Aquaman

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Four years into his reign, Arthur Curry balances royal duties with fatherhood until David Kane / Black Manta resurfaces. Working with marine biologist Stephen Shin, Manta discovers a cavern in Antarctica containing the Black Trident, which possesses him and promises power to destroy Atlantis. The trident belonged to Kordax, brother of King Atlan and ruler of the lost kingdom of Necrus. Imprisoned by blood magic after attempting to usurp the throne, Kordax can only be freed by the blood of an Atlantean descendant. When Manta kidnaps Arthur Jr. to access this power, Orm is released from his prison in the Sahara Desert by the Deserter tribe. Together, the brothers navigate a volcanic island mutated by Orichalcum and visit the Sunken Citadel to locate Manta before the ancient evil consumes their world.

In Their Own Story

The conflict escalates when Manta steals Orichalcum from an Atlantis reserve, causing greenhouse gas emissions that raise planetary temperatures and cause extreme weather. To stop him, Arthur breaks Orm out of prison, and they team up as a duo to hunt Black Manta. Their journey leads them to a volcanic island in the South Pacific where they battle mutated flora and fauna before confronting Manta's forces. In Necrus, Manta uses the blood of Atlan's descendants to free Kordax from his imprisonment within Orm after Orm catches the trident meant for Mera. The spirit of Kordax leaves Manta, but Arthur convinces Orm to abandon his hatred, allowing them to destroy both the entity and the Black Trident. As Necrus collapses, Manta refuses help and falls into a fissure. In the aftermath, Arthur announces Atlantis's existence at the United Nations, declaring the kingdom will join as a member state to prevent further oceanic damage.

Reader's Guide

James Wan confirmed in August 2020 that the film would expand worldbuilding with themes of climate change, though the final product adopted a more comedic tone. Principal photography ran from June 2021 to January 2022 across the UK, Hawaii, Los Angeles, New Jersey, and New Zealand, followed by reshoots between July 2022 and June 2023 that altered storylines and reduced some actors' roles. The film premiered on December 19, 2023, at a fan event at the Grove in Los Angeles before its US release on December 22. Produced by Wan, Peter Safran, and Rob Cowan for Warner Bros., it grossed $440 million worldwide against a budget of $205–215 million. Vincent Regan replaced Graham McTavish as King Atlan, while Nuidis Vulko is revealed to have died off-screen due to a plague linked to Manta's actions and pollution.

Did You Know?

• The film was inspired by the Silver Age of Comic Books and horror films like Planet of the Vampires (1965).
• Black Manta's silver armor design was remade to be more accurate to Ivan Reis's The New 52 comics.
• Principal photography took place in four US states/regions plus New Zealand, concluding in January 2022.
• Orm Marius was imprisoned in the Sahara Desert by the Deserter tribe with a limited water supply.
• The film received negative reviews from critics despite grossing $440 million worldwide.