Though Aquaman sees Patrick Wilson’s Orm as the main villain, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II also gets to enter the fray as David Kane, aka Black Manta, and if the movie’s post-credits scene is anything to go by, then the character will continue to play an important role in the DCEU.
But while it seems inevitable that Black Manta will be showing up in the Aquaman sequel – which, by the way, Warner Bros. has already started discussing – the villain’s comic book history goes beyond just his association with Arthur Curry. For one thing, David features in the New 52’s Suicide Squad titles, and it just so happens that James Gunn is currently working on a script for Suicide Squad 2.
The question is therefore raised of whether Kane might pop up in DCEU releases outside of the Aquaman films, and in an interview with ComicBook.com, Abdul-Mateen seemed optimistic that this could well be the case.
“Yeah, well I think Black Manta is going to be… he has an opportunity to show up anywhere where Aquaman is,” Abdul-Mateen said. “Anywhere where he has a device or plot to get back to Aquaman, he’s going to use it. So, he can show up wherever. But when he does I hope that we get to see more of his wit and more of the comedic parts of Black Manta and see more of the things that make him that I know and the human that the fans and the people in this universe have grown to love over the years.”
This recent statement echoes the actor’s comments from a couple of months ago, when the Get Down star teased that he’s “looking forward to living long within the DC world, and create a little bit of chaos.”
Indeed, it feels like a safe bet that we haven’t seen the last of either Black Manta or his trident-wielding nemesis. Abdul-Mateen’s co-star Jason Momoa mentioned just recently that he’d also be game for sequels, and if the film’s phenomenal performance overseas is anything to go by, then Warner will have every reason to push forward with a follow-up.
Whether or not director James Wan will be returning to the DCEU remains less clear, but you can decide for yourself if you want to see more of this part of the cinematic universe and the people who inhabit it when Aquaman hits theaters on December 21st.
