10 Comic Villains With The Best Motivations

3. Black Manta

After years spent on the periphery of the DC Universe, mocked for his fishy scales and telepathy, Aquaman is finally getting the respect he deserves. Sure, DC seem to have done away with the hook hand used in the nineties (for why, I'll never understand), but for all intents and purposes King Arthur Curry is back, and is currently making one heck of an impression at the box office.

By now, most will have also grown accustomed to Black Manta, Aquaman's arch enemy who turns to the ocean in the face of a world that doesn't really understand him. Multiple origins have been optioned, but all begin on land, with the most recent of which having depicted the character as having been held in Arkham Asylum at a young age, diagnosed with autism and mistreated by its staff.

Driven to the ocean by an obsession with Aquaman, as well as a fondness for the cold depths themselves, Manta resolves himself to master the waves and, in one instance, even to build a sanctuary for black people in the sea, having been persecuted and oppressed for centuries. While that stated aim has been debated, Manta himself has long been obsessed with conquering Atlantis, which has sparked a bloody feud with its ruler that has lasted for years.

Whatever you think of Aquaman, there's no denying just how interesting a character Black Manta is, or just how unique his motivations are compared to his contemporaries.