'Aquaman' release date, spoilers news: Director says Aquaman is DC's Wolverine; villain's identity revealed?

Aquaman may have been the object of ridicule for decades, but "Aquaman" (2018) director James Wan thinks of the superhero more as an outsider, someone akin to The X-Men's Wolverine.

In a recent interview with IGN, Wan spoke about his approach to the iconic character, saying: "I look at him, he's kind of the Wolverine in some respect. He's the outsider who gets pulled into this world and he kind of doesn't want to belong and he was doing his own thing. And he prided freedom above everything else."

"That kind of plays nicely into who his character is," he added. "He's like a reluctant superhero, right? He's the reluctant king, basically, or would-be king."

While Wan did not disclose any major details about the upcoming film, the director revealed that he was influenced by Geoff Johns' take on Aquaman and that he "really loved" how Johns took the character and made him cool again after being the laughingstock of the superhero world for such a long time.

Incidentally, Johns' "Aquaman" run featured the villain Black Manta, who is currently rumored to be the main villain in the superhero's live cinematic debut. Today, Johns is heavily involved in co-running, writing, and developing the DC films. He is also the President and Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment.

On Wednesday, Aug. 10, The Wrap claimed that they exclusively found out that Black Manta, Aquaman's most popular and deadliest enemy in the DC Comics, is the main villain in the upcoming Jason Momoa Starrer.

The villain, which was introduced in 1967, has gone through various incarnations. His most recent version, a man with no innate powers, is an assassin who blames Aquaman for the death of his father. In "The New 52" DC Comics revamp, Aquaman did accidentally kill Black Manta's father.

"Aquaman" is scheduled to hit theaters on Nov. 17, 2017.