Black Manta
Black Manta (David Hyde) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Aquaman #35 (September 1967) and is the archenemy of the superhero Aquaman.[1]
Fictional character biography
[change | change source]Black Manta has had numerous origin stories throughout his comic book appearances, having been a young boy kidnapped and enslaved by pirates on their ship; an orphan subjected to cruel experiments in Arkham Asylum; and a high-seas treasure hunter caught in a mutual cycle of vengeance with Aquaman over the deaths of their fathers. Despite these different versions of his past, Black Manta is consistently depicted as a ruthless underwater mercenary who is obsessed with ruining Aquaman's life. As Aquaman's nemesis, Black Manta has been part of the superhero's defining stories, including the murder of Arthur Curry, Jr.–Aquaman's infant son–and numerous attempts to destroy Aquaman's home kingdom of Atlantis. A black armored suit with a large, bug-eyed metal helmet serves as Black Manta's visual motif.
In other media
[change | change source]The character made his movie debut in the James Wan's Aquaman movie (2018), played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, while Kevin Michael Richardson, Khary Payton and others have provided his voice in animation and video games.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Greenberger, Robert (2008). "Black Manta". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 52. ISBN 0-7566-4119-5.