Let’s make this simple: You want to know if there are any post or mid-credits scenes in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The answer is yes, there’s one mid-credits scene in the final DCEU movie.The rest of this article contains full spoilers for Aquaman and the Lost KingdomAhoy there, mateys! Salutations from the good ship IGN. We’re here to sing you a sea shanty about the final film of the DCEU. Yes, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has docked and with it the end of DC’s decade-plus project to create an interconnected cinematic universe. Of course, you’ll likely have a lot of questions about what the end of the DCEU and Aquaman looks like, so we’re here to answer them all and have a little fun while we do it! Aquaman 2 Ending ExplainedAfter an action-packed quest to destroy the ancient Orichalcum refinery and stop Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), Arthur (Jason Momoa) and Orm (Patrick Wilson) successfully manage to enter Necrus, the ancient home of the frozen ancient deity known as Kordax (Pilou Asbaek). It’s there that the pair attempt to defeat him and his Earthly vessel of Black Manta, who has been possessed by his spirit thanks to the magical artifact known as the Black Trident. The trident’s evil magic has led Manta to kidnap Arthur and Mera’s son, Arthur Jr., meaning it’s an all-out attack on Necrus to try and save the child from Manta and Kordax. Luckily, Kordax’s blood magic plan to drain Arthur Jr. is cut short when Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), Mera (Amber Heard), and her father King Nereus (Dolph Lundgren) and his army arrive to save the day. As they battle the undead minions of Kordax, Arthur and Orm take the fight to him and Manta. Channeling the dark magic of Necrus, the Black Trident almost possesses Orm, but brotherly love manages to bring him out of it and we see the pair’s tempestuous relationship play out on screen. It’s a nice nod to Aquaman Vol. 2 (1986), the four-issue mini-series that inspired much of the film’s action and narrative. In the pages of that book, we see Arthur overpower Orm with psychic brotherly love in a way that this emotional moment immediately evokes. While the sentimental montage is enough to get Orm to release the trident, Arthur can’t destroy Kordax until he uses his own magical Gold Trident — that once belonged to Kordax’s brother, Atlan — to strike the evil trident straight down the middle, destroying the Black Trident, Kordax, and the ancient magic that bound them. This ending leans into some of the more interesting and deep-cut Aquaman lore, taking from Peter David and Esteban Maroto’s Atlantis Chronicles. So where do we leave the core cast? Well, in one of the most interesting twists of the film, none of the main characters die, despite this being the final Aquaman film and it being at least partially based on one of the most tragedy-forward arcs, Death of a Prince. And while we see Black Manta fall into a giant crevice, anyone who knows cinematic genre lore knows that is very unlikely to be a true death in any sense. As for Orm, rather than sending him back to prison, Arthur, Mera, Nereus, and Atlanna agree to fake his death and let him lay low for a while, which is a popular Orm plot point throughout his comic book history. Before the credits roll, Jason Momoa looks to the camera as he gives a speech to the United Nations from Ellis Island revealing the existence of Atlantis. He says, “I’m Arthur Curry and I’m Aquaman.” It’s a direct homage to the film that launched the MCU, the blockbuster juggernaut that DC, Warner Bros., and all of Hollywood have been chasing since 2008. In that way, it feels extremely fitting that the final line of the DCEU is a reference to Iron Man, the film that sparked it all. And of course, for fans who have always dreamed of a comic book-style Marvel and DC crossover, it shows a cheeky openness to the possibility. It’s still fun, even as a wink at the importance of the competition and the superhero films that came before. Does Aquaman 2 Have Any Cameos? Not if you’re looking for the Flash-style cursed superhero CGI kind. But James Wan’s wife and Malignant co-creator Ingrid Bisu can be spotted in the final moments of the film as she serves Orm a cheeseburger at a beachside restaurant. Comic book fans will also likely be excited by the appearance of Storm the Seahorse, best known from many hilarious memes and the 1960s Filmation Aquaman cartoon, as well as Aquaman’s long-term cephalopod sidekick, Topo the Octopus. Their prominence in the film is a nice nod to the classic wackiness of the Silver Age comics which spawned many of Aquaman’s most famous stories and his oft-laughed about overly campy reputation, that James Wan has never been scared of mining for these films. Does Aquaman 2 Have any Post-Credits Sequences? There is one mid-credits scene but, unsurprisingly for the final movie in a decade-plus attempt at a connected universe, it’s not leading into anything. Instead it’s a fun gross-out gag as Orm, still getting used to his new landlubber life, adds a cockroach to his burger and chomps away, happily smiling at his snack. It garnered a lot of chuckles and “oh noooooo-s” in this writer’s theater, and feels more akin to the MCU stingers of old — think the shawarma shop — than anything else. So if you’re looking for a lil chuckle to decompress, then stick around. What Does It All Mean for the Future of DC? Probably nothing seeing as this is the last DCEU film. But if The Lost Kingdom manages to recreate even 60% of the success of the first Aquaman movie, which made over a billion dollars and is still the biggest DC movie of all time, then we might be having a very different conversation. Considering the movie absolutely leaves the crew — save for Vulko, who died off-screen before the film due to illness — all alive and kicking, things are open for more adventures, and there’s even the potential for a future brotherly reunion. For now, though, we bid farewell to the King of the Seas, the campy costuming, and beautiful bisexual lighting of Aquaman! Bon voyage, Arthur. Thanks for all the fish.
