| Director | James Wan |
|---|---|
| Budget | $160 million |
| Box office | $1.2 billion |
In 1985 Maine, lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry rescues Atlanna, queen of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, during a storm. They fall in love and have a son named Arthur, who has the power to communicate with sea creatures. When Atlantean soldiers sent by King Orvax (the ruler of Atlantis) arrive for Atlanna, who fled her arranged marriage, she is forced to leave her family to protect them from her people. She promises to return when it's safe and goes back to Atlantis, entrusting her advisor, Nuidis Vulko, to train Arthur. Becoming a skilled warrior, Arthur rejects Atlantis upon learning that Orvax executed Atlanna for loving a human and birthing an illegitimate son.
In the present, Arthur has become known as the metahuman dubbed as "Aquaman" by the public. One year after Steppenwolf's defeat, Arthur confronts a gang of pirates hijacking the Russian Akula-class submarine K-461 "Volk" (named "Stalnoivolk" in the film). Their leader, Jesse Kane, is killed while trapped by a torpedo, leading his son David to vow revenge against Arthur after he refused to help save Jesse in retaliation for murdering innocent people.
Meanwhile, King Orm Marius, Orvax's son and Arthur's younger half-brother who is now the new ruler of Atlantis after his father passed away, persuades King Nereus of Xebel to join forces in uniting Atlantis and destroying the surface world for polluting the oceans. If Orm successfully unites all four kingdoms, he will become Ocean Master, commander of Earth's most powerful underwater force. They are ambushed by the Stalnoivolk submarine, now repaired and operated by David Kane, prompting Orm to feel compelled to unleash a tsunami. However, Orm is revealed to have orchestrated the attack after hiring David and Jesse to hijack the submarine and gain Nereus's support, with plans to kill Arthur. To that end, Orm provides David with an Atlantean battle suit for the mission.
Nereus' daughter Mera, betrothed to Orm, refuses to aid them and requests Arthur's help. Arthur accompanies her to Atlantis after Orm's tsunami nearly kills his father. Vulko urges him to find the Trident of Atlan, a powerful artifact of Atlantis' first ruler, to reclaim his rightful place as king. Mera and Arthur are ambushed by Orm's men, and he is captured. Orm blames him for Atlanna's death and nearly kills him in a duel before Mera rescues him. She and Arthur journey to the fallen Kingdom of the Deserters, hidden under the Sahara, where the Trident was forged, and unlock a holographic message that leads them to Sicily, where they retrieve the trident's coordinates. Meanwhile, Orm imprisons Vulko and coerces the Kingdom of the Fishermen to pledge their allegiance to him by killing their king.
Rechristening himself as "Black Manta", David battles Arthur, but is defeated. Traveling out to sea on a stolen boat, Arthur and Mera fend off amphibious monsters of the Trench, and a wormhole transports them to an uncharted sea at the center of the Earth. They are reunited with Atlanna, who survived and escaped into the uncharted sea but could not find her way back. Arthur faces the Karathen, a mythical sea monster and guardian of the Trident; after proving his worth, it allows him to claim the Trident, which grants him control over the seven seas. Orm leads his army against the Kingdom of the Brine to declare himself Ocean Master, while in turn, Arthur leads an army of marine creatures, including Karathen and the Trench, against him. Orm's followers embrace Arthur as the true king upon learning that he wields Atlan's trident. Arthur spares Orm's life after beating him in a duel, and Orm accepts his imprisonment after discovering that Arthur rescued their mother. Atlanna reunites with Thomas, while Arthur ascends to the throne.
In a mid-credits scene, Manta is saved by Dr. Stephen Shin, a marine scientist and conspiracy theorist obsessed with Atlantis, and agrees to lead Shin there in exchange for help in his revenge on Arthur.