David Kane (DC Extended Universe)

Black Manta (real name David Kane) was a ruthless oceanic pirate and the leader of the Manta Men, originally operating under the tutelage of his father Jesse Kane. Following the death of his father, David set out to seek revenge and kill the man responsible for Jesse's death, Aquaman, becoming a dangerous enemy for him.

History

Early Life

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Mug — The pirate David Kane

Born to Jesse Kane, David Kane trained to become a skilled assassin and pirate, joining his father in his criminal activities, robbing numerous ships and killing the crew afterwards. During his criminal activities with Jesse and his subordinates, David looked forward to dueling with Aquaman, a seafaring vigilante and a powerful atlantean, stating that it was entirely logical for them to duel at some point.^[1]

Alliance with Orm Marius

In 2018, David and Jesse's crew were hired by the King of the Kingdom of Atlantis, Orm Marius, to rob the Stalnoivolk submarine, an order they accepted in exchange for money, storming the submarine and killing its captain, taking control of the ship. During the kidnapping, David had a conversation with Jesse, who inherited to his son a knife that belonged to his grandfather, nicknamed as "Manta", who was a soldier during World War I, hoping that David would carry on his family's legacy, gift that he accepted.

Suddenly, the Stalnoivolk was fired on, taking down several soldiers, confusing everyone until they realized someone had found them, discovering that it was Aquaman, who confronted several soldiers and easily defeated them, freeing the captured crew, taking them to the security.David shot Aquaman quickly, beating his dream duel against his enemy, holding a fair duel between the two, though Aquaman resisted his attacks due to his physiology. In a fit of rage, David launched a cannon at Aquaman, which he dodged, hurling it at Jesse, so David desperately went to help his father as the Stalnoivolk flooded.

Desperate, David begged Aquaman for help in saving Jesse, but Aquaman refused for his crimes, stating that he begged the sea for mercy. David tried to free Jesse, who tasked him with killing Aquaman, opting to activate a bomb to kill himself to save his son and reluctantly, David left the Stalnoivolk, crying over Jesse's death, swearing revenge against Aquaman. Following his escape, David used the Manta-Sub to attack the fortress of Atlantis, convincing King of the Xebelians, Nereus, to join Orm's army, earning gold as a reward for completing the job, however, David refused the gold, demanding to have Aquaman for him to exact revenge for his father's death, and Orm simply kept quiet, frustrating David.

David Kane DCEU 001 — The creation of Black Manta

David later made contact with Orm again on an island in the Indian Ocean, being informed by Orm that human weaponry would be useless against Aquaman, Orm provided him with Atlantean weaponry and multiple Atlantean Soldiers so he could launch a targeted attack on Aquaman and the princess of the Xebelians, Mera. David took the Atlantean weaponry, practicing the use of the weapons, and fused it with his own diving suit, turning it into specialized battle armor to fight Aquaman. Working with a plasma blaster that would melt anything, David eventually attached it to his special helmet to use as a weapon, painting his suit black and calling himself "Black Manta", following the family legacy.

Arthur Curry DC Universe 004 — Black Manta vs. Aquaman

Locating the duo in Sicily, Italy, Manta led the army of Atlantean soldiers to pursue Mera while he personally took it upon himself to fight Aquaman, whom he was eventually able to injure and attack with his blaster, until he finally recognized him. Manta used the suit's strength and Atlantean weaponry to attack him, striking the beam with the town's bell. Aquaman wanted to guarantee the safety of each of the citizens, which Manta took advantage of to attack the citizens and thus gain advantage. Manta fired a laser at Aquaman, believing that he was about to kill him, however, he was able to use two chains with balls to throw against his armor, dealing critical damage to his helmet, which caused Manta to fall off a cliff.^[1]

Revenge against Aquaman

David Kane DCEU 004 — Damaged but not Defeated

Despite his presumed death, Manta managed to survive, remaining on a raft for several weeks until a ship was found, receiving medical attention from Doctor Stephen Shin, a scientist obsessed with the existence of Atlantis, although no one believed him. Waking up with a patch over his eye from the incident, David awoke, watching Stephen experiment on his helmet, listening to his questions about how he got such technology, agreeing to tell it, in exchange for his help finding and killing Aquaman.^[1]

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

Diving^[1]
Leadership^[1]
Martial Arts^[1]
Mechanical Engineering^[1]
Piracy^[1]
Seamanship^[1]
Swimming^[1]
Tracking^[1]
Weaponry^[1]
- Marksmanship^[1]
- Swordsmanship^[1]
- Throwing^[1]
- Gadgetry

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Black Manta Armor: Manta wears a high-tech suit of Atlantean origin in order to battle Aquaman evenly.^[1] The suit is equipped with the following:
- Retractable Blade: Manta's suit's right arm is equipped with an Atlantean sword that can withdraw.
- Jetpack: Manta's suit has 4 plasma thrusters, 2 on the back and 1 on each leg, which give him flight.
- Optical Plasma Blaster: One the most powerful abilities Black Manta's suit has, is a helmet that can fire intense beams of red plasma energy from its eyes.

Transportation

Manta-Sub^[1]

Weapons

Manta Knife: David received as a family heirloom his grandfather's knife that had previously been given to his father. David's grandfather was one of the Navy's first frogmen during World War II and he was nicknamed Manta because of his stealth in the water.^[1]

Notes

This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the DC Extended Universe and is an adaptation of Black Manta. The original character was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy and first appeared in Aquaman #35.
Black Manta is portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
His name was never mentioned in the film. However, in the game Lego DC Super-Villains the name of this character's minifigure was designated as David Kane.^[2]