Black Manta has had numerous origin stories throughout his comic book appearances, having been a young boy kidnapped and enslaved by pirates on their ship; an orphan subjected to cruel experiments in Arkham Asylum; and a high-seas treasure hunter caught in a mutual cycle of vengeance with Aquaman over the deaths of their fathers.

Despite these different versions of his past, Black Manta is consistently depicted as a ruthless underwater mercenary who is obsessed with ruining Aquaman's life.

Taking the name Black Manta, he and his masked army became a formidable force, engaging in at least one unrecorded clash with Aquaman prior to his first appearance as a rival to the Ocean Master (and before joining the short-lived Injustice League in the retcon Silver Age third-week event).

Unfortunately, Manta remains a violent criminal, lulling Aquaman into a false sense of partnership and almost killing the Sea King in the process.

[10] When Aquaman dies at the end of the 2003 series, Black Manta begins working for Libra as part of the Secret Society of Super Villains.

[11] Black Manta is seen later at the grave of Thomas Curry, Aquaman's father, where he is approached by Siren [citation needed] and her Death Squad after demolishing the tombstone.

She informs Black Manta that they need to work together to find his son, showing him a hard water image of Jackson Hyde.

Jackson (using his ability to create hard water constructs) fights back but is unable to stop Black Manta from shooting a trident-shaped dart at his foster father.

The captors experimented on Black Manta's pregnant wife which gave the unborn child powers similar to those of the residents of Xebel.

[24] Black Manta delivered the relic scepter to a mysterious Atlantean, who was revealed to be his employer, but the Others ambushed them and attacked.

[27] After hearing Amanda Waller's offer to join the Suicide Squad, Black Manta retrieved his equipment during Belle Reve's prison break and accepted the Secret Society's coin.

8 #1, in which he attacks Spindrift Station, an Atlantean embassy built by Aquaman near his hometown of Amnesty Bay to promote relations between Atlantis and the surface.

N.E.M.O plans to discredit Aquaman in the eyes of the world by manipulating conflicts with the United States and other surface nations, and Black Manta decides to continue this mission after killing the Fisher King and claiming the title for himself.

8 #7, Manta appears at a meeting of the N.E.M.O board in Venice, Italy, where he kills those who oppose his rule as the Fisher King and commands the Shaggy Man to attack Atlantis.

[32] After a team of American Aquamarines, super-soldiers who can take on the form of sharks and other aquatic creatures, fails to assassinate Aquaman,[33] the Atlantean king attacks Black Manta on his ship in the Azores in issue #15.

It is revealed that Manta survived the explosion, perhaps with the help of Blackjack, and has become obsessed with finding his illegitimate son Jackson Hyde, who has joined the Teen Titans.

[34] Manta's desire to find him stems from his remembrance of a lost relic with power over the sea itself, The Black Pearl, a weapon which can bend the very oceans to the user's whim, which once belonged to a notorious Atlantean pirate who died in Xebel.

[38] While at Doctor Mist's headquarters, Black Manta was approached by his former underling Devil Ray for aid in completing the Trident of Orichalcum that is made from the Orichalcum stone that he found as it can only be wielded properly by someone of Deserter heritage as it is revealed that Black Manta's heritage comes from Atlantis' Deserter branch.

[39] Black Manta is regarded as one of Aquaman's most formidable adversaries, with Amanda Waller classifying him as a "Code Alpha" threat during her time as director of A.R.G.U.S.

While Black Manta does not possess innate superpowers, he compensates with exceptional combat skills, excelling both on land and underwater.

[40][41] Black Manta is depicted as exceptionally intelligent, having designed his own distinctive battle-suit and arsenal of advanced weaponry built into it.

[41][40] Black Manta commands N.E.M.O., his own organization of henchmen and has the capability to provide artificial gills, although he has not personally undergone the experimental process himself.

[40] Black Manta dons an armored battle suit that serves multiple purposes, allowing him to rival Aquaman and other Atlanteans.

The suit provides him with an unlimited air supply, communication capabilities, enhanced strength, and the ability to withstand the ocean's extreme pressures.

The helmet lenses are equipped with advanced laser beams capable of cutting through carbon steel, as well as infrared vision.

[43] In recent stories, Black Manta incorporated Orichalcum, a mystical mineral connected to several Atlantis tribes, into his technology.

Black Manta appeared as one of the major villains in the 2005-2006 Justice miniseries by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger as part of the Legion of Doom.

[44] Black Manta appears in films set in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

[51] This version is David Kane,[52] a pirate whose grandfather served as a frogman in the U.S. Navy during World War II under the codename "Manta".