Did Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zach Snyder sort of slip in Aquaman in 2013’s Man of Steel ? That what The Wrap’s Jeff Sneider claimed in a podcast released Friday. The entertainment reporter dropped some tidbits that provide a hint on how the next movie might play out for the DC Comic super heroes.
According to Sneider during the Meet the Movie Press podcast, he eavesdropped on some “older gentleman” talking about Batman v Superman during a luncheon at the Toronto Movie Festival. These older gentleman were actually Warner Bros. executives, and described Aquaman as a “buff Hawaiian guy covered in tattoos.”
That fits in with the long-rumored casting of native Hawaiian, Jason Momoa , for the role. It’s also a different spin on the character from the buff blonde Aquaman from the very beginning, and Zach Snyder thinks he can go toe-to-toe with the Kryptonian.
Aquaman did not technically appear in Man of Steel , but Sneider says he was around for one of the early pivotal scenes in the movie, per the WB execs. This may be a little spoiler-ish so you may want to go back if you haven’t seen the movie yet.
There’s a scene in the movie were pre-Superman Clark helps a group of oil rig workers escape from a burning rig before it collapses on them. The structure eventually collapses on Clark and he falls into the ocean stunned. As he’s sinking, he sees a mother whale and a baby swimming above him. He then closes his eyes and we are treated to a flashback scene involving Clark and his mother before seeing him emerge on a shore.
There’s been speculation swimming around about how Clark made it to the shore and whether he had any assistance. The conversation that Sneider overheard apparently confirms that Aquaman called the whales in to save Superman at that moment and help return him to shore.
It’s an interesting theory and sets up some interesting scenarios for the relationship between Aquaman and Superman in Dawn of Justice . As Sneider’s co-host Mark Reilly of Schmoes Know pointed out, there have been other rumors floating around that the king of Atlantis is ticked off at Man of Steel for messing up the Indian Ocean with the destruction of the World Engine at the end of the movie. This sets up a dynamic where Aquaman could tell Superman that he owes him one, possibly more. It also fits in with the theme of Superman facing judgement from all the destruction in Man of Steel .
It would admittedly be better to hear this confirmation come directly from Batman v Superman director Zack Snyder instead of a conversation overheard by movie reporter Jeff Sneider. It could just as easily be interpreted that seeing the mother and baby whale together sparked the hero’s memory of his mother. Still, it sets up another dynamic of how a multitude of heroes will be introduced for the multi-film franchise based on DC Comics.
Do you agree with Sneider that Aquaman sent whales to save Superman? Let us know why or why not in the comments below.
[Image via Man of Steel ]
