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Devil Ray was introduced into animation as a Black Manta substitute. In comics, he reveals his full origin and why he seeks to hurt Manta.
A Justice League Unlimited villain was brought into the main DC Universe for Black Manta, and the aquatic evildoer now reveals his origin story.
According to a preview for Black Manta #5, Devil Ray idolized David Hyde aka Manta ever since he first witnessed the villain fighting Aquaman at a young age. Believing in Hyde’s mission to end systemic oppression across the globe, he studied, trained to fight, learned secrets from A.R.G.U.S. (the organization that oversees the Suicide Squad) and elements of magic before eventually joining Hyde’s Manta Men. However, Devil Ray grew to hate Manta for turning on his own ideals to fight his endless war with Aquaman. In the character’s original debut for animation, his origin was a lot less complex and because of one main reason: property rights.
For Season 3 of Justice League Unlimited, the creative team’s plan was to have Black Manta be a member of Gorilla Grodd’s Legion of Doom, but there was an issue with using the character at the time. According to previous statements made by writer Dwayne McDuffie, because an Aquaman series was in development with a pilot that starred actor Justin Hartley (Smallville, This Is Us) as the Atlantean hero, JLU lost the rights to Aquaman characters for use in the show. Though the Aquaman series never made it beyond the pilot, it led to Devil Ray’s creation as a Black Manta substitute.
After first cameoing in the Season 3 premiere alongside other Legion members, Devil Ray made his full debut in the episode “To Another Shore” as an antagonist for Wonder Woman. He held similar aspects of Manta’s character, with an aquatic suit and his own personal army, but only made it into an additional episode before being killed off by a Deadman-possessed Batman. In a twist of fate though, Devil Ray’s voice actor, Michael Beach, would later go on to play Black Manta’s father in 2018’s Aquaman. So, the voice actor of a substitute for a comic book character later played the father of the actual character in live-action for a full-circle moment.
Devil Ray was brought back for comics by Black Manta writer Chuck Brown. In the upcoming issue, Devil Ray is going after Black Manta to forge a weapon made of orichalcum, an ancient material that both have been investigating. While Manta seeks to stop the rock from killing himself and thousands of others, Devil Ray wants its power to wage war on the world. The preview and solicitation for the issue can be found below.
BLACK MANTA #5
- Written by CHUCK BROWN
- Art by VALENTINE DE LANDRO
- Cover by JORGE FORNÉS
- Variant cover by SANFORD GREENE
- $3.99 US | 32 pages | 5 of 6 | $4.99 US Variant (Card Stock)
- ON SALE 1/18/22
- Black Manta finds himself at the crossroads of good and evil as Devil Ray’s secret origin and Black Manta’s own past collide and erupt! Will Black Manta finally accept his legacy of villainy…and maybe even make the choice to overcome it? Or will Devil Ray’s plans quite literally rip apart not just the seven seas, but the whole world?
Black Manta #5 is written by Brown with interior art by Valentine de Landro, colors by Marissa Louise, letters by Clayton Cowles and main cover art by Jorge Fornés. A variant cover for the issue was made by Sanford Greene. The issue goes on sale Jan. 18 from DC Comics.
Source: DC Comics
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