Warning: SPOILERS for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are ahead! If you haven’t seen one of the final 2023 movie releases yet, feel free to read our non-spoilery Aquaman 2 review first if you’d rather not delve into specific story beats just yet.
When Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry made his full DC Extended Universe debut in 2017’s Justice League following his cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, audiences were also briefly introduced to Amber Heard’s Mera, the Xebellian princess who tried to protect Atlantis’ Mother Box from being taken by Steppenwolf. By 2018, Heard joined Momoa in the spotlight for Aquaman, which went on to become DC’s highest-grossing movie. And yet, as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was being put together, those following along with updates on its progress learned something important: Heard would have a lot less screen time in the sequel.
Director James Wan shared that it was always the plan for Mera to have a reduced role in The Lost Kingdom, as he wanted to focus on Arthur and his brother Orm, played by Patrick Wilson, teaming up. Well, the last of 2023’s DC movies in order is finally here, and just as Heard confirmed during the Depp v. Heard trial, we don’t spend nearly as much time with Amber Heard’s character in the sequel. That said, she does manage to play an important part during a specific chunk of the movie, so let’s go over what her involvement in The Lost Kingdom entailed.
How Much Is Mera In Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom
It was once alleged that Amber Heard has less than 10 minutes of screen time in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and although I wasn’t keeping time while watching this 2023 movie release, it was actually more like 15-20 minutes, per Business Insider. We first see Mera in a montage going over what’s happened in Arthur Curry’s life in the four years following the events of Aquaman. This includes her being by his side as he’s carried out his kingly duties for Atlantis and parenting their son Arthur Jr., whom we seeing being born on the shore right outside Thomas Curry’s lighthouse. Side note, there is an amusing moment when Arthur and Mera are looking after little Arthur, and while the former is trying to dodge the baby’s urine stream, the latter uses her water-manipulating ability to redirect it in his face.
However, Mera is badly injured when Black Manta and his private army attack Atlantis using the ancient vehicles they found in the ruins of Necrus in Antarctica, resulting in her being bedridden in order to heal. It’s not until the movie’s climax that she finally resurfaces (no pun intended). We’ll talk more in the next section about her role in this portion of The Lost Kingdom, but overall, Mera’s absence during the majority of the main story is definitely felt. Also, Mera only has roughly 11 speaking lines in Aquaman 2, most of which are short statements or exclamations. Even Topo the octopus gets more to do in The Lost Kingdom than Mera, although given his history as an animal sidekick, I was cool with his expanded role.
Why Mera Is Still Important To Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom
Despite her limited screen time, there is one specific moment when Mera gets to shine in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. As Arthur Curry is fighting the Kordax-possessed Black Manta in Necrus, he gets trapped underneath a massive pile of rubble, but a recovered Mera arrives at the scene and uses her aquakinesis to free her husband. She tries to rescue Arthur Jr. and get him away from the fight, but they’re nearly killed by Manta and only survive thanks to Orm catching the Black Trident. Later on, Mera expresses gratitude for Stephen Shin trying to get her son away from Manta by giving him a kiss on the cheek, and she and Arthur also agree to tell the rest of Atlantis that Orm died so that he can go free.
So while Mera’s role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is certainly much larger than a cameo, it’s a far cry from what she was given to do in the first Aquaman movie. While it was cool to see her last-minute save, it feels as though her only purpose in the sequel was to give birth to Arthur Jr. and get injured so that Arthur would have extra incentive to hunt down Black Manta. For all intents and purposes, she was relegated to the sidelines and barely displays any personality. While I understand that James Wan wanted to highlight the dysfunctional brotherly dynamic between Arthur and Orm this time around, it’s still a shame Heard wasn’t given more to do.
Although Wan expressed interest in making Aquaman 3, such a project no longer seems to be in the cards. Even ignoring how Aquaman 2 had an underwhelming opening weekend at the box office, this was the final DCEU entry, as the DC Universe Chapter One slate will launch a new shared continuity that only retains a few DCEU actors playing their same roles. So this will likely be the last time we see Amber Heard playing Mera. The same goes for Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, although there’s still the possibility that he could move over to playing Lobo in the DCU. Still, as far as Heard goes, she was able to play Mera in the two cuts of Justice League (with Zack Snyder’s Justice League including additional scenes of her in the Knightmare future) and two Aquaman movies. Four appearances is nothing to sniff at, as a lot of actors only get one bite at the proverbial apple in the superhero genre.
Revisit Amber Heard’s previous DCEU appearances with your Max subscription, and keep a lookout for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s arrival on that same streaming platform sometime in the coming year. And as always, stay tuned to CinemaBlend for major news concerning both upcoming DC movies and upcoming DC TV shows. For all your non-DC-related cinematic inquiries, consult our 2024 movies schedule.
