Over the past few weeks, James Wan’s Aquaman has taken the world by storm, captivating audiences across the globe. Jason Momoa and James Wan have successfully transformed Aquaman from the most disrespected and laughed at superhero to a mighty franchise worthy powerhouse. Considering the film’s recent billion-dollar box office milestone, it goes without saying that Warner Brothers and DC comics will be confirming a sequel sooner rather than later to allow the King of Atlantis to return to the big screen. With every sequel comes new experiences and new characters; and with Aquaman having such a rich and lush cast of supporting characters, I made a list of characters who would be greatly suited to join the DCEU in the sequel.
Stephen James as Kaldur’ahm “Aqualad”
Kaldur’ahm made his debut appearance on the hit DC television show Young Justice. He was created by Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman, and Phil Bourassa and would later be adapted and added into the main DC Comics continuity by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis for the Brightest Day event under the name Jackson Hyde. Under the current DC Comics continuity, Kaldur’ahm is the son of Black Manta and an Atlantean from Xebel under the alias Lucia Hyde. Since his introduction in 2010, Kaldur has found massive popularity and would be perfect for an Aquaman sequel. Since Black Manta is a too young to be the father of a teenager, the perfect way to introduce him into the DCEU would be to make him Manta’s younger brother. Actor Stephen James would be the perfect candidate to portray the stoic and calculating Kaldur.
Remi Hii as Garth “Tempest”
Garth made his comic book debut in the pages of Adventure Comics #269 in February of 1960. He is Aquaman’s original protégé and the lost prince of a hidden group of Atlanteans known as the Idyllists. Garth was left ashore to die due to an Idyllist superstition centered around children being born with purple eyes. In the comics, Garth was saved from death by King Atlan and was essentially taught and raised by the king. Garth has served not only as Aquaman’s sidekick but as a faithful original member of the Teen Titans. As the original Aqualad, it only makes sense that he would appear in an Aquaman sequel and take up some form of the mantle. Marco Polo and Crazy Rich Asian’s Remy Hii would make for an outstanding Tempest.
Alicia Vikander as Tula
Tula made her comic book debut in May of 1967 in the pages of Aquaman #33. Shortly after Tula’s birth, she was orphaned and adopted by one of Atlantis’ royal families. She grew up within the royal home and would later encounter Garth on whom she developed a crush. The two would eventually fall in love and develop an iconic love affair that would end due to Tula’s untimely death. However, on Earth Prime, Tula’s backstory is quite different and would potentially fit into the DCEU a little better. In the Earth Prime continuity, Tula is the younger half-sister of former King Orm. Tula and Orm share a father, and this connection would actually make for a great plot point within a sequel. Tomb Raider actress Alicia Vikander would be a fantastic choice to play Tula as she would perfectly convey her strong-willed demeanor.
Fola Evans-Akingbola as Dolphin
Dolphin made her comic book debut in December of 1968 in the pages of Showcase #79. In her original origin story, Dolphin was the result of an alien experiment on humans. She would be liberated by the spirit of Kordax the Cursed and then Naval Officer Chris Landau. Upon finding Atlantis, Dolphin found herself initially interested in Aquaman himself, but Tempest would prove to be the Royal family member to draw Dolphin’s interest. Dolphin and Tempest would go on to fall in love with each other, marry, and even give birth to a son. However, her Earth Prime origin features a different origin for Dolphin. In Earth Prime continuity, Dolphin belongs to the Ninth tribe of Atlantis, a kingdom where many poor and destitute Atlanteans and creatures make their home. She meets Aquaman during an altercation with then King Corm Rath’s forces. For her DCEU debut, I think a combination of Dolphin’s New Earth and Earth-Prime origins would work best and work as the best launching point for the character. Siren’s actress Fola Evans Akingbola would be the perfect choice to bring the strong-willed spitfire of a character to live action.
Golshifteh Farahani as Kahina the Seer
Kahina made her comic book debut in May of 2012 in the pages of Aquaman Vol 7 #7 during Geoff John’s Aquaman run. Kahina was a seer and member of the Others. She lost her life at the hands of Black Manta while she was in the jungle searching for Ya’Wara, another member of the Others. Kahina was searching for Ya’Wara in order to give her the Golden Seal, one of the seven weapons forged by King Atlan, which could be used to translate any language into one that the custodian could understand. Before Kahina drew her final breath at the hands of Manta, she had a vision through which she foresaw the death of Aquaman at the hands of his longtime enemy Manta. Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani would be a great choice to bring Kahina to live action and be a great springboard for us to potentially see the rest of the Others making their debut sparking maybe a 3rd film.
Evan Rachel Wood as Siren
Hila aka Siren made her comic book debut in August of 1965 in the pages of Aquaman #22. She is the troublemaking twin sister of Aquaman’s wife Queen Mera of Xebel. From birth, Hila was the troublemaking Black sheep of her family, and her rebellious nature made it very easy for her to be framed for a crime for which she didn’t commit. Upon conviction of the crime, she was sentenced to be exiled from Xebel along with her lover Kandor. The two spent their time on Earth searching for the Golden Eels which put the two in contention with Aquaman and Mera. This course leads to Siren impersonating Queen Mera and even going up against her own lover Kandor. Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood would be perfect to portray the mischievous troublemaking Siren.
Peter Mullan as Urn
Urn made his comic book debut in May of 2013 in the pages of Aquaman Vol 7 #18 during Geoff Johns run. He was the warden of the Prison ward of Atlantis and loyal to Atlantis. He believes in Atlantean law and the tradition of following the true king. Considering the last time we saw Orm, it would make sense for him to be in the prison ward of Atlantis and who better to watch over him than a tough-as-nails warden whose loyal to Vulko and Arthur. Who better to play the gruff bearded warden than Harry Potter and Westworld actor Peter Mullan. Mullan has that gruff gravely prison warden persona required for Urn.
Travis Fimmel as Corum Rath
Corum Rath made his comic book debut in August of 2016 in the pages of Aquaman Rebirth #1. Corum is from the Ninth Tribe of Atlantis just like Earth Prime Dolphin. He is the leader of an extremist group of eco-terrorists known as The Deluge. His extremely xenophobic views about the surface world mirror those of former King Orm. Corum and his father Callun spent their lives dirt poor and building up the foundation of Atlantis. After years of stonework and masonry, Callun died of exhaustion and was left in an unmarked grave. After hearing the ancient tales about how Atlantis was rested above the ocean and was a place of power and innovation to be marveled around the world, he grew angry and sought to return the kingdom that his people spent their lives propping up to its former glory. Callun at one point succeeded in usurping Arthur as King and he began to reek all sorts of havoc and hell. Corum would make for the perfect follow-up villain to Orm. He’s faster, stronger, smarter, and a lot more brutal, and he could succeed where Orm failed. It would be interesting to see the two of them team up in a sequel to once again try and take down the surface world. Vikings Travis Fimmel would be the perfect candidate for the tough and brutal usurper Corum Rath.
With over 78 years of stories, Aquaman has an extremely vivid and lush background of characters and tales to pull from to help form a fantastic film franchise. These are just a few of the amazing and colorful characters that James Wan could get his hands on and elevate to the big screen. With the massive global success of Aquaman at this point, we are just waiting for WB and DC to announce a sequel since we know its coming. If James Wan is looking for a few ideas on characters to adapt, I’m hoping this fancast gives him a little help.
