Believe it or not, once
upon a time Aquaman was considered cool… There isn’t actually a source for that
or anything, I’m just assuming it’s true because he’s been around for so long,
so DC comics must have good reason to keep him around. At the very least, he
was an original member of the Justice League and that has got to count for
something. Regardless, DC has had an undeniably tough time popularizing the guy
for a long time now. But it looks like the decades-long slump for Aquaman is
over. Ever since the first image of Jason Momoa as Aquaman was released in
February, the world knew that things were looking up for the swim trunk
superhero. Jason Momoa is poised to do the impossible: Make Aquaman cool
(again), and the following are four potential ways he could do it.
With Jason Momoa comes
his unquestionably badass screen history. Roles such as Khal Drogo from HBO’s
Game of Thrones and the title character in the recent Conan the Barbarian
remake have made Jason Momoa synonymous with the heroic and admirable warrior
archetype. And die hard fans of Momoa will remember his time on Stargate:
Atlantis, so it’s not exactly like he’ll be out of his element as Aquaman.
While comic readers and
dedicated fans of Aquaman know that there are plenty of ways the character is
hardcore (stay tuned for number 3 on this list), the general public have a hard
time sharing this belief. Momoa’s typecast image of a stoic, battle-hardened
character should benefit the portrayal of Aquaman in the new, grittier DC
lineup.
2. A darker
characterization (possible antagonist?)
Source: DCcomics.com
Speaking of the more
gritty direction DC (i.e. Zack Snyder) seems to be going with their superhero
movies, there’s real potential in making Aquaman the center of that grittiness.
The upcoming Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is already setting the
precedent of conflict among superheroes so who’s to say this trend won’t
continue? Momoa’s screen history of anti-heroes even lends itself to a darker
direction for Aquaman. Not to mention that there’s certainly a precedent for
this.
In the “Flashpoint”
comic book story arc, written by Geoff Johns, the Flash wakes up in an
alternate, much grimmer, timeline. Many things are different in this timeline
but the main point of conflict revolves around an Amazonian-Atlantean war. The
timeline portrays a much fiercer and brutal Aquaman who is willing to
participate in a war that could destroy the planet. This comic gave readers a
glimpse at just how dangerous and harmful the king of an underwater
civilization could be to the rest of the world. It’s unlikely that these exact
events from “Flashpoint” will play out in a Momoa-led Aquaman movie, but there
is certainly a chance for Aquaman to be seen as less of a hero for humankind
and more of a monarch of Atlantis.
The original Aquaman
was named Arthur Curry and white, blonde, and blue eyed. So it’s a good change
of pace that DC has cast Momoa, who is Hawaiian by descent and from Honolulu.
Historically, Hawaiians had strong ties to the ocean and sea life and were
expert navigators that explored the pacific island regions hundreds of years before
Europeans.
What effect will all
this have on the way Momoa will portray Aquaman? Absolutely none. Momoa was
raised in Oklahoma and while he has a deep respect for his heritage (see his
participation in the Mauna Kea protests), it would be extremely unfortunate if
DC/ Warner Bros. tried to take advantage of that and capitalize off that
heritage. That being said, it is always appreciated when studios are willing to
make a casting call like this. Aquaman was created when comics were
predominately only read by white men. Times have changed and comics are
welcomed and supported by all sorts of demographics. Plus it really helps to
change the notion that only handsome white guys can be superheroes. Clearly
handsome Hawaiian guys can be too.
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