional human-made weapons against Aquaman. During their first fight on the submarine Arthur easily wipes the floor with him. By the time of their second fight in Sicily, he's gained a suit of Power Armor courtesy of Orm, making for a much more evenly matched fight.
Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Being able to customize Atlantean tech hints that he's a highly skilled engineer, yet he's a pirate. Granted, by the time we see Black Manta's skill with technology, he's gone so far off the deep end that money is no longer his motivation.
Dark Is Evil: He favors black outfits to the point where he customizes some Atlantean armor with black spray paint. Adding the word "black" to an epithet previously owned by his grandfather also shows his obsession with the color.
Dartboard of Hate: Black Manta turns Stephen Shin's string theory board into one by throwing his knife at a newspaper article with a silhouette of Aquaman on it.
Deal with the Devil: In both Aquaman movies.
- Black Manta willingly participates in Orm's plot to wage war on the surface-dwellers — his own people — initally for profit and then later to get revenge on Aquaman. While the Atlantean soldiers are familiar enough with Black Manta to leave him out of the planned onslaught, the same cannot be said about the Xebellian army, as their king has no idea that Orm has allies on the surface.
- In the second movie he agrees to help Kordax escape his confinement in exchange for power to get his revenge on Aquaman. He even likens his alliance to a literal deal with the Devil.
Death Glare: Black Manta's default expression.
Destination Defenestration: At one point during their second fight he kicks Arthur hard enough to send him flying out a window.
Determinator: Black Manta gets his ass handed to him twice, yet still doesn't give up his vendetta against Aquaman.
Devious Daggers: Before constructing his trademark helmet, Black Manta favoured bladed weapons. Once his father dies he becomes extra attached to their family knife.
Disc-One Final Boss: Downplayed. While he's a very formidable opponent once he gets a suit made from Atlantean tech, he's defeated well before the climax and remains out of the picture for the plot to focus on stopping Orm. Unlike other examples of the trope, however, he survives.
Disproportionate Retribution: By the second film, Black Manta's need to kill Aquaman in revenge for his father's death has grown so great that he's willing to kill the whole world by accelerating global warming and murder a baby to undo the blood magic seal keeping an ancient evil imprisoned. Granted, some of this is because his mind is being influenced by said ancient evil, but still.
Disney Villain Death: Black Manta is last seen falling into a chasm as the Lost Kingdom is destroyed.
The Dragon: He was the second-in-command of his father's pirate crew, until they were all wiped out by Aquaman. Kane later plays with the role for Orm when he becomes Black Manta, but it was mostly to avenge his father.
Dragon Their Feet: Black Manta outlasts both his father and Orm by being the only villain still active at the end of the movie, but he isn't finished with Aquaman yet.
Dragon with an Agenda: While more of an associate of Orm than an official henchman, Black Manta's clearly only in it to kill Aquaman and doesn't care for Orm's own goals.
Dual Wielding: Black Manta regularly fights with both his retractable arm blade and handheld sword in conjunction with one another, with deadly effectiveness. The reason he developed the Atlantean plasma cannon into a helmet was so he could continue using his preferred fighting style.
Empowered Badass Normal:
- Black Manta and his dad gave Aquaman as much of a fight as any unaugmented humans could. Then he got a power suit and was able to almost defeat Aquaman.
- Using the Black Trident in the sequel empowers Black Manta to the point that he can fight Atlanteans in close quarters without needing his power suit.
Entitled Bastard: Black Manta seriously expected Aquaman to save his father from certain death, even when his dad shot at Aquaman seconds after being shown mercy. Arthur responds with no sympathy.
Arthur: You killed innocent people. You ask the sea for mercy.
Establishing Character Moment: Black Manta kills the submarine's captain without batting an eye, then charges at Aquaman guns blazing. Even when he sees Aquaman withstand automatic gunfire, Black Manta shows no sign of fear (or even common sense) as he switches to using blades with similar results. When Aquaman injures his father and leaves him for dead, Black Manta fully develops his infamous grudge.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Black Manta was very close with his father. He begs Aquaman to save him and, when he refuses, spends the entire movie seeking revenge against Arthur for letting him die. He even tells Orm to Keep the Reward, considering revenge to be a reward in and of itself.
Even Evil Has Standards: Played with in the second movie. When Black Manta finds out Aquaman married Mera, he shames Aquaman for overthrowing his brother and marrying his betrothed. But on the other hand, given how Manta was dead-set on killing Aquaman and taking everything from him, it's implied Black Manta was only feigning moral outrage because he'd already made up his mind and finding out Aquaman overthrew Orm and married Mera was only one more excuse to further taunt and mock someone he already hated and was hellbent on destroying.
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The name "David Kane" is never spoken out loud in his debut film. Arthur just refers to him as "the guy from the sub" and he introduces himself by his moniker. This is more or less true to the comics, where Black Manta's name was added decades after his creation.
Evil Is Hammy: Once he has the Black Manta suit on, every line of dialogue out of Kane's mouth is loud and looking for scenery to chew.
Arthur: Who the hell are you?
Black Manta: Maybe this will jog your memory.
Evil Is Not a Toy: The Black Trident allows Kordax to possess Black Manta at will. During his last fight with Aquaman, Black Manta begins mocking Arthur for wearing the suit and wielding the trident of "his brother".
Evil Only Has to Win Once: Black Manta's goal is simple; kill Aquaman. He doesn't have any long-term ambitions such as conquering Atlantis or taking on other metahumans, so his threat level would theoretically go back to piracy if he ever succeeded, never getting involved in future conflicts.
Evil Sounds Deep: The helmets augment and deepen his already quite intimidating baritone. This is likely adapted from his original pirate suit, as his crewmates could be heard speaking with augmented voices while they were frogmarching their hostages.
Evil Virtues: Ambition, Determination, Diligence, Passion and Valor (he will keep coming after Aquaman no matter how many losses he endures), Camraderie and Cooperation (he's a team player and Orm trusts him), Love, Loyalty and Selflessness (he would risk his life to rescue his father and swore to avenge his death), Creativity and Resourcefulness (he built his own Black Manta armor).
Evil Wears Black: Every suit Black Manta has worn is black. When Orm offers him some white Atlantean armor, Black Manta adds a coat of black paint to it.
Eye Beams: The main weapon of both suits consists of red water-powered plasma beams shot through the helmet's eyes.
False Flag Operation: Orm hired Black Manta to assist him in manipulating Nereus to his side, first by hijacking a submarine that would strike at Nerus without warning, then by ordering Black Manta to track and kill Mera.
The Family That Slays Together: David took part in his father's sea hijacking operations before becoming Black Manta, and they killed people doing so.
Fatal Flaw: Black Manta is way too hot-headed to claim a decisive victory over Aquaman. Their first fight ended in absolute defeat and the second was a draw, with Aquaman managing to trick Back Manta into knocking himself out.
Flechette Storm: The Mark 2 suit can fire three darts at once from one of its gauntlets.
Foe Romance Subtext: Black Manta's obsession over killing Aquaman leans a bit into this, especially as he's crafting his iconic suit to Depeche Mode's "It's No Good" — which is often interpreted as an obsessive love song.
Foil:
- Black Manta contrasts Aquaman in numerous ways. Aquaman is a good samaritan while Black Manta is a pirate. Aquaman wants nothing to do with Atlantis and relies on his own innate strength to get by, while Black Manta relies on Atlantean technology. Arthur put his mother's death behind him to the point where he convinced himself he resents her, while Black Manta is fixated on his father's death.
- He also has a few contrasts with Orm. Orm has his own kingdom, can keep his cool unless pushed hard enough, sees Aquaman as little more than a minor obstacle in his quest for world domination, was able to beat him with no effort in their first fight and in a moment of vulnerability admits his reluctance to kill Arthur. Black Manta is a pirate, has a foul temper, dedicates his entire life to killing Aquaman with little interest in any higher purpose, couldn't beat him in a fight without the aid of Orm and is a cold-blooded killer.
Forging Scene: A villainous take on this trope. After Orm provides him with Atlantean armor and artillery, David tinkers with it, reworking the plasma cannon into a prototype helmet (which blows up on activation) and painting the armor black.
Freaky Electronic Music: His leitmotif incorporates a repeating, low, electronic growl and other unsettling techno sounds.
From Nobody to Nightmare: Originally just second-in-command to a well-stocked team of pirates, he gains some Atlantean technology and customises it to become a serious threat to Aquaman.
Gadgeteer Genius: He's good enough of an engineer to adapt some high-tech Atlantean Powered Armor given to him by Orm into something more to his liking, and to completely rework a prototype water-powered plasma rifle into his suit's helmet.
Genius Bruiser: While a courageous, strong warrior first and foremost, he's also a skilled engineer and Gadgeteer Genius who can work with and even improve Atlantean technology. That's in addition to being a very skilled tactician who also knows how to operate the submarines he commandeers.
Glass Cannon: Neither of the first two helmets could withstand the destructive force of their plasma blasts, as unlike the rest of Black Manta's suit, they're made with more commonplace materials instead of Atlantean resources.
Glowing Eyes of Doom: When the helmet's eyes light up, run!
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Black Manta's face was injured after his attack in Sicily which necessitated some heavy bandaging, but by the time he recovers and makes his comeback his face has healed to the point where he's got a single faded scar.
Grayscale of Evil: The all-black armor stands out most noticably during the assault in the otherwise sunny village in Sicily.
Green and Mean: The whole time he was the owner of Kordax' Black Trident, his eyes would glow green sometimes as a result of being possessed by Kordax.
Heads-Up Display: The interior of his first helmet has targeting systems and indicators on the plasma blaster's charge time.
The Heavy: In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, while Kordax is the Big Bad, it's Manta that does all the heavy lifting for Kordax through the use of the Black Trident, which ends up possessing him.
Hell Is That Noise: Black Manta's every appearance in armor is accompanied by an ominous metallic buzzing noise, aptly titled "The Black Manta" on the first film's soundtrack.
Heroes Prefer Swords: Inverted. He's Aquaman's archnemesis who uses mostly bladed weapons as opposed to Arthur's trident. (Amusingly, Arthur did at one point during his training days with Vulko ask if he could fight with a sword rather than his mother's quindent.) In the sequel he starts using a trident.
Hypocrite: In The Lost Kingdom he mocks Aquaman for fighting with outfits and weapons that he believes that truly belong to Orm, yet much of his Black Manta suit, its properties and powers is provenient of Atlantean technology- given to him by Orm himself. Only his diving suit and his blade are truly his.
Hoist by Their Own Petard: His armor's targeting system gets damaged in his fight against Arthur/Aquaman in Sicily, and when Arthur throws a chain with stone stumps at him like a bolas, those entangle his helmet and the plasma beam backfires in his face.
How Dare You Die on Me!: Black Manta's last words to his dying father were an anguished "Damn you!".
Iconic Attribute Adoption Moment: Once Orm offers him some new Atlantean weapons and armor, Black Manta gets a montage where he customises it into something more his style. Most notably, this involves converting the plasma cannon into a wide metal helmet...that immediately self-destructs. In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, he's figured out how to develop a metal helmet that's safer to wear.
Imported Alien Phlebotinum: Black Manta's suit was reverse-engineered from Atlantean technology, with the lasers in the helmet originally being part of a heavy rifle which he converted so that he wouldn't lose mobility.
Improbable Aiming Skills: In The Stinger, even when injured, wearing a heavy amount of gauze over one eye and resting on a bed, Black Manta manages to throw his grandfather's knife and hit one specific newspaper clipping of a human silhouette under the headline "Who is Aquaman?"
Incoming Ham: He explodes the area around Aquaman and Mera before showing up to them quoting Lovecraft in that deep voice ("Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men.").
It's Personal: After a submarine hijack turns sour thanks to Aquaman, David is forced to abandon his father in the sub, having previously begged Aquaman to show mercy but the latter denying help and basically leaving the two men for dead. Kane then focuses entirely on tracking and killing Aquaman, even disdaining gold in favor of any way to enact revenge on the man who let his father die.
It's Personal with the Dragon: Downplayed; in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Manta makes himself into a much more personal adversary for Arthur by attacking Atlantis, nearly killing Mera, attacking Tom and abducting Arthur Jr., all of which gives Arthur a lot more personal enmity for Manta than for King Kordax, whose existence Arthur isn't even aware of for most of the film. That said, once Manta loses the Black Trident's power, Arthur is totally dismissive of him as a threat, easily subduing him when the depowered Manta makes a brave attempt to attack him anyway.
Jet Pack: Black Manta's first suit included a jet pack, making him as mobile on the surface as he would be underwater. His first suit also had thrusters in his boots for extra lift.
Keep the Reward: After the death of his father, David became so obsessed with revenge against Aquaman that he refuses the payment Orm promised him for the remote controlled submarine that served for the False Flag Operation to rally King Nereus to Orm's side.
Orm: Kill [Arthur] and the woman he's with and you will be rewarded.
David: Killing him is my reward.
Kick the Dog: When he invades Tom Curry's house to kidnap Arthur Jr., Manta stabs Tom non-fatally just to torment Aquaman, as well as setting the house on fire just to torment Arthur even further.
Kubrick Stare: His helmet exaggerates this expression.
Legacy Character: He's the second "Manta" of his family, the first being his grandfather.
Let Me at Him!: Black Manta's interactions with Orm tend to be variants on this phrase, with Black Manta caring more about killing off their mutual foe instead of Orm's master plan.
Lightning Bruiser: Black Manta's got very quick reflexes, even while wearing heavy armor. Whenever he fights Arthur, he manages to land far more hits than Arthur can land on him.
Made of Iron: Despite his armor's eye beams backfiring and being sent falling into a cliff (which he struck at least twice), and spending an unknown amount of time adrift at sea, Manta manages to survive and, after some medical attention, he's eager to get back into a fight with Aquaman.
Marquee Alter Ego: Black Manta has 5 scenes in his debut film, only 1 of which actually features him in full costume.
Master Swordsman: Black Manta prefers his swords and blades in combat, and would have landed a killing blow in his and Arthur's first encounter on the sub had it not been for the latter's Atlantean physiology. When Orm helps him gain an edge, Aquaman is forced to run.
Meaningful Name: His name is David Kane and his father's name is Jesse Kane. In the Bible, David, son of Jesse, becomes a great king of Israel. So Black Manta is essentially destined to become a great, epic supervillain.
Mid-Season Upgrade: From high-tech diving gear that was made by ordinary humans to the latest in Atlantean hardware. Humorously, the prototype helmet had to be replaced as soon as it was completed due to the plasma beams firing off prematurely.
Mighty Glacier: Black Manta was a borderline Lightning Bruiser during his first encounter with Aquaman, landing a few strikes with his blades that would have been fatal if not for Arthur's Atlantean durability. After donning his iconic suit, his movements are noticeably more clunky due to the suit's bulk and weight, but the tradeoff is better protection against heavy blows and having more access to weapons that can actually hurt Arthur, and the suit's thrusters grant him flight and brief bursts of speed. The second Black Manta suit is more streamlined and lightweight, likely to overcome this issue.
Moment Killer: When Arthur and Mera are about to share their first kiss in Sicily, he throws a bomb at them, arriving on the scene to settle his score with Aquaman.
Moral Myopia: He wants revenge on Aquaman for leaving his father to die, but Aquaman only did so because the two of them just murdered numerous innocent Russian sailors and the captain while seizing their sub (and likely would have killed the entire crew had Aquaman not interfered), and worse, the only reason his father got injured in the first place was due to trying to kill Aquaman.
Named by the Adaptation: The comics had long established that Black Manta's first name was "David," but he had no surname; the movie came up with "Kane". While it was in production however, the comics instead settled on "Hyde."
No One Could Survive That!: On both ends.
- Black Manta is stunned when he sees Arthur take a grenade to the torso and survive with only bruising.
- After their second fight ends with Black Manta tumbling off a cliff, Mera assumes the fall killed him. He shows up in The Stinger alive but in need of medical attention.
Not So Above It All: His demeanor is almost always either mission-focused or enraged, but he does have one moment of genuine levity when he nearly blows his own head off with the prototype Black Manta helmet. David proceeds to meekly pop his head out of cover to check the damage before regaining his typical composure and dryly quipping that he's going to need a bigger helmet.
Not Quite Dead: Black Manta is shown alive in the post-credits stinger, although admittedly Aquaman and Mera spoke of him in the present tense even after Aquaman last saw him falling down a cliff wall with heavy balls and chain around his neck, his armour badly damaged to boot, so this might be more of a twist for the audience than the heroes.
One-Way Visor: The Black Manta helmet has one on its forehead as a holdover from David's original diving helmet.
Outside-Context Problem: Arthur and Mera were completely unprepared for Black Manta's assault. Arthur wasn't even aware that he'd survived their last encounter and Mera didn't realize they were being tracked.
Perpetual Frowner: Even when he's trying to give a wicked smile after testing his latest weapon, he still looks like he's scowling.
Pet the Dog: David is courteous enough to warn Dr. Shin to watch out for his helmet's touchy blasters, likely out of gratitude for rescuing him. He's also quite chummy with his father's acquaintance Val and gifts him with some Atlantean chainmail.
Plasma Cannon: Orm provides Black Manta with a high tech Atlantean rifle that converts water into plasma. He manages to reverse-engineer the weapon to adapt it to his suit's helmet.
Powered Armor: The suit doubles as this, being reinforced with Atlantean technology and Atlantean steel.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner: He delivers one to the Russian submarine captain right before running him through.
David: I'll make you a deal: I don't tell you how to captain, and you don't tell me how to pirate.
Psycho Knife Nut: He was already an Ax-Crazy Blade Enthusiast, but upon inheriting his grandfather's knife and developing a grudge against Aquaman, Black Manta develops a habit of sheathing and unsheathing the blade in a quietly agitated fashion.
Ray Gun: The eyes on his helmets are repurposed plasma emitters.
Reconstruction: Black Manta's classic bubble-head deep sea diver design has been a difficult thing to process in the modern era, coming across as a silly, impractical top heavy look. The first film shows Kane building the suit from scratch, adapting Atlantean weaponry alongside his own high-tech armor designs and specifically making the helmet huge so that it could fire a plasma blast without frying his own head. When Black Manta finally shows up in full costume he is almost a Walking Tank, believably fighting Arthur on even footing.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: The first Black Manta suit is an all black armor with red eyes. It was adapted from a white Atlantean suit. The second suit adds silver.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: The helmet's eyes glow red and can shoot red plasma beams.
Red Is Violent: Black Manta's high-tech weapons all emit a red light, from his laser-eyes to an electrified grappling cable in his arm.
Revenge Myopia: He utterly hates Aquaman for leaving his father to die, not caring that they were pirates attacking an innocent submarine and said father actually attacked Aquaman when he tried to spare him.
Ruthless Modern Pirates: He accompanies his father and several others to hijack a submarine. The crew also possess high-tech diving gear and weapons.
Sanity Slippage: Possibly; Black Manta's plans in the sequel are far more ruinous and short-sighted than his previous efforts had been, to the point that even Orm is surprised, remarking that the David Kane he knew was ruthless, but not insane. However, given Manta's use of the Black Trident and contact with King Kordax, it's not entirely clear if he's truly losing his mind or if Kordax is influencing him to resort to lengths he'd otherwise never go to.
Save the Villain:
- Averted in the first film. Black Manta begs Aquaman to save his injured father after the submarine they're on beings to flood, only to be told that they've exhausted what little sympathy he had for them.
- Defied in the second film. Aquaman offers his hand in mercy to Black Manta, but Manta refuses and voluntarily casts himself into an abyss rather than accept aid from his archenemy.
Scary Black Man: Despite being an ordinary human, his arsenal makes him incredibly dangerous. He becomes even more menacing with his lust for revenge against Aquaman.
Self-Serving Memory: Manta's memory of his father's death in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom conveniently omits his and his father's acts of piracy, that Jesse drowned because of his own actions, and that they had murdered innocent people, framing the scene as though Arthur had ruthlessly skewered Jesse and left him to die for no reason.
Shooting Superman: Black Manta unleashes a spray of bullets as soon as he sees Aquaman, which knocks him down but doesn't cause any injury whatsoever. Not learning from this, Black Manta tries fighting him using his blades only to have them broken.
Sinister Stingrays: He adopts the Manta moniker as tribute to his grandfather and wouldn't think twice about murdering innocent people. His mode of transport/base of operations also resembles a stingray.
Spandex, Latex, or Leather: The new Black Manta outfit is nowhere near as bulky as its predecessor, being fashioned to look like a second skin.
Stab the Picture: In The Stinger Black Manta asks Dr. Shin where Aquaman is so he can kill him, and makes his intentions clear by throwing his knife at a newspaper on the wall showing Aquaman's silhouette.
Starter Villain Stays: Black Manta's the first of Aquaman's rogues gallery to appear and manages to survive their first two encounters, eventually making a reappearance in Aquaman's sequel.
Submarine Pirates: His father's gang specializes in the hijacking of conventional submarines, using an advanced prototype of a stealth submarine they stole from the navy.
Superhero Movie Villains Die: Averted. Black Manta does get to appear in his full armor and fight Aquaman, only to be sent tumbling off a cliff and swept away by the sea. You'd be forgiven for believing that was it for him, but Black Manta shows up in the mid-credits scene having been rescued by Dr. Shin and ready for another round.
Testing Range Mishap: Those plasma blasters are very sensitive, as both David and Dr. Shin learned almost too late.
Took a Level in Badass: Downplayed. He's a skilled fighter, but due to Aquaman's Atlantean biology, his weapons are largely ineffective. Once he's provided with Atlantean weaponry and crafts power armor to boot, he's able to put those skills to good use and become a serious threat to Aquaman. He gets cocky and ends up losing again, which does nothing to curb his determination.
Token Evil Teammate: When working for Orm. While Orm's other allies were either misguided or press-ganged into working for him, Black Manta is highly invested in killing their mutual foe Aquaman.
Tragic Keepsake: David's father gifted him their family knife right before he got himself killed. He keeps it close from then on and makes a point of stabbing Arthur with it when the opportunity arises.
Truer to the Text: The metallic helmet with visible tubing and skintight bodysuit brings his look fully in line with the comics.
The Unfettered: You'd think after getting beaten by Aquaman twice — the second time with Atlantean tech on his side — would convince Black Manta to back down. It doesn't. He comes back for the sequel with a new suit, new tech, a new crew, and even fewer limits than before. Under the corrupting influence of the Black Trident, Manta is willing to ruin the entire world to get revenge on Aquaman, having made a deal with the demonic King Kordax. He also proves perfectly willing to sacrifice Arthur's baby son if it means he gets a shot at killing Arthur himself.
Unknown Rival: When David Kane meets Aquaman, Kane says as a pirate, he's dreamed of fighting the protector of the ocean for some time and considers him his Arch-Enemy. Aquaman is just meeting him for the first time and has no idea who he is and doesn't care. After Aquaman defeats him and refuses to rescue his father from death, Kane reinvents himself as Black Manta, obtains some Atlantean technology, and forces Aquaman to take him seriously.
Unstoppable Rage: Black Manta's humiliating defeat coupled with his father's indirect death at the hands of Aquaman have filled him with a need for vengeance that will never be satisfied until Aquaman is dead.
Use Your Head: The broad shape of Black Manta's helmet combined with the thrusters in his boots allows him to ram targets with considerable force.
Villainous Legacy: Played With. David's grandfather was one of the very first frogmen of the United States, during World War II. He was so good at being unseen he was nicknamed "Manta", before turning to scavenging and piracy after being disrespected by the US government^note. David's father Jesse is a pirate as well and hands David the knife that originally belonged to that grandfather. David fittingly ends up calling himself Black Manta, combining his grandfather's nickname with the black outfits belonging to his father's crew.
Villainous Underdog: His first fight against Aquaman is completely one-sided, with Aquaman's strength, durability, and skill easily outclassing David and forcing his father to help him. As in the comics he's a regular human going up against a super-human and uses armor to compensate. The scene where he crafts his armor reinforces this and shows off his ingenuity and fallibility as he incorporates the plasma blaster into his helmet but nearly kills himself when the first attempt fails.
Villainous Valor:
- During their first meeting, David continues to try and fight Arthur, even though he is clearly outmatched, with none of his weapons working against the Atlantean.
- During their final meeting, Black Manta valiantly continues to attack Aquaman even after losing the Black Trident and being reduced to an ordinary man.
Villains Want Mercy: Black Manta begged Arthur to save his father from drowning. Since neither David nor his father had given Arthur any reason to value their lives, the plea is ignored. In the sequel he refuses Aquaman's offer of mercy, preferring to die without owing him anything.
Walking Armory: Initially he attacked Aquaman with just knives and an assault rifle. After donning his iconic suit, Kane had access to his signature plasma beams, Atlantean steel swords, wrist blades, and an electrified harpoon launcher. The next Black Manta suit is more lightly equipped, due to relying on the Black Trident for offensive attacks.
Weak, but Skilled: On his own he's easily pummeled by Arthur and requries Orm's assistance to even things out for their next match. Nevertheless, Black Manta was able to land a lot of hits on Aquaman that by all rights would have massacred a regular person.
Wicked Cultured: Black Manta has enough literary knowledge to quote H. P. Lovecraft.
Black Manta: Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men!
Would Hurt a Child: Is about to gut Arthur Junior to free Kordax and he would have done it if Arthur hadn't stepped in at the right time.
Wrecked Weapon:
- Twice in the first film. The first time, one of his swords is broken fighting Aquaman. In their next fight, Arthur destroys the suit's helmet by flinging a makeshift bolas at it, which Black Manta is too slow to react to. He blasts it right before it makes impact with the helmet, wrecking it and sending him tumbling off a cliff.
- When Black Manta is about to stab Arthur Jr., Aquaman throws his trident at his enemy's helmet, breaking his lenses and forcing the villain to fight in close-quarter combat.
You Are a Credit to Your Race: Orm has no problem working with Black Manta in spite of his misanthropy, likely because he knows that pirates don't have any empathy for their own either. This is emphasized with Orm being a white man of high status while Black Manta is a black man who is a pirate and mercenary.
You Killed My Father: The reason for his hatred of Arthur. While fighting Arthur in a submarine, David's father Jesse got trapped under a torpedo. David begged Arthur to help him out as the sub was sinking, but he refused as a punishment for all the deaths the Kanes caused with their piracy.

Jesse Kane

"You need to live so you can kill that son of a bitch!"

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Affiliation(s): Manta Men

Played by: Michael Beach

Dubbed by: René Gagnon (Canadian French)

Appearances: Aquaman

The leader of a gang of high-sea hijackers. He is the father of David Kane/Black Manta.

Adaptational Villainy: His comic counterpart was a scavenger and boat captain, but there was no indication that he was an outright pirate, hijacker and killer like he is here.
Alternate Self: Has one on Earth-19 as Nathan Ellery.
Better to Die than Be Killed: Pinned to the ground by a torpedo in a flooding submarine, he pulls out a grenade rather than drown. This has the side effect of making his son leave, and Jesse is killed by the explosion.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Will give anything for his son. That includes his life.
Evil Virtues: He values his family far more than his own life, keeping his grandfather's blade and passing it onto his son. When he knows he's going to die and his son is trying in vain to save him, he pulls out a grenade and makes it clear that either his son survives or neither of them do.
The Family That Slays Together: His son David (who would become Black Manta) partakes in his high sea hijacking operations, and they often kill people doing so.
Fatal Flaw: Jesse's is implied to be Pride. He is a successful pirate and being a pirate is a family business. His father started it and he continued it with his son. His family history and his career is obviously a huge source of pride for him. Then Aquaman shows up and effortlessly beats up Jesse's crew, his son, and then Jesse himself while showing apathy towards the men he just defeated and crushed. Jesse just couldn't handle the loss and humiliation and he tried one last time to salve his wounded pride by taking Arthur out. This led to his own demise when he missed and blew out the wall of the sub.
Heroic Sacrifice: He is no hero, but after he gets trapped under a torpedo while fighting Aquaman, he pulls a grenade pin when it becomes clear his son will not abandon him, even as that sub is flooding and sinking.
Never My Fault: Jesse clearly blames Aquaman for his demise, despite the fact that if he hadn't made one last attempt to kill Arthur, he could have walked away from the situation alive. Even in urging his son to live, Jesse rejects any responsibility for his fate, telling David that he needs to live "so [he] can kill that son of a bitch".
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: At some point before his death, Jesse ventured into an underwater temple that was so deep it nearly overpowered Black Manta's diving suit, which was made of more advanced materials than what Jesse would have worked with.
Pinned to the Wall: Courtest of a pipe flung by Aquaman, which went through Jesse's shoulder and into some machinery.
Revenge Before Reason: Granted, seeing your son beaten up, being pinned to a wall, and suffering the worst setback/loss you've probably ever had in your pirate career would piss off anyone, but given the fact that the guy who just thrashed you and your son decided to leave without even attempting to capture you or kill you, maybe don't fire a grenade at him as he's leaving. Especially when the guy is right next to a wall and you're in a submarine. Doubly so if the man has already shrugged off an identical grenade a minute ago, so in the best case scenario, all this does is piss him off.
So Proud of You: What he tells his son on what turns out to be their last job together.
Too Dumb to Live:
- Shooting at the guy that lifted a submarine, curb-stomped your entire posse, withstood the blast from a grenade and spared your life is somewhere north of a bad idea.
- In general using a grenade launcher in a submarine in general and more specifically in the torpedo storage room. His sole luck is that he didn't accidentally detonate a torpedo, taking out his son with him in the process. Instead he merely breached the Submarine's inner and outer hull, eventually killing himself in the process.
Ungrateful Bastard: When Arthur considers sparing him, his response is to launch a missile at him. Unsurprisingly, Arthur refuses to help him out when he is sinking to his death.
What Is Evil?: Jesse believes that morality is a construct and that captains should be judged on their competence rather than whether or not they fit into society's values.

"Manta"

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Affiliation(s): Manta Men

Appearances: Aquaman (mentioned) | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special (mentioned)

"This (knife) was your grandfather's. He was one of the Navy's first frogmen during World War II. He was so stealthy in the water, his unit nicknamed him Manta. But after the war, his country forgot about him, so he went back to the sea, scavenging and surviving with his wit and this knife. He gave it to me when I was your age. And now it's yours, son."

Black Manta's grandfather. A former officer in WWII who turned to piracy.

Ancestral Weapon: His knife, which has a manta engraved into the base of its blade. It was passed onto his son Jesse upon becoming captain and was eventually given to David. In DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special we see that the knife also acts as a key to a box containing a treasure map.
Family Business: His son and grandson would also go into piracy.
Legacy Character: He was the first of the Kanes to have the moniker "Manta".
Then Let Me Be Evil: Manta's turn to villainy was kicked off because after serving his country he was deemed insignificant.

"Stingray"

Species: Human

Citizenship: Unknown (First sighted in the Strait of Malacca)

Affiliation(s): Spirit of the Claw (formerly), Manta Men

Played by: Jani Zhao

Appearances: DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

A pirate that was originally part of the Spirit of the Claw's crew. After Black Manta killed her captain and bested her in a fight, she became his first mate.

Allegiance Affirmation: Stingray cements her loyalty to Black Manta by helping him execute any of her former crewmates that refused to join the Manta Men.
Animal Motifs: Just like how real-life stingrays are smaller than mantas, she's shorter than her captain. Additionally, while both species are carnivorous, mantas have more conventionally predatory behaviour while stingrays more often than not are bottom-feeders, reflecting her subservience to Black Manta.
Bridge Bunnies: Stingray commands the hammerhead sub whenever Black Manta is engaged.
The Dragon: Stingray's the Number Two of the new generation of Manta Men.
Know When to Fold 'Em: In their first encounter, Stingray challenged Black Manta to a swordfight. When he managed to best her, she accepted his offer of allegiance.
Pre Ass Kicking One Liner: "Enough! You will leave this ship as a man, or you will leave it as chum. Your choice."
The Smurfette Principle: The only female member of the Manta Men.
This Is Gonna Suck: Stingray's reaction when she realizes all the whales unleashing their sonar at once is overloading the hammerhead sub, which will explode with her in it.
Weapon Specialization: Swordplay. Her skill was impressive enough for Black Manta to offer her a place as his first mate.

Charybdis & The Aquamarines

Charybdis

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20231102_120700_samsung_internet.jpg

"You don't deserve what you have. Not power. Not strength. And not your wife-to-be. Fortunately, you can't take her hand in marriage if there's no flesh left on the bone."

Species: Enhanced human

Citizenship: American

Affiliation(s): Scylla & Charybdis, Aquamarines

Appearances: DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

"You're right about Aquaman. He's a king, who believes he is above us...Who doesn't notice the victims left in his wide wake. I know. I own a part of him. But with your help, my friends, I will take even more."

A former terrorist, Charybdis was mutated by a meta bomb that absorbed Aquaman's DNA, giving him similar powers while also mutating himself and anyone he enslaved into fish-human hybrids. He blames Aquaman for the death of his lover Scylla.

Adapted Out: During his fight with Aquaman, Charybdis grabs his hand and holds it over a high-pressure exhaust vent that's strong enough to corrode his glove. It seems like he's going to destroy Arthur's hand just like in the comics, but instead Arthur gets his second wind and fights back.
Black Eyes of Evil: Upon turning into a metahuman, his transformation begins with his eyes turning black.
Body Horror: When his powers stabilize, Charybdis mutates into a fish-human hybrid. He can also inflict this onto humans to turn them into his minions.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite introducing himself as a nihilist, Charybdis seemed to genuinely love Scylla.
Evil Knockoff: Charybdis was exposed to the energies of a meta bomb that Aquaman had left in the sea, not noticing his submarine. The explosion didn't kill Charybdis, but it did make him into a duplicate of the nearest metahuman, which happened to be Aquaman. Now Charybdis can use Aquaman's ability to communicate telepathically with marine life to not only launch an attack on Atlantis just like Arthur did to thwart Ocean Master, but he can also negate Arthur's own telepathic powers. As a side-effect of gaining these abilities through unnatural means, Charybdis eventually mutated into a sea monster.
From Nobody to Nightmare: A former mercenary turned into a sea monster that can command marine life.
Good Lips, Evil Jaws: His lips regress upon transforming, revealing a set of sharp teeth. Given how one of the last things Charybdis did with Scylla was to kiss her, it helps to symbolically illustrate just how much her loss affected him.
Moral Myopia: Charybdis is obsessed with proving Aquaman's character flaws, but as a former mercenary he falls well below his own standards. When Aquaman force-feeds him some telepathy, Charybdis reflects on himself and has a breakdown.
My God, What Have I Done?: Aquaman uses his telepathy on Charybdis to make him realized that while Aquaman may have been negligent in getting Scylla killed, Charybdis was the one who turned her to the life of villainy that put her in harm's way.
Outlaw Couple: With Scylla.
Psycho Electro: He's been driven mad with grief and his powers manifest as an electric aura.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Charybdis spends his fight with Aquaman pointing out his imperfections.
"You do things without thinking. You act on every impulse. You see only yourself. Your arrogance took the only thing I ever loved!"
Shadow Archetype: Aquaman admits that he used to fear turning into someone like Charybdis, due to his abuse of their powers.
Sinister Scythe: His main weapon is a polearm with a hooked blade.

Scylla

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20231102_120422_samsung_internet.jpg

"Between Scylla and Charybdis"

Species: Human

Affiliation(s): Scylla & Charybdis

Appearances: DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

"You don't care about anyone or anything but money. It's so hot."

Partner in crime and lover to Charybdis. She was killed when Aquaman disposed of a meta-bomb without realizing their submarine was in the blast radius.

Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Scylla's last words were an expression of love for Charybdis.
Foil: To Mera. Mera saw the good in Arthur and prompted him to be the best version of himself. Scylla was specifically attracted to Charybdis because he was a cold-hearted criminal.
The Lost Lenore: Scylla is killed early on, giving Charybdis motive to target Aquaman.
Outlaw Couple: With Charybdis.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: When Aquaman reflects his telepathy back onto Charybdis, the latter has a sudden realization that he corrupted Scylla into a villain which lead to her death, implying that she only became a Card-Carrying Villain thanks to her lover's toxic influence.

Great White

Rhonda Ricoh/Great White

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20231102_120632_samsung_internet.jpg

"Show the king what we think of his kingdom! Bleed Atlantis!"

^{Rhonda Ricoh}

Species: Mutated human

Citizenship: American

Affiliation(s): Charybdis, Aquamarines

Appearances: DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

"We were trying to show the world we were better than the Justice League. And it wasn't Superman or Batman who beat our asses. When it comes down to it, it wasn't even the Flash or Wonder Woman. It Was! The guy! Who talks! TO FISH!"

A terrorist that was apprehended by the Justice League and mutated by Charybdis.

Demoted to Dragon: Great White used to be the leader of the Aquamarines, but was usurped by Charybdis and now serves as his second in command
Distaff Counterpart: A Fiery Redhead that hates metahumans just for existing, relies on otherworldly tech to bring them down and ends up losing her hair? Sounds just like Lex Luthor.
Evil Reactionary: Great White's team attacked a science and technology conference and holds metahumans in contempt.
Fiery Redhead: She's got quite a temper on her.
Meme Acknowledgement: Great White lampshades Aquaman's long-standing reputation as something of a joke character due to his fish-talking power having limited practical use. In her defence, she couldn't have witnessed how Aquaman's power allowed him to befriend an ancient sea kaiju and prevent a war between the surface and the ocean.
Shark Woman: Inspired by her codename "Great White", Charybdis decides to mutate her into a shark hybrid.
The Smurfette Principle: Great White is the only female member of the Aquamarines.

Aquamarines

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20231102_120537_samsung_internet.jpg

Species: Mutated humans

Citizenship: American

Affiliation(s): Charybdis, Aquamarines

Appearances: DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

"Files say these guys were kicked out of the Marines for stealing classified information. Specifically, plans for something called a Meta Bomb that uses "Apokoliptian residual energies to reprogram DNA"."

Barry Allen/The Flash

A terrorist group that tries to challenge the Justice League. Due to being ordinary humans that just happened to have a doomsday weapon, they're easily beaten by only three Leaguers. After being arrested, Charybdis tracks them down and mutates them so they can serve as his minions.

Adaptational Species Change: In the comics, the Aquamarines included a lionfish hybrid and a stonefish hybrid. Here they have what appears to be a Black Lagoon-type monster and a seahorse-man.
Adaptation Dye-Job: Barracuda has grey skin instead of purple.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Twice within the space of a single comic.
Fish People: Well, 4 out of 6 of them are based on fish, with an orca-man and an octopus-man for diversity.
What Happened to the Mouse?: As soon as they're subdued, Aquaman goes after Charybdis, leaving them at the mercy of his subjects. It's not known if they were incarcerated or killed after that.

Lost Kingdom of Necrus

Lost Kingdom

Necrus

"During King Atlan's time, there were seven united kingdoms of Atlantis. And the black city was a curse upon them all."

—Orm

A long-lost kingdom that was shrouded in mystery and erased from the Chronicles of Atlantean history.

Combat Tentacles: They employ this, from having tentacled monstrosities to creating octopus-themed vehicles for Manta's crew.
Dark Is Evil: The Lost Kingdom had black buildings and was shrouded in fog before being consumed by the ocean. The inhabitants also turned black after being mutated.
The Faceless: The statue representing the ruler of the Lost Nation seen in the site of congregation is missing most of its head, which stands out in comparison to the other statues that are relatively unscathed.
Glowing Eyelights of Undeath: Everyone influenced by the power of the Black Trident - Kordax included - have bright green eyes.
Good Lips, Evil Jaws: Orichalcum burns those it empowers, so Kordax and his legion of zombies have skeletal faces. Compare this to Aquaman and his allies, who all look completely human. The exception is the Brine King but even he has lips.
Green and Mean: Any object or lifeform fueled by Orichalcum — such as Kordax and his army of zombies — will emanate a sickly green glow.
Humanoid Abomination: All of the Lost Kingdom's inhabitants are now zombie-like monstrosities with only the vaguest resemblance to humanity.
Irony: For an offshoot of a water-related kingdom, its motif is fire. Wordof God has said that Necrus was hotter than average due to its mining facilities. Added irony is that the realm was later on encased in ice at the South Pole.
Lost Colony: Alongside the Trench and the Deserters, the Lost Kingdom broke off from Atlantis only to fade out of memory. There is no hint of their survival or even their civilisation in the Aquaman movie, with nobody giving an explanation as to what happened to them. In the sequel, it's common knowledge that something happened which caused the Lost Kingdom to break away from Atlantis and be removed from the chronicles shortly before the fall of Atlantis, which is why so little is known of them — the historical record was deliberately expunged long before any living Atlantean were around.
Made of Evil: The Black Trident was forged with Dark Magic, then Kordax sealed a part of his spirit in the trident.
Meaningful Name: The name is derived from “Necro,” meaning death. This makes sense, given that its citizens have been gruesomely transformed into undead monsters by the power of the Black Trident.
Mordor: Compared to the other, more fantastic, kingdoms, Necrus resembles an industrial site due to being corrupted and polluted by its reckless use of Orichalcum. Its mad king Kordax turned himself and everyone there into sorts of undead, Kordax himself became a Sauron-like figure, and his own black citadel recalls Minas Morgul.
The Necrocracy: They turn out to be this. They used to be a kingdom ruled by Atlan's tyrannical younger brother who wanted to make it a superpower by using the highly-polluting Orichalcum, but the Orichalcum itself drove the younger king mad. As he turned himself, his people and his entire kingdom into this trope for the sake of cementing his power and to fight his older brother.
Orichalcum: The orichalcum is the biggest Chekhov's Gun in the sequel. According to Atlanna, "the orichalcum is a power source that was used in ancient times. It emits tremendous amounts of greenhouse gases, that are highly destructive for our planet. [...] It can't be disposed of safety, so the remaining stockpile has been buried in 12 storage vaults deep underground."
Our Zombies Are Different: The inhabitants have been gruesomely transformed into undead monsters by the power of the Black Trident.
Ragnarök Proofing: Their submarines and orichalcum refinery are still functional hundreds of years after their kingdom fell, though the former needed to be retrofitted to make them compatible with modern power sources and fuel.
Scary Skeleton: All of the mutated population have been reduced to bones and charred flesh.
Sickly Green Glow: Kordax's black trident glows green when it's used by someone, and the kingdom of Necrus gains a bright green glow when it gets freed by Black Manta, similar to Minas Morgul from the movies.
Underwater Ruins: The ruins of what was left of Necrus are deep down under Antarctica.
Un-person: Justified. Necrus proved to be a threat to both Atlanteans and the climate at large. When they were imprisoned, all records of their existence were erased. The statue representing the Lost Kingdom was of a faceless woman rather than Kordax to ensure he'd be forgotten.
Was Once a Man: The denizens were transformed into horrifying monsters through the power of the Black Trident.

Kordax

King Kordax

^{Click here to see Kordax before his mutation}

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Lost Kingdom

Affiliation(s): Lost Kingdom Royal Family

Portrayed by: Pilou Asbæk

Appearances: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

The tyrannical king of Necrus and younger brother of King Atlan. Millennia ago, Kordax tried mining the planet of Orichalcum and forged the Black Trident, which proved to be a disaster for the world. Atlan was forced to go to war with Kordax and his kingdom, leading to the latter's imprisonment. But the Black Trident was eventually picked up by Black Manta, allowing Kordax to possess him and to set about releasing himself.

Adaptational Ugliness: His comics counterpart looked mostly human, save for having green skin. This version is a corrupted and burnt skeleton.
Adaptation Dye-Job: Blonde in the comics, brunette in the film's backstory.
Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Kordax and Atlan never co-existed in the comics.
Amplifier Artifact: The Black Trident. Kordax originally used it to turn his subjects into monsters before using it on himself. However, Atlan's skill with his own trident proved superiror and he defeated Kordax while breaking his trident.
An Arm and a Leg: In his final battle with King Atlan, Kordax lost his right hand. It spells his undoing; while the revived Kordax easily catches the Black Trident when Arthur throws it at him, he's unable to do the same when Arthur flings his own trident, leaving Kordax helpless to prevent his own demise.
Big Bad: Of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, as he manipulates Black Manta to become his agent working to free him from his prison and make the royal family pay for Atlan imprisoning him.
Brown Note: Owning the Black Trident for extended periods of time will just make the bearer more susceptible to Kordax's manipulations.
Cain and Abel: He is Atlan's younger brother as the First King of Atlantis was a blessing to the united seven kingdoms while Kordax became a curse upon them all.
Casting Gag: Kordax is not the first evil overlord who comes from a maritime culture rebelling against a kingdom known as the Seven Kingdoms, has a Sibling Rivalry with his brother, and plans to take over the world, that Pilou Asbæk is playing.
Composite Character: He is based on Kordax (a monstrous outcast prince), Orin (King Atlan's brother), the Dead King (an insane tyrant imprisoned in ice) and Mongo (the ruler of the Black City).
The Corrupter: Kordax can and will corrupt anyone who wields his trident, praying on their desires, flaws and vulnerabilities. Of course, his goal is to revive himself.
Demonic Possession: Kordax can channel his will through the Black Trident to exert varying degrees of influence over its wielder, evidenced by the wielder's eyes glowing in the same green color as the trident itself. Initially, Black Manta only hears Kordax's voice in his head, but as Kordax regains his strength over the course of the film, he is able to gradually exert increasingly stronger influence over Manta's actions, eventually taking over Manta's body completely at the film's climax.
Disproportionate Retribution: In the distant past, King Atlan tried to dissuade Kordax from using orichalcum because it was destroying the environment. This angered Kordax so much that he used dark magic to turn himself and all his citizens into undead monstrosities and wage war against Atlantis.
Evil Is Angular: While the majority of tridents seen so far have at least a few curves in them. the Black Trident is comprised entirely of sharp corners.
Evil Reactionary: Kordax cared little for the damage he caused by relying on Orichalcum to power his kingdom. When Atlan tried to make him see reason, Kordax took it as a declaration of war.
Evil Uncle: He's the brother of Atlan, the first king of Atlantis and the ancestor of Atlanna (and by extension Arthur, Orm, and Arthur Jr.), thus making him a distant version of this to the current ruling Atlantean royal family.
Evil Weapon: In order to be equal against his brother, Kordax forged his very own trident with dark magic, allowing him to influence or possess anyone who wields it.
Final Boss: As Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the last DCEU movie overall, Kordax is not just this for the movie in question, but for the DCEU in its entirety.
Fire/Ice Duo: Kordax relied on the climate-heating Orichalcum and when he used the Black Trident's power on himself, it left his flesh horribly burned. Compare this to his brother Atlan, who imprisoned Kordax and his kingdom within an iceberg.
Green and Mean: He always casts a green glow in Manta's hallucinations surrounded by green flames and is an evil necromancer.
It's All About Me: It's no understatement to say that Kordax is willing to ruin the entire world for the sake of his personal ambitions, showing no concern at the damage his use of orichalcum did to the environment. Even his own subjects aren't safe from him, with Kordax turning them into a mindless army of undead slaves to fight the armies of Atlantis.
Knight of Cerebus: Per Word of God, Aquaman & the Lost Kingdom was intended to be a light-hearted adventure about two estranged brothers. Anytime Kordax gets involved in the plot, all humor goes out the window. When Orm learns of his existence, he breaks out in a cold sweat.
The Man Behind the Man: Kordax tries to tempt Orm by saying that if Orm would help release him, then Kordax will let him become Ocean Master, a title that would rank Orm above Kordax himself. The offer is clearly an empty one, given that Kordax could just pull Orm's strings anytime he felt like it.
Manipulative Bastard: Using the Black Trident, Kordax convinces Black Manta to do his dirty work in exchange for promises of revenge against Aquaman. He tries the same tricks on both Orm and Arthur when they grab the Trident, playing to their Sibling Rivalry and Orm's resentment of his brother.
Near-Villain Victory: Kordax was released and his trident was in his hand, but then Aquaman threw Atlan's trident through his own, shattering the weapon and taking Kordax with it.
Orcus on His Throne: Kordax was more effective through possessing people, as once his body is free Arthur finds it easier to combat him directly with Atlan's trident.
Our Liches Are Different: Kordax transformed himself and his people into undead creatures through the toxic orichalchum, and he himself resembles a walking skeleton.
The Paranoiac: King Atlan urged Kordax to stop his use of orichalcum for the sake of preserving the environment. Kordax took it as a sign that Atlan coveted his power, so he forged the Black Trident and used its dark magic to turn himself and his entire kingdom into undead abominations, and has spent the subsequent centuries hoping for revenge, never once seeming to consider that Atlan might have been right.
Power Glows: Kordax's transformation started with his whole body being engulfed in green flames and his eyes and internal organs emanate a green light.
Pretender Diss: While possessing Black Manta, he mocks Arthur by claiming he isn't half the man Atlan was.
Related Differently in the Adaptation: In the comics, Kordax was a great-great...uncle to Atlan. Here they're brothers.
Revenant Zombie: Despite being undead, Kordax retained his mind and is able to manipulate Black Manta into setting him free.
Sealed Evil in a Can: King Atlan used blood magic to seal Kordax and his entire kingdom in a glacier to ensure that his younger brother's dark power would never again threaten the world.
Shadow Archetype:
- Kordax parallels Atlan as a King of Atlantis, but more selfish and irresponsible over his kingdom.
- Kordax is what Orm would have become if Orm were consumed by such a vile level of power and tyranny. His own relationship with his brother Atlan mirrors the relationship between Arthur and Orm.
- In terms of the wider DC Universe, Kordax is similar to General Zod in that both were willing to endanger the entire planet just to establish their reign. Except for all of his cruelty, deep down Zod cared for his people. Kordax viewed his subjects as nothing more than pawns.
Sickly Green Glow: His eyes, chest cavity and magic all glow with a toxic green light.
Skeleton Motif: Before his transformation, Kordax wore a breastplate resembling a ribcage, which foreshadowed his mutation into a lich.
Sorcerous Overlord: A powerful wielder of dark magic, as well as the ruler of the Lost Kingdom, Kordax used his eldritch powers to turn himself and his subjects into undead monsters.
Soul Jar: A part of Kordax' spirit is sealed in his trident, making him immortal and capable of manipulating whomever wields the trident. However, if the trident is destroyed, his spirit dies as well.
Un-person: After he was sealed away, all records of both him and his kingdom were destroyed.
Use Their Own Weapon Against Them: Subverted. Arthur tried to kill Kordax by throwing his own trident at him, but the Lost King just grabs it out of the air before it can connect to his head.
Was Once a Man: As the younger brother of King Atlan, Kordax naturally looked just as human as any other Atlantean. After mutating his people, Kordax turned the Black Trident on himself and became the monstrosity seen above.

Characters / DCEU: Aquaman's Rogues Gallery aka: DCEU Ocean Master

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The Ocean Master Conspiracy

Appearances: Aquaman (2018)

King Orm / The Ocean Master

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Atlantean

Affiliation(s): Atlantis (Royal Family), Orm's alliance

Portrayed By: Patrick Wilson

Voiced By: Daniel del Roble (Latin American Spanish), Alexis Victor (European French), Frédéric Desager (Canadian French), Yuichi Nakamura (Japanese)

Film Appearances: Aquaman | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Appearances in Other Media: The Adventures of Aquaman & Mera | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

Manta Men

Appearances: Aquaman (2018) | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

David Kane / Black Manta

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Affiliation(s): Manta-Men, Atlantis (in service of Orm)

Portrayed By: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Voiced By: Erick Selim (Latin-American Spanish), Baudouin Sama (European French), Martin Desgagné (Canadian French)

Film Appearances: Aquaman | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Appearances in Other Media: The Adventures of Aquaman & Mera | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

Jesse Kane

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Affiliation(s): Manta Men

Played by: Michael Beach

Dubbed by: René Gagnon (Canadian French)

Appearances: Aquaman

"Manta"

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Affiliation(s): Manta Men

Appearances: Aquaman (mentioned) | DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special (mentioned)

"Stingray"

Species: Human

Citizenship: Unknown (First sighted in the Strait of Malacca)

Affiliation(s): Spirit of the Claw (formerly), Manta Men

Played by: Jani Zhao

Appearances: DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special | Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Charybdis & The Aquamarines

Charybdis

Species: Enhanced human

Citizenship: American

Affiliation(s): Scylla & Charybdis, Aquamarines

Appearances: DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

Scylla

Species: Human

Affiliation(s): Scylla & Charybdis

Appearances: DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

Rhonda Ricoh/Great White

Species: Mutated human

Citizenship: American

Affiliation(s): Charybdis, Aquamarines

Appearances: DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

Aquamarines

Species: Mutated humans

Citizenship: American

Affiliation(s): Charybdis, Aquamarines

Appearances: DC's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special

Lost Kingdom of Necrus

Necrus

King Kordax

Species: Atlantean

Citizenship: Lost Kingdom

Affiliation(s): Lost Kingdom Royal Family

Portrayed by: Pilou Asbæk

Appearances: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Alternative Title(s): DCEU Black Manta, DCEU Ocean Master

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Characters / DCEU: Aquaman's Rogues Gallery
aka: DCEU Ocean Master