Aquaman: Hopes and Expectations

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Relief! where I talk about the goings on in the world of nerd!

Today James Wan posted a nice little tease for us on his twitter: the Aquaman film has begun filming and moreover, it has a title: Aquaman: Ahab. This last bit isn't MUCH news as we have had an idea that "Ahab" was the tile of the film for the past few months (Ahab being in reference to the literary classic character from the Melville classic Moby Dick). In one of my most recent articles, I talk about some concerns I have for the film in regard to the casting of 3 major players of Aquaman's Rogues gallery. However, I want to be clear that doesn't mean I think the film is doomed. In this piece I will be talking about my hopes for the film and providing some insight as to why the film was titled the way it is.

Villain Focus and World Building

This title might be a bit confusing. I just wasn't exactly sure how best to word it, so for that, I apologize. What I mean here is that this film has casted 3 different villains in it, All three of whom are excellent characters that frankly deserve their own movie to shine. However, what I hope this film does is introduce these characters and set up the prospect of future villainy while simultaneously focusing on one of them as the film's primary antagonist. 

Now if I were to guess, the key to the film's villain lies within it's title: Ahab. I realize that most readers more than likely are familiar with this character, but for those who are not familiar with the iconic character, here is a brief overview. Ahab is one of the main characters and antagonists of the Melville classic Moby Dick. In it Ahab is driven to obsession over hunting this giant white whale that cost him his leg at one point and he has been hunting the creature for ages. To make a (VERY) long story short, this obsession ends up driving him only one place: dead and strapped to the side of the whale for a very much unwanted aquatic safari ride. Anyways, the reason this film was titled the way it was (other than the clear aquatic referencing) I feel is a HUGE clue into the primary antagonist of the film. 

Now if you read the article that I had previously mentioned, I do a brief character break down of each of the cast villains: Ocean Master, Black Manta, and King Nereus. Of these listed, one character stands out as a majorly obsessive one. I feel that the obvious choice for this is Black Manta. I feel that Ocean Master is too complex a villain, especially his New 52 version, to be set up in one film, and Nereus has too little written about him to make him the prime villain of the FIRST cinematic outing of Aquaman. You want a character that is iconic to the Aquaman brand and especially after the success and popularity of his portrayal in both New 52 and Young Justice, Black Manta seems like the solid choice. Black Manta has an iconic history with Aquaman, and his New 52 revitalization makes him the perfect character to pose against Arthur in their first outing. Manta's obsession over killing Arthur is so similar to Ahab's hatred of Moby Dick, and the reason for that hatred is Arthur's greatest shame. 

What I hope for the other characters is, firstly, for Orm/ Ocean Master shown to be one of Arthur's most trusted confidants and for him to be an ally to Arthur in this first film. However, throughout the film I want for Aquaman's interactions with Black Manta to justify his aversions to surface dwellers, thus fostering a huge mistrust in Arthur's judgement that could lead to him being manipulated by Nereus in the second film into doing something awful, like say, INVADING THE SURFACE WORLD AND CAUSING AN ALL OUT WAR (insert maniacal evil laughing here)!!! Secondly establish Nereus right off the bat as kind of an Iago (Iago is probably my favorite Shakespearean villain, so he will more than likely be referenced by me quite frequently) character. With as intelligent as Dolph Lundgren is in REAL life with a PHD in physics and what not, it is a shame none of his cinematic portrayals have had his brain match his brawn. I feel that you could have Nereus be a key overlapping villain of the Aquaman cinematic films where he is more often than not the villain behind the scenes. After all, in the comics, Nereus is a king of a rogue Atlantean faction, so the allure of court politics is not amiss to him. Seeing Dolph Lundgren as a behind the scenes villain over a direct threat would be unique to his usual portrayals and I think could really work well. 

Ending the Thought that Aquaman is a Wuss 

In all honesty, this will more than likely be taken care of by the Justice League film and by Jason Momoa's choice as Arthur. However, if nothing else comes out of the Cinematic universe of DC or this film, I hope it's that Aquaman is no longer the butt of everyone's jokes. While I find the Robot Chicken skits with Aquaman, and the several degrading internet memes immensely enjoyable, it's a shame that quite possibly one of the most powerful heroes in the DC universe gets such little regard and respect. While initial depictions are filled with some cheesy aspects, the character has always had an impressive power set. That's not even talking about the fact that he holds regency over 70 percent of the earth, and is the king of an highly advanced aquatic civilization (and as such commands a standing army of Atlanteans as well as all ocean life). Honestly this is my biggest hope, that in this solo Aquaman film we get to see Aquaman rise above his stereotypes as the badass character he was meant to be.

To finalize, this article is my hopes and dreams for this project, it is in no way reflective of what will happen in the film. If it does, GREAT! If not, oh well. However, I hope I have been clear enough that those reading have not gotten to this point getting all hyped up for a whole bunch of things that are mere speculation and suggestion. Ultimately, I feel that this film has some of the most potential as it provides a chance to reinvent a character, while simultaneously getting DC a strong foot in the door for establishing its surrounding universe.

Aquaman is the King of the Seven Seas. This reluctant ruler of Atlantis, caught between a surface world constantly ravaging the sea and Atlanteans looking to lash out in revolt, is committed to protecting the entire globe.

Hope you have enjoyed this edition of Comic Relief! see everyone again here very soon!