A pair of new statues based on the upcoming Aquaman movie offer the best look yet at the costume designs for Black Manta and Mera. Audiences already got a brief glimpse of Amber Heard as Mera during her cameo in the Justice League movie. While Heard looked true to form, her brief amount of screen time gave her little chance to make an impression or establish much of Mera’s fiery personality from the comics.

Aquaman fans have seen even less of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta, though, apart from one photo of the villain inspecting his trademark helmet and an earlier preview of one of the action-figures based on the movie. What little has been revealed, however, has given fans reason to be hopeful regarding the Aquaman movie and made them hungry for more.

Photos of the statues, which can be viewed below, were made available to the press in anticipation of their official unveiling at Comic-Con 2018. Standing 12 inches tall, the statues will be released in November 2018, just before the Aquaman movie arrives in theaters.

 

It is unknown precisely how much of a presence Black Manta will have in this first Aquaman movie. It has been confirmed that he will not be the main villain but there’s been no word on if he will be a factor in the main villain’s schemes or if his battles with Aquaman will be a separate sub-plot within the larger narrative. One thing that can be said for certain is that Black Manta is poised to take an active role in the DCEU’s future, though whether that will lead to him joining into some sort of partnership with Lex Luthor and Deathstroke remains to be seen.

The fate of Mera is much more laid out, with several advance photos confirming that she and Arthur Curry will be working together seeking an ancient Atlantean artifact as part of the main storyline of Aquaman. Heard has gone on record as saying that the movie goes out of its way to establish Arthur and Mera’s relationship as a partnership of equals. While romance may be in the air (or water, as the case may be) between the two heroes, Mera will be presented as a competent heroine in her own right and not as some damsel in need of protection or rescue.

These statues, if accurate models of the costumes from the film, stand as a testament to the commitment of director James Wan and his creative team toward establishing an Aquaman movie that looks just lime the classic comics that inspired it. We’re certain to see more amazing sights and treasures such as these as San Diego Comic Con 2018 continues.

More: Aquaman: Every Update You Need to Know

Source: DC Comics

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