Yahya Abdul-Mateen II took to Twitter recently to squash any ideas that Aqualad will make an appearance in the upcoming Aquaman film. Fans of the movie starring DC’s famous fish whisperer went into a frenzy after the Aquaman trailer debuted at SDCC 2018 last week. In the trailer, not only do we get a glimpse of Arthur Curry’s (Jason Mamoa) famous green and orange costume, but we also see Black Manta sporting his iconic helmet. However, there’s no mention or cameo by Black Manta’s son and Aquaman’s favorite sidekick, Aqualad.

Aqualad’s first appearance was in issue #269 of Adventure Comics. He’s served as Aquaman’s teenage sidekick in several adventures, but was eventually killed during the events of Blackest Night. Most fans are familiar with the Jackson Hyde (Kaldur’ahm was his given Atlantean name) character who eventually took the mantle of Aqualad in the Young Justice animated series and comics. He was Aquaman’s protege and was the first leader of the Team to undertake secret missions for the Justice League. Aqualad’s main mission was to work undercover as a lieutenant in his father’s (Black Manta) army. As one of the more interesting characters in the animated series, Aqualad quickly became a fan-favorite. With his unique skills, mystical powers and calm (at times ferocious demeanor), it makes sense that Aquaman fans would want to see Aqualad appear in the upcoming movie.

Aquaman’s star-studded cast includes Mamoa, Willem Dafoe, Amber Heard, and Patrick Wilson. The solo film will reveal the origin of Aquaman as he sets out to find the trident of King Atlan and become the King of Atlantis. But, with every superhero, there are a few villains lurking in the shadows, waiting to thwart the hero’s quest. Although Ocean-Master will be Aquaman’s main opponent, Black Manta will prove to be another formidable foe in the movie. With two bad guys in the mix, Aquaman could use all the help he could get from his friends. But fans’ hopes were dashed when Abdul-Mateen II posted on his Twitter account that Aqualad will not appear in Aquaman.

Abdul-Mateen let fans know, in the nicest way possible, about the exclusion of Aquaman’s sidekick, and Twitter had fun with his comment. They responded back with cool gifs of Aqualad from Young Justice and tweets about the possibility of seeing him in the sequel.

Clamoring for Aqualad to appear speaks volumes about the Aquaman character and shows just how excited fans are for the movie to premiere in December. However, depending on the success of Aquaman, some characters and storylines may be saved for the sequel. DC has to establish Aquaman first before adding other characters from his other stories. Just like with the Batman films, it took several movies to be made with just the Caped Crusader before the introduction of Robin in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever.

MORE: Aquaman Trailer Breakdown & Secrets Revealed

Source: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

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