The defunct DCEU transformed Aquaman from a joke into a champion, but that’s new territory for the character.
Aquaman has always been the punchline of the Justice League, but that coveted role was given to Barry Allen in the DCEU. Were it not for Ezra Miller’s penchant for grooming minors, assaulting strangers, and frequently melting down, that tactic may have worked off. Instead, a combination of Miller’s messy history and a slew of barely-watchable releases doomed the DCEU to an early grave.
Before it was even buried, the franchise was reborn in James Gunn’s image, rebranded the DCU (creative!), and eyeing a complete recasting of all the lead characters. In some cases, like that of Henry Cavill, incoming stars will have massive shoes to fill. In the case of Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, there’s no one with feet big enough to meet the task. Its not just that the casting of Momoa gave the formerly plain, blonde, exhaustingly white Arthur Curry a much-needed modern makeover, but that Aquaman is, pure and simple, a ridiculous character.
Now don’t get me wrong here — he doesn’t have to be. The idea of a heavily-muscled, shirtless half-merman who can communicate with sea creatures, rule the inky depths, and combine his powers to fight for good isn’t dumb on the surface — just look at Triton, who we all respected long before Javier Bardem made him a zaddy. But Aquaman just… isn’t it. He’s an eye roll of a character, wrapped up in excessive color schemes and a deeply under-explored concept.
With Momoa’s casting, however, Aquaman got a new lease on life. Suddenly, the character was almost cool, as he flitted through the waves and chatted with fish and damp red heads. Cool enough, in fact, to prompt not one, but two solo movies. Two movies focused entirely on Aquaman, something that — as it turns out — was all but unheard of ahead of 2018.
Every Aquaman movie ever made
Spoiler alert: There aren’t many.
Folks, I expected at least a television movie or animated flop to join the DCEU’s live-action Aquaman flicks on this list. I was thoroughly surprised — perhaps without cause — to find that the DCEU was the first franchise foolish enough to think Arthur could carry a solo flick on his own. Far more surprising was when that decision was proved right. Our boy Aquaman has made appearances in a number of animated and live-action films over the years, from 2017’s Justice League to animated darlings like Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox — but I wouldn’t count any of these as Aquaman movies. He’s in them, sure, but just as a member of the League. Even Throne of Atlantis is centered around the League, rather than Aquaman himself, which leaves our list painfully short.
Aquaman (2018)
The first solo film to ever star Aquaman, and only Aquaman, was 2018’s live-action Aquaman. The solo debut of Arthur Curry is actually among the DCEU’s better releases (not that that’s saying much), but it seems safe to say that its followup (listed below) will likely be the last major Aquaman release for quite some time.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
2023 brings about the second solo outing for our boy Arthur, with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s impending December release. The film once again puts the King of Atlantis at its forefront, as it dives deep beneath the waves to tell the final story in the doomed DCEU.
And there you have it, folks. Each and every one of Aquaman’s solo outings, ever. If you, like me, expected at least a few more entries on this list, rest happy knowing you aren’t alone. But it seems the executives at Warner Bros. Pictures are a touch smarter than we give them credit for. They seem to realize that no one on Earth, barring a smoldering Hawaiian stud, can make Aquaman cool, and we can’t help but thank them for their restraint.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
