- This episode of Nerdist News is sponsored by Tor Books.
Aquaman's got a brand new old look.
Here's what it means for the DC Cinematic Universe.
The doors to Comic-Con 2018 opened last night
sending a tidal wave of fans crashing
onto the show floor of the San Diego Convention Center,
and anyone fishing for first looks
at all the coolest upcoming toys,
clothes and collectibles that pop culture
has to offer was not disappointed.
There were amazing offerings from Star Wars,
Marvel, Transformers and pretty much
any other thing your nerdy little heart could desire.
But maybe the biggest catch of the night
was this life-sized Lego Aquaman,
and not just because a life-sized Jason Momoa crafted
from any building material would get our attention.
No, what really caught our eye
were those eye-poppin' colors.
Green and orange, really making a statement,
and that statement is, we're going retro.
Yes, that is contemporary Aquaman
in his old school Super Friends color scheme,
but we know what you guys are thinking.
That just has to be a Comic-Con goof, right?
A little bit of fun for the kids walking the show floor.
There's no way the Aquaman movie
is gonna put Momoa in those dated diving duds.
Well think again, because that wasn't the only place
that we saw the old school threads.
It was all over the floor.
Official action figures,
small scale statues over at the DC booth,
and even in the ultra realistic Sideshow Collectible
statues that you have to blow your entire Con budget on.
Which means that it seems like we can officially say
that when Aquaman swims in to theaters this December,
he'll be doing it in his classic costume,
despite the leather pants that we saw
in the first official poster earlier this week.
But what does that mean for the larger DCEU?
Well, on the surface it would seem
to mean absolutely nothing.
Comic book movies love cycling
through characters' various costume iterations
from film to film, just take a look at Tony Stark
and whatever millionth mark of the Iron Man suit
they're on over at Marvel Cinematic Universe right now.
But then again, Aquaman isn't your average superhero.
The popular consensus about Aquaman over the years
has been that he's, for lack of a better phrase, super lame.
A campier, kitchier hero who you only called in to action
if the only way to save the world involved talking to fish.
- I hear you can talk to fish.
- And that was a reputation the DCEU
worked really hard to get rid of,
transforming him into a bourbon-swilling badass
who was so cool, he thought Batman sucked.
And he definitely wasn't defending the Seven Seas
in green and orange tights.
Nope, the only costume the DCEU Aquaman needed
was a pair of wet jeans and a whole bunch of body tats.
So, putting him back in that old costume
definitely seems like they're making a statement
about the future of their big screen superheroes.
The DCEU has been paving a new course
for their A-listers for a while now,
ever since the huge success of Wonder Woman
and the relative disappointment of Justice League.
They've been tip-toeing away from the grim
and gritty aesthetic that was established early on,
with movies like Man of Steel
and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,
and moving forward with lighter ones,
like next year's kid-friendly Shazam!
And a retro Aquaman seems like
an even more extreme move towards that sensibility.
Add to that this first look pic
of Aquaman riding a sea dragon,
aka a badass looking sea horse, and you get the picture.
This movie is leaning in to the fun
that Arthur Curry promises.
It's worth noting that the original version
of Aquaman in the films was conceived by Zack Snyder,
and this project started production
way before the disappointment of Justice League.
The Aquaman movie really felt like the last gasp
of the old era of the DCEU, but now it may not be.
Now, he may be going through another big transformation
turning him into the fish-befriending defender
that we all know and love.
But what do you folks think?
Do you like Aquaman's retro look,
or will you miss those sexy wet jeans?
(groans) Let's discuss.
This episode is brought to you by Tor Books,
America's number one publisher
of science fiction and fantasy.
Read Vicious by V.E. Schwab,
New York Times bestselling author
of A Darker Shades of Magic,
and get caught up in the thrilling story
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And get ready for the sequel,
Vengeful, coming this September.
Follow @torbooks for more details.
(electronic music)