Aquaman: King of Atlantis Creators Break Down That Epic Finale

Throughout the month of October, viewers have been treated to Aquaman: King of Atlantis, an animated miniseries telling the tale of DC’s protector of the deep. The HBO Max miniseries chronicles Aquaman’s (Cooper Andrews) first day on the job as king of Atlantis, as he and his advisors, Mera (Gillian Jacobs) and Vulko (Thomas Lennon), get thrown into an unexpected and zany battle against Ocean Master (Dana Snyder) and other undersea threats. Across its three installments, the miniseries has pitted Aquaman and Mera against a slew of undersea threats, culminating in a battle for the fate of Atlantis against Pytor Motrikov (Andrew Morgado), also known as Scavenger.

The unique and eccentric series is brought to life by a talented cast and crew, led by creators and ThunderCats Roar veterans Victor Courtright (Pickle and Peanut, Yo Gabba Gabba!) and Marly Halpern-Graser (Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans). 

ComicBook.com got a chance to chat with Courtright and Halpern-Grazer in the lead-up to the miniseries premiere. Now that all three episodes are out into the world, we’re here to break down some of the more spoiler-filled details of the series. We spoke about the series’ approach to Scavenger, some of the more notable guest stars, the character they wanted to include in the series, and more.

Fire Trolls

ComicBook.com: What was the comic research process like? Were you guys already fans of Aquaman long beforehand, or was it a thing that you kind of discovered along the way? Watching the show and seeing the Fire Trolls and some of the more obscure characters and villains, I was curious how all of that came to you guys.

Marly Halpern-Graser: We did both. We did do a lot of research, in addition to being fans. The Fire Trolls, I came with them. I had the Fire Trolls locked and loaded. I love those guys.

Scavenger

I was also curious about re-imagining Scavenger. Watching the three episodes, once it gets to the reveal in the third episode, that reveal really pays off, even if you’re already familiar with him. 

Halpern-Graser: Oh man, I’m just glad to hear that it worked. That’s exactly the reaction we wanted people to have. Victor, you haven’t talked about this, but Scavenger was one of the characters — when I walked in and talked to you for the first time — you had a drawing of him already. What was it about Scavenger that jumped out to you?

Victor Courtright: I like his weird face. I was really specifically excited about all the Silver Age Aquaman stuff. I just love that world, like “anything goes” under the sea. You got your sci-fi and fantasy and mythology and basically everything. And the villains are just so bizarre and fun. Scavenger, reading about him. There’s elements from [the series] that should sound familiar to people who have read that story. We wanted to take what was really fun about that, and reinvent it in a way that anybody who’s aware of that stuff would be really excited about it, but it’s also just a really cool introduction to a villain, if you had no idea that he existed before. The visual of that guy really hit me hard.

Halpern-Graser: One of the fun things about working with a property like Aquaman — Ocean Master is pretty well worn territory, so we used him, but a little bit in the background. Black Manta is obviously Aquaman’s most famous villain, so we just left him to the side because the movie already did him so well. Because our thing is its own continuity, we’re using the movie as an inspiration, but then we’re building our own standalone world, which lets us take some Aquaman villains that are less familiar to the general audience. They’ve been in less cartoons. They’ve been in no movies. [We can] create really new, original takes on them that I hope feel true to their comic origins, but also unexpected.

Other Characters

Speaking to the Silver Age inspiration, and the characters that you guys wanted to use — Were there any characters or elements that got left on the cutting room floor, or did you get to use everybody that was on your wishlist?

Halpern-Graser: Originally, we were hoping to use Brine King, the big crab guy from the movie, because he’s awesome. We couldn’t find a good spot for him once the story took place, but others took shape. But other than that, I got everyone in there that I wanted. How about you, Victor?

Courtright: No, that was a big one. Some of my very first drawings of what this thing could be featured Brine King prominently. A fun, weird, crab guy.

Halpern-Graser: If we do get to do another trilogy it’s going to become Aquaman: King of Atlantis: Brine King.

Fan Response

What are you both most excited to see fans respond to?

Halpern-Graser: Oh man. I hope that they love Flula Borg’s Mantis character as much as we do.

He was amazing. Watching it in the moment, I was like, “That has to be Flula!”

Halpern-Graser: If you watched The Suicide Squad, and you were like, “Man, I wish that guy had more lines,” we got you.

Sequel

You joked about adding the Brine King, but is there a possibility for future chapters or future seasons?

Halpern-Graser: Oh yeah. We’re willing and available. It’s definitely designed to be its own standalone thing, but there’s absolutely room for more. We’ll see.

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All three installments of Aquaman: King of Atlantis are now available to stream exclusively on HBO Max.