Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who played Black Manta in 2018's Aquaman, teased the iconic supervillain's return at Celebrity Fan Fest 2019 in San Antonio.The actor appeared as a part of the AQUAMAN LIVE II panel alongside co-stars Amber Heard and Dolph Lundgren. According to SuperBroMovies, Abdul-Mateen II is quoted as saying, "Black Manta is gonna come back with some strong vengeance!" during the panel.
Notably, Black Manta's return was heavily teased during a mid-credits scene in Aquaman. The villain is seen licking his wounds following his defeat at the hands of Arthur Curry, during which time he meets the Atlantis-obsessed character Dr. Stephen Shin.
Not much has been revealed about the Aquaman sequel. However, a premiere date has been set for Dec. 16, 2020. Additionally, it has been confirmed that David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who co-wrote the first film, will return to pen the second. Aquaman's director James Wan will also produce the second film, but has not yet confirmed whether or not he will be directing.
In the meantime, Abdul-Mateen II recently starred in an episode of Black Mirror alongside Avengers star Anthony Mackie. The actor is also set to appear in director Jordan Peele's 2020 reboot of Candyman.
Aquaman is available in digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD. Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Amber Heard as Mera, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus and Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna.