Aquaman won't get much of a breather after fighting Steppenwolf and his Parademon army in Justice League. A year after teaming up with Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg and Superman, the superhero of the Seven Seas will star in his own movie, where he'll clash with Black Manta and Ocean Master. But these aren't the only villains Aquaman will run into in his watery adventure. Today brings news that The 100 actor Michael Beach will play another bad guy our hero will have to face.
After months of playing cagey with fans about whether or not he was actually involved with Aquaman (even though he was photographed in Australia, where the movie is currently shooting), Michael Beach has finally been confirmed as a member of the cast. According to Deadline, Beach is playing Jesse Kane, a member of a group of "high seas hijackers" who will have a "fateful interaction" with Aquaman. Compared to Black Manta and Ocean Master, this character doesn't sound quite as interesting. However, some fans have been speculating that Beach is playing Black Manta's father, who was a treasure hunter in the comics. Beach hasn't directly confirmed if this is the case, and for now, Warner Bros and DC are keeping any other details about Kane secret.
While Black Manta has been Aquaman's arch-nemesis for 50 years, the villain's father only became relatively important during Geoff John's New 52 Aquaman run. When Black Manta went to find Arthur Curry at his home to steal a sample of his blood for a scientist who'd hired him, Thomas Curry defended his son, and during the scuffle he died of a heart attack. Understandably angered, Arthur tracked down Black Manta to kill him, but upon reaching the boat where the mercenary was hiding out, Arthur accidentally killed Black Manta's father instead. That's why Black Manta hates Aquaman so much in the current DC continuity. Since Black Manta's surname has never been revealed in the comics, it's plausible that Jesse Kane could be his father, and if Kane dies in the movie, perhaps this "fateful interaction" will be the event that leads Black Manta and Aquaman to become adversaries in the DC Extended Universe.
Michael Beach's notable credits in recent years have included playing T.O. Cross in Sons of Anarchy, Charles Pike in The 100 and Bill Baker in Pitch. By joining Aquaman, he's now part of a cast that consists of Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus and Ludi Lin as Murk.
Directed by James Wan and written by Will Beall, Aquaman dives into theaters on December 21, 2018, but you can see the hero earlier than that when Justice League opens on November 17.
