With Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hitting US theaters Friday, reports on the extent of controversial actress Amber Heard’s role as Mera are surfacing. Following Heard’s scandalous court drama with ex-husband and renowned actor Johnny Depp in 2021, Heard’s role in the DCEU was called into question by fans. Those who were placated by her rumored minor appearance in the film are likely to be disappointed.
After the lengthy and bitter legal battle against ex-husband Johnny Depp, Amber Heard was found guilty of defamation. This loss cost her millions of dollars as well as the loss of respect from many in the industry. Her tarnished reputation led DCEU fans to call into question whether she should retain her role as Mera.
Related: Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom Set To Bust At Box Office Even Worse Than The Flash
Though a petition to have Heard removed from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom failed, fans were led to believe that Heard’s role would at the very least be cut to an almost imperceptible amount of run time. Heard claimed that the new script had “removed a bunch” from her original role.
The official trailer for the Aquaman sequel seemed to support the idea of Heard’s limited appearance, with a blink and you’ll miss it appearance of Mera towards the end of the promo. Despite the rumors and lack of press appearances from Heard, early viewers are claiming that Mera is playing a bigger role than expected.
Related: Rumor: Warner Bros. Has Review Embargo On Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom To Hide Amber Heard Involvement
There are many reasons to expect this film to flop at the box office, but Amber Heard’s role as Queen of Atlantis is a negative factor that can’t be overlooked. While a general sense of superhero fatigue amongst movie goers is certainly prevalent, the fact that a celebrity as disliked and controversial as Amber Heard being a featured character is just another straw on the tired DCEU camel’s back.
The actress’ mere presence is enough to put a bad taste in the mouth of potential ticket buyers, but the fact that DCEU marketing led viewers to believe that she was almost nonexistent has left fans with a feeling of betrayal. It’s certainly too late now to make changes, leaving the DCEU with consequences of ignoring their fanbase yet again.
It would appear that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be joining Atlanteans as it seems almost guaranteed to sink at the box office. Perhaps listening to cries for the removal of Amber Heard from the film could have been a boost. Perhaps it was destined to flop regardless of Heard’s presence.
Unfortunately, fans will never know what could have been, with the premiere of the film upon the States. It remains to be seen if the names of Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Nicole Kidman are enough to overpower the sour taste that Amber Heard leaves in the mouths of moviegoers.
Are you planning on skipping Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to boycott Amber Heard? Discuss your thoughts in the comments.
I Heard you have a problem in your movie. Flush it down the toilet like a dead goldfish, it’s done.
Haha 😂
I want to watch this in theater but decided to see Godzilla a 2nd time in the theater instead over Christmas break. I will watch at home at some point. It’s a shame as I liked the first one even though it was poorly constructed, Amber Heard wouldn’t of changed if I saw it in theater or not but would definitely be taking a bathroom break on her scenes.