One fan-favorite movie of the DCEU is Aquaman, the solo film that focuses on the Atlantean's origin story and his ascension to the throne as the King of the Seven Seas. While his comic book counterpart was often the source of ridicule among other comic book heroes and fans, the movie fixed that. While the DCEU has commonly been thought of as dark by most fans, Aquaman lightened the mood, so to speak, with witty humor, sarcasm, and quips. All without sacrificing the action, thrill, and intrigue the universe is known for, of course.

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Each character, from Aquaman himself to secondary villains like Black Manta, showed off unique traits during their time on the screen. Although viewers got to see some characters more than others, they were all memorable for one reason or another, however short or long their screen time.

Most: David Kane/Black Manta

An image of Black Manta in Aquaman with his henchmen

The scavenger of the sea crossed paths with Aquaman early in the movie when he, his father, and their crew hijacked a submarine. Although Aquaman stopped them and saved the crew, David's dad proved to be a casualty as he died in the process, leaving him bitter and angry towards Aquaman.

He re-appeared a couple more times in the movie, plotting with Orm to stage an attack on Atlantis and going after Aquaman for revenge as Black Manta. While Aquaman did defeat him, seemingly for good, he did reappear once more in the mid-credits scene. So it's likely that wasn't the last fans would see of him.

Least: King Nereus

An image of King Nereus in Aquaman

Mera's father supported Orm on leading an attack against surface dwellers, even though his daughter pleaded with him not to. He seemed to have his own agenda in supporting Orm and was mostly in agreement with him until Mera escaped with Arthur (and they had a disagreement on what her punishment should be).

When Mera and Arthur returned, with Arthur wielding Atlan's trident, he quickly changed sides and began to support the one, true king and commander of the sea.

Most: King Orm

An image of King Orm in Aquaman

Although he was Aquaman's key rival, Orm and Arthur didn't share the screen much together. Apart from two major fight scenes, the two weren't shown together in the movie. In fact, Orm spent most of his screen time talking to other Atlanteans to convince them to join him in his war against the surface.

He was also in cahoots with David, giving him Atlantean weapons behind King Nereus' back so he could kill Aquaman and Mera. The two also worked together to fake an attack on Orm during his meeting with King Nereus so he could convince the latter that the surface had already begun a war with them.

Least: Thomas Curry

Thomas Curry smiling in Aquaman

Thomas was a humble lighthouse keeper whose life changed the day he rescued Atlanna and brought her into his home. They fell in love and had a child together before Atlanna was forced to return to Atlantis. He stayed behind with their son and raised Arthur alone. However, Every morning, he would go down to the dock where he found Atlanna and stay there for a while.

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At the end of the movie, his wish came true when Atlanna surfaced from the sea and joined him, having been brought back by Arthur and Mera. Fans can only assume they lived happily ever after together now that she wasn't a fugitive of Atlantis and their son, Arthur, was the King.

Most: Nuidius Vulko

An image of Nuidius Vulko in Aquaman

Vulko was Orm's advisor and he also trained Arthur from the time he was young on Atlanna's behest. Like Mera, he was instrumental in leading Arthur to the path of becoming King of Atlantis and unlocking his full potential and power. He secretly gave the two a map to find the lost trident of King Atlan so Arthur could retrieve it and challenge his brother to reclaim his rightful place on the throne.

Throughout the movie, he offered counsel to Orm. However, once his two-timing was discovered, he was sent to prison while Orm carried on with his plan to gather the forces of the Atlantean kingdom and lead a war against the surface dwellers.

Least: Queen Atlanna

An image of Queen Atlanna in Aquaman

Although Atlanna was a key part of Aquaman's origin story, she didn't feature much in the story. After she washed up on land and got rescued by a lighthouse keeper, she made a home for herself on land with him. They, along with their son, Arthur, were a happy family. However, the life she had run away from came calling and Atlanna was forced to go back to Atlantis to protect Arthur and his father.

For most of the movie, Atlanna was believed to be dead, executed by the people of Atlantis for her land escapades. She left behind Arthur and his younger brother Orm, who resented Arthur for being a "half-breed." The final scenes of the movie revealed that she had survived and was in hiding. She went back home with Arthur and finally got her happily ever after with Thomas.

Most: Mera

Mera in her green outfit in Aquaman

Princess Mera played a pivotal role in helping Aquaman fulfill his destiny and claim his birthright as King of Atlantis. When she first approached him, she hoped to convince him to dethrone Orm, who was hell-bent on starting a war with the surface world. She wanted to protect both her world and his, but Arthur didn't want anything to do with the people who had killed his mother.

After Orm orchestrated an attack on the surface, Mera saved Thomas, using her hydrokinesis powers and finally convinced Arthur to come with her to Atlantis. From thereafter, she became his right-hand woman as they journeyed together in search of the lost trident of King Atlan so he could challenge Orm and command the sea. Although they bickered a lot along the way, the two fell in love and she was by his side when he ascended to the throne.

Least: Jesse Kane

An image of Jesse Kane in Aquaman

Jesse was the leader of a group of pirates hijacking a submarine at the beginning of Aquaman. He was accompanied by his son, David, whom he was training to follow in his footsteps.  He even gave him a special dagger to show him how proud he was, an obvious sign that he wasn't going to be around much longer. Their hijacking attempt was thwarted by Aquaman when he pushed the submarine back to the surface and joined them on board.

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When he tried to kill Aquaman, Jesse shot a hole into the submarine instead and got trapped as it slowly started to fill up with water. David tried to free him and failed, and even asked Aquaman to help but he refused, telling him that he had killed innocent people and he should ask the sea for mercy. Jesse died on the submarine, bringing his short time on screen to an end.

Most: Arthur Curry/Aquaman

Jason Momoa as Aquaman

 

As the main character, it's only fitting that Aquaman had the most screen time throughout the movie. The story showed his conception, a bit of his childhood, and snippets of his life as a teenager, as well as his adventures as Aquaman. After his appearance in Justice League, his solo movie filled in the gaps in his story.

When Atlantis began an uprising against the surface, led by his half-brother Orm, Aquaman stepped in to protect both land and sea from a senseless war. As a half-human, half Atlantean, he was the perfect person to unite his two worlds and form a bridge of understanding between them so everyone could live in harmony.

Least: Dr. Stephen Shin

An image of Stephen Shin in Aquaman

The only surface dweller (outside of Arthur and his Dad) who believed Atlantis existed, first appeared in a news broadcast following Orm's retaliation, where the sea washed up years of trash back onto land. News anchors sharing the screen with him dismissed his claims as wild theories, even after he insisted that Aquaman, an Atlantean, lived among them.

He appeared again in the mid-credits scene, having rescued Black Manta after his second battle with Aquaman. Dr. Shin was tinkering around with the weapons he had found on him, which he correctly guessed were Atlantean tech, meaning his theories were all true.

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