Back when Ben Affleck was named as the new Batman, there was a rumor—that sounded more like wishing, really—that Matt Damon could be on board to play the most laughable of all superheroes, Aquaman. It was the latest in a succession of Aquaman rumors, and if you’re wondering why people keep talking up this guy, it’s because if you’re going to do a Justice League movie, you have to include Aquaman, just like the Avengers have to include Thor. He’s a foundation member, and no matter how silly he is, he gets a default spot on the roster. (Just like Thor.) And now we know who is really playing Aquaman in Batman vs. Superman: Half a Justice League. Khal Drogo himself, Jason Momoa, will get to swim with the fishes as Aquaman. Go ahead and laugh, I’ll wait.
Aquaman is a dumb character. His chief power is that he swims really fast and talks to fish, and sometimes he can make water explode. SUPER USEFUL. This is a guy who serves on a team with Superman and Wonder Woman, the two most powerful beings on the planet, and Batman, a crazy smart, inventive badass who bankrolls their whole operation. And Aquaman’s big contribution is that he can tell you how the catch of the day is feeling and also he’ll die if he’s out of water too long. Aquaman never feels necessary to the Justice League. He’s just…there.
So now Khal Drogo gets to be just…there… in Superhero Face Punch. According to HitFix, it won’t be a big part, but a pop-in to introduce the character and set him up for the proper Justice League movie to follow in 2017. We’re also starting to get an idea of what the movie is about—basically everyone is pissed that Superman leveled half of Metropolis in Man of Steel. Aquaman’s beef, allegedly, has to do with the damage done to the Indian Ocean while Superman struggled to punch some energy.
I actually like this tack. If the uniting factor that brings the Justice League together is “Superman is a dillweed and we can’t leave him alone for a minute” I will love it so much. I don’t expect Zack Snyder to play it for laughs—God forbid WB/DC make a movie that has an ounce of joy in it—but there’s a lot of potential in the notion that no one trusts Superman and he gets a team of super-powered babysitters because of it.
As for that potential release slate through 2018, damn, it’s aggressive. Seven films through three years? It seems kind of desperate. They’re already rushing into the Justice League, and looking at that projected schedule, you’d think the world was ending 2018. I have my doubts about it—I think we’ll see some of those films, eventually, but I’m not convinced it will be those exact ones in that specific order. At least their alleged future doesn’t include a stand-alone Aquaman movie, because that would be ridiculous.
