Though the underwater hero Aquaman has been round within the DC Universe since 1941, he didn’t actually have an arch-enemy of his personal till the ‘60s. Though some followers cite Ocean Grasp as King Arthur of Atlantis’ fundamental foe, we expect that title goes to Black Manta. He’s had a number of completely different origin tales over the many years, however his memorable armored look made him perpetually iconic. Earlier than Yahya Abdul-Mateen’s return to the function in Aquaman and the Misplaced Kingdom, let’s take a deep dive (pun supposed) into the historical past of Black Manta.
Black Manta’s DC Comics Historical past
Black Manta first appeared as an antagonist for Arthur Curry in Aquaman #35 in 1967. He had no civilian title and his true look behind the black helmet and diving go well with was a thriller. In that first story, Black Manta and his “Manta Males” assault Atlantis and, regardless of this being his first look, Aquaman describes him as “an outdated enemy.” In a foreshadowing of a lot darker issues to come back, Black Manta kidnaps Arthur Jr., Aquaman’s son. However Aquaman’s different arch-enemy Ocean Grasp rescues him.
Black Manta would proceed to plague Aquaman all through the ‘60s and ‘70s, first in his solo sequence, then within the anthology titles like Journey Comics. What actually elevated Black Manta to iconic standing, nevertheless, had been Saturday morning cartoons. He was a recurring dangerous man within the ‘60s Superman/Aquaman Hour sequence, and was part of the Legion of Doom in Problem of the Tremendous Pals in 1978. This made Black Manta recognized to tens of millions of children who by no means learn a single comedian e book.
It’s fairly doable that Black Manta was a part of an extended line of DC heroes created for out of doors media that simply debuted in comics first. Each Batgirl and the second Aqualad had been a part of this group. The Aquaman subject introducing him had a canopy date of August 1967. Black Manta then appeared within the first episode of the Superman/Aquaman Journey Hour one month later in September 1967. It’s possible that they created him for the cartoon, the parents at DC heard about him, and so he debuted within the comics first.
Black Manta’s Many DC Comics Origins
For a very long time, Black Manta was only a cool title and a cooler costume. He had nearly no backstory. He lastly took off his helmet in a 1977 story, revealing that he was an African-American man. He defined how he was making an attempt to ascertain an underwater colony the place his folks would reside freely with out the persecution of the floor world. (How he deliberate for all of them to breathe underwater stays a thriller.) This continued a problematic comedian e book trope, of African-American characters needing a codename with the phrase “black” in it. A number of characters had been part of this trope, like Black Goliath, Black Lightning, and extra. However Manta’s backstory reveal gave him extra precise motivation than earlier than.
Black Manta’s First Aquaman Origin Story
Manta wouldn’t get his first origin story till 1992, in Aquaman vol. 4 #6. In a flashback, they confirmed the boy who would develop as much as be Black Manta rising up in Maryland, someplace close to the Chesapeake Bay. One unlucky day, he was enjoying close to the ocean when a gaggle of pirates kidnapped him. They compelled him to turn into their unwilling servant aboard their ship.
He spent years abused and tortured by these pirates, compelled to do their bidding. At some point, he noticed Aquaman swimming by means of the ocean with dolphins, and signaled him for a rescue. However Aquaman didn’t see or hear him. However the younger boy felt he ignored him, and it started a lifelong grudge. As soon as the boy was in a position to escape, he grew to become a vicious pirate himself. And he now harbored a deep hatred for the King of the Seven Seas.
Black Manta’s Batman-Associated Origin Story
Years later, a brand new origin story emerged, one which tied Manta to Batman’s dwelling metropolis. They revealed that the younger little one was identified with autism and, due to caretakers who didn’t perceive his situation, was dedicated to Arkham Asylum. Whereas staying at Arkham, docs there subjected him to experimental therapies designed to remedy him. However they ended up having the other impact, making him develop up into the extraordinarily violent prison he grew to become. Round this time, they lastly revealed Manta’s actual title—David Hyde. In addition they revealed that his son, Jackson Hyde, had turn into the superhero Aqualad II, spitting within the face of his father’s hatred.
The New 52 Black Manta Backstory
The New 52 reboot of 2011 was controversial, however Geoff Johns’s Aquaman run was celebrated. And right here, Black Manta acquired one more new origin story. On this iteration, Black Manta was a mercenary who was paid to acquire a pattern of Arthur Curry’s blood to see if he was actually from Atlantis. Through the assault, Arthur’s father Thomas Curry dies of a coronary heart assault. Blaming Manta and in search of vengeance, Arthur attacked the vessel that Black Manta was on, however unintentionally killed his father as an alternative. Blaming one another for shedding their respective fathers, a rivalry started that may go on perpetually. A lot of the cinematic Aquaman’s backstory drew inspiration from the New 52 run.
Black Manta Kills Aquaman’s Son, Arthur Jr., a.ok.a “Aquababy”
Whereas many villains threaten the lives of their respective enemy’s family members, few ever undergo with it. The Joker killing Robin however. However in 1977, Black Manta did the unthinkable in DC Comics and murdered Aquaman’s little one Arthur Jr., also called Aquababy. As revenge for his string of defeats by the hands of the Sea King, Black Manta kidnaps Arthur Jr. and locations the water-breathing little one in a bubble, slowly filling it with air and suffocating him.
Though Aquaman defeats Manta, he’s too late to save lots of his son, and Arthur Jr. suffocates to loss of life. It’s a horrible destiny and a really darkish story for a Bronze Age-era comedian. Our guess is somebody at DC Editorial actually didn’t look after Aquababy. The “Dying of a Prince” storyline had enormous ramifications for Aquaman as a personality, and finally led to the top of his marriage to Queen Mera, who blamed her husband for his or her little one’s loss of life.
Black Manta’s Powers
Black Manta has no innate powers to talk of, though he’s fairly adept at varied types of fight. Nevertheless, his go well with packs fairly a wallop. His high-tech diving go well with permits him to haven’t solely an indefinite oxygen provide underwater, but in addition protects him from the crushing depths and freezing chilly of the ocean. The go well with additionally permits Black Manta to extend his personal energy and provides him unbelievable velocity underwater. It’s immune to bullets and plasma weapons, and this permits him to go toe to toe with Aquaman, regardless of simply having common human energy. It could possibly hearth a wide range of lethal plasma blasts as properly.
Black Manta’s Function in Aquaman and the Misplaced Kingdom
Within the first Aquaman film, Yahya Abdul-Mateen portrayed the Black Manta. The origin story within the 2018 James Wan movie sticks fairly near the DC Comics New 52 model. He’s a high-tech pirate alongside his father, and when his dad dies after an incident involving Aquaman, he vows revenge. He assaults Arthur Curry in Italy, however Arthur finally defeats him. However because the post-credits scene exhibits us, Black Manta positively didn’t die. All indicators level to Manta making an attempt to precise his revenge on the King of Atlantis in Aquaman and the Misplaced Kingdom.
The Black Manta Spin-off The Trench
Warner Bros. deliberate a spin-off movie for Black Manta referred to as The Trench. We noticed Aquaman face off in opposition to the monsters who reside within the undersea trench within the 2018 movie. James Wan revealed that The Trench was secretly a stealth solo Black Manta film. When Warner Bros. canceled these plans, concepts for the spin-off discovered their method into the sequel Aquaman and the Misplaced Kingdom.
Black Trident in Aquaman 2
Within the trailer, we see that Black Manta is wielding the Black Trident, a relic from Atlantis from earlier than King Atlan’s time. Likelihood is we’re going to see Trident vs. Trident within the upcoming sequel. This may put Manta on equal footing along with his well-known nemesis. We’ll discover out when Aquaman and the Misplaced Kingdom hits theaters on December 22, 2023.