Black Trident

"So he resorted to dark magic and crafted an instrument of evil, that Black Trident. He transformed his people and himself into monsters, to fight Atlantis."

―Orm Marius^[src]

The Black Trident was a weapon forged with forbidden dark magic by Kordax, the ruler of the Kingdom of Necrus. Centuries later, it was wielded by Black Manta, causing him to become enthralled by Kordax. It was later destroyed by Aquaman after he threw the Trident of Atlan at it.

History[]

Madness of King Kordax[]

The Black Trident was forged thousands of years ago by King Kordax of the Kingdom of Necrus by using dark magic in a bid to gain power over his brother, Atlan. Using the mineral known as Orichalcum, Necrus was able to rapidly grow into a superpower that rivalled Atlantis but at a severe cost to the Earth's environment. Atlan pleaded with his power-hungry brother to stop using the Orichalcum before the world was irrevocably damaged but Kordax refused, believing in his manic state that his brother wished to seize his power instead. Kordax decided to forge a trident capable of wielding dark magic and had it forged using orichalcum. Using the trident however came at a cost as Kordax transformed himself and the citizens of Necrus into undead monstrosities.

With no choice remaining, Atlan invaded Necrus with his Atlantean army, suffering heavy losses but eventually cutting the Black Trident in two and sealing away both Kordax and Necrus in a ritual using his own blood. As a result, the Trident became frozen and submerged beneath what would become Antarctica. There, it would lay for thousands of years undisturbed but possessed by the mad spirit of the undead Kordax. The Kingdom of Necrus was wiped from Atlantean records and later known as the Lost Nation or Lost Kingdom.

Rediscovery[]

Thousands of years later, the mercenary known as David Kane searched Atlantean Ruins in desperation for a way to finally kill Aquaman, Atlan's direct descendant who had taken the Atlantean Throne and was responsible for the death of Kane's father. Using the research of Dr. Stephen Shin, his crew investigated a site in Antarctica. Shin and a colleague fell through a crack and into the frozen caverns where they were attacked by an undead creature, but not before sending a transmission of their location. Kane later investigated alongside his crew and rescued Shin before diving deep into the mysterious ruins below. They were swiftly attacked by a creature and Kane was knocked to the ocean floor where he discovered the Trident laying in two halves. This however stirred the spirit of the still trapped Kordax who invited him to take the weapon and use it in his revenge in exchange for his own freedom. Kane grabbed the Trident and upon combining the halves together he received a vision of him killing Aquaman and conquering the surface world with the armies of Necrus. He blacked out and was later found by Shin and his remaining crew along with the Black Trident know in his possession.

Orichalcum Heist[]

Using the knowledge of the Trident and Kordax, Kane managed to recreate his suit and wielded the weapon as his own. It instructed him how to operate ancient Atlantean technology such as the Octobots and even an Submarine which his crew used as a mobile base. However, the weapon began to corrupt him, making him even more ruthless and volatile in his ultimate goal. Finally, it gave him knowledge of the mineral Orichalcum and of various stockpiles of the substance hidden throughout the globe.

Kidnapping of Arthur Curry Jr.[]

To be added

Battle in the Throne Room[]

To be added

Capabilities[]

The Black Trident is composed of pure dark magic and as such radiates an aura of evil. It's very presence was enough to be used by King Kordax to transform himself and his people into undead monstrosities. When Kordax was sealed away he used the broken trident as a vessel for his spirit and a way of communicating with the outside world. Once reforged by David Kane it proved to be an exceptionally deadly weapon, especially against Atlanteans. Shown in a vision as capable of stabbing Aquaman through his armor. The two halves of the weapon could be used in conjunction as twin melee objects such as Manta's fight with Aquaman in Devil's Deep, It is however broken twice by the Trident of King Atlan, the latter shattering it entirely and releasing the power of Necrus, demonstrating a physical fragility against Atlan's trident.

The Trident was capable of granting its wielder visions of the potential future such as Black Manta witnessing his victory against Aquaman. Other people including regular humans such as Stephen Shin saw the ghostly image of Kordax, still trapped in his endless slumber. When Orm Marius grabbed hold of the weapon he witnessed its past history through the memories of its forger and the subsequent destruction of the Lost Kingdom. Perhaps its most deadly ability was its ability to possess its host through the spirit of Kordax. When possessed, a wielder's iris would glow green and they would be able to communicate directly with the undead king, the weapon as well would glow ethereally. Users would be granted enhanced strength, speed, reflexes and endurance with a regular human becoming powerful enough to overpower both Arthur Curry and Marius at the same time. However, this would only be used by the current wielder of the Trident as a formerly possessed Kane retained none of its abilities after Kordax began possessing Orm instead.

Ultimately, with the forbidden magic and spiritual possession of its master, the Trident proved to be one of the most powerful Earth artifacts alongside its counterpart wielded by Aquaman. It's only weakness seemingly being said weapon, whether through its own magic or the use of Poseidon Steel.