Aquaman 2: Is Black Manta’s Black Trident based on the Dead King’s Scepter?

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s first trailer reveals Black Manta has a powerful new weapon, but is the Black Trident actually the Dead King’s Scepter? 

After months of radio silence, the marketing machine for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is finally warming up. A brief teaser trailer was followed by a synopsis and a full trailer, which finally gave fans a clue to the plot. 

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom sees Arthur having accepted his role as king of Atlantis and become a father. However, the deadly Black Manta returns and threatens to destroy everything Arthur has built. 

The trailers point toward the Black Trident, a powerful artifact of Atlantis. While there is no direct correlation to the Black Trident in the comics, it does appear to be based on a terrifying weapon that appeared in recent Aquaman comics. 

Is Aquaman 2’s Black Trident based on Black Manta’s Dead King’s Scepter?

Introduced as a concept during New 52, the Dead King’s Scepter was the weapon of the dead king of Atlantis, Atlan. It is one of seven artifacts Atlan forged in war with his brother, but it is easily the most powerful. 

The Dead King’s Scepter first appears when Black Manta steals it from Atlan’s tomb. It’s presented here as an all-powerful weapon capable of causing massive earthquakes. It’s revealed that it was the Dead King’s Scepter that first sunk Atlantis. 

The Scepter proves to be a dangerous artifact in the comics and nearly costs Arthur all of Atlantis. He’s eventually able to turn it against a returned Atlan, though. Both Atlan and the Scepter are ultimately destroyed and have not been seen since. 

While the Black Trident may not be the exact same thing as Atlan’s Scepter, its powerset definitely indicates it could be a DCEU interpretation of it. How Black Manta got his hands on it and what powers it truly grants him remain to be seen, though. 

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