Jason Momoa Relates to Aquaman's Mixed Heritage

By Vianne Ilagan, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, January 02, 2018

"Aquaman" portrayer Jason Momoa has revealed seeing himself in the characters he plays on the big screen, including Aquaman. According to him, he particularly relates to the DC superhero in terms of diversity.

After debuting in the DC Extended Universe in Zack Snyder's "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice," Momoa's Aquaman is set to have his solo film later this year. In the film, Aquaman, the deposed heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, is of Hawaiian and Atlantean descent.

In a recent interview, Momoa revealed that it felt right at home in his role because he also has his own mixed lineage. "I love the fact that he is half-and-half. I can really relate, being born in Hawaii and raised in Iowa... and [Aquaman/Arthur Curry] coming from this Atlantis-Hawaii and not really feeling accepted in either place," he said.

Aquaman's mixed descent and whether he would take the Atlantean crown or not in the upcoming solo movie were already revealed in the recent "Justice League." In one of the scenes, Aquaman was shown talking to Mera (Amber Heard) about the throne of Atlantis, which was supposed to be his. He also told her about his mother, Queen Atlan, who was the monarch of the underwater kingdom.

In the DCEU, Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman, was born of an Atlantean mother and a human father. Raised by his father, he only learned about his Atlantean heritage when he got older.

Momoa believes that Aquaman's story is something that many children around the world can identify with. "I think there's a lot of kids out there that feel that from broken homes so it's cool to see him deal with that," he said.

While Aquaman was part of the "Justice League" movie, he did not have enough screen time for the audience to understand his history and motivations. In the "Aquaman" solo flick, DC fans will get to know the character more as it explores his past and follows the character as he returns to his underwater roots.

Directed by James Wan, "Aquaman" hits theaters on Dec. 21.