Aquaman Is A Superhero Dad In The New Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom Trailer

Aquaman is back, baby! And he actually has a baby with him now! With the brand new DC Universe fast approaching, "Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom" serves as the very last remaining project of the old DC Expanded Universe that started with "Man of Steel" back in 2013.

It is fitting, then, that the honor of closing out this version of a DC cinematic universe will fall on the single best character of this universe — Jason Momoa's Aquaman. The first "Aquaman" was an incredibly fun movie, one that presented a huge, visually rich world, lots of dumb fun, an octopus that plays drums, and the cinematic gift that is the scene where Aquaman heads to the Sahara Desert while a cover of Toto's "Africa" by Pitbull plays in the background. It's a big, dumb movie. It's the kind of movie that could only be made by James Wan, the guy that gave us "Furious 7" — the movie where Dwayne Johnson literally breaks out of a cast by flexing his muscles, and also the one where cars jump out of planes.

For "Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom," Wan seems to be doubling down on the big, mythical adventure side of the first movie. He is also increasing the number of family members Momoa's Arthur Curry is meeting, given that the latest trailer for the second "Aquaman" starts with Arthur talking to his son — which is as ominous as it is adorable.

The sight of Arthur and his son is enough to instantly make DC Comics fans sweat in fear. After all, before Momoa turned Arthur Curry into a badass, the biggest attempt by DC to remove the character from his goofy "Super Friends" reputation was with — you guessed it — a gritty and dark storyline where Black Manta kidnaps and ultimately kills Aquaman's infant son. Decades later, Aquaman got an edgy '90s reboot where he loses a hand and replaces it with a cool harpoon.

The death of Aquaman's baby may seem too dark a storyline for even Zack Snyder to do, but it was a storyline Jeff Nichols took inspiration from when he pitched his own "Aquaman" movie to Warner Bros. Now, does the inclusion of a son mean that Wan's "Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom" will feature the brutal death of a child? Probably not. Given Wan's horror roots, however, it's possible he will at least tease fans with that danger during the movie.

"Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom" hits theaters on December 22, 2023.