Aquaman is sent on a quest by Willem Dafoe’s Nuidis Vulko in new clip

Thanks to trailers and teasers for Aquaman, we knew that the titular hero would have at least one quest on his hands. And a new clip introduces us to the quest’s origins.

We only have about three weeks until Aquaman hits theaters, and while we have certainly seen plenty of teasers and trailers for the film, a new clip answers one of our lingering questions. Based on what we saw in the promotional material for the film, we know that Arthur Curry and Mera go on a quest for a missing trident.

Now we know who sent them on such a quest thanks to a brand new clip from the film shared by Jason Momoa during a visit to Good Morning America. It turns out that the person responsible for the trident quest is none other than Willem Dafoe’s Nuidis Vulko. While the clip is very short and does not give much away, it does reveal the origin of the quest (which we see taking Mera and Aquaman into the middle of the desert).

The reason for the quest, to begin with, is as a way to win “the hearts and minds” of the people. And that means hunting for a trident. But, the trident they are looking for is no ordinary trident, even if Arthur points out he already has one of his own. As Vulko explains, the one they are looking for is unlike anything the hero would already have. And that makes sense since what they are looking for is said to be “the Trident of Neptune.”

Considering who Neptune is in Roman mythology (the god of the sea), it makes sense that his trident would be much more powerful than anything Arthur would have in his possession. The thing that makes this trident so important is that by finding and wielding it, Aquaman will be able to prove to the people of Atlantis and perhaps even the other underwater kingdoms, that he is worthy to be a leader. We can’t imagine anyone seeing Aquaman with a god’s trident in hand turning their back and saying “nope, still not worthy.” But maybe that’s just us.

No matter what happens with this quest and the trident, we can’t wait to see what it is about the Trident of Neptune that really makes it so special (from the way it looks, to the powers it holds). And honestly, we are excited for the entire movie, from Jason Momoa’s big screen return as Aquaman after his outing in Justice League, to Willem Dafoe as Vulko, and even the epic adventure of discovering Atlantis.

Aquaman premieres in theaters on Dec. 21, and that means we will finally see Arthur Curry back in action — this time under the water as much as above it.