Plot

Arthur teams up with his half-brother Orm to protect Atlantis from Black Manta and save his son. The film explores the bond between Arthur and Orm, reflecting the relationship between King Atlan and the King of Necrus. It ends on a hopeful note, with the characters finding happiness and Arthur delivering a speech to the world about the existence of Atlantis.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom might be the final film of the DCEU's decade-long run, but don't expect it to tie up all the narrative threads left hanging by unfinished trilogies and post-credits scene stalemates. James Wan's humorous and surprisingly heartwarming sequel focuses solely on concluding Arthur's (Jason Momoa) story, and it does so without overdoing it.

In Aquaman, Arthur Curry made a few enemies by claiming his rightful title as the true king of Atlantis. Notably, David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), whose father (Michael Beach) was killed by Arthur, leading Kane to seek vengeance. Aquaman's post-credits scene established that the new Black Manta, saved by scientist Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park), would be the next major threat to Arthur, and the sequel confirms this on a grand scale.

Following the events of Aquaman, as explained by Arthur at the beginning of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Arthur and Mera (Amber Heard) lived happily ever after. They got married, had a baby, and settled as rulers of Atlantis, while his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) was imprisoned far away from the ocean. However, their peaceful life is threatened when Kane gets his hands on the Black Trident and finally has the means to take everything Arthur cherishes. Realizing he's a bit out of his depth with the ancient technology he was never taught, Arthur finds where Orm is held, frees him, and recruits him for a buddy cop adventure to stop David Kane before he causes irreversible damage to the planet's climate and destroys Atlantis.