Why Aquaman Took Atlan’s Armor, And What It Really Means

In a pivotal scene in 2018’s Aquaman, Arthur Curry claimed the trident of Atlan, first king of Atlantis – but why did he also take Atlan’s armor? After showing humility to the Karathen, guardian of Atlan’s final resting place, Aquaman is granted permission to make his claim for the trident, which he is told has been the end of past treasure seekers. When Aquaman then emerges from the cavern that held the trident, he’s wearing the armor that had previously adorned the bones of Atlan, slumped in his throne. Arthur also wears armor in the Justice League film, but while the Snyder cut shows where Aquaman got his armor and quindent that he carried in that film, it’s less clear how he ended up wearing Atlan’s armor in Aquaman.

Seeking to claim Atlan’s trident Arthur is initially rebuffed by the Karathen, who believes him to be a treasure-seeker. Although he convinces the creature to allow him to make the attempt to claim the weapon, it is unlikely that he would be simply permitted to strip Atlan’s bones as well, unless the Karathen gave explicit permission for him to do so. Just as significant, while Aquaman is portrayed as gruff and confident, he had stated that he was only there for the trident, and it would be an escalation of callous opportunism beyond what he had previously shown in the film to move from being allowed to take a trident to taking clothing from a corpse.

While Aquaman seems unafraid to gain new enemies – the villain Manta is likely to return in the sequel – antagonizing the Karathen would have been counterproductive. Since Arthur emerges from the cavern wearing the armor and it then passes unmentioned, he must have been instructed to don it, and it seems to fit him perfectly. While the armor might be recognizable to the average resident of Atlantis, the trident has been the symbol of leadership that Arthur has quested for, so the armor must serve a different purpose. At the beginning of the film, it’s shown that attempting to tap the power of the trident brought down Atlantis, and the Karathen mentions that attempts to claim the trident have slain lesser treasure seekers. It seems distinctly possible that the trident is dangerous, perhaps radiating energy, and that the armor was a necessary addition to protect Arthur.

Having him bearing a radiating superweapon could frame Arthur as a tyrant in Aquaman 2, but it also makes him more potentially sympathetic to the audience. Heavy is the hand that bears the trident, and doubly so when passing it off to another person could kill them – possibly why Atlan himself died in seclusion. Exploring this in Aquaman 2 would be an interesting way of unpacking the obligations of power and authority, especially in a society as martial as the Atlantis of Aquaman.

Whether Aquaman 2 chooses to explain more about the trident and the armor or not, it seems very likely that the trident is less than stable, and it’s already been shown to be a dangerous weapon. Given that Aquaman 2 promises a darker tone by comparison, it is almost certain that the weight on Arthur of bearing the prize won in Aquaman will prove very heavy indeed.

About The Author

Drew Dunlop
(82 Articles Published)

Drew Dunlop is a short story author, and a feature writer for Screen Rant. A former movie review blogger, Drew has spent a great deal of his adult life writing and talking about films and comics. Now, he writes and talks about comic book films – DC Cinematic Universe, and Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

A hobbyist chef, Drew enjoys the company of his partner, his parrot, and his philodendron.

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