Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s Trailer Solidifies the Best DCEU Rivalry

Aquaman and Black Manta's rivalry is stronger than ever in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, making them the only DC rivals to thrive in the DCEU.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the last entry in the DC Extended Universe, bringing back Jason Momoa's Aquaman for one final adventure. The main threat is Black Manta, who also returns from the first movie. With his hatred for Arthur Curry reaching a fever pitch, Black Manta's relationship with the King of Atlantis is officially the best hero/villain rivalry in the DCEU.

Most of the other Justice League members had somewhat disappointing takes on their most iconic rivalries from the comics. In the case of one hero, in particular, he never really faced any of his classic villains. Aquaman definitely won't suffer from that problem, with his war against Black Manta potentially ending the DCEU on a high note.

The Trailer for Aquaman 2 Brings Back the Hero's Greatest Enemy

In the first full trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Arthur's life as the King of Atlantis is disrupted by Black Manta, who's hellbent on getting revenge for his earlier defeat at the hands of the Atlantean. Likewise, Aquaman also caused the death of Black Manta's father, which is what started their rivalry in the first place. Seeking an ancient trident of immense power, Black Manta aims to destroy Arthur Curry's growing family before killing the hero himself. And judging by the trailer's content, his threats aren't empty promises.

At one point, Atlantean queen Mera (and Aquaman's wife) is captured by Black Manta's forces. Likewise, the villain burns down the family home of Arthur's human father, Tom, an act that possibly kills the man or even Aquaman's newborn child. There's seemingly no end to Black Manta's hatred and anger, making him a vindictive villain, the likes of which the DCEU has yet to see. Given that this will probably be the end for Momoa's DCEU Aquaman, ramping up his battle against Black Manta will allow the shared universe to go out with a bang. Unfortunately, it also highlights a major weakness of the previous movies.

The DCEU Failed to Adapt Iconic Hero/Villain Rivalries

For all the flaws of the DCEU, one of the more understated is the lack of interaction between the heroes and their respective arch-enemies. Some of this was due to the less-than-impressive takes on these characters, the likes of which were incredibly controversial. Not only were Superman and Batman somewhat removed from their usual incarnations, but many fans didn't like how Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor and Jared Leto's tattooed Joker were portrayed. Thus, the best moments of their rivalry from the comics were never put on display. In fact, Batman didn't even interact with The Joker beyond a brief scene in the first Suicide Squad movie and the Knightmare Sequence in Zack Snyder's Justice League.

The same situation happened with Wonder Woman, as The Cheetah was a secondary villain in a fairly disappointing sequel. Likewise, instead of The Cheetah being a truly ferocious and formidable foe, she was based on the overused "spurned friend/fan" concept, with the fight between her and Diana lacking in weight or fury. Even worse was The Flash, who never faced the combined might of the iconic "Rogues" such as Captain Cold. The only member of their team introduced in the DCEU was Captain Boomerang, who was apprehended by The Flash in Suicide Squad. This was their only interaction, however, and Boomerang died before becoming a closer rival to Barry Allen. Even the popular Eobard Thawne Reverse-Flash never showed up to vex The Flash, despite The Flash movie being the perfect place for this to happen. Instead, the main villain was General Zod by way of time travel, with Thawne's spot taken by a loose adaptation of the New 52 Reverse-Flash.

A major exception was the first Shazam! movie, with Billy Batson's mighty alter ego fighting against his usual nemesis, Doctor Sivana. Even there, Sivana was notably altered and given magical powers of his own, making him somewhat closer to Black Adam. Ironically, Batson and Black Adam never fought each other, with the solo Black Adam movie turning the title character into an antihero without any sort of villainy. His chief enemy was the demonic Sabbac, who is normally a foe of Shazam/Captain Marvel. Conversely, both Shazam! movies teased that Sivana would team up with Mr. Mind to get his revenge, but it never came to fruition. These many missed opportunities make Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom even more unique.

Aquaman Will Forever Be the DCEU's Biggest Success Story

Before Aquaman got his own movie, the character was seen by non-comic book fans as a joke. Constantly made fun of in pop culture, these gags were made to sleep with the fishes when Jason Momoa was cast. Not only did the more rugged DCEU Aquaman change the character's perception among casual moviegoers, but the hero's solo movie was also an unprecedented success. 2018's Aquaman was an immense blockbuster hit, and it's currently the only DCEU film to make over $1 billion at the global box office. Given that it was preceded by the critical/financial disappointment of Justice League (2017), this victory came out of nowhere.

Many pointed to the success of the first Aquaman to explain the comparatively weak performance of other movie releases such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Transformers spinoff/reboot movie Bumblebee. Despite the height of the movie's crushing wave, its success wasn't seen in the following DC films. Shazam! was only a modest success, with its 2023 sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods being a massive box office loss. The same happened with Wonder Woman 1984, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, The Flash and seemingly the recent Blue Beetle. However, two of those movies were released in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The only successful DC movies released since then were 2019's Joker and 2022's The Batman, both of which were set in their own continuities. Even the animated kids movie DC League of Super-Pets didn't make a ton of money.

So, it might be a good thing that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the last part of the DCEU. If it's even somewhat financially successful, it can end the concluding DCEU on an at least moderately high note, ending the wave of box office losses. It'd be ironic given the similar standout performance of its predecessor, but the fact that Aquaman, of all characters, would become the best part of the shared universe is the epitome of irony.