“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” director Zack Snyder tweeted the image late Thursday with the caption “There is only one true King. #unitetheseven.”It’s unclear whether the hashtag refers to the seven seas, over which Aquaman rules as the King of Atlantis, or the seven members of the Justice League superhero team, of which Aquaman is a founding member.
The character is expected to appear in Snyder’s upcoming film, which also unites Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (“Man of Steel” star Henry Cavill) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). The other original members of DC Comics’ elite superhero team are Green Lantern, the Flash and Martian Manhunter.
In the new image, Aquaman appears to have undergone a dark fantasy makeover, with Momoa sporting long hair, armor and tribal tattoos, not dissimilar to his character Khal Drogo in “Game of Thrones.”
In the comics, Aquaman is Arthur Curry, heir to the throne of Atlantis but cast out of the underwater kingdom when he was a baby. He grew up on land until the Atlanteans reclaimed their king. In the ocean, he possesses the ability to breathe underwater, telepathically communicate with sea life and swim at high speeds, and on land, he has enhanced sense, superhuman strength, and nearly impenetrable skin.
Snyder recently phoned into a Detroit radio show to defend the character, who has long been the subject of derision among comic book fans.
“Aquaman has some cool abilities,” Snyder told the radio show. “People are like, ‘Oh what? Does he talk to animals? Cause that seems like what he does. Or fish?’ The cool thing with Aquaman is his trident. So you have to realize that could cut the flesh of Superman if they came in contact. That’s a thing that’s in the canon. He’s super strong ’cause of course he can exist at these super deep depths so when he comes up here he’s crazy strong.”
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” opens in 3-D on March 25, 2016.
