Dolph Lundgren confirms big change to King Nereus in Aquaman

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Action movie and comic book enthusiasts cheered in unison when it was announced Dolph Lundgren had joined the AQUAMAN movie as King Nereus. There is a rivalry between he and Aquaman (Jason Momoa) involving Mera (Amber Heard) that led many to think we could see a fascinating dynamic between Momoa and the tall, muscular action icon. Turns out their relationship may be more simple in the movie, as Lundgren has confirmed that his character’s arc will be changed from the comics.

While talking to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Lundgren confirmed that his King Nereus will be the father Mera (Amber Heard) as opposed to her future husband, as he is in the comics.

Basically, I try to keep the peace down there along with Amber Heard, who plays my daughter. She’s trying to convince me to join the right side. Then you have Nicole Kidman as Aquaman’s mother. We’re trying to avoid war between the surface dwells and the people of Atlantis.

In the run of comics, King Nereus is engaged to Mera who is sent from Xebel to spy on Aquaman over in Atlantis. There, she falls in love with Aquaman and remains in Atlantis to be with him for several years. When Nereus learns this he becomes enraged, sparking a bit of a love triangle. Things are obviously tweaked a bit here, meaning that whole love triangle element will be off the table…I hope.

Some fans may have already suspected this could be the set up for the character, given the vast difference in age between Heard and Lundgren, and that Mera seems poised to be the love interest for Aquaman. We saw this teased in JUSTICE LEAGUE when the two were chatting in their special underwater bubble. The change certainly simplifies things, even if it detracts from the comics. We can always expect for these movies to be a little different from the source material. In this movie, there may be a more peaceful relationship between the two kingdoms, rather than an adversarial one. However, I would still love a Momoa/Lundgren face off.

AQUAMAN hits theaters December 21.