Black Manta

Black Manta is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Bob Haney and artist Nick Cardy, and debuted in Aquaman #35 (September 1967). He has since endured as the archenemy of the superhero Aquaman.

Black Manta
Textless cover of Aquaman (vol. 7) #12 (October 2012). Art by Ivan Reis (pencils), Joe Prado (ink) and Rod Reis (colors).
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAquaman #35 (September 1967)
Created byBob Haney
Nick Cardy
In-story information
Alter egoDavid Milton Hyde
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliations
  • Injustice League
  • Secret Society of Super Villains
  • Legion of Doom
  • O.G.R.E.
  • N.E.M.O.
  • Sinestro Corps
  • Suicide Squad
  • Mantamen
PartnershipsOcean Master
Gallous the Goat
Jesse Hyde
Notable aliasesScourge of the Seven Seas
Abilities
  • Genius-level intellect;
  • Skilled swordsman, marksman and hand-to-hand combatant
  • High-tech armor grants:
    • Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, durability, and reflexes
    • Optic blasts
    • Hidden weaponry
    • Artificial gills for underwater breathing

Black Manta has had numerous origin stories in his comic book appearances, having been a young boy kidnapped and enslaved by pirates on their ship; an orphan subjected to cruel experiments in Arkham Asylum; and a high-seas treasure hunter caught in a mutual cycle of vengeance with Aquaman over the deaths of their fathers. Despite these different versions of his past, Black Manta is consistently depicted as a ruthless underwater mercenary who is obsessed with ruining Aquaman's life. As Aquaman's nemesis, Black Manta has been part of the superhero's defining stories, including the murder of Arthur Curry Jr.–Aquaman's infant son–and numerous attempts to destroy Aquaman's home kingdom of Atlantis. A black armored suit with a large, bug-eyed metal helmet serves as Black Manta's visual motif.

The character has been adapted in various media incarnations. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II portrayed Black Manta in the DC Extended Universe films Aquaman (2018) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), while Kevin Michael Richardson, Khary Payton and others have provided his voice in animation and video games.

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