It has been five long years since DC’s Aquaman—the superhero who was once thought to be a joke—made his big-screen debut and turned into an unexpected box-office hit. The sequel (Aquaman 2) was swiftly approved after the 2018 film achieved over $1 billion in box office revenue worldwide, largely due to the stylish direction of James Wan and the stellar performance by Jason Momoa. Was there really anything Warner Bros. could show during the credits after all that, especially with Momoa’s future as Aquaman uncertain? Or maybe another journey?
SPOILER ALERT: In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Momoa portrays Arthur Curry, also known as Aquaman, who must protect the underwater kingdom from David Kane’s (Black Manta) onslaught. The adventure takes the hero to several locations, including the deep sea, a mutant jungle, a parched desert, and Antarctica. There is a sense of closure in the film for both the soggy king and the DC Comics onscreen universe as a whole. Credit scenes typically hint at our hero’s upcoming film.
This is something that Marvel and Warner Bros. have done frequently, introducing superhero teams and even a few villains in their movie credits scenes. The Aquaman 2 credits scene contains a subtle reference to one of the film’s dumb jokes, implying that Aquaman’s future is a little less bright and that this iteration of the character is over.
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Unimaginable Twists Abound In Aquaman 2’s Post-Credits Scene
In the narrative of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Jason Momoa‘s character Arthur Curry/Aquaman must collaborate with Patrick Wilson‘s character Orm to foil Black Manta’s (Yahya Abdul-Mateen) plans. Orm and Arthur both reevaluated their brotherly relationship—or lack thereof—as a result of that strange alliance. Arthur’s task includes persuading Orm that the surface world offers many amazing experiences and should not be destroyed. Eating a burger is one of the greatest pleasures of surface life, as Arthur tells his brother.
In Aquaman 2, Arthur decides against putting Orm back in a cell and instead lets him go from prison. A final montage depicts the current situation of each main character. At last, Orm is seen trying the dish that Aurthur had raved about while eating outside at a hamburger joint.
We are brought back to Orm at the restaurant, enjoying his first burger, in the post-credits scene of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. We then see a big cockroach crawling across the table. When Orm sees it, he mistakenly believes it to be just another sandwich topping, not knowing that the insect has a negative reputation in the culture of the surface world. Orm takes a large, robust bite out of the roach and inserts it into his hamburger. In the final image, his face appears to be in a state of apparent rapture from the roach-burger.
As the DCEU’s swan song and the wrap-up to the Aquaman film series, the cast of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom made a fun and lighthearted film overall. Aquaman’s next adventure is not really hinted at, unless it involves him and his brother sharing hamburgers, considering how ridiculous the credits scene of Aquaman 2 is, how neatly the movie closes, and the lack of any significant plot developments.
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Jason Momoa’s Film Opens With A Low Rotten Tomatoes Rating
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has a terrible Rotten Tomatoes rating following the publication of the first reviews. The film’s performance may have an impact on fans’ feelings about the franchise. It also signifies the conclusion of the DC Extended Universe. As of the time of writing, the sequel had a 37% initial rating out of 111 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that critics are not too fond of it.
Reviewers have criticized Aquaman 2 as a disappointing and unimpressive conclusion to the franchise, despite compliments for the cast and the film’s spectacle. The film’s “plot” received poor reviews from Digital Spy, which stated that it is a “waste of everybody’s talent”:
“If you’re only coming to Aquaman 2 for the action, then you might not mind so much about the plot. Whether it’s been cut down or not, the result is a movie that rattles along from one set piece to another as though it’s in a rush to get it all over with. It’s all such a waste of everybody’s talent, even though the cast certainly tries to spark things into life.”
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In the James Wan-directed movie, Arthur Curry battles the evil Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) once again. This time, though, he teams up with his brother, Patrick Wilson, who played the former king of Atlantis, Orm, to try and defend their realm and save the planet.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is now available in theaters.
