Rumor: Info About AQUAMAN's Villain, DCEU Diversity, and Much More

The Jason Momoa-starring superhero film Aquaman isn't slated to arrive in theaters until July 27th, 2018, but some small details are starting to trickle out about the King of Atlantis's solo adventure.

JoBlo has some information about the movie's villain, a major supporting character, and the intent to get some diversity in the cast, but they caution that this is all very early and admit that the plan could still change since director James Wan — who is currently working on The Conjuring 2 — is going to give this movie his full attention after that production wraps up and he could alter a few things here and there. So let's get into it.

(Potential spoilers ahead.)

First up, the villain of the movie is reportedly going to be Ocean Master, Aquaman's human brother. In the comics, Orm Curry resented not having Aquaman's powers and became a petty criminal before he experienced amnesia and disappeared. Years later, he showed up again as Orm Marius and rebranded himself as the Ocean Master, a pirate who created natural disasters to hold the world ransom. In the movie, the two are supposedly going to battle over the throne of Atlantis.

Next, Aquaman's wife Mera is supposedly going to be a major supporting character in the film, likened to female badasses like Game of Thrones' Khaleesi and Mad Max: Fury Road's Furiosa. She may make her first appearance in Justice League: Part 1, and they stress that she's going to fight alongside her husband and be just as much of a hero as he is.

As for the diversity aspect, the studio is looking to cast a "non-white" actress in the role of Mera, which fits with how they cast the non-white Momoa as the titular hero. JoBlo elaborates:

Beyond [Aquaman], you can expect to see the DCEU attempt to win the edge over the MCU in that department as they push to create more opportunities for diverse casting and representation of women/minorities in their burgeoning universe. What this means is more team-up films, rather than solo ones, where they can create a more even spread of representation...

WB is currently looking at a number of ways to expand on that trend, including a possible BIRDS OF PREY movie (recently reported by Latino Review) that would feature an all-female team of superheroes led by the previously reported Black Canary (lining up to be a major player in the DCEU) as well as Batgirl/Oracle, amongst others. A TEEN TITANS film (possibly merged with the CYBORG film in lieu of a solo pic) is also under consideration, as well as the already announced GREEN LANTERN CORPS, which we're told is Hal Jordan and John Stewart in a "Lethal Weapon in space" team-up. There is also discussion about including a gay superhero in the DCEU ranks, although according to my sources it's not something set in stone, but definitely under serious consideration for at least one major character. Any way you slice it, it appears that WB is ready to compete with Marvel in more ways than one, with a diverse universe being a key component.

If all of that is true, the DCEU is about to become a major, major competitor with Marvel Studios. What do you all think about these developments?