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Breaking Down the First Aquaman Trailer


Warner Bros. took over Hall H on Saturday at Comic-Con International in San Diego, and while many fans were thrilled to get new or first looks at films such as The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the real highlight was the DC portion of the panel.

Of course, this is largely because fans were treated to the epic first trailer for James Wan’s Aquaman, and we here at Epicstream have combed through the footage to provide you with a full breakdown. Check it out:

  1. The Origin

    The trailer begins with a brief recap of Arthur Curry’s origin story. We see his father (a lighthouse keeper) and his mother (a queen) come together to bring Arthur into the world, and, as Queen Atlanna says to her newborn son, perhaps he can unite Atlantis and the surface world one day.

  2. Arthur Curry, Shark Whisperer

    We quickly fast-forward to Arthur as a pre-adolescent on a field trip to an aquarium. After catching some unwanted attention from a pair of bullies, Arthur’s aquatelepathy kicks in and a massive shark slams against the glass, causing the bullies – as well as everyone else in the aquarium – to take a step back.

  3. ‘Permission to Come Aboard?’

    The next time we see Arthur, it’s as the Aquaman we came to know in Justice League. After ripping the hatch from the top of a submarine, he boards the vessel and makes quick work of the armed men inside.

  4. Enter Mera

    Next up, we get our first post-Justice League look at Mera. Approaching Aquaman at a marina, she warns him of his half-brother Orm’s plans to wage a war between Atlantis and the surface world.

  5. Ocean Master Attacks

    It doesn’t take long for us to see Orm’s handiwork. After getting our first look at Ocean Master, a massive tidal wave strikes Amnesty Bay, causing immense destruction and nearly wiping out Aquaman and his father. 

  6. All Hail King Atlan

    Mera tells Arthur that in order to stop the war, he needs to take his rightful place as king. At that moment, we jump to a shot of King Atlan sitting on the throne of Atlantis. This is presumably a flashback sequence, though, as Orm holds the throne at the time of the film. 

  7. The Beauty of Atlantis

    Besides the brief glimpse in Justice League, this is our first real look at the beautiful kingdom of Atlantis. The visual effects and scenery are incredible, and hopefully there are plenty more shots like this in the film.

  8. Challenging Orm for the Throne

    Aquaman’s homecoming certainly doesn’t seem to be appreciated by Orm. After they clang their respective tridents together, the pair engages in a heated battle for the throne while all of Atlantis looks on.

  9. Atlantean Strength

    Just in case there was any doubt about Aquaman’s strength, we get a shot of him lifting an entire submarine out of the water. So, yeah… he’s definitely a heavy hitter.

  10. Vulko

    Although Vulko’s scenes were cut from Justice League, he’ll feature prominently in Aquaman. Much like the New 52 iteration of the character, he’ll presumably be one of Arthur’s few Atlantean allies in the fight against Orm.

  11. The Trench

    The New 52 introduced readers to the Trench – one of the seven tribes of Atlantis – and they’re poised to make a huge splash in Aquaman. We see them attack a ship and send Arthur and Mera swimming for their lives, down into the depths of the ocean. However, the Trench can survive in depths that are fatal to even Atlanteans, so Arthur and Mera can only swim for so long.

  12. Black Manta’s Power

    While Ocean Master is the primary antagonist of the film, he’s not the only one. We also have longtime Aquaman villain Black Manta, who we see sporting an incredibly comic-book-accurate costume and firing powerful beams from his helmet.

  13. The Final Confrontation

    The war for the throne looks absolutely epic, featuring all sorts of fantastical sea creatures. We even get a shot of Aquaman riding a sea-dragon, putting a badass spin on the seahorse he used to ride in the comics.

    Aquaman hits theaters December 21.

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