Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set to wash up in theaters later this year, and unfortunately, it’s looking like the mighty may have fallen. Indeed, after Jason Momoa’s subaquatic superhero cemented himself as one of the DC Extended Universe’s standout protagonists, the incoming DC Universe reboot from James Gunn coupled with a suspiciously late trailer for the sequel makes us wonder if Warner Bros. decided to phone it in for the DCEU’s final sendoff.
Fins crossed that it makes something of a decent splash with fans and critics alike (wishful thinking, we know; but what’s life without wishes?), but, as is the case for all entries in a cinematic universe, the purest of its readings will come from those who have been following Arthur Curry from the get-go. If you’re keen on joining that club, here’s every DCEU Aquaman film in order.
Justice League
Aquaman’s first major DCEU appearance was in Justice League (both the original cut and the one from Zack Snyder), where he aided Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Cyborg against Steppenwolf and his pack of Parademons.
He previously had a small cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but you’re honestly better off just skipping both of these movies unless you want the pure, unfiltered Aquaman experience or are just that masochistic.
Aquaman
Following Justice League, Aquaman’s next major appearance was in the aptly-titled Aquaman, which remains the highest-grossing film to ever come out of the DCEU thanks to its $1.150 billion box office return. In the film, Aquaman comes to learn about his Atlantean heritage and reluctantly grows into his role as the King of Atlantis while simultaneously preventing his half-brother from launching a world-ending attack from beneath the waves. Indeed, you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.
The Flash
After single-handedly chowing down on the box office and making a brief cameo in James Gunn’s Peacemaker series, Arthur paid us all a visit in the post-credits scene of The Flash, whose contributions involved drunkenly falling face-first into a puddle. Not exactly required viewing, but hey, this is the definitive list of Aquaman and Aquaman-adjacent movies.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Rounding out the DCEU’s Aquaman story for good will be Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, in which Arthur will find himself toe-to-trident with the dreaded Black Manta, a powerful supervillain who gets his hands on an ancient weapon known as the Black Trident, and who seems to have something of a bone to pick with the Kingdom of Atlantis.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom dives into theaters on Dec. 20.
(featured image: Warner Bros. Entertainment)
