It will have been a 75 year journey from the page to the big screen for Aquaman, by the time he makes his cinematic debut in next year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The world’s most famous underwater superhero made his first appearance in 1941 and has been seen as largely a joke until…well…tonight…

Although he is one of the older and more recognizable heroes in DC Comics’ library, he has long been perceived as being a second class hero when compared to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. A lot of that is attributable to the characterizations of Aquaman which were not even necessarily from the comics. The old animated program Superfriends found him spending a lot of time talking to fish and riding dolphins, while other heroes on the show flew futuristic jets and had superior strength. In more recent times, the show Entourage spoofed the character by having a fictional Aquaman movie, directed by James Cameron, signifying the lack of creativity and bloated nature of Hollywood.

In the past couple of decades, DC Comics has responded to the misguided public perception of the character by toughening him up in the comics. He has grown a beard, gotten his hand chopped off, worn an eye patch, and more recently the New 52 reboot of the DC universe has again redefined the character for a new generation. Suddenly Aquaman is one of the more popular characters in their library and he will soon be getting his chance in the spotlight, in both the Justice League films and his own solo adventure.

Actor Jason Momoa has been cast as Arthur Curry for close to a year, however he has only recently been able to talk about the role. We certainly understand the secrecy that he was contractually obligated to keep. (Check out our exclusive interview with Momoa from last summer.) Last year we managed to cover him giving a description of the role (watch video), however only in recent weeks has he been able to open up about playing Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman in depth. 

Director Zack Snyder has been slowly revealing the core characters from his upcoming mega-blockbuster, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Last May he tweeted the first official look at Ben Affleck in costume as Batman and this past summer gave the world their first look at Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Tonight Snyder kept up the tradition and gave the world its first look at Jason Momoa as Aquaman.

There is only one true King. pic.twitter.com/RDFG8jbuI6

— ZackSnyder (@ZackSnyder)

While he certainly has the physicality to play the king of the seven seas, he definitely is not the traditional blond haired, blue eyed, clean-cut version of Curry. His interpretation brings to mind the rugged, bearded Aquaman that we got in the 1990’s comics. The pattern of tribal tattoos and decorative armor is a clear homage to the scaled costume of the comics as well. And for the comic book purists and fashionistas, it seems that Snyder has even given his hair blond highlights, despite recent claims from Momoa that he won’t be “some blond-haired superhero.” It also should be noted that he is wielding his character’s trademark trident, which director Snyder has mentioned can pierce Superman’s skin.

While the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is still a little over a year away, it seems that the curtain will slowly be getting pulled back in the next few months as summer movie season kicks into gear. Snyder has been systematically checking Justice League member reveals off of his list and the last two heroes to be shown are the Flash and Cyborg. Although it is unclear if either one will appear fully formed in Dawn of Justice. Also we hope to get some first looks at the villains as well, so make sure to keep coming back to the Point for all the latest.

How do you like the look of Momoa as Aquaman? How do you see him fitting into the movie? Let us know on , , , and Reddit! Make sure to share our stories on your favorite social media by clicking below. 

Source: IGN

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