Aquaman: Read Queen Atlanna’s heartbreaking letter to Arthur Curry

Aquaman marketing has kicked into high gear now that the movie is just over a month away from debuting in theaters. And with that comes a letter from Atlanna.

On social media, marketing for Aquaman seems to have hit a fever pitch, and that includes an image from the recently released companion book for the movie. While we knew there would be at least one book published leading up to the movie’s premiere, we only knew that it would be a prequel to the film. This book was said to be a chance to learn who Arthur Curry was as a teenager, but at no point did we think we would be getting to see more than that.

However, a fan thankfully shared a glimpse of the book on Twitter, treating fans of Aquaman to an intimate letter from Arthur Curry’s mother, Atlanna, to her son. Now we don’t know if this companion book is the same one we learned about before or a second one with additional insights into the movie, but we are definitely excited either way, especially as we get a better idea of who Atlanna was.

Nicole Kidman, who plays Atlanna in the film, has been shown in previews as being a loving wife and someone willing to get her hands dirty. Though we don’t know a lot about her story in the DCEU, getting the chance to read this letter before the movie premieres definitely gave us some insight into the woman who had to leave her son behind as a baby.

Considering how Arthur seems to feel about Atlantis and what it did to his family, we can understand why he may not think highly of his underwater kingdom. And with a letter that starts off with, “To my dearest Arthur, I hope that one day you will understand why I needed to leave. There are things at work here that are beyond our control,” it’s hard to fault Arthur for his lack of love when it comes to Atlantis.

As we read further into the letter, there is something else that sticks out for us — the fact that she tells her son, “I know you will be strong, but this world will also give you a big heart, something every hero needs.” This line makes us think that even Atlanna knew what Arthur’s destiny would one day be, even as he was still nothing more than a child.

Even as Atlanna tells her son that she plans to not only fight for him, but also come back to him, we know that something happened to prevent her return. While we may have to wait to see Aquaman to learn exactly what happened when she returned to Atlantis, it is exciting to see this tangible proof that there is more to her story than what we have seen so far in the previews.

As Atlanna, Nicole Kidman gets to show off just how fierce she can be, and that is something we can all get behind. And even James Wan, the director of the movie has made it clear just how important the actress and her character are to the film.

Beyond being an amazing actress, Wan shared that, “The love story between her and [Arthur’s father] is the emotional backbone for the movie and how it informs Arthur’s character and his journey and sort of his bitter outlook on the world of Atlantis.”

And thanks to this newly released note, we can already see just how important Atlanna is to Arthur’s story. She is more than just his mother, she is also a hero in her own right. She was willing to sacrifice her own happiness to give Arthur a better life, and while it may have turned out poorly for her, it has certainly given all of us the Aquaman we have come to know and love.

We will get to learn more about what happened to Atlanna and Arthur when Aquaman premieres in theaters on Dec. 21.