The Trench | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Aquaman (vol. 7) #1 (November 2011) |
Created by | Geoff Johns |
The Trench is the name applied to both a fictional kingdom, and its inhabitants as a group, that escaped the destruction of Atlantis in DC Comics.
The Trench appears in the 2018 live-action DC Extended Universe film Aquaman .
The Trench first appeared in Aquaman (vol. 7) #1 (November 2011) and were created by Geoff Johns. [1] In September 2011, The New 52 had rebooted DC's continuity. Johns introduced the Trench into this new timeline, making them antagonists in the Aquaman series.
The Trench are a race of vicious, cannibalistic, ocean-dwelling creatures that were relegated to living in the depths of the Ocean and evolved accordingly. Along with the Xebelians and Atlantians, the Trench are one of the surviving kingdoms of the original Atlantis. The Trench adapted to living in a trench near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and developed an alternate language. They eventually rose from their domain, beneath the ocean floor in search of food and devoured anything that's in their way. With their first attack, they demonstrate a complete lack of empathy, relying on only the primal instinct to feed, even eating their own slain brethren. All the creatures seem to be similar with the exception of their Queen which is the den mother and supreme ruler of the Trench, and her alpha king, who differ physically in form from the worker class of Trench. When the alpha marks its food, the others back off. After massacring a boat and local fishing community, the police call in Aquaman and Mera to help investigate. The police divers eventually find what looks to be a cocoon in the water, which contains many creatures of the Trench. While fighting off the creatures' attacks, the alpha marks Aquaman as food to be brought back to the ocean floor, where they originated. [2]
Aquaman fiercely battles the alpha as Mera holds off the rest. The alpha calls for a retreat with their captured food as they dive back into the deep. Aquaman takes one of their fallen to be further examined. Mera and Arthur dive into the Trench to save the townspeople. They discover a crashed Atlantean ship that had been attacked by the creatures. They also find the spawn of the Trench creatures to be sick and dying. Arthur and Mera then discover the throne room/breeding chamber where the Queen and her alpha King are. The Trench creatures were just trying to gather enough food for their Queen's children. Aquaman rips off the roof of the cave containing the cocooned townspeople and heads to the surface. The Trench, their King and Queen follow them as Arthur triggers a volcanic reaction with his trident. The Trench begins to collapse as Arthur seals it with another large rock. [3]
During the battle between Atlantis and the surface city of Gotham, The Trench were released from their undersea prison by an unknown player to be used against both sides in the war of the two worlds. Arthur had been investigating involvement regarding the Dead King's Scepter he'd attempted to intercept during an exchange between Black Manta and a mysterious Atlantean convoy who made off with it, only for The Trench to later attack both the surface world and the armies of Atlantis at Vulko's command. The latter of whom revealing himself to have started the whole conflict in the first place using the scepter he bought off of manta.
Which he was using to guide the latter invading force against both Atlantis and the world at large as vengeance, in part against Stephen Shin for outing Arthur for public notoriety and against Atlantis itself for denouncing him after Aquaman bequeathed the throne to his younger brother Orm. After having bested the former king, the Justice League presented a relenting Vulko to Arthur who willingly handed his belated king the sceptre he used to unseal said deep dwellers to aid in his gambit to put Aquaman back on the throne.
But after hearing all of this, Arthur harshly reprimanded his former adviser backhanding him into a ruined street utterly disgusted by Vulko's lack of abandon at his plans which cost hundreds of thousands their lives. With the scepter in hand using it in conjunction with his own psionic capacities, Arthur ordered to trench back into the ocean depths. Awaiting their chance to rise again. [4]
Aquaman uses the Dead King's Trident to command the Trench and help him fight the Xebel and the Dead King, banking on the fact that while the relic itself doesn't directly move them into action but acts as an instinctive imprint relating to subconscious subservience to the first monarch of said kingdom.
Aquaman loses control of the Trench when the Dead King's Scepter is destroyed. It is also revealed that the Trench are one of the three surviving kingdoms of Old Atlantis along with the Xebelians and Atlantians. When Atlan plunged the seven kingdoms of Atlantis into the ocean, the survivors initially believed four of the kingdoms were destroyed, and the other three survived and adapted to their new conditions with 90% of the Atlanteans dying from the event. The Trench were one of the three surviving kingdoms, a mutated form of humans who survived Atlan's destruction of his city decades ago, by mutating into monsters. [5]
During the "Lazarus Planet" storyline, Batman's attempt to rescue his son Damian, who had been brainwashed by the immortal Nezha, caused the Helmet of Fate was shattered during the fight and its shards fell into a Lazarus Pit on the island. This caused the volcano on the island to erupt and spread Lazarus Resin around the world causing global extreme weather events and Lazarus Resin rained down from the sky, mutating anyone it touched. A group of Trench were mutated, undoing their devolution into beasts to physically resemble normal humans or Atlanteans. As they also began to regain their intelligence, some of them climbed out of the ocean and onto land, which brought them into conflict with humans again. Aquaman intervened before the violence could escalate and pledged to reintegrate the Trench back into civilization. [6]
The Trench have adapted to underwater life like all the Atlantean kingdoms. They can generate bio-luminescent light from their bodies and spit a chemical from their mouth that causes paralysis. The Trench have razor-sharp teeth and needle-tipped claws that can cut through anything.
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73. Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo comic book series. During the late 1950s and 1960s superhero-revival period known as the Silver Age, he was a founding member of the Justice League. In the 1990s Modern Age, writers interpreted Aquaman's character more seriously, with storylines depicting the weight of his role as king of Atlantis.
Dolphin is a fictional character, a superheroine in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer-artist Jay Scott Pike, she debuted in Showcase #79.
Black Manta is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy, the character first appeared in Aquaman #35. He has since endured as the archenemy of the superhero Aquaman.
Aquagirl is the alias used by several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, typically depicted as supporting characters of Aquaman originating from the realm of Atlantis. The first two incarnations of the character, Lisa Morel (1959) and Selena (1963), were introduced as one-offs.
Ocean Master is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy and debuted in Aquaman #29. While the character is depicted as the half-brother and one of the most enduring and recognized adversary of Aquaman, Ocean Master has been subjected to numerous revisions to his origin stories throughout his history.
Mera is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy, the character first appeared in Aquaman #11.
Aquaman has made several appearances in numerous adaptations since his comic book debut in 1941. The character has also been referenced beyond the scope of traditional comics entertainment.
Garth is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Robert Bernstein and artist Ramona Fradon, He first appears in Adventure Comics #269. The character is commonly associated with both Aquaman and the Teen Titans alongside the team's various incarnations.
Atlantis, sometimes also called the Kingdom of Atlantis or the Atlantean Empire, is a fictional civilization appearing American comic books published by DC Comics based upon the mentioning of the island within Plato's works Timaeus and Critias. First appearing in More Fun Comics #87, the setting is often associated with the hero Aquaman. Within the DC Universe, Atlantis houses various aquatic-based human lifeforms whose biological adaptations often originate from both environmental changes when Atlantis sunk in a cataclysmic event within its history and influence from its magical origins. A nation considered a superpower, it is often stated to be among the oldest and most sophisticated civilization within the fictional universe throughout its collective history and possess significant technological and magical capabilities. Historically a hereditary monarchy, many stories involving Atlantis as a setting focuses on conflicts regarding its succession of leaders, diplomatic relations with the global world, and its fictional cultural heritage.
Topo is the name of several characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, notable as a loyal sidekick to Aquaman.
Nuidis Vulko, or simply Vulko, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is a recurring supporting character of Aquaman within the realm of Atlantis's politics. In his original portrayal, he often served under Aquaman as Atlantis's Chief Science Advisory, considered known for his loyalty, leadership and brilliant mind that enabled him to later serve as Aquaman's regent. Following the 2011 New 52 continuity reboot, Vulko is reintroduced as the chief royal advisor under Queen Atlanna. After Atlanna's supposed death, Vulko falls from grace when he claims her son, Orm Marius, is responsible. Cast out in disgrace, Vulko seeks to avenge her death by helping Arthur Curry, Atlanna's half-human elder son, gain the throne over Orm. However, Vulko's actions betray Aquaman's trust, making him a criminal and a reluctant ally for a period of time.
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is a 2015 direct-to-video animated superhero film featuring the DC Comics superhero team the Justice League, which is the 22nd film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies and the fourth film in the DC Animated Movie Universe. The film is loosely based on the "Throne of Atlantis" story arc from The New 52 written by Geoff Johns and serves as a standalone sequel to 2014's Justice League: War. In the film, Arthur Curry, a half-Atlantean prince, discovers his heritage and aids the Justice League in preventing a war between the surface dwellers and the Atlanteans orchestrated by his half-brother Ocean Master. The film was released for download on January 13, 2015 and was released on Blu-ray and DVD formats on January 27.
Aquaman is a 2018 American superhero film based on the DC character of the same name. Co-produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the sixth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by James Wan from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall, it stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, who sets out to lead the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and stop his half-brother, King Orm from uniting the seven underwater kingdoms to destroy the surface world. Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Nicole Kidman also star in supporting roles.
Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman – Rage of Atlantis is a 2018 American animated superhero comedy film, based on the DC Comics and Lego brands featuring the character Aquaman. The film features the voice of Dee Bradley Baker as Aquaman, who loses the throne of Atlantis and must escape from the Red Lantern Corps to save the Justice League and the planet. Directed by Matt Peters, written by Jim Krieg and Jeremy Adams, and produced by DC Entertainment, the Lego Group, and Warner Bros. Animation, it is the eighth film in the Lego DC Comics Super Heroes series. Troy Baker, Grey Griffin, and Nolan North also star in the film.
Stephen Shin is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a supporting character of Aquaman who debuted during "The New 52" reboot. Stephen Shin first appeared in Aquaman #2 and was created by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a 2023 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Aquaman. Directed by James Wan from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, it is the sequel to Aquaman (2018) and the 15th and final film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Jason Momoa stars as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, who must work with his half-brother Orm to prevent Black Manta from killing his family and using the cursed Black Trident to overheat the world while searching for the lost seventh kingdom of the seas. Amber Heard, Randall Park, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Martin Short, and Nicole Kidman also star in supporting roles.
Aquaman: King of Atlantis is an American animated television miniseries produced by James Wan for the streaming service HBO Max, based on the DC Comics character Aquaman. The series is produced by DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation and Atomic Monster. It is set after the events of Wan's 2018 DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Aquaman, but is not canonical to the DCEU.
Arthur Curry, also known by his superhero moniker Aquaman, is a fictional character in the DC Extended Universe based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name. He is portrayed by American actor Jason Momoa. Originally appearing as a cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Curry had a prominent role in the film Justice League and its director's cut, and is later the subject of his own film Aquaman. Momoa also cameoed in the first season finale of the HBO Max series Peacemaker and the film The Flash. The DCEU marks Aquaman's first portrayal in cinema, with his character having been re-imagined as compared to his comics counterpart.