While 2018's Aquaman featured Orm Marius/Ocean Master as its main villain, the film also introduced Arthur Curry's arch-nemesis, David Kane/Black Manta, to the DC Extended Universe. Fans hoping to see more of Black Manta will get their wish when the upcoming sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, hits theaters in December 2022.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Black Manta -- played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II -- will "loom much larger" in the Aquaman sequel than he did in the first film. What's more, Lost Kingdom promises to delve deeper into the villain's alter ego, David Kane.
"I think the script is better than it was in the first one," Abdul-Mateen himself explained. "It gives the actors a lot of good storytelling moments. In Aquaman, we just got a small introduction to Black Manta and to some of his motivations. In this one, I get to exercise and breathe a little bit more. I'm showing some different colors with this one."
Known as David Hyde in the original DC comic books, Black Manta was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy. The villain first appeared in 1967's Aquaman #35. He made his live-action cinematic debut in the first Aquaman film.
Abdul-Mateen's David Kane is introduced early in the film's runtime and transforms into Black Manta as the movie continues. During a climactic fight sequence in Sicily, Black Manta gets a few good shots in on Arthur before being thrown from a cliff. A mid-credits scene reveals that he was rescued by marine scientist/conspiracy theorist Stephen Shin (Randall Park). Black Manta agrees to lead Shin to Atlantis if he helps him take revenge on Arthur.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom premieres on Dec. 16, 2022.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter