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Legion of Doom Team Member




Manta -02x08c- The Water Beast (10-29-77)

'Manta' as he was called then, in his only Season 2 (1977) appearance.

Black Manta5

'Black Manta' in Filmation's The Adventures of Aquaman (1967) appearance.

Black Manta is a supervillain. He is member of the Legion of Doom, and the archenemy of Aquaman. He takes his name from the fish species known as the manta ray.


Background Information[]

Continuity From Filmation series: The Adventures of Aquaman (1967)[]

Black Manta has implanted an antenna device on top of the head of a killer whale. Using a brain-scramble on board his sea-saucer he drives the whale berserk, forcing it to attack Aquaman, Aqualad and Mera. After a brief battle, Manta falls down into a deep chasm where Aquaman and Aqualad leave him.[1]

Continuity from Earth-One[]

Blackmantaunmasked

Black Manta, without his mask.
Art by Jim Aparo.

On the parallel-universe of Earth-One, there is no information regarding Black Manta as a youth.

As an adult, this man would design a costume (primarily a black wetsuit with bug-eyed helmet that was able to shoot blasting rays from its eyes) and fashioned a high-tech submersible inspired by manta rays.

Taking the name Black Manta, he and his masked army would became a force to be reckoned with.

The fearsome Black Manta and Aquaman battled repeatedly over the next several years.

During one of these clashes, it was revealed that Black Manta was actually an African American, whose stated objective at one point was for black people to be dominant in the ocean after having been oppressed for so long on dry land; even if it was a ruse to gain more followers.[2]

His main goal was to defeat Aquaman and gain power for himself through the conquest of Atlantis.

In late 1977, Black Manta kills Arthur Curry, Jr., Aquaman's son, which left Aquaman obsessed with revenge.


Powers and Abilities[]


Equipment[]

Black Manta's suit: is specifically designed to adapt him to an oceanic environment.

Weaknesses[]

Not Known


Transportation[]


Legion of Doom Team Members[]

Members of the Legion of Doom

Core Members:
Lex LuthorBrainiacBlack MantaCheetahSinestroGorilla GroddCaptain ColdScarecrow
ToymanSolomon Grundy • The RiddlerGigantaBizarro

Expanded Team:
Doctor Natas


Episode Appearances[]


Notes[]

  • Black Manta debuted in Aquaman vol.1, #35[3] (October, 1967).
  • He was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy.
  • Black Manta's first animated appearance was on the Aquaman animated series (a Filmation cartoon that premiered on CBS on September 9, 1967, and ended June 1970); in which he was also a featured as a regular villain.
  • Black Manta’s first appearance in the The All-New Super Friends Hour marks the unofficial first time that a DC supervillain appeared on Hanna Barbera’s Super Friends.
  • Interestingly, he did not go by Black Manta, he went by just 'Manta.'
  • In this appearance his suit color was olive brown.
  • His first origin was given in DC Comics Aquaman, Vol.4, #6[4] (May, 1992), by writer Shaun McLaughlin. It is part of the Modern Age / New Earth continuity. In this origin, the boy who would become Black Manta grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and loved to play by the sea. As a youth he was kidnapped and sexually abused on a ship for an unspecified amount of time. At one point he apparently saw Aquaman with his dolphin friends and tried to signal him for help but was not seen. Finally, he was forced to defend himself, killing one of his tormentors on the ship with a knife. Hating the emotionless sea (and Aquaman, whom he saw as its representative), the boy was determined to become its master.
  • His second origin was given in DC Comics Aquaman, Vol. 6, #8[5] (September 2003), by writer Rick Veitch. It is part of the Modern Age / New Earth continuity. In this origin, the boy who would become Black Manta was an orphan who has autism and was placed in Gotham City's Arkham Asylum. He felt comfortable in freezing cold water, while cotton sheets were excruciatingly painful. Because the attendants at Arkham didn't know how to deal with autism, they would end up restraining him to the bed as he struggled and screamed whenever they tried putting him there. The boy was also fascinated when he saw Aquaman on television. The boy would end up being subjected to experimental treatments. One treatment seemed to clear the boy's head, but left him violent as a result; he killed the scientist who had administered the treatment and escaped from Arkham.


External Links[]


Appearances in Other Media[]

Devilray Devil Ray Devil Ray first appeared on the cartoon Justice League Unlimited. Devil Ray was intended to be Black Manta, Aquaman's archnemesis from the DC Comics, but his name had to be changed for this show due to copyright issues. Devil Ray was a supervillain recruited by Grodd into his Legion of Doom. He was a resilient fighter and ruthless killer, who took great pleasure and pride in his heinous work.
- For more on Devil Ray see article at DCAU Wiki


References[]

  1. As seen in The Adventures of Aquaman episode the Menace Of The Black Manta (1967).
  2. As revealed in Adventure Comics, Vol. 1 #452 (July, 1977), which can be found at the DC Database.
  3. Go to the DC Database for more on Aquaman, Vol.1 #35 (October, 1967)
  4. Go to the DC Database for more on Aquaman, Vol.4 #6 (May, 1992)
  5. Go to the DC Database for more on Aquaman, Vol.6 #8 (September 2003)
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