DC Reveals Black Manta's New Design for Its Post-Jason Momoa Aquaman Era
While Jason Momoa will always be remembered for his iconic portrayal of Aquaman, a new era has begun for the King of Atlantis at DC Comics. With it have come epic redesigns not just for the hero and his allies, but also for his greatest villain of all: Black Manta. This isn’t just a new look for the iconic villain; it’s one of his best yet.
Jason Momoa’s Aquaman (2018) was by far the strongest film of the now-retired DCEU, grossing $1.149 billion worldwide and becoming the only DCEU movie to cross the billion-dollar mark. The film also saw the debut of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s exceptional portrayal of what is widely considered Aquaman’s most popular foe of all time: Black Manta.
However, as most DC fans know, the DCEU chapter has been closed with the launch of James Gunn’s new DCU, which has even recast Jason Momoa as Lobo rather than the King of Atlantis. While Gunn’s DCU has yet to introduce a new Aquaman, the hero is still making waves in DC Comics, notably in writer Tom Taylor and artist Otto Schmidt’s ongoing Dark Knights of Steel II comic series, which has given Aquaman, and now Black Manta, epic high-fantasy-inspired reimaginings.
Black Manta's New Design Gives Aquaman's Villain a Prehistoric Edge
Comic Page Comes from Tom Taylor's Dark Knights of Steel II #2 (2026) - Art by Otto Schmidt
Dark Knights of Steel II is the official sequel to Taylor and artist Yasmine Putri’s Dark Knights of Steel saga, which originally launched in 2021. Now, DC has released the second issue of the sequel, giving fans a look at the high-fantasy reimagining of Black Manta, and it honestly may be his best look yet.
While Black Manta is typically depicted in a sleek, armored diving suit complete with his signature bulbous helmet, which somewhat resembles a manta ray’s “head” from the front, Dark Knights of Steel II #2 gives the villain a far more heavily armored look. It’s much more hardcore and even has a prehistoric feel compared to his more modern-day diving suit.
That prehistoric feeling comes from the character’s more angular helmet and segmented, bulky armor, which give him a somewhat striking resemblance to a horseshoe crab. Despite what their name may suggest, horseshoe crabs are neither crabs nor even crustaceans. Rather, they are chelicerates, making them more closely related to arachnids like spiders and scorpions.
Horseshoe crabs are also famously referred to as “living fossils” because these ancient animals have retained a remarkably similar appearance for hundreds of millions of years and have lived in the ocean for more than 440 million years. Hence, when we say Black Manta’s new look gives him a prehistoric edge, it’s because of the resemblance we see to the ancient horseshoe crab.
Of course, his name is still Black Manta, which suggests that, despite the horseshoe crab resemblance, the character is modeled after manta rays rather than chelicerates. So, it was likely not Schmidt’s intention for Black Manta to resemble a horseshoe crab more than a manta ray. However, no matter what animal you see more when looking at this new redesign, there’s no denying it’s one of Aquaman’s villains’ best looks yet, especially following the end of the Jason Momoa era.
Dark Knights of Steel II #2 from DC Comics is available to read now!