‘Aquaman’ Director Clears Up That There Was No ‘Justice League’ Plot Hole

When Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) reached Atlantis in Aquaman, it appeared he was visiting the legendary location for the first time. The situation was a point of interest for fans of Warner Brothers’ DC Extended Universe as most were under the assumption the sea-dwelling character first visited the undersea city in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Aquaman director James Wan has admitted that’s simply not the case. When Curry swam underwater to speak with Mera (Amber Heard) in Justice League, he simply visited her at an outpost far from the city of Atlantis. Speaking with the Huffington Post, Wan made sure that he and Snyder were on the same page about the situation.

“So when he told me that was his idea,” Wan says. “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,” the director explains.”

Wan went on to compare the situation to Steven Spielberg-directed movies — Jurrasic Park, in particular. Wan compares Curry’s first time in Atlantis to the first time Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) sees dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.

“It wouldn’t be the same if Arthur goes to Atlantis and he’s been here before and he’s kind of jaded about it,” Wan elaborates. “There’s nothing impressing him. Then you as an audience watching would not be impressed either. It’s that Spielberg approach, right?”

“Seeing a character seeing something for the first time ― like in “Jurassic Park” when Laura Dern sees the dinosaur for the first time. The camera is pushing in on her look of awe and wonderment. That’s how you convey it to the audience and that’s how the audience comes along with the characters.”

Were you thinking the first-time-in-Atlantis deal was a “plot hole” in the wake of Justice League? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Aquaman is in theaters now. Other upcoming DC Extended Universe movies include Shazam! on April 5th, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, and Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020.