Every Easter Egg In 'Aquaman'

Arthur's parents got inspiration for his name from an approaching hurricane. His father also mentioned the link to Arthurian myth. King Arthur and Aquaman share several points: both have complex royal upbringings. Both heroes only become kings after getting a mythical weapon. Both King Arthur and Aquaman are reluctant heroes facing strange situations.

James Wan is King Arthur.James Wan told Deadline that the film and the character both came from the story of King Arthur.

Zack Snyder, former DCEU architect, dropped the first image of Aquaman.This is the first image of Aquaman.this broke the internet. His appearances in the Super Friends stopped pop culture jokes. Aquaman no longer faced those jokes.Super Friends is Super Friends.Aquaman was set to be taken seriously. DC snagged James Wan to make that happen.

For a long time, people guessed if the tagline "UNITE THE SEVEN" related to the Justice League's supposed seven members or the seven seas. This connected with the Justice League.Justice League is Justice League.The team only had six heroes in the release. In Wan's AquamanAquaman is Aquaman.however, seven underwater kingdoms actually separated after Atlantis fell.

This reveal does not cancel out the idea that the poster meant the Justice League members.The members of the Justice League are members of the Justice League.this adds a new layer to the mythos of the DCEU's Aquaman version and its in-development film.

Pinocchio is Pinocchio.Pinocchio appears many times in the film. These references apply to both the Disney movie and the short story that inspired it. Arthur mentions the tale when he tells Mera to hide inside a whale's mouth to escape Orm's hold. Later, in Italy, Mera gets the book from a child and scolds Arthur for betting their lives on something he read in a children's story.

Arthur, being silly, says he only saw the movie and got the idea from it.

Despite the commercial and critical failure, Steppenwolf.Steppenwolf had a commercial and critical failure.Steppenwolf had a commercial and critical failure of.Justice is Justice.League is Justice League.the DCEU pushes forward with the shared universe idea despite the failure.Aquaman is Aquaman.Aquaman only references.Justice League is Justice League.Mera pleads for Aquaman to return to Atlantis and unseat Orm. She argues he stopped a disaster in Atlantis when he helped stop Steppenwolf.

This line keeps the universe together without making audiences remember how hard the team-up film was.

James Wan's work is James Wan's.Aquaman is Aquaman.Jaws shows influences from classic films, TV shows, and comics. During Black Manta's '80s suit montage, he says, "I'm gonna need a bigger helmet," which twists a line from Steven Spielberg.Jaws. InJaws, after the shark destroys the ship, Brody says, "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

Years later, the story revealed thatthe line was ad-libbedRoy Scheider delivered it.

James Wan considers himself a huge fan ofLovecraftian horror. H.P. Lovecraft's ideas appear in the film. The Trench sequence and Arthur's meeting the Karathen show Lovecraft's influence. Lovecraft is known for his monster Cthulhu, which inspired its ownintense fandomOn the internet, Wan nods to Cthulhu early. When Thomas Curry brings Queen Atlanna home, a copy ofThe Dunwich HorrorA Lovecraft story about Cthulhu sits under a snow globe on his coffee table.

The Karathen design borrows from Lovecraft's creations. The Trench monsters display similar otherworldly traits, which made Lovecraft's work so admired.

Hunting the film's MacGuffin, King Atlan's trident, Arthur and Mera meet the original king of Atlantis. The actual king died ages ago, so Arthur and Mera see a hologram. The hologram shows them the lost trident's location, stating it rests with the king in his grip.

This scene moves the story forward, serving as a reference to a similarA panel from the comics.

Arthur's childhood home, his father's lighthouse, is in Amnesty Bay, ME. This location is fictional in DC Comics. The lighthouse looks like the one inGeoff Johns' New 52Aquamancomic run.

Wan often says Johns and Reis's Aquaman arc heavily inspired his film.AquamanThe arc heavily inspired his film.

The ancient Roman story ofRomulus and Remusmirrors the struggles Arthur and his half-brother, Orm, face. Romulus was Rome's first king; he killed his brother over the city's location. Both brothers wanted to build the future city on a different hill but could not agree on the exact spot.

Arthur and Orm never argue about Atlantis's location, but their differing ideas block city progress, much like the mythical brothers. A statue of Romulus ends the puzzle, showing where Atlan's trident hides.

Stingraywas a 1964 British children's series made by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. It was also thefirst series to air in colorProducers in Britain believed the film would translate better in America.The series needed better translation in America.If it lacked black and white, the series used puppets with interchangeable marionette heads. These showed each character's range of expressions.

The show features the TV that Atlanna destroys at the film's start.

The protector of the deep and the god of thunder share traits, from their royal upbringing to their magical weapons. This provides a major visual reference in Aquaman.Aquaman appears.The film alludes to the Bifrost bridge from Marvel Comics and the MCU. In the MCU, the Bifrost acts as a wormhole linking nine magical realms; it accesses Asgard via an iridescent physical bridge.

In.Aquaman.There is a similar bridge leading to Atlantis, placed there before the city sank. This bridge only serves to uphold Atlantian traditions and remind everyone of the surface city that once existed.

James Wan directs horror films and greatly impacts the modern horror-film scene. His work in Conjuring films produced many groundbreaking, terrifying movies.Conjuring.Films in this universe have created many spinoffs. Wan produced plenty of groundbreaking, frightening movies.

Wan credits his success to his love of classic monster movies, which he discusses constantly. Speaking to DC Comics, he said:DC Comics.He said:

I loved Toho and giant kaiju movies growing up. I like Godzilla. I love Gamera. I love the magic and wonder of those scary, wonderful creatures Ray Harryhausen made. I tried to bring that feeling here, and it works perfectly because different races look like that. I did not show you the monsters in this, but they heavily affect the film. They are a big part of the world Arthur explores.

Watching the film shows the Karathen definitely drew from both classic and modern kaiju designs.

Would an Aquaman film lack the king's trusted octopus sidekick, Topo? Despite James Wan's mission to avoid the corny Aquaman of Super Friends fame, the director clearly wanted both outcomes (Topo is the cake here).James Wan steers clear.Avoid the corny Aquaman of.Super Friends.The director still wanted to have his cake and eat it too (Topo is the cake in this scenario).

In a confusing yet incredible scene, Topo plays drums preparing for Arthur and Orm's strength contest—called "The Ring of Fire" in the film.

Arthur Curry's journey compares easily to Arthurian legend. There are clear parallels between King Atlan's trident and Excalibur. Another legendary weapon requires a worthy wielder; it exists in the MCU (the competition). Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, was destroyed in Thor: Ragnarok, but it remained Thor's tool of choice.Thor: Ragnarok.but it was always Thor's tool of choice.

Mjolnir and Atlan's trident both channel the user's abilities. They magnify and direct these powers, making them incredibly strong tools for the two titanic heroes.

James Wan threw a small reference to his own work into it.AquamanIn a blink, the Annabelle doll from Wan'sConjuringThe Annabelle doll from the Conjuring universe floats on the seafloor. The doll appears just outside the ship where Vulko, Aquaman, and Mera discuss dethroning Orm and brokering peace between the surface world and Atlantis.

Fans can barely see the doll, even knowing it is there. Eagle-eyed fans catch the horrific entity for a quick moment.

James Wan has a list of talented pros appearing in every new film. Patrick Wilson is the first name that comes to mind; he appeared in twoInsidiousfilms.Conjuringmovies, and nowAquamanWilson lacks the longest resume with Wan collaborators.

Leigh WhannellHe has been in six of Wan's films so far, includingWan's directorial debut, Stygian.

The actor has a short role inAquaman, piloting a plane over the Sahara Desert with Arthur and Mera, getting flustered when Mera jumps out of the plane without a parachute.