Is Jason Momoa's Aquaman Dead Or Alive: How Arthur Curry's DCEU Storyline Ends
Contains spoilers for "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom"
The DC Extended Universe is dead in the water, with James Gunn and Peter Safran now in charge of spearheading a new, rebooted DC Universe of films and TV shows. "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" is the final entry in the now-antiquated DCEU, effectively deflating its importance. That said, without any sequels in its wake, this film has the unique ability to kill off major characters with little repercussions, raising a likelier-than-usual possibility that its titular protagonist might not survive its events. "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," however, does not kill off Jason Momoa's Arthur Curry.
Over the course of the movie, Aquaman's main antagonist is Black Manta, aka David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Kane ends up obtaining a powerful black trident created by Kordax (Pilou Asbæk), the brother of Atlantis' founder. During the film's climax, Arthur must fight off Kordax, who attempts to use the royal blood of Arthur's brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to free himself. Arthur ultimately manages to defeat Kordax, and Kane seems to die during the battle's aftermath too.
As its king, Arthur decides that Atlantis must become a member of the United Nations for the sake of the Earth's future at the film's end. It's here that "Aquaman 2" leaves Arthur, alive and thriving in his diplomatic role.
Arthur Curry is technically alive, but Jason Momoa's Aquaman seems dead
Looper's review of "Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom" is largely critical, reflecting an predominately negative sentiment from professional reviewers overall. Since the DCEU is ending regardless of the critical response to the film, this reception has little bearing on the future of DC movies on the whole. But Jason Momoa himself may well end up losing out on his Aquaman role after "Aquaman 2."
James Gunn, notably, answered the DC Universe's biggest question when he confirmed that some DCEU actors will reprise their characters even if their prior film work isn't exactly canon. Gunn specifically listed Xolo Maridueña, who stars in "Blue Beetle," as someone who will maintain his role in the new DCU. Momoa, however, seems to think his return is unlikely. "The truth of it is, I mean, if the audience loves it, then there's a possibility," he told Entertainment Tonight about a week before the "Lost Kingdom" premiere. "But right now, I'm like, 'It's not looking too good.'"
If a positive reception is what it would take for Momoa to return in a future DCU film, then the emerging critical sentiment toward "Aquaman 2" may well spell doom for Momoa's DC movie future, killing off his take on Aquaman despite the character surviving the events of "The Lost Kingdom."