There’s a lot going on in Aquaman. Sure there are a few call-backs to Justice League, but for the most part, director James Wan focused on making Atlantis and this cast of characters unique and lively enough to carry their own franchise instead of tethering them to other popular characters.
Even the post-credits scene highlights how much Wan wants to make the Aquaman franchise its own entertainment giant. Instead of having Wonder Woman or Batman, the post-credits scene focuses on David Kane, a.k.a. Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), as he recovers from his final battle with Aquaman. In the room with him is Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park), a scientist who is obsessed with Atlantis. Dr. Shin is fiddling around with the Atlantean technology Kane received from King Orm, and right as Kane warns him to be careful, Dr. Shin accidentally unleashes a laser blast that damages the room they’re in. Dr. Shin asks Kane to tell him everything he knows about Atlantis, something Kane says he’ll only do if the scientist helps him find Aquaman to get his revenge.
It seems the two characters will be assisting each other fight the new King of Atlantis in the next Aquaman movie. The death of Black Manta’s father has left him seeking revenge, and perhaps Shin’s help will prepare him to defeat the man he blames for his father’s death. Shin, on the other hand, wants to reestablish his name by reintroducing Atlantis to the world, and he has no problem teaming up with nasty people to get this done.
Dr. Shin only appears in one other scene throughout the movie where he serves as a TV pundit arguing with someone over the existence of Atlantis. Aquaman frames him as a bit of a crackpot, but it’s clear he has some Atlantean knowledge. In the comic books, Dr. Shin is actually old friends with Tom Curry, meaning he spent a lot of time with a young Arthur Curry. Dr. Shin played a mentor-esque role with Arthur, helping him control his powers, but Shin’s loving attitude dissapeared when Arthur was unwilling to turn over the location of Atlantis.
While it’s unclear what Dr. Shin’s relationship is like with the Currys in the DC Extended Universe, odds are the Atlantis-obsessed scientist will be back with a vengeance right as Arthur settles into his new position as King of Atlantis.
Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, Patrick Wilson as Orm / Ocean Master, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Ludi Lin as Captain Murk, and Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry.
Aquaman will be released in theaters on December 21, 2018.
