Warning! Spoilers ahead!
The classic Aquaman enemy is being set up for a huge transformation in the latest issue of DC Comics’ Black Manta, which might have some crazy implications. While it is revealed at the start of this new miniseries that Black Manta is dying as a result of a mysterious rock discovered on the ocean level, the answers he receives as to why he is being impacted aren’t what he wants to hear. As a result, the formidable supervillain has decided to seek a second opinion and learn the truth using supernatural means.
Black Manta
David Hyde suffers from crippling headaches that threaten to kill him in the first issue of Black Manta by writer Chuck Brown and artist Valentine de Landro. While he’s concluded that the reason is a mysterious glowing rock his team discovered beneath the waves, he’s stumped as to why he’s the only one in his crew who’s been affected. Furthermore, a number of persons who appear to be unconnected have been affected by the same illness. As a result, Manta has enlisted the services of Stephen Shin, a marine biologist and Atlantean expert, to help him find answers and a solution before he dies.
Black Manta #2
In Black Manta #2, Manta is in utter denial after hearing Shin’s theory about what’s going on with him. Shin believes the rock is a miraculous mineral produced by the Lost Tribe of Atlantis millennia ago. Shin’s theory suggests that once it was recovered by one of Hyde’s Manta Men, it began to awaken dormant Atlantean DNA within humans, killing them unwittingly. Furthermore, this would imply that Manta is half-Atlantean, a theory that the pirate mercenary scorns.
Manta Has chosen To Seek His Owner Answers
Black Manta appears to be seeking his own answers and solutions, grabbing the Gentlemen Ghost and transporting him back to 9000 B.C. Atlantis. Manta appears to want to go straight to the source and get the truth from the Lost Tribe of Atlantis (and hopefully find a cure as well). However, it will be tremendous if it is confirmed that Manta has always been part-Atlantean, belonging to a race he has long despised. It would also strengthen Manta’s ties to Aquaman, his old foe who assassinated his father.
As a result, this particular shift in Manta’s background would be life-changing for him, and it’s unclear what he’ll do once he discovers the irrefutable truth about his heritage for himself. Perhaps it will allow Black Manta to work toward atonement, allowing him to reunite with his son Jackson in the not-too-distant future. Fans will have to wait and see as the legendary Aquaman villain prepares to travel across time and beneath the waters in search of the information he seeks.
