Warner Bros. is certainly in an interesting place regarding their DC properties. After a decade, the studio seems to be putting an end to its original cinematic universe, the DCEU, and making way for a new franchise overseen by James Gunn. The final movie from the original regime is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which opened in theaters on December 22, 2023. The film is the long-awaited sequel to the surprise 2018 smash hit, which was one of the few major wins for the DCEU franchise.
The film had a troubled production, from multiple delays due to the reshuffling of the DCEU to rumors of poor test screenings. Much online attention has been paid to the status of star Amber Heard, who performs the role of Mera in the DCEU. Heard is a controversial performer, not for any of her roles but for her relationship with and divorce from Johnny Depp, which has generated many headlines from both supporters of hers and those who don't care for her. It was clear by the time the first trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hit the internet that Mera would have a small role.
The trailer barely showed the character of Mera at all, with just one brief shot and a few establishing shots where she can barely be seen. Many wondered what role Mera would have in the movie and why Warner Bros. Discovery was so hesitant to show the character. Now that the film has come out, here is a look at Amber Heard's role in the DCEU, Mera's history with Aquaman, and how the final film handled her character.
Update January 4, 2024: This article has been updated following the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and how the DCEU's final entry handled Amber Heard's character of Mera.
The Amber Heard Situation
Amber Heard was in a very public dispute with her ex-husband, actor Johnny Depp. The divorce and accusations from Heard over Depp of domestic abuse resulted in a very public and high-profile trial where Depp sued Heard for defamation in a claim of $50 million in damages, and Heard counter-sued Depp for $100 million in damages.
The case became a big source of media attention, and the live stream of the trial became a huge talking point among people on various social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok. Fans of both stars began showing their support. In the end, the jury sided with Depp while also still ruling that Depp's lawyer had defamed Heard. Since the trial, Heard had attempted to get a retrial, citing that jurors were not sequestered and were influenced by social media reports of the trial, but a judge denied the request.
While many in the public were quick to attack Heard, there were also many who came to her defense. In late 2022, Amber Heard settled her lawsuit against Johnny Depp, ending the years-long trial. In the time being, both Depp and Heard have looked to restart their respective film careers, but while Johnny Depp has struggled to find major roles in projects, Heard had a big role already secured with the sequel to Aquaman, one of the biggest movies of 2018. Yet it appears Warner Bros. got nervous about her role in the film and greatly reduced her part.
Amber Heard in Aquaman
Both during the trial and after, Warner Bros. had to decide how to handle Heard in the upcoming film Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Aquaman is obviously a valuable brand for the studio, as the first film made over $1 billion worldwide. Warner Bros. requested Depp not reprise his role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beast: The Secrets of Dumbledore after the bad press from Depp's lawsuit against News Group in 2020 and his losing the case, resulting in the studio not having plausible deniability.
Now the same studio is tasked with a similar situation with Heard, as many online protests and petitions have called for Heard to be removed from the film. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom had been in development for years and began filming in June 2021, before the very public Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial. While director James Wan explained Mera's smaller role in the sequel was always going to be because he wanted to focus on the brother dynamic between Aquaman and Ocean Master, it is hard to ignore the fact that Mera's role appears to be so minimal in the marketing for the movie for how big a role she had in the previous film and it appears rather calculated.
Mera in the Aquaman Comics
Mera first appeared in Aquaman #11 in September 1963 and was created by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy. In the original comics, Mera originated from a place titled Dimension Aqua, which was later retconned for her to be a princess of Xebel, a forgotten extradimensional penal colony for an ancient group of separatist Atlanteans. Shortly after her appearance, she and Aquaman married in Aquaman #18 (published in December 1964), which was the first high-profile superhero wedding in comics.
Mera and Aquaman eventually had a son, Arthury Curry Jr., who was tragically killed by Aquaman's arch-enemy, Black Manta. This caused a rift between Aquaman and Mera, and the two separated, but after years apart, they finally reconciled. Mera was a major part of both the 'Blackest Night' crossover event and Aquaman's relaunch in DC's New 52 and Rebirth runs.
Mera is arguably Aquaman's most important supporting character, and the two's romance has been a defining part of both their characters. With the added element that Mera was originally sent by her father to kill the king of Atlantis, the two are often defined as star-crossed lovers who overcome the odds and whose marriage is the union between two different kingdoms. Mera is also a capable superhero in her own right, as she possesses powerful hydrokinetic powers, allowing her to control bodies of water, create "hard water" constructs, and also the ability to draw water from others, including sweat, tears, and blood from organic beings. This makes her one of the most powerful characters in the DC universe, and she has even been a member of the Justice League. Mera has a legion of loyal fans.
Mera is important to Aquaman's mythology, but neither she nor Amber Heard are the main sells for the franchise. Most audiences will likely be going to the sequel because they liked the first film and like the lead star, Jason Momoa. It is unclear how much keeping Heard as Mera, even in a small role, would actually push audiences away. Warner Bros. likely considered if the controversy around Heard is a factor for international audiences, where the first Aquaman made most of its money (the film grossed $813 million worldwide with $291 million from China alone).
While Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is certainly not doing well at the box office, it would be foolish to say it is performing badly because Amber Heard is in it. The movie is suffering at the box office due to arriving at a time when superhero fatigue appears to be setting in, and likely, word of mouth from the first Aquaman was not enough to draw audiences out for the second film.
Mera in the DCEU So Far
When an Aquaman movie was announced in 2014, it was assumed that Mera would be a major character in it. In January 2016, Amber Heard was officially cast as Mera in the DCEU by Aquaman director James Wan. Heard would first appear in Justice League, directed by Zack Snyder, which was set for release in November 2017 before Aquaman was released in December 2018.
Mera was close with Aquaman's mother, Queen Atlanna, and is the daughter of the King of Xebel, in an arranged marriage with Prince Orm (Patrick Wilson). She was guarding the Motherbox before Steppenwolf attacked Atlantis to claim it and gave Arthur his first suit of Atlantian armor and mother's weapon. Later, she and Arthur team up to find the lost trident of the first king of Atlantis. At the end of the movie, Arthur and Mera have grown close and fallen in love, setting up Arthur's role as king and Mera as his future queen.
Heard would later go on to reprise her role as Mera in The Snyder Cut of Justice League, filming additional scenes for the end of the film where she is revealed to be among the future Knightmare survivors alongside Batman, Deathstroke, The Flash, Cyborg, and Joker. It is worth noting that Zack Snyder has publicly defended Heard and has confirmed he would work with her again. She made one last appearance in the DCEU with 2023's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but it was clear her part was greatly reduced in the edit.
Mera's Role In The Lost Kingdom
Warner Brothers' decision regarding Amber Heard was a complicated one. Warner Bros. reportedly considered recasting Heard in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom not because of public backlash but reportedly due to a lack of chemistry with Jason Momoa. Killing off Mera or recasting her could come off as in bad taste — for some, there is still evidence to suggest she was a victim of domestic abuse, and many have defended her.
The studio has already downplayed her involvement in the film as she was not part of the 2021 DC FanDome presentation for the film. Rumors have circulated the character would have minimal screen time. The fact that the character is only seen briefly in one scene of the trailer didn't bode well for her role in the film. Combine that with the reveal that Mera and Aquaman's son Arthur Curry Jr. (aka Aquababy) was in the film, and rumors pointed to that being used as a way to reduce Heard's screentime.
In the end, Heard does appear as Mera, but it is clear the film is doing a great deal to cut around her. She is seen briefly in the opening montage but barely gets any lines of dialogue. Her biggest scene is an action scene early on in Act 1 where, by the end of it, a Black Manta injures her so badly she is missing half the movie. She does return later to save her husband and is present for the film's final action scene, even showcasing some incredible displays of power, but one can't help but notice how much of her lines are ADR or the movie cuts around her to give her as minimal screen time as possible. Heard's Mera is there, but barely.
Aquaman's Future
The other factor to consider is the fate of the DCEU, or as it will soon be rebranded, the DCU. James Gunn and Peter Safran are taking over, and it appears they are setting the franchise with a new Superman and Batman, as well as their own interconnected story. While there are rumors certain actors from the DCEU will be carried over, the marketing and lead-up to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom made it clear that Momoa would not be returning as the King of Atlantis, and neither would any of the supporting cast or the actors associated with them.
While Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom came out after The Flash and would technically be part of the reset timeline, it also appears to be very much still within the same continuity and the end of the DCEU. James Wan doesn't even seem to know where Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom fall within this new slate. The film underwent a difficult production with multiple reshoots. With that, this might be all for nothing. The movie has come out, and Warner Bros. will likely recast Aquaman and Mera in the new universe, meaning Heard had one last (brief) shot at the character.