Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Ending Explained

After a tenure in the Justice League and a billion-dollar solo film, Arthur Curry / Aquaman’s (Jason Momoa) live-action story in the DC Extended Universe has come to a close. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrived in theaters this weekend, taking Arthur and his friends and family on an unexpected journey. If you need help understanding the ending of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, we’re here to break it down. Obviously, spoilers for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom lurk below! Only look if you want to know!

The majority of the film sees Arthur and his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) reluctantly joining forces to track down David Hyde / Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), whose hatred of Arthur has been further corrupted by the Black Trident. The Black Trident has motivated Manta to steal all of the Orichalcum hidden across the seven kingdoms, burning it to pollute the Earth, which will melt the ice caps and unleash the original owner of the Black Trident, Kordax (Pilou Asbæk). In order to fully open Kordax’s tomb, Manta needs the blood of someone in Atlan’s bloodline, and he kidnaps Arthur’s infant son, Arthur Jr., to do so. 

It all culminates in a fight at the ice caps for Arthur Jr.’s safety, which gets complicated once Orm makes contact with the Black Trident and it begins to corrupt him instead of Manta. After a perilous fight, Arthur manages to convince Orm to resist the temptation of the Black Trident, and then uses his own trident to destroy the Black Trident before it can get to Kordax. Kordax and his frozen army all fade from existence, their ice cap prison begins to crumble, and Arthur tries to save Manta from dying in the wreckage. Manta refuses the help, and disappears in the fray. Once the dust settles, Arthur convinces Orm to use the ice caps as an excuse to get out of his prison sentence, faking his death and exploring the surface world. Orm does exactly that, finally trying a greasy cheeseburger, after Arthur mentioned how great they are earlier in the movie.

Arthur, meanwhile, settles back into his happy life with his family — but makes a decision to unmask Atlantis to the surface world, in hopes that they can use their resources to reverse the global warming brought on by the Orichalcum. Arthur holds a public press conference to the world, revealing details about Atlantis, and excitedly confirming that he is the Aquaman.

What Is Aquaman 2 About?

In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which arrives in theaters on December 22nd, when an ancient power is unleashed, Aquaman must forge an uneasy alliance with an unlikely ally to protect Atlantis, and the world, from irreversible devastation. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will see the return of Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Amber Heard as Mera, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, and Randall Park as Stephen Shin. Jani Zhao will play new character Stingray, Indya Moore will play Karshon, and Vincent Regan will play Atlan, who was previously portrayed by Graham McTavish in Aquaman.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is directed by James Wan, with a script from David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Producers include Wan and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran.