Summary

• Black Manta is an iconic villain in the DC Comics world who has caused countless losses and tragedies for Aquaman.
• A new cosplay of Black Manta, shared on Instagram, rivals the Hollywood version from the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom film.
• This cosplay collaboration between @nycosplayer and @cosplayben brings attention to an underrated character and inspires more creativity in the cosplay community.

In the sprawling superhero world of DC Comics, Black Manta is an iconic seafaring villain who, throughout the decades, has handed Aquaman more losses and brought more tragedies to this hero's doorstep than the King of Atlantis can shake a trident at. And in an incredible new cosplay of the character, Black Manta gets a live-action look that rivals his Hollywood counterpart from the DCEU film Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom!

Recently shared on social media via Instagram by the photographer and editor of the image, @nycosplayer, this is no stranger to finding some of the best cosplayers in the community and snapping shots of them in ways that make them look even more professional and inspiring than they already are on their own.

Meanwhile, @cosplayben is a productive cosplayer who specializes in making full-body homemade costumes ranging from DC greats like Blue Beetle, Doctor Fate, Red Hood, and more recently, Joker’s modded Joker War batsuit — all of which look stunning in the real world, with this Black Manta design being no exception.

Black Manta Gets A Perfect Cosplay Look Ahead of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

A malicious mercenary and prolific pirate specializing in undersea treasure hunting, David Hyde aka Black Manta, made his debut in 1967’s Aquaman #35, by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy, and has been Aquaman’s archenemy ever since. Considered to be a formidable and resourceful villain in comics thanks to his diving helmet’s signature optic blast attack and his uncanny ability to engineer almost any situation into one that benefits him, Black Manta is also an underrated character, if only because his main opponent in Aquaman has always struggled to find consistent popularity in the same way DC’s Trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman have always enjoyed.

A photo taken by @nycosplayer at this year’s New York Comic Con, @cosplayben is shot in a reverse superhero landing pose as he rises from one knee wearing a highly comic-accurate Black Manta suit. Dressed head-to-toe in darkened armor, including a manta-shaped helmet with searing red eyes, it’s not until @nycosplayer’s photo editing skills are seen in the next two images that this cosplay turns into something worthy of the DCEU. Depicting Black Manta on the floor of the Hall of Doom, it’s the floor-to-ceiling monitor banks, slick blue lighting, and far-off cityscape, making this image look like an official still pulled right from the movies.

New DC Comics Cosplay Gives Black Manta the Live-Action Design He Deserves

So while fans won’t have to wait too much longer to see David Hyde’s return on the big screen in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, @nycosplayer and @cosplayben have thankfully given them a perfect cosplay collaboration to help tide them over until its swiftly approaching release date. Black Manta deserves more respect in both the comic and cosplay space, so here’s hoping this custom design inspires more creative talents to branch out from the usual DC cosplay fare and explore characters who don’t get nearly as much love in the community as they should.

Sources: @nycosplayer and @cosplayben