Aquaman is even more of a bro in his solo movie than he was in 'Justice League'
Moments after the first Aquaman trailer went online, fans in Comic-Con’s Hall H were treated to an exclusive second look at the superhero adventure.
This one incorporated much of the same footage from the trailer, but added several new scenes that the rest of the world likely won't see for a while.
So until you get to lay eyes on it for yourself, here's everything you need to know.
1. Aquaman’s parents’ love story looks kinda beautiful
The extended Comic-Con look opens on a lighthouse, on top of which a woman - Queen Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) - is marveling at the snow. A man (Thomas Curry, played by Temuera Morrison) emerges to wrap a blanket around her shoulders.
“My parents were from different worlds, and I was the product of a love that never should’ve been,” explains Arthur (Jason Momoa) in a voiceover. “I’m a son of the land and a son of the seas.”
We then see Atlanna, now in a sleek white bodysuit, diving off the pier and into the sea while Thomas and little baby Arthur look on.
Another shot shows Thomas and Arthur – now all grown up – at a bar, where Thomas tells his son, “Your mother always knew you were special.”
The hows and whys of Atlanna’s time on the surface world aren’t explained in the trailer, but it’s clear that whatever she and Thomas had was special and tragic. I don’t know about you, but I think I ship them now.
2. Aquaman is suuuuuuch a bro
Ma and Pa Aquaman may be romantics, but their kid is something else entirely.
A clip from Aquaman showed Arthur and Mera walking over desert dunes in search of Atlantis, or something. They arrive at an enormous ruin in the desert, and the first thing Arthur does upon walking inside is yell "Check this place out, this is badass," like he's a drunk college kid on holiday.
The pair finds an ancient stone wheel, and Mera plugs in a cylindrical key. Nothing happens at first, until Arthur accidentally gives Mera the idea to try and sprinkle some water on it. (“You do your best thinking when you’re not thinking at all,” she tells him.)
She takes some sweat from his forehead to drip onto the device, and now it works – it lights up blue, and the gears start to turn.
“Show off,” he smirks. “I could’ve just peed on that.” Your rightful king, ladies and gentlemen of Atlantis.
Later in the same scene, a hologram of a man comes up, and starts spouting ominous instructions and warnings about "the trident that wields the power of Atlantis."
Once the message is over, Mera removes the cylinder and smashes it on the ground, to Arthur’s surprise. “Shouldn’t we have written it down first?” he asks.
“I memorized it. Didn’t you?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“What did it say?”
“Something something trident,” Arthur says, wrinkling his brow.
Aquaman may be new(ish) to the big screen, but he’s a familiar figure all the same: He’s the stereotypical frat boy you knew in college who never did his homework and tried to get by on charm, but was never quite as clever as he thought he was.
3. Nicole Kidman gets some action and we are here for it
Did you think the flashback was the last we’d see of Nicole Kidman’s Queen Atlanna? Not so.
In one of the most intriguing moments of the reel, we see Atlanna – in regular Earth clothes, like the kind your mom might wear on vacation in Greece – in a house being invaded by nameless, faceless minions.
She holds up a trident and throws herself into the fight, pushing off bad guys left and right.
Nicole Kidman as a superpowered action hero? Um, yes thank you please.
4. Yup, Aquaman will wear the traditional comic-book costume
So far, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman hasn’t much resembled his comic-book counterpart. But that’ll change at some point in Aquaman.
Much of the plot seems to revolve around Arthur’s extreme reluctance to claim his birthright. “I’m not a leader. I’m not a king,” he protests in a voiceover.
Mera, also in voiceover, reassures him. “Atlantis has always had a king. Now we need something more.”
“But what could be greater than a king?”
The final shot of the Comic-Con footage revealed Arthur in a new outfit: scaly and skin-tight, orange and green.
The colors aren’t as bright as they might be on the page (perhaps because the scene appears to take place underwater, but more likely because muted shades are a better fit for the grittier aesthetic of the DCEU), but the resemblance is unmistakable. It’s this film’s version of the Aquaman costume from the comics.
In voiceover, Mera responds to his final question. “A hero,” she says.
Aquaman is in theaters Dec. 21.
Topics Comics
