Black Manta (David Hyde) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy, he made his debut in Aquaman #35 in September 1967 and has since endured as the archenemy of the superhero Aquaman. The character has had numerous origin stories established throughout his history, having been a young boy kidnapped and enslaved by pirates on their ship; an autistic child experimented on at Arkham Asylum; and a ruthless mercenary caught in a mutual cycle of vengeance with Aquaman over the deaths of both their fathers. Despite these different versions of his past, Black Manta is consistently depicted as a cutthroat underwater villain known for using a high-tech powered armor with a large metal helmet and red eyes.
