Warning: Spoilers ahead for Justice League #67
Arthur Curry is one of DC Comics’ most important characters, but with Atlantis’ true purpose recently revealed, Aquaman’s new role could change the landscape of the DCEU as well. Aquaman and Atlantis have always been DC mainstays, and that importance has translated to the silver screen. But if the movies head in the same direction the comics are going, Aquaman could become the DCEU’s greatest hero.
The Justice League Dark backup story by Ram V and Sumit Kumar, found in Justice League #67, features some pretty heavy reveals for DC Comics’ magical community. As Aquaman and the other occult heroes go head-to-head with an all-powerful Merlin in the undersea kingdom, Atlantis is revealed to be much more than an ancient undersea kingdom. In reality, Atlantis is and always has been the origin point for all magic on Earth - and more important than anyone ever realized.
This reveal means that as Atlantis’ guardian, Aquaman just got a promotion to a guardian of magic alongside some of DC's other magical characters like Shazam or Wonder Woman. And with Arthur’s massive DCEU popularity and his upcoming sequel releasing next year, it couldn’t have happened at a better time. After all, as a character and a franchise, Aquaman has been one of the biggest success stories of the sometimes-divisive DCEU.
While there are many fans of the on-screen universe, it has occasionally struggled to garner the same attention from the general audience. But with a box office haul of well over $1 billion, James Wan’s Aquaman generated wide mainstream appeal. Like Aquaman, some of the DCEU’s most popular films, such as Wonder Woman or Shazam! also deal heavily with the supernatural side of the DC Universe. That trend is only going to continue as next year’s Black Adam is planning to introduce not only that titular member of the Justice League but also Doctor Fate as well.
With so much emphasis placed on the DC Universe’s more occult characters, this could be the perfect time for the films to follow the comics' lead and emphasize the mystical importance of Atlantis on the silver screen. Aquaman is already one of the DCEU's most popular characters, so they may as well make him their most important. And as his upcoming sequel gets set to explore the mysterious Lost Kingdom, there’s plenty of opportunities to introduce the mystical potential of both Aquaman and the nation of Atlantis as a whole.
Whether or not the DCEU tackles this revelation head-on, it still has some pretty huge ramifications for Aquaman and his corner of the DC Comics universe. Between his current tensions with Superman and Jackson Hyde’s training, Arthur already has his hands full with everything life is throwing at him. But with these new revelations, protecting his undersea kingdom just became that much more important.