The first batch of images for the highly-anticipated Aquaman standalone is finally here. Entertainment Weekly released two magazine covers along with seven images from the actual film. These images include our first looks at the cast of Aquaman which includes Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. All of the stars are brandishing their costumes from the film which are surprisingly comic accurate. Though, there are some slight differences between the two.
Costumes aside, these stars’ roles are of more interest. For instance, Nicole Kidman playing Queen Atlanna, Arthur Curry’s mother. Her appearance in these images means we’ll see flashbacks because Atlanna’s comic counterpart dies when Arthur is still young. The image itself does seem to hint at the same with Atlanna holding a young child close to her chest. She only ever had two children in the comics: Arthur and Orin. It can’t be Orin (Patrick Wilson) since he’s blond in the film, making it safe to say the child is Arthur. Keep in mind that we don’t know whether or not Atlanna is destined to die like she did in the comics.
As for Amber Heard, she’s playing Mera, the soon-to-be queen of Atlantis. There are two images of Heard, one which depicts her in street attire while the other shows Heard in Atlantean armor. The context of these scenes is unclear but Mera will most likely be joining in the fight. At the same time, this should be quite entertaining.
The final image of interest depicts Yahya Abdul-Mateen II working on his Manta costume; the helmet to be precise. A special rifle also sits on the desk in front of him so this is definitely Manta’s workshop. In the film, Black Manta (Abdul-Mateen II) is one of the villains who Aquaman will face at some point. Their conflict is bound to be a central focus of the film but Arthur also needs to consider the dangers presented by Orin and his followers.
EW/Warner Bros.
Apart from the actors we can see, there’s no clear look at Willem Dafoe who is playing Vulko. He’s turning away from the camera in the image so the only thing we can confirm is that his armor is similar to Mera’s. Although, a prominent distinction from the comics is the long hair he’s sporting.
In comparison to his comic counterpart whose been depicted as a balding man, Defoe’s version is different. Vulko appears to have retained his long hair even in old age but he could lose it later on. Nevertheless, this difference between adaptations is slight.
Altogether, these images provide a decent look at the stars who’ll become the face of the DC’EU in coming years. There’ll definitely be more added when The Flash and Cyborg premiere but for now, these are the celebrities we should be on the lookout for in the next DC film.
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Images provided by Jasin Boland/Warner Bros., EW.com & James Hubberd.
