Highlights
- Black Manta, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, will be the central antagonist in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, returning with a better-prepared and more advanced suit.
- Black Manta does not have natural superpowers but relies on his technologically advanced suit to have superhuman-like abilities, including various weaponry and a jetpack for mobility.
- The Black Manta suit is equipped with Atlantean technology and has been modified by David to fit his preferences, making him a formidable threat to Aquaman and Mera, showcasing his skills as an engineering genius and strategic thinker.
Black Manta, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, made his live-action debut in James Wan's 2018 Aquaman. He wasn't the primary antagonist there, but he proved himself a physical and strategic threat. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and the character are returning with a vengeance in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as the central antagonist this time around, and he's better prepared to take on the King of Atlantis.
In the first film, audiences watched the human David Kane transform into the villainous Black Manta. He was already a villain of sorts, working as a pirate and mercenary. However, when Aquaman killed his dad, he swore revenge on the half-Atlantean, leading him to ally with Arthur's half-brother Orm. The suit David uses bestows him with incredible abilities that make his overall goal of killing Aquaman possible. Before he returns in James Wan's sequel, get a look at what Black Manta is capable of.
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Does Black Manta Have Superpowers?
Unlike his archnemesis, Black Manta has no natural gifts in the superpower department. He can't fly, breathe underwater, or lift a building over his head. However, he's more than a formidable threat to the titular hero. It's evident from his first appearance that David is a skilled engineer who's capable of adapting even more advanced technology than the human world has to offer. Instead of powers, Black Manta goes the Iron Man route by donning a technologically advanced suit that gives him superhuman-like abilities. It comes equipped with a vast array of weaponry that helps him in both close-quarters combat and long-range attacks.
The Black Manta suit is capable of everything it accomplishes because it features Atlantean technology. According to James Wan's first Aquaman film, it was initially a suit that Orm intended to outfit his soldiers with before he needed David Kane to lead an assault on the surface against Arthur Curry. As a technological genius, David adjusted the suit to fit his preferences, making him a more significant threat to Aquaman and Mera.
What are Black Manta's Abilities?
David Kane trained throughout his life to be a threat to his enemies, making himself a gifted fighter with or without the Black Manta suit. However, going up against metahumans like Aquaman, he wouldn't pose much of a threat without the suit. The suit puts him on equal footing with Arthur. In the first Aquaman movie, the audience sees David utilize various energy attacks from the suit's wrists and helmet. The helmet also gives David the ability to view his surroundings in infrared and allows him to breathe underwater.
David's able to utilize the suit's jetpack as a means to travel faster underwater as well as propel himself through the air, letting him cover more ground and keep up with his enemies. Black Manta also outfits himself with various bladed weapons such as daggers, harpoons, and an extendable blade from his gauntlet capable of breaking Atlantean skin. Or, more specifically, Aquaman's skin. As if all that wasn't enough, the suit also grants its wearer superhuman strength, allowing him to go toe-to-toe with any metahuman in unarmed combat. The suit truly makes David an Atlantean war machine.
Beyond being an engineering genius, Black Manta is also strategically intellectual. In some ways, he's an evil Batman. He relies on technology, his brains, and sheer willpower to get things done. He even loses a parent, which puts him on the path he ends up on. It's apparent that Black Manta obtains the Black Trident, which is said to wield cursed powers. It's unclear what abilities this trident will give David in the Aquaman sequel beyond corrupting those around him, but it will likely be more than the technology his suit has to offer.
How Does Black Manta's Tech Work?
The suit was a prototype intended for Atlantean soldiers to utilize, so it naturally adapts to the ocean environment, allowing its wearer to withstand intense pressure from the ocean's depths. When Orm gifted it to David, it came with a "hydro-plasma" rifle that converted water into ionized plasma capable of devastating power. David adapted the technology to fit into the helmet, making the helmet a tool for destruction and life-support. David's suit in the first Aquaman film was clunky and utilitarian, covered in various panels around the torso and arms.
His suit in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom looks significantly streamlined. It resembles a wetsuit more than a suit of armor, giving it a significant upgrade. The trailer for the sequel revealed that David obtains the Black Trident, a cursed trident that could be responsible for his suit's upgrades and the source of his new power. Wearing a suit with clunky panels served to explain that certain technology allowed the suit to adapt to its oceanic surroundings. Without those, it's curious how David could traverse the ocean depths.