Warning! This article contains spoilers for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s blood magic, Orichalcum, and other elements added some nice complexity to an otherwise straightforward DCEU movie. Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry teamed up with his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) for the last movie in the DCEU, leading to a fun adventure that gave Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s characters, both with small and large roles, their time to shine before the franchise gets rebooted. The sequel to the over $1 billion Aquaman continued director James Wan’s exploration of the DCEU’s underwater kingdom of Atlantis, adding some exciting worldbuilding as Arthur embraces his new role as the King of Atlantis.
While the Aquaman sequel did not feature many ties to the wider DCEU — even removing Batman scenes with actors Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck — Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom had Easter eggs and connections to DC Comics. The DCEU film introduced some interesting elements to what might be Momoa’s final turn as Aquaman, as the actor is heavily rumored to play Lobo in the new DC Universe. For Momoa’s possible final Aquaman adventure, Wan and crew came up with a story that used certain elements from the comics in new ways, making Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom an entertaining ride for fans new and old to the character.
Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom Ending Explained (In Detail)
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ending brings the DCEU franchise to a close with Jason Momoa’s aquatic king of Atlantis facing Black Manta.
The Lost Kingdom Necrus Explained
Is Necrus From The DC Comics?
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s Necrus comes from DC Comics. Necrus is the lost kingdom mentioned in the movie’s title and, as such, plays a central role in the story of the DCEU’s final entry. In the comics, Necrus is reasonably different from how the city is represented in the movie. DC Comics’ Necrus — the Black City — is a mysterious location that keeps disappearing and reappearing over the years. That is due to Necrus existing on a different plane, only coming to the Earth’s dimension when a specific alien satellite comes near the planet’s orbit.
The Earth’s magnetic field impacts a device on the satellite, triggering it to open up a dimensional rift that allows Necrus to come through. As the lost city appearing on Earth is completely dependent on the alien satellite, its location will vary according to where the satellite passes on the planet. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s version of Necrus is far different from how the original Black City is portrayed in the comics. In the DCEU, Necrus has no connection to an alien satellite whatsoever, with the lost city existing in the same set place on Earth and not a different dimension.
The DCEU movie’s Necrus was one of the seven kingdoms, becoming lost to all after it was cursed. King Kordax fought his brother, King Atlan, and that led to the ruin of the Black City. Necrus was a superpower due to its exploitation of Orichalcum. However, as Necrus’ efforts were poisoning both the land and the sea, King Atlan tried to get Kordax to stop. Through dark magic, Kordax crafted the Black Trident to defeat Atlan and continue doing as he wished. Kordax used the Black Trident to corrupt all of Necrus’ citizens, transforming them into mindless monsters. After being defeated by Atlan, Kordax, Necrus, and its inhabitants were frozen.
Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom Review: The DCEU Ends Not With A Bang, But With A Whimper
Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom is as goofy and adventurous as the first movie, but tries too hard for a seriousness it can never achieve with Jason Momoa.
King Kordax’s DC Comics History & Changes Explained
Much like how Necrus is different in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom from how it was in the comics, so is its ruler, King Kordax. In the comics, Kordax was not the leader of Necrus, with the warlord Mongo playing that role. In fact, Kordax was not even the brother of King Atlan like was presented in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, as that role belongs to Orin. The character has a very different comic book history, with Kordax not even looking human like the character played by Game of Thrones‘ Pilou Asbæk does at first. Kordax has green skin and blonde hair in the comics.
That physical trait of the comic book villain would translate to a different curse from the one shown in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. While King Kordax doomed himself and the citizens of Necrus because of his desire to defeat his brother Atlan once and for all, the comic book curse had nothing to do with that. In DC Comics, the “Curse of Kordax” impacted children. Due to Kordax’s terrible actions, leading the Tritonians in a bloody battle against the Poseidonians, the character’s image was so vilified in Atlantis that any Atlantean child born with blonde hair, like Kordax, was abandoned at birth to die. Aquaman was impacted by that.
How Magic & Blood Magic In Aquaman 2 Works Explained
Aquaman introduced the concept of magic to the franchise. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom expands on that, with Amber Heard’s Mera giving the best display of how Atlanteans can use magic to their advantage. Mera has the power of Hydrokinesis, which allows her to control and manipulate water. King Atlan’s trident is another magical item that gives Aquaman full control of the seven seas. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom introduced blood magic to the franchise. Blood magic was used by Atlan to imprison his brother, Kordax, and all the corrupted citizens of Necrus after the evil king was defeated. Only King Atlan’s bloodline could be used to break the curse.
What Is Orichalcum In Aquaman 2
Orichalcum Real-World History & Changes Explained
Orichalcum is one of the most important elements of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Orichalcum has two main uses in the DCEU film. Black Manta and his crew are after the scarce resource to fuel the ancient Atlantean machines that they found when discovering the Black Trident. Besides serving as the power source for the villain’s Atlantean machines, Black Manta decided to burn the Orichalcum, which led to the release of a large volume of greenhouse gases, to mess with the Earth’s temperatures, exponentially accelerating Gobal Warming. Orichalcum has both a place in DC Comics and the real world, making it an interesting addition to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
In DC Comics, Orichalcum was a mineral used for defense against magic. When transformed into metal, Orichalcum provided a nice resistance to magic, as well as the ability to wound powerful foes. Black Manta forged a trident for himself made of Orichalcum in the comics, with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom giving the villain King Kordax’s corrupted Black Trident instead. In the real world, Orichalcum is a metal that dates back to ancient writings. Interestingly, Orichalcum is said to have been found and mined all over Atlantis in Plato’s Critias, explaining its connection to Aquaman.
Devil’s Deep DC Comics History & Changes Explained
Devil’s Deep is the name of the remote island in the South Pacific where Black Manta’s base is located in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The island is shown to be majorly made up of a dense jungle with mutated fauna and flora. In the comics, Devil’s Deep is not an island but an undersea trench. The location is the home of Spotty, a monster who shares a connection with Lagoon Boy, who became more widely known for his role in the animated series Young Justice. Devil’s Deep has also served as Black Manta’s headquarters in the comics, with the underwater location being implied to go as deep as Hell.
Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom Post-Credits Scene Explained
We discuss whether Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has a credits scene and explain what it means, how it concludes the DCEU and sets up the DCU.
Octobot DC Comics History & Changes Explained
The Octobot is interesting, as the vehicle does not really have a direct counterpart in DC Comics. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly prior to the movie’s release, director James Wan revealed that the inspiration for the Octobot and the other vehicles from the Lost Kingdom that Black Manta finds come from a specific comic book era, saying, “Everything about the Lost Kingdom came from my love for the Silver Age Aquaman comic book, which is the 1960s comic book. So, everything about it has a very retro feel.” All those comic book inspirations contributed to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom becoming a richer experience for fans.
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