Aquaman 2 May Jump The Shark By Giving This Weird DC Character A Key Role

An unexpected minor character who only appears as a cameo in the first "Aquaman" movie has a more significant role in "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," according to director James Wan. Topo, the drum-playing octopus spotted briefly in the 2018 film, will return for the sequel to the Jason Mamoa-starring blockbuster. But while this news may be exciting for die-hard comic book fans, giving more of the spotlight to such a bizarre character could provide yet another stumbling block for a movie already facing an uphill battle.

"Topo is a real character in this one!" Wan told Empire. "In the comic, he's a big part of Arthur's life — a sidekick, pet, friend. So, we're leaning into that."

There are actually a few different versions of Topo in the comics. His first appearance was in 1956 in "Adventure Comics" #229. In the story "Aquaman's Undersea Partner," the titular hero realizes for the first time that he can speak to sea life and enlists the cephalopod as his trusty sidekick. Later iterations see Topo reimagined as a humanoid-octopus hybrid that can now speak English, and DC Comics' New 52 event saw him redesigned again. This new Topo is an enormous monster from the depths of Atlantis that looks like an octopus-crustacean mix. The aesthetic is a far cry from his humble origin as a typical mollusk.

The Topo we see in the first movie most closely resembles Aquaman's original octopus ally. Similar to what we see in the film, the original version of Topo is also a skilled musician, sometimes playing several instruments simultaneously. 

It's no secret that "The Lost Kingdom" has been a troubled production mired in setbacks and behind-the-scenes drama. It's undergone multiple rounds of reshoots, pandemic-related delays, extended postproduction, and has had its release date pushed back three times in four years. To top it all off, due to restructuring at Warner Bros. and James Gunn taking the helm at DC Studios, this will be the last entry in the DC Extended Universe. While that wasn't originally planned to be the case, many fans will likely now look to the movie to tie up any dangling plot threads left in the franchise. 

So, is it really the best idea to spend time developing new characters in a franchise already on borrowed time? Because Topo has decades' worth of history with Aquaman, it feels like an odd choice to dedicate screentime to fleshing him out as a side character at the last second. Instead of spending as much time as possible with characters we may be seeing for the last time, we'll see the character development of what was essentially an Easter egg in the first "Aquaman."

"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" is undeniably in a tough spot ahead of its release. Beyond being a notoriously troubled production, the movie now unexpectedly carries the burden of being the DCEU's swan song. While giving Topo more attention now may please longtime fans of the comics, it can also mean less time to wrap up the story of not only Arthur Curry but the entire DCEU.