The superhero genre continues to be super popular, and is showing no signs of slowing down. The next upcoming DC movie hitting theaters is James Wan's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is expected to be the final chapter of the DCEU as we know it. The movie has been a long time coming, and of course fans have thoughts after Amber Heard's Mera was missing from the latest Aquaman 2 trailer.
Aquaman 2 has been delayed a number of times, and it's finally almost upon us. One way it's been consistently making headlines is Amber Heard's role as Mera, which has been rumored to be quite small. After she was once again missing from the newest trailer, folks started sounding off online. As a reminder, you can check out the new trailer below:
While Mera had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance in the first Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer, the studios really hasn't shown us any more. In fact, casual moviegoers would seemingly have no idea that Jason Momoa's hero is even married. One fan pointed this out via a Twitter post, which reads:
might as well call it aquaman and the lost mera coz where is she in these trailers… why he acting like a single dad💀
Some points were made. While there's been no confirmation, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's long legal battle seemingly had an influence on the marketing team's decision not to include her in the trailers. The internet took sides related to their defamation case, with Depp's defender organizing a wildly popular petition to get Heard removed from Aquaman 2. That's not happening, but it seemingly worked for the trailers. One twitter user who seems to be on the actress' side offered the potential downside to this marketing strategy, offering:
The Mera erasure is bizarre. Not only for the storyline but also bc they’re actively alienating so many people who were only going to watch it to support Amber Heard. The ones who co-abuse her online aren’t gonna see it anyway, why market it to them? #OnlyForMera #Aquaman
Part of the reason why folks took sides about Depp and Heard's trial was because it was available to watch on TV. But as the above person pointed out, the folks who signed the petition about Heard are probably boycotting the movie anyway. So why not feature Mera footage for those who want to see her return to the DCEU?
Still, the discourse rages on, and there are some folks who aren't surprised that Aquaman 2's trailer would be edited around Amber Heard. As one such person posted:
People complaining about Mera not being in the trailer for #AquamanAndTheLostKingdom as if 4 million+ people didn’t sign a petition to fire Amber Heard and recast. pic.twitter.com/xtMEjWsEHCNovember 20, 2023
While Heard wasn't fired or removed from Aquaman 2, Mera reportedly has a much smaller role this time around. Instead the movie is much more focused on Arthur's relationship with his brother Orm aka Oceanmaster. Still, the fact that Aquaman's wife hasn't been show at all is giving folks reason to pause.
not a single shot of mera in that trailer yeh it’s a chop pic.twitter.com/Ajtg67hAGKNovember 20, 2023
Jason Momoa leads the cast of Aquaman 2, but the supporting characters (including Mera) are played by some A-list talent. That includes Nicole Kidman's Queen Atlanna, who also hasn't gotten a ton of love in the trailers. Another moviegoer criticized how the women of the franchise have been pushed to the side of marketing, saying:
All I’m saying is the women characters in Aquaman 2 seem strangely absent from the promo. We’ve gotten like 5 shots of Mera + Atlanna combined in the trailers who were some of the best parts of the first film. pic.twitter.com/SrAEeb94kzNovember 20, 2023
Some points were made, but only time will tell how the female characters are actually treated in the DC flick. What we know about Aquaman 2 is fairly limited, but it looks like Black Manta is out for some serious revenge. We'll just have to see how it all shakes out, especially since it's the last installment of the DCEU as we know it.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will finally hit theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
