Fanboys Anonymous

As we patiently wait for the trailer to arrive for next year's hotly anticipated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, director Zack Snyder has whetted our appetite by giving us the first official image of Jason Momoa as Aquaman, one of the founding members of DC Comics' Justice League. Snyder took to Twitter to post the image with the caption, "There is only one true King. #unitetheseven"

He's the Aquaman we deserve and the Aquaman we need right now.

The photo features a bearded, tattooed, and overall badass Aquaman brandishing a menacing trident—a huge divergence from the walking orange punch line that many of us have come to associate with the character. This ain't your granddaddy's Aquaman. Snyder's theatrical version looks like a cross between Momoa's Game of Thrones character Khal Drogo and the 1990s comic book version of Aquaman, which abandoned the orange-scaled scuba suit for armored shoulder pads that displayed his rippling chest—clearly a good costume choice, given the actor's massive build.

Though Momoa has previously claimed that he would not be blonde for the film, he does appear to have some blonde streaks in his hair, an obvious nod to the character's comic book origins. Snyder's Aquaman is covered in Polynesian-inspired tattoos and his arms and one shoulder are embossed in armor. The signature Aquaman logo can be seen on his waist, and though most of the color palette is muted, we can still detect notes of the iconic orange and green on his armor and pants.

Overlaying the photo is the tagline, "Unite the Seven," which could have various meanings: an attempt by Aquaman to unite the Seven Seas under one king, or perhaps the seven members of the Justice League that will be featured in DC's upcoming slate of films. Assuming it's the latter, this could be the start of an exciting ad campaign for Warner Bros. to introduce their new onscreen ensemble of characters.

The Holy Trinity

"The Seven" could also be a cool way to reference the Justice League without saying "Justice League," which sounds just a bit too corny for the more modern, gritty tone that DC's films seem to be going for. We've previously been treated to peeks at Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and we're hoping that we'll soon see teases at Cyborg, Flash, and Green Lantern in the coming months.

Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisenger, Aquaman's first appearance was in 1941 in More Fun Comics #73. Aquaman will make his big screen debut in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice on March 25, 2016, followed by Justice League Part One on November 17, 2017, and will eventually star in his own solo self-titled adventure, Aquaman, on July 27, 2018.