In Justice League, Arthur Curry met Mera in what many fans assumed was Atlantis as he sought to protect the Mother Box from Steppenwolf. In Aquaman, however, the hero travelled to his home for the first time and was blown away by what he saw and that's led to a lot of people arguing that James Wan dropped the ball as there must have been some miscommunication with Zack Snyder.
Well, that's not actually the case as Wan has now explained this "plot hole" by pointing out that the location we saw in Justice League wasn't actually Atlantis and was, in fact, an outpost.
"It wasn’t Atlantis. I spoke with Zack [Snyder, director of Justice League,] early on, and Zack mentioned that the location that Aquaman swims to in Justice League is an outpost. So when he told me that was his idea, I was like, 'Oh great, then I can actually have Arthur go to Atlantis for the first time.' That’s very important for me, because he can go into it and have a wide-eyed approach to Atlantis and be in awe of it. I think that’s very important from a storytelling standpoint because the audience gets to experience Atlantis for the first time along with the character."
Honestly, that explanation makes perfect sense and it sounds like Snyder and Wan found a good way to handle Arthur's first meeting with Mera in the superhero ensemble without spoiling the character's solo adventure. Some believe that the conversation between the two was reshot by Joss Whedon (which is why they were in that weird bubble) but we don't know that for sure.
Do you find this explanation satisfying? As always, share your thoughts in the usual place.
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the DCEU's future, hit the "View List" button below!
Black Manta's Unexpected Ally
After an epic battle in Italy, Black Manta is defeated by Arthur Curry and seemingly left for dead after falling down a cliff and into the ocean. During a mid-credits scene, however, Manta is found floating at sea by Dr. Shin, a scientist whose theories about Atlantis are widely mocked by his peers.
Waking up in his shoddy looking labratory, Manta tells Shin that he will help him prove that Atlantis is real so long as he helps him find Aquaman and put an end to him once and for all.
In the comics, Shin turned on Arthur after he refused to tell him where Atlantis was as a youth but this version clearly just wants to prove that his theories are correct and has no emotional connection to the hero whatsoever. That sets the stage for these two to potentially be the lead villains in the follow-up when it's inevitably announced by Warner Bros.