1
- (THUNDER RUMBLING)
- (WIND HOWLING)
ARTHUR: Jules Verne
once wrote,
"Put two ships
in the open sea
without wind or tide,
they will come together."
That's how my parents met.
Like two ships destined for each other.
(MUSIC PLAYING ON TV)
ANNOUNCER: (ON TV) We are something else.
Try Arthur Treacher...
(POWERING DOWN)
(VOMITING)
(GASPING)
It's okay.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(CHOKING)
- Easy. You weren't breathing.
- (POWERING UP)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING ON TV)
(GRUNTING)
(WHINES)
(GROANING)
ARTHUR: They were
from different worlds.
(ATLANNA GROANS)
ARTHUR: But life,
like the sea,
has a way
of bringing people together.
(DOG WHINING)
(GASPS)
TOM: Uh...
I was gonna
make you some eggs.
Just don't eat my dog, okay?
(WHINING)
It's okay.
I made tea.
(BLOWING)
Go on, try it.
It'll make you better.
(BOTH BLOWING)
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
So, uh, who are you?
Atlanna.
Queen of Atlantis.
Wow.
I'm Tom. Keeper of lighthouse.
(CHUCKLES)
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
ARTHUR: She had fled
an arranged marriage.
Left her whole world behind.
But in my father's lighthouse,
she found something
unexpected.
And my father
found the love of his life.
ANNOUNCER: (ON TV)
Category 4 Hurricane Arthur
is due to make landfall
sometime after 2:00 p.m.
How about Arthur?
After the hurricane?
After a legend.
He's a king, isn't he?
(CHUCKLES)
He's more than that.
He's living proof
our people can coexist.
He could unite
our worlds one day.
(CLICKS)
ATLANNA: And the trident could only
be wielded by the strongest Atlantean.
And it gave King Atlan mastery
over the seven seas.
It made him so powerful that
the ocean itself became jealous
and sent a terrible earthquake
to destroy Atlantis.
(GASPS) Down it fell,
to the bottom of the ocean.
But, legend has it that one
day a new king will come
who will use
the power of the trident
- to put Atlantis back together again.
- (DOG GROWLING)
(BARKING)
(GRUNTS) Take him!
SOLDIER: Queen Atlanna,
by the authority
of King Orvax,
you are ordered
to return to Atlantis.
TOM: Atlanna!
ARTHUR: But Atlantis'
memory is long...
And its king refused
to let her go.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(GRUNTING)
TOM: Atlanna!
ATLANNA: Tom!
- My weapon!
- Here!
(GRUNTING)
- (PANTING)
- (WIND HOWLING)
ARTHUR: Their two worlds
were never meant to meet,
and I was a product of a love
that never should've been.
You don't have to do this,
Atlanna. Please.
No. They will always find me.
Next time,
they'll send an army.
I have to go back.
It is the only way to save him.
Save you.
(CRYING) Where I come from...
The sea carries
our tears away.
Not here.
Here you feel them.
I will return to you.
When it's safe.
One day.
Right here, at sunrise.
We'll be together again.
You stay strong,
my little prince.
I'll always be with you.
Don't let him forget me. Hmm?
TOUR GUIDE:
All life came from the sea,
so if we want
to understand ourselves,
we must journey
to where we began.
Now, today, we have better maps of
Mars than we do of our own sea floor.
Come on, closer.
Come on, fishy.
- Come on. Come over here.
- Boys!
Stop that. Come on.
Come along.
Bye, fishy. Bye.
My name's Arthur.
What's yours?
- You guys hungry? Me, too.
- MIKE: Check it out.
Arthur is talking to the fish.
Such a freak, Arthur.
- (GROANS) Stop!
- What are you gonna do about it, freak?
Stop it! Don't!
Let me go!
(PANICKED CHATTERING)
(PEOPLE GASPING)
(PEOPLE MURMURING)
(SAILORS GROANING)
CAPTAIN: Who are you?
PIRATE: Come on, let's go.
Move it.
Come on. Hurry up.
Sir, we've secured
the captain.
Distress signal's disabled.
We're running dark again.
But they heard it.
You can count on it.
I'll make you a deal.
I won't tell you how to captain...
And you don't tell me
how to pirate.
(GROANING)
DAVID:
Where's the rest of the crew?
Decided discretion
was the better part of valor
and sealed themselves up
in the torpedo bay.
Our reputation precedes us.
Your reputation.
This is your win.
Here.
Can't take that piece of junk.
It's the love of your life.
I never told you
the story behind it.
This was your grandfather's.
He was one of the Navy's first
frogmen during World War II.
He was so stealthy in the water,
his unit nicknamed him Manta.
But after the war,
his country forgot about him.
So, he went back to the sea,
scavenging and surviving with his wit...
And this knife.
He gave it to me
when I was your age.
And now it's yours, son.
(SONAR PINGING)
(RUMBLING)
- (ALARM BLARING)
- Did we just hit something?
No. Something hit us.
Sir, there's something
out there.
Another submarine?
Uh... No. I think it's a man.
- (RUMBLING)
- (ALL YELPING)
(ALL CONTINUE YELPING)
- (ALL GROANING)
- (ALARM BLARING)
That's not a man.
PIRATE: Alpha, to the right.
Bravo team, sweep the passageway.
(HEAVY FOOTSTEPS CLANGING)
(BOTH GROAN)
Permission to come aboard?
(YELLS)
(GROANING)
(WHIMPERING)
(GRUNTING)
(GRUNTS)
- (YELLING)
- (SCREAMING)
(BODY THUDS)
(PIRATE CONTINUES WHIMPERING)
(GROANS)
(ARTHUR GRUNTING)
- (METAL CLANGS)
- (ALL GASP)
(BOTH SPEAKING RUSSIAN)
Aquaman!
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
(SAILOR GROANS)
(YELLING)
(GROANS)
(GRUNTS)
(EXHALES) I've waited
a long time for this.
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(GROANS)
Am I supposed to know
who you are?
I scavenge the high seas.
You're the Aquaman.
We were bound
to meet at some point.
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(GROANS)
Let's not make it a habit.
Up.
- (GRUNTS)
- (GROANS)
(GROANING)
(GUN COCKS)
(GROANS)
Ow.
(SPEAKING MAORI)
(SCREAMING)
Dad!
Dad? Ow.
- (JESSE GROANING)
- (STRAINING)
That's your kid?
Shame on you.
(SCREAMING)
Boys got yourselves
into this mess.
Get yourselves out of it.
Bastard!
(SCREAMING)
Dad!
Dad!
(GRUNTING) Wait!
Help me! He's trapped!
You can't leave him like this!
Please!
You killed innocent people.
You ask the sea for mercy.
(GRUNTS IN ANNOYANCE)
Get outta here! I got this!
Shut up, I'm not leaving you!
You need to live,
so you can kill that son of a bitch!
(SAILOR GROANING)
- Now, go!
- No!
- Go!
- Shut up!
No!
No!
(DAVID YELLING IN FRUSTRATION)
(BEEPING)
Damn you!
Go.
(JESSE GASPS)
(GRUNTS)
(GROWLING)
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
(SPLASHING)
(THUD)
I always know
where to find you.
Old habits.
(BOTH CHUCKLING)
- Come on, I'll buy you breakfast.
- All right!
- (ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)
- (TOM EXHALES)
You want me to have them put
that in a sippy cup for you?
- (EXHALES)
- (TOM LAUGHS)
How is it that I can
breathe underwater,
but you can still drink me
under the table?
- That's my superpower.
- (LAUGHING)
NEWS ANCHOR:
A Russian submarine
hijacked late last night
by high-tech pirates.
The same pirates
who are suspected
in connection with the disappearance
of the Navy's highly classified
prototype stealth submarine.
And a further development,
we now have unconfirmed reports
that the metahuman dubbed by
social media as "The Aquaman"
was responsible
for this daring rescue.
(SCOFFS) That's not me.
Bullshit. You're doing it,
aren't you? Huh?
What Vulko trained you to do.
I knew you couldn't stand
on the sidelines forever.
Your mother
always knew you were special.
Don't even start.
She believed you'd be the one
to unite our two worlds.
Just stop.
Whatever Atlantis' problems
are, you're bigger than them.
Atlantis murdered my mother.
You don't know that for sure.
Yes, I do.
They killed her.
For loving you and having me.
And you know it.
Son, one day you're gonna
have to stop blaming yourself.
(CHAIRS SCRAPING FLOOR)
CUE BALL: Hey, buddy.
You that fish boy from the TV?
Oh, great.
It's "fish man."
What do you want?
I'll tell you what I want.
Could we get
a picture with you?
You're like
our local hero, man.
It would mean a lot.
Just a quick...
Whatever.
- All right. Let's do this.
- Don't touch me.
Right, that's exactly right.
I'm gonna go down here.
There we go. Everybody smile.
- (CAMERA CLICKING)
- (ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)
(SEAGULLS CAWING)
(SEAHORSES WHINNYING)
He understands the
significance of this meeting.
He'll hear you out.
(WHINNYING CONTINUES)
(SHARKS SNARLING)
(WHINNYING)
(GROWLING)
- King Orm.
- King Nereus.
You picked a meeting place too
close to the surface for my liking.
You don't recognize
the Council of the Kings?
In Atlan's time,
when the Seven Kingdoms were one,
our ancestors gathered here.
Atlantis sat here
at the head of the table.
Xebel, as always, by his side.
Brine. Fishermen.
The Deserters and the Trench
had not yet fallen.
The Lost Nation
had not yet vanished.
Together, they were the greatest
empire the world had ever seen.
But now,
I sit on Atlan's throne,
shackled by archaic laws
and politics.
While the threat above us
grows undeniably...
Violence has always
plagued the surface.
They will destroy themselves.
Not before
destroying us first.
We have been hiding
long enough.
The time has come
for Atlantis to rise again.
VULKO: We honor you,
King Nereus,
by inviting Xebel
to be the first kingdom
to join King Orm's alliance.
As if you had a choice, Vulko.
By law, you need
four of the Seven Kingdoms
to ascend and attack.
The Lost Nation and the
Deserters have long perished.
The Trench are nothing
but animals.
The Brine will never join you,
and the Fishermen are cowards.
Without me and my army to convince
them, your plans are stillborn.
But I know
what you really want.
Once you've obtained the
pledge of the four kingdoms,
you will be ordained
Ocean Master.
That is merely a title.
I'm no fool, King Orm.
As Ocean Master,
you'll be commander
of the greatest military might
on this planet.
I am the natural choice
to lead it.
Are you?
What about the rumors
that there's another?
An Atlantean,
living among the surface.
One of royal blood.
You may sit on the throne of Atlantis,
but your claim to it is weak.
How can you possibly hope
to unite the empire?
My mother's bastard has
never even been to Atlantis.
His loyalty is to the surface.
(ALL SCREAMING)
(WHINING)
(SCREECHING)
Surface-dwellers! To arms!
(GROANS)
(SEAHORSE WHINNYING)
(GRUNTING)
Your king is injured!
(NEREUS GROANING)
(ROARING)
(GRUNTS)
(GRUNTING)
I'm not trying to start a war.
The war has already begun.
Then it's time we send them
a message they'll hear.
TOM: I'm good.
ARTHUR: Stop.
TOM: Here're the keys.
ARTHUR: Thank you.
TOM: Let's go home
and work on your ta moko. Huh?
If your grandpops
was still alive,
he'd be banging our heads
for not finishing it.
Yes, he would, but there is
plenty of time for that.
We gotta get you to bed.
Got it?
(SPLASHING)
I've been looking for you.
Oh, no, no, no...
I need you to come with me
to Atlantis.
Listen, I'm gonna
tell you the same thing
that I told that
rusty starfish Vulko.
Except nicer,
because you're a lady.
No, thank you.
I'm not interested.
You defeated Steppenwolf
and saved Atlantis.
That had nothing to do
with Atlantis.
Your half-brother King Orm is about
to declare war upon the surface world.
Billions will die.
Your people and mine.
We must stop him.
And how do you propose
we do that?
You are the firstborn son
of Queen Atlanna.
The throne is yours
by birthright.
The only way to stop this war
and save both worlds
is for you to take
your rightful place as king.
(LAUGHING)
You think if I just show up,
Orm's gonna give up the throne?
I'm the bastard son of the
queen your people executed.
Trust me. I am no king.
I agree.
That's awesome. Cool.
But, Vulko seems to believe
in you for some reason,
and that's why I'm here.
Vulko has learned of the location
of the Lost Trident of Atlan.
Ooh, fairy tales. It's a myth.
It's not a myth.
With the Sacred Trident,
the people will listen to you.
You can then claim your
birthright and dethrone Orm.
My birthright?
It died with my mother.
But I promise you this.
If Orm attacks,
I will treat him exactly the
same way your people treated her.
With no mercy.
- (TRUCK DOOR CLOSING)
- (ENGINE STARTING)
(SHIP APPROACHING)
That submarine was barely operational,
but it served its purpose.
One of your kind intervened.
He is not one of us.
He killed my father.
Our transaction has ended.
Keep the money.
I want Aquaman.
(SEAGULLS SCREECHING)
(BOTH YELPING)
(GRUNTS)
Dad!
Dad!
Dad!
Pops!
Pops!
- (ARTHUR GRUNTS)
- (EXHALES DEEPLY)
Come on, Pops.
Come on! He's not breathing.
Move! Let me help.
ARTHUR: Come on, Pops.
(COUGHING)
Come on.
(TOM EXHALES)
(ARTHUR SIGHS IN RELIEF)
You know, I don't even know your name.
It's Princess Y'Mera
Xebella Challa.
You may call me Mera.
Thank you, Mera.
(ARTHUR GRUNTS)
(SIREN BLARING)
Dear God.
This was Orm's doing.
The worst is yet to come.
REPORTER 1: There's a
flash flood warning here
that was just extended
for a couple hours.
REPORTER 2: Unprecedented sights
from all over the world today.
We are seeing warships and trash
washed up by massive waves.
REPORTER 3: These extraordinary scenes
of coastlines deluged with waste
and garbage are taking place
all over the world.
REPORTER 2: Decades of pollution
has been thrown back onto land.
REPORTER 4:
Many are asking the question,
"Was this a natural disaster
or something else?"
No. This was
no natural disaster.
They threw out our garbage
and our warships.
This was our first contact
with the people of Atlantis.
There you go again with your
insane Atlantean theory.
You have absolutely
no proof, Dr. Shin.
Open your eyes.
We already have
an Atlantean living among us,
and his name is Aquaman.
MERA: What is it?
This is the exact spot that Vulko
gave me my first swimming lesson.
VULKO: You have to forget all
the teaching of the surface world
and go deeper to uncover
your Atlantean instincts.
But I already know
how to swim.
Not even close.
ARTHUR: Just so we're clear,
I'll help you stop this war.
But then, I'm done.
Maybe that's for the best.
The ocean is more than
our life source, Arthur.
It is who we are.
Wait, you can talk underwater?
Hey, I can talk underwater, too!
This is awesome!
Oh, we can do more
than just talk.
Being Atlantean means more than
just being able to breathe water.
Your body is equipped to survive
the extreme cold and pressure,
and your eyes adjust
to see in the dark.
(SQUAWKS)
(WHOOPING)
This is awesome!
(CONTINUES WHOOPING)
So, Vulko,
when can I meet my mother?
Soon, my young prince.
When you're ready, I'll take you
to Atlantis to meet the queen.
I hid my ship in here.
ARTHUR: Listen,
I'm not getting in that thing.
Well, to get where we're
going, you're gonna have to.
Your fish ship has been
marinating in chum butter.
I'm gonna come out
smelling like swamp butt.
That'd be an improvement.
(SNIFFS)
(COUGHS)
Yup. Okay.
ARTHUR: What's the point in
having a bridge underwater?
MERA: The Gateway Bridge
is a remnant of the Old World.
It's also the only way
in or out of the Capital.
Why can't they just
go over the walls?
Security is impenetrable.
Even if they did
manage to evade the guards,
they'd never get past
the hydro-cannons.
People try to sneak in
all the time.
Yeah, right.
ARTHUR: What is this?
MERA: Customs
and border control.
Don't worry.
I have diplomatic clearance.
Welcome home.
There's a safe house
down in the Old City.
The Highborns never venture
to the sea floor.
We're here.
What is this?
We use this air pocket as an
extra layer of precaution.
Only the Highborns can
breathe water as well as air.
VULKO: Plus,
it keeps the animals out.
They get kind of messy.
Vulko. Here I am, old man.
After all these years,
you finally get what you wanted.
Arthur, I wish it was
under better circumstances.
I can't believe Orm attacked.
It wasn't an attack.
Legally,
he's not allowed to yet.
What he did to your surface
warships was merely a warning.
What provoked it?
King Orm and your father
were ambushed by the surface.
By the surface?
I don't think so.
They still think
Atlantis is a fairy tale.
I was there.
A surface warship fired at us.
Now, Xebel sides
with Atlantis,
giving Orm a fleet big enough to force
the other two kingdoms to join him.
If we're going to prevent this
war, you must dethrone him now.
How many times do I have to tell you?
I don't wanna be king.
You don't understand.
Once he is named Ocean Master,
it'll be too late.
The power at his disposal will be
unlike anything you have ever seen.
I'm from the surface.
No one is gonna take me seriously.
Okay? I don't even know
where to begin.
By winning the hearts
and minds of the people
by proving to them that you're
worthy, and retrieving this.
Hmm.
I already got one of those.
Not like this one, you don't.
This is
the Lost Trident of Atlan.
Oh, I know the story.
It's more than a story.
It's real.
It was forged by the greatest
weapon masters in history.
Crafted from Poseidon's steel
for King Atlan,
the first ruler of Atlantis.
Legend says the trident was imbued
with the power to command the sea.
So what happened to it?
To know that is to go back to
the time before the Great Fall,
when King Atlan
ruled over all that was,
when the kingdoms of Atlantis
were one.
It was a time of great prosperity
and technological advancement.
We had unlocked
the secret of unlimited energy
at a time when
the rest of the world
still thought the earth
was flat.
But we became too ambitious,
too hungry for power.
(ALL SCREAMING)
(PEOPLE SCREAMING)
VULKO: The ocean swallowed us,
and Atlantis sank.
But the very power that
collapsed our civilization
also paved the way
to our future.
It gave us the ability
to breathe underwater.
And so, we evolved.
Others regressed,
became savage.
(SNARLS)
And the king lived out the remainder
of his days in self-imposed exile.
Neither he nor the trident
were ever seen again.
One of our archeological teams
uncovered this a few months ago.
It's an ancient recording dating
back to the First Dynasty.
I believe it contains Atlan's
final message to his people
and the whereabouts
of the Sacred Trident.
So, what does it say?
We don't know.
The technology's too old.
The cylinder bears the markings
of the Deserter Kingdom.
You must take it there
and retrieve the message.
The clue to Atlan's final
resting place is inside of this.
(ALL GROAN)
Border Defense.
You are under arrest for illegal entry.
No!
You mustn't be seen here!
(GRUNTING)
I don't suppose you want
to talk about this, do you?
Neither do I.
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(GROANING)
In the name of His Highness, King
Orm, I place you under arrest.
(SCREAMING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(GRUNTING)
ORM: Welcome to Atlantis...
Brother.
I can't believe
you're finally here.
I've heard so many stories
about you.
All these years,
I've been ashamed of my mother
for defiling herself
with a surface-dweller.
Ashamed of the fact that I
have a half-breed brother
whose heart I wanted
to run my trident through.
But now that you're finally here before
me, I must admit...
(YELLING)
I am conflicted.
You want conflict,
why don't you take these chains
off, little brother?
And we'll see
who gets run through.
Yes, I see you've brought
our mother's weapon.
Is that why you've come here
after all this time?
To kill me?
I came here to stop a maniac
from destroying the world.
I see.
And how do you plan
to stop the atrocities
that the surface
continues to commit?
Because for a century,
they have polluted our waters
and poisoned our children.
And now, their skies burn
and our oceans boil.
(GROANING)
And you've come all this way to
take sides against your own people?
There are no sides
in a war like this.
You have clearly chosen a side and
come here to challenge the throne.
If that's what it takes
to stop your war.
Are you invoking
the Combat of the Kings?
Call it whatever you want.
I call it an ass-whooping.
Well then, perhaps
that's how we'll proceed.
- Your Majesty!
- Orm, please.
Don't you see?
If I defeat the firstborn son
of Atlanna
in a formal challenge
in front of everyone,
then all Seven Kingdoms will have to
concede that I am the one true king.
Your Majesty, there is no victory
in defeating the ignorant.
Your brother
is clearly an imbecile.
Your Highness,
he doesn't know our ways.
Then he's about to get
an education.
Are you officially
challenging me?
Hell yes, I challenge you.
And when I win...
If you win,
I will cease all immediate action.
The war is over.
But if I win...
You're over.
Let's do it.
So be it.
Challenge has been made,
and I accept.
Prepare him
for the Ring of Fire.
Wait. The ring of what?
(GROANS)
VULKO: How could you be so foolish
to let Orm bait you into a fight?
It seems to me like I just
solved all of our problems.
I beat him in a battle,
war's over, I get to go home.
You're a formidable fighter
on land,
but here you're out
of your element, literally.
Orm has spent
his entire life underwater,
training to be a warrior,
training to be the best.
You taught me
how to fight, Cobra Kai.
Let's see
if you remember anything.
So, what's with the big fork?
It's a trident.
Now, defend yourself.
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(GROANS)
(EXHALES)
(YOUNG ARTHUR GRUNTS)
What the hell is this?
I'll teach you this move when
you've mastered the trident.
It's not fair.
This thing is so big and awkward.
Why can't I use a sword?
That's your mother's trident.
A traditional weapon of royalty.
You'll never be a king
until you've mastered it.
Why has she never
come to see me, huh?
I told you,
when you're ready...
Stop lying to me!
I've done everything you ever asked.
And every time I pass a test,
you make up another one.
When am I gonna
be good enough?
Does she not love me?
Your mother loved you more
than anything in the world.
But she had to return to
Atlantis to keep you safe.
Her marriage to King Orvax
was arranged a long time ago,
so she had to marry him...
And bear him a son,
Prince Orm.
When Orvax eventually
found out about you,
he became overwhelmed
with jealousy
and sacrificed her to the
creatures of the Trench.
Are you saying
they executed her?
Because she had me?
(GRUNTS)
I remember...
Everything.
ORM: I have something for you.
It belonged to my mother.
Tell me...
Do you think she would have enjoyed
watching her sons murder each other?
I understand your fear
and your reluctance, Mera.
I truly do. I don't want war...
Don't patronize me!
I know you.
What you're doing flies
in the face of everything
that your mother taught us
when we were children.
If she were here...
But she's not here, is she?
What my mother taught us
was treason.
Don't follow in her wake.
ARTHUR: All right! So, this is the
big, old ring of fire, huh?
How's it work?
I just kick your ass right here?
Vulko.
Will you escort my betrothed
to the royal box?
Let's go, Lady Mera.
Down here, we have a legend
about the Karathen,
an ancient sea monster so powerful
that even King Atlan himself feared it.
So, he imprisoned it
in the depths of the ocean.
And in that abyss, the creature
bides its time waiting to rise again.
Atlantis has been
lying in wait...
And now,
the beast has awakened.
You know, there was a time when I wanted
to meet you more than anything.
Get to know my little brother.
Let him know that he wasn't alone,
that we were in it together.
If only I had known what a
dick you would turn out to be.
You were the reason
our mother was executed.
And I've hated you
for it ever since.
But I do not want
to kill you, Arthur.
I'm going to give you
one chance.
Go home.
Do not ever
come back to Atlantis.
You are not going to win this.
A war is coming to the surface
whether you like it or not.
And I am bringing the wrath
of the seven seas with me.
You know I can't
let that happen.
I know.
What the hell is that?
The Ring of Fire.
Yeah!
(CROWD CHEERING)
Yeah!
Shit.
People of Atlantis, hear me!
My brother has come from the surface
to challenge me for the throne.
Let us settle his claim
in the ancient way.
By bloodshed do the gods
make known their will!
(CROWD SHOUTING)
(CROWD BOOING)
MAN 1: Traitor!
MAN 2: Traitor!
(BOOING CONTINUES)
WOMAN: You'll never be king!
(RHYTHMIC DRUMMING)
Never thought I'd see the day
when my own father
would bow before
the king of Atlantis.
The surface-dwellers drew first blood.
What would you have us do?
Beg them for mercy?
I detest the surface
as much as you do.
But don't you find the timing
of all of this a bit convenient?
But you wouldn't be
that gullible, would you?
You want this war too,
don't you?
It is past time the surface-dwellers
learned their place in the world.
If this is how it must be
done, then so be it.
You have our mother's trident.
Powerful, but flawed like her.
I wield my father's.
And it has never known defeat!
(ORM YELLING)
(BOTH GRUNTING)
I promised Atlanna
I'd protect him.
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(ARTHUR GRUNTING)
This isn't a competition.
It's an execution.
(GRUNTS)
(YELLING)
(YELLING)
(CROWD GASPS)
(ALL CHEERING)
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(YELLING)
(ALL CHEERING)
(SHOUTING)
(CHEERING CONTINUES)
I am the one true king!
(YELLS)
(GROANS)
(GASPING)
(VOMITS)
You waiting for an invitation?
Get in!
(ECHOING) Mera!
Oh, yeah.
So, what's the plan?
The plan was to recover Atlan's
trident, then challenge Orm.
Okay, so we're doing things
a little out of order.
Shit happens.
Heads up!
We got a bogey on our six!
- What does that even mean?
- Bad guys behind us.
- Then just say that!
- Bad guys behind us!
(ARTHUR YELPS)
(SCREAMS)
(BOTH SCREAMING)
Whoa, whoa, wait,
you said we couldn't go over these walls.
- I did!
- You said there were hydro-cannons!
I did, now shut up!
ARTHUR: (YELPING) Oh, shit!
(BEEPING)
- (HIGH-PITCHED BEEP)
- (GROWLS)
(BOTH GRUNT)
- ARTHUR: Shit!
- (SCREAMS)
Shit.
We're not dead yet!
But I'm hoping he'll think we are.
ARTHUR: Oh! (YELPS)
Here, hold this.
What are you doing?
- Listen, it worked for Pinocchio.
- Who?
Never mind.
Come here, get in. Come on.
MERA: Great.
So we're getting eaten.
How are you even
doing this, anyway?
I don't know.
I can hear them sometimes,
and they can hear me.
Right. Because you're
both big, dumb animals.
- Hey, I just saved your life.
- I saved yours first!
(BOOMING SOUND)
(ARTHUR LAUGHS MOCKINGLY)
She said, "Coast is clear."
So, where to now?
To the ocean of sand
your people call the Sahara.
All right. (GRUNTS)
(HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING)
(CHICKENS CLUCKING)
PILOT: I don't usually
take charters,
but I don't usually get paid
in pirate treasure.
Thanks for the ride, mate.
Oh, man.
Are you okay?
I've never been
so high up before.
Or so far from home.
But at least you have a home.
Not anymore.
I can never go back.
I betrayed everything when I
saved you from the coliseum.
Yeah, but you're engaged to the king.
They have to take you back.
Atlantis is many
wonderful things.
But forgiving, it is not.
Yeah, but you're royalty.
So was your mother.
If I went back now,
I'd be sacrificed to the Trench.
Even my own father
wouldn't take me back.
Well you know,
Look on the bright side,
now you don't have to marry some tool
bag that you're not in love with.
My obligation isn't to love.
It is to my family
and my nation,
and I've turned
my back on both.
Sometimes,
you have to do what's right,
even if your heart aches
against it.
(BEEPING)
Your Highness.
The tracker places Princess Mera
here, in the Deserter Kingdom.
You said she was dead.
Apparently not.
NEREUS: Then your brother
still lives as well?
ORM: Not for long.
Captain Murk, assemble
a strike force immediately.
No! Mera is to be arrested
and safely returned to me.
She betrayed the throne.
She is a daughter of Xebel.
If any harm befalls her,
our coalition is over.
VULKO: Your Highness,
we are now entering the waters
of the Fishermen Kingdom.
Securing the alliance
of the other two kingdoms
should be
our immediate concern.
My vizier is correct.
As usual.
Arrest them and bring back
King Nereus' daughter unharmed.
(DEVICE BEEPING)
We're here!
Hey!
Is there anything nearby?
Nothing but desert
for hundreds of K's, mate!
- Nothing but desert.
- MERA: He's wrong.
- Hey! What are you doing?
- Wait! No! Oh...
She just jumped!
She didn't have a parachute!
Redheads! You gotta love 'em.
(WHOOPING)
ARTHUR: Shit! (YELLS)
(ARTHUR GRUNTING)
(BOTH COUGHING)
(ARTHUR LAUGHING)
Oh, you're crazier
than I thought!
- (BEEPING)
- A-ha!
This way.
You were defeated the last time because
your surface weapons failed you.
Ours will not.
It's prototype armor
for the next generation
Atlantean soldier.
Revenge is something
we Atlanteans understand.
You will lead my finest
commandos as your personal army
to hunt down
the half-breed abomination.
I cannot touch them, but you can.
He's fled to your world.
Kill him and the woman he's
with, and you will be rewarded.
Killing him is my reward.
ORM: The crown jewel.
Still experimental.
Converts water into beams
of energized plasma.
(POP MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEEPING)
Hmm.
I think I'm gonna need
a bigger helmet.
MERA: One of the tribes of
Atlantis broke off and settled here
when this region
was still an inland sea.
When the water dried up,
they perished along with it.
Perished?
Yeah, that's terrific.
We're getting close now.
Oh, yeah? Close to what?
Dying of thirst?
Close to getting
punched in the face!
Look, Fight Club, I know you're
new to how things work up here.
Why don't you look around?
We are lost.
You see that over there?
Hey, what is that?
Nada. This place
is a wasteland.
You're the one who calls
this wasteland a home.
This isn't my home!
It's not like the whole
surface looks like this!
MERA: Oh, no, of course not.
You've also got disgusting cities
whose sewers empty out into our ocean
and whole mountains
made out of trash.
And, oh, you've got
great factories
that do nothing but belch
out filth and melt ice caps.
Okay, okay, okay.
Point taken. Listen.
Yeah, we got
some idiots running the show,
but we've got some
good things too, all right?
We got green forests and big
mountains and beautiful lakes.
You'd love 'em.
They're like little baby oceans.
Are you trying to provoke me?
I'm just saying you cannot judge a
place before you've even seen it.
You've judged Atlantis
on far less.
(ARTHUR GRUNTS)
No, no, no, no. Would you just
stop it with that? No.
Your stupid Atlantean GPS just
told you to jump out of an airplane
over the middle of the desert,
and now we are stranded.
(SCREAMING)
(SCOFFS) If you're the next true
king, we're doomed.
(GRUNTS)
(HOLE BELCHES)
(MERA YELPING)
(MERA SCREAMING)
(ARTHUR GRUNTS)
- (LAUGHING)
- (PANTING)
That was awesome.
(STONE CLATTERING)
Oh. Look what I found.
What you found?
Yeah.
Check this place out.
This is badass!
(ECHOING)
MERA: This is
the Hall of Armory.
Where the legends say
Atlan's trident was forged.
ARTHUR: I don't think
they're legends anymore.
MERA: Vulko was right.
It's real.
MERA: Huh.
Nothing.
Of course it's not working.
It's been sitting here collecting dust
since before the Sahara was a desert.
Man!
"Since before
the Sahara was a desert."
Thank you for repeating
what I just said.
It's completely dried out.
(SIGHS) Let's just say
you do your best thinking
when you're not
thinking at all.
All right, now hold still.
Hey. What are you doing?
We need water,
and you're the closest source.
Now, hold still.
ARTHUR: Hmm.
(CHUCKLES)
Show-off.
I could have just peed on it.
King Atlan.
In this trident
resides the power of Atlantis.
In the wrong hands,
it would bring destruction.
But in the hands
of the true heir,
it would unite all our
kingdoms above and below.
If you seek my power,
you must prove your worth.
Journey beyond the edge of
the world to the Hidden Sea.
Look inside the bottle
for the charted path.
Only in the hands of the
true king can he truly see.
ARTHUR: Hmm.
We can't let Orm find this.
Hey! Wait!
(GROANS)
What?
Shouldn't we have
written it down first?
I memorized it. Didn't you?
Oh, yeah. Totally.
What'd he just say?
"Something something trident."
"Look inside the bottle
for the charted path."
It's our next stop.
("SHE'S A MYSTERY TO ME" PLAYING)
(BICYCLE BELL RINGING)
(GASPS)
(BOTH CHUCKLING)
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)
I'm starting to think you actually
like these surface-dwellers.
It would be wrong to judge a
place I've never seen before.
I'll be right back.
Don't go anywhere.
Well, apparently, it's just right
up on the hill. A big old castle.
And I just learned something
very interesting.
(READING)
You risked our lives based on something
you read in a children's book?
Wait, it's a book?
(CHUCKLES) How about that?
Oh!
I got it from the movie.
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)
RICOU: King Nereus,
I had hoped our people had evolved
beyond that ancient notion
that war with the surface
is inevitable.
It is the position
of the Fishermen
that when the time comes to make
ourselves known to the landsmen,
it should be to educate them,
not to destroy them.
I admire your lofty
aspirations, King Ricou.
But I suspect they are but clouds
of ink hiding the heart of a coward.
How dare you!
(WEAPONS POWERING UP)
Please. I implore you.
You're a kingdom of bloated
philosophers and flaccid poets
whose waters have grown
stagnant, and it sickens me.
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(GROANS)
My King!
The king is dead!
Long live his heir.
Princess.
Prepare your armies,
Your Highness.
We move against
the Brine Kingdom at once.
ARTHUR: What did
the recording say, again?
MERA: "Journey beyond the edge
of the world to the Hidden Sea.
Look in the bottle
for the charted path.
Only in the hands of the
true king can he truly see."
"Look in the bottle
for the charted path."
Hmm.
Oh, man.
What?
Wow. (LAUGHING)
That's awesome.
Let me see.
Wow. But how do you know
where to point it?
Here, let me see.
What was the last line?
"Only in the hands of the
true king can he truly see."
"Only in the hands
of the true..."
Marcus Agrippa.
He was a great general,
but he wasn't a king.
Neither was Scipio.
How do you know
all this stuff?
Because of my pops.
He made sure I knew my history.
None of these guys are kings,
except this guy. Romulus.
First king of Rome.
"Only in the hands of the
true king can he truly see."
(ARTHUR CLEARS THROAT)
(ARTHUR LAUGHING)
There it is.
That's our heading.
What? Let me see.
We did it!
ARTHUR: Oh!
That's not bad
for an imbecile, huh?
Not bad at all.
(BOTH GROANING)
(PEOPLE SCREAMING)
Mera.
BLACK MANTA: "Loathsomeness
waits and dreams in the deep,
and decay spreads over
the tottering cities of men."
Get back!
(GRUNTS)
(GROANS)
Arthur!
I order you to stand down!
Princess Mera,
you've been charged with high treason.
- (GROANING)
- (SIZZLING)
Who the hell are you?
Maybe this will
jog your memory.
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(GROANING)
(ALL GRUNTING)
(CHOKING)
(SCREAMING)
(BOTH GRUNTING)
You're the guy from the sub.
BLACK MANTA: That's right.
(GROANS LOUDLY)
But now I have
Atlantean steel.
(ARTHUR GROANING)
Call me "Black Manta."
(ARTHUR SCREAMING)
(MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO)
(ARTHUR GROANS)
BLACK MANTA: You thought
you could walk away?
(BOTH GRUNTING)
I thought I told you
not to make this a habit.
(BLACK MANTA GROANS)
(APOLOGIZES IN ITALIAN)
(ARTHUR SCREAMING)
You can't run.
You owe me blood!
How'd you find me?
Your lady friend has people
who like to keep tabs on her.
(GROANS)
(PANTING)
(GROWLS)
(PEOPLE SCREAMING)
(YELPS)
(BELL TOLLS)
(SCREAMING)
(GROANING)
(SCREAMING CONTINUES)
(TOLLS)
No! (GRUNTS)
(PEOPLE SCREAMING)
(PANTING)
(MAN SCREAMING)
(GRUNTING)
Come on.
(ARTHUR SPEAKING ITALIAN)
Get inside.
(CONTINUES SPEAKING ITALIAN)
(SCREAMS)
same mercy you showed my father.
And gut you
like the fish you are!
(ARTHUR GRUNTING)
(GROANS)
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(GROANING)
(CHOKING)
(GRUNTING)
(CHOKING)
(GASPING)
(SIGHS)
(YELLING)
(SUIT SPUTTERING)
(GRUNTING)
(ALARM BEEPING)
(GRUNTS)
Arthur!
(GROANING)
Mera, they're tracking you.
What?
They're tracking you.
(ARTHUR GRUNTS)
Arthur.
Arthur, stay with me.
Arthur, wake up! Arthur.
(FLUTE PLAYING)
(GROANING)
(CONTINUES GROANING)
(PLAYING SOFT TUNE)
ARTHUR: Um...
Did you steal a boat?
Are the boats at the marina
not for public use?
No, those belong to people.
Huh.
(CHUCKLES)
MERA: Those were
Orm's elite commandos.
But the one who led them,
he wasn't Atlantean.
I've never seen him before.
Yeah, I have.
He and his father
were pirates.
And he blames me
for his father's death.
They picked a dangerous line of trade.
It's not your fault.
That's not how it feels.
It was up to me,
and I let him die.
I could've saved him,
but I didn't.
And now, I made an enemy,
and he could have hurt you.
And that would
have been my fault.
Well, he's behind us now.
It's what lies ahead
that should concern us.
The charted path leads
to the Kingdom of the Trench.
Are those the same creatures
that killed my mother?
Yes.
She was taken there
and sacrificed to them.
It's become a place of death.
We know next to nothing
about what's down there.
We should turn back.
We can still warn the surface.
Try and prepare them for what's coming.
Turn back?
Look, I learned from a young
age not to show weakness.
Okay? I solve my problems
with my anger and my fists.
I'm a blunt instrument,
and I'm damn good at it.
But I've done nothing but get
my ass kicked this whole trip.
I'm no leader.
I'm not a king.
I do not work
or play well with others.
And I can't let you die trying to
turn me into something that I'm not.
You think you're unworthy to lead
because you're of two different worlds.
But that is exactly
why you are worthy.
You are the bridge
between land and sea.
I can see that now.
The only question is...
Can you?
The tracking on Lady Mera
is still dark, Your Highness.
Vulko.
My trusted vizier
who has stood by the throne
since my father sat upon it.
Have you any advice for me
as this war begins?
I have already
given it, My King.
But I will stand
by your decision, as always.
My decision.
To protect it.
While you betray it.
You think I do not know
of your treachery?
That you have remained loyal
to my mother's bastard son.
That you have spent years training
him to take the throne from me.
Do not deny it.
I do not.
Why?
I am the pureblood.
I have devoted my life
to Atlantis.
He wanted nothing to do with it.
You swore to serve the throne!
I do serve it.
Arthur may only be
half-Atlantean,
but he's already twice
the king you'll ever be.
Take him.
But make sure he has a view.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(GASPS)
(GROWLING)
(ROARING)
(GRUNTS)
(MERA GRUNTING)
(SNARLING)
(GRUNTING)
(SCREECHES)
- (SCREECHES)
- (GRUNTS)
(YELLS)
(ARTHUR GRUNTS)
ARTHUR: What the hell
are these things?
The Trench! We're here!
- There are too many of them!
- Come on, inside!
(CREATURES SNARLING)
(SCREECHING)
They're from the depths.
They're scared
of the light. Here!
(CREATURES SNARLING)
ARTHUR: Come on!
You ready to jump?
(THUNDER CRASHING)
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(CREATURES SCREECHING)
Over there!
(CREATURES SNARLING)
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(CREATURES SCREECHING)
MERA: That thing
will tear us apart.
We don't have a choice!
(BOTH GRUNTING)
Arthur!
Mera!
(GROWLING)
Mera!
Mera!
(CREATURE CAWING)
(MERA PANTING)
ARTHUR: Mera!
Mera!
Arthur.
Mom?
(CREATURES CAWING)
ATLANNA: King Orvax sacrificed
me to the Trench, but I survived.
I fought my way through as you
did, and I ended up here.
MERA: You've been here
alone for 20 years?
- ATLANNA: Yes.
- (MERA GROANS)
Come. Sit here.
You must forgive me.
Forgive me for everything.
This happened
because you had me.
Not for having you.
None of this is your fault.
I made a choice.
I had to leave...
To save you,
to save your father.
Tell me. Tell me about him.
Is he...
He still walks
to the end of that dock.
Every morning.
Every day.
- Waiting for you.
- (CRYING)
Why didn't you ever come back?
Because the portal that brought
you here won't let us return.
The trident
is the only way back.
But it is guarded
by the Karathen.
The creature from our legends,
it's real.
It lies beyond the waterfall.
We'll go with you.
We can fight it together.
No.
It's too powerful.
I've tried many times
over the years.
The creature will only allow
the true king to pass.
You're afraid.
Yes.
Good.
You're ready.
MERA: Atlantis has always
had a king.
Now, it needs something more.
But what could be
greater than a king?
A hero.
A king fights
only for his nation.
You...
Fight for everyone.
(RUMBLING)
KARATHEN:
You do not belong here.
I have guarded the trident against
false kings since the beginning.
And for a thousand years
I have seen the greatest
champions try and fail.
But never have I sensed one
as unworthy as you.
You dare come here with
your tainted mongrel blood
to claim Atlantis'
greatest treasure?
(GRUNTS)
So be it...
Half-breed.
(GROANING)
(GROANING)
You thought yourself worthy?
You thought yourself a king?
You dishonor this place
with your presence.
Stop!
You're right.
I am a half-breed mongrel.
But I did not come here
because I thought I was worthy.
I know I'm not.
You understand me?
I do.
No mortal has conversed
with me since King Atlan.
Who are you?
I'm nobody.
I came because
I had no choice.
I came to save my home
and the people that I love.
I came because the trident
is their only hope.
And if that's not
good enough...
Then screw you.
No man has ever freed
the trident from Atlan's grip.
Should he deem you unworthy...
Well, I haven't feasted
in eons,
and I am famished.
(GASPS)
(YELLING)
The one true king.
NEREUS: Remember, the Brine
are powerful, savage brutes,
but a swift assault aimed directly at
their leadership will turn the tide.
Defeat the Brine King,
and you will command the greatest
military might on this planet.
Today, we unite our kingdoms.
Tomorrow,
we scorch the surface!
Rise, Atlantis!
Death to the Atlantean hagfish!
(BRINE SNARLING)
- (ORM YELLING)
- (ATLANTEANS GROWLING)
BRINE KING:
We will not bow to Atlantis.
We're gonna give them a fight
that they will never forget!
(SOLDIERS SHOUTING)
(SCREECHES)
(GRUNTS)
(CHITTERING)
(ATLANTEAN SCREAMS)
(CREAKING)
- (YELLING)
- (BRINE KING GROANING)
- (YELLS)
- No! We need him!
Join me or die.
You expect me to address
you as Your Highness?
Not Your Highness.
Call me...
Ocean Master.
You can take my army,
you soft-bellied slug.
But you will never
have my allegiance!
So be it!
(YELLING)
(GROANING)
(ALL YELPING)
What the...
(ATLANTEANS SCREAMING)
(ROARING)
(YELLING)
The king has risen.
Attack!
(SCREECHES)
(ROARING)
(YELLING)
(SCREECHING)
(ATLANTEANS YELPING)
(SEA CREATURES CALLING)
(SCREAMS)
(RIDERS GROANING)
(ROARING)
(GROANS)
(GRUNTING)
There are too many casualties.
We have to stop the fighting now.
I'll find my father.
But you must defeat Orm.
And what if I can't?
Last time,
he was in his element.
This time,
make him fight in yours.
ARTHUR: Um...
- What was the plan, again?
- The plan is to not get killed.
Yeah, good plan.
Don't get killed.
(URGING SEAHORSE)
(WHINNYING)
(CREATURES SCREECHING)
(GRUNTS)
(ALL GROANING)
(YELLING)
The Trench!
He commands the Trench!
Impossible!
(ORM YELLING)
(BOTH SCREAM)
Stand down! Let her pass.
Please, Father,
he has the trident.
I know you think
this war is necessary,
but Arthur is king
by our most sacred law.
And if you turn your back
on that now,
then the Atlantis you're
fighting for is already dead.
XEBEL SOLDIER: It's true!
The half-breed wields King Atlan's trident.
He commands the sea!
Then that half-breed
is your king.
(YELLING)
(URGING SEAHORSE)
(CONTINUES YELLING)
(CREATURE ROARING)
(GRUNTS)
Vulko! Come on,
he needs our help!
VULKO: We can't! Look.
The people must bear witness.
That trident
doesn't change what you are.
A half-breed bastard.
Atlantis will never accept you
as its king.
Well, then by bloodshed...
Do the gods
make known their will.
(BOTH GRUNTING)
Yield the throne. Yield it!
(STRAINING)
(ORM YELLING)
(GROANING)
(ORM YELLING)
(ARTHUR GRUNTS)
Finish it.
Yield the throne.
Mercy is not our way.
Maybe you haven't
noticed, brother...
But I'm not one of you.
Do it!
- Kill me!
- ATLANNA: No!
That is enough killing.
Mother?
Oh, my son.
It's a long story.
I'll tell ya later.
Come on!
I don't understand.
We thought...
I know.
Arthur saved me.
- You're with him?
- I am.
You're both my children,
and I love you so much.
But you have been misguided.
Your father taught you
that there were two worlds.
He was wrong.
The land and the sea
are one.
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
My queen.
Vulko.
Take him.
But make sure he has a view.
When you're ready,
let's talk.
People of Atlantis,
today began in bloodshed,
but let it end in joy.
I give you
King Arthur of Atlantis.
Hail to the king!
- Hail to the king!
- ALL: Hail to the king!
(ATLANTEANS CHANTING)
So, what do I do now?
Be their king.
Ooh.
This is gonna be fun.
(CHANTS IN MAORI)
(WHOOPING)
(ALL CHEERING)
(KARATHEN ROARING)
(GASPS)
You came back. You're back.
Yes. Yes.
ARTHUR: My father
was a lighthouse keeper.
My mother was a queen.
They were never
meant to meet...
But their love
saved the world.
They made me what I am.
A son of the land,
and a king of the seas.
I am the protector
of the deep.
I am...
Aquaman.
(MELLOW MUSIC PLAYING)
DR. SHIN: Hey!
DR. SHIN: I spent 15 years
at the United States Institute
of Marine Science...
- JAMES: Weren't you fired?
- ...studying oceanic phenomenon,
and this is the most conclusive
evidence we have to date.
Deep-sea seismographs have recorded
explosions on the ocean floor.
- (GROANING)
- DR. SHIN: We have satellite imagery
of debris from Atlantean warships
floating on the surface...
- JAMES: Dr. Shin!
- Will you please let me finish?
JAMES: Here we go again.
Atlantean?
DR. SHIN: Yes. The government
does not want us to know
about the threat
that exists right here...
Yeah, I wouldn't do that
if I were you.
(BLACK MANTA SUIT POWERING UP)
This is Atlantean technology,
isn't it?
Can you tell me
how you got this?
Sure. But first,
you gotta tell me
how to find him.
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