Aquaman 2 Plot Details Reveal A Major Change To Arthur & Mera
Despite going through three rounds of reshoots in one year, the short teaser for "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" shows that it offers plenty of superhero shenanigans, including making the Justice Leaguer's goofy seahorse trick look cool. But, with only a few months until its December release, there's still little to no information regarding the plot of the DC sequel. However, a new description finally sheds some light on "Aquaman 2," revealing that Arthur (Jason Momoa) and Mera's (Amber Heard) relationship has taken a few steps forward.
According to the YouTube description underneath the teaser, the "Aquaman" sequel features the return of many previous cast members. However, where things get interesting is with Mera, as the description reads, "Amber Heard is Mera, Atlantis' Queen and mother of the heir to the throne." This small reveal shows that in the time between movies, Arthur and Mera officially got married and had a kid.
Last we saw the couple, their relationship was just beginning, with the two sharing a kiss before the first movie's climactic battle. Clearly, some time has passed since those events, as they've developed their relationship considerably since then. However, exactly how much the relationship has progressed is still up in the air. "The Lost Kingdom" could mimic the real-time that has passed since "Aquaman" hit theaters, meaning it's been five years since Arthur became King of Atlantis, giving the couple plenty of time to settle down and start a family.
James Wan clarifies Mera's role in Aquaman 2
To be fair, the description for "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" doesn't specify the age of Arthur (Jason Momoa) and Mera's (Amber Heard) child. Depending on how quickly their relationship developed, the child could be nearly five years old or not even born yet. Either way, it sounds like Mera will have her hands full with the kid, so don't expect her role in the sequel to be as large as in "Aquaman."
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, "Aquaman 2" director James Wan commented on Mera's overall role in the sequel, revealing that even the earliest scripts shifted the focus off her and Arthur's relationship. "I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go. The first 'Aquaman' was Arthur and Mera's journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm," Wan said. "So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie. We'll leave it at that."
While Mera's diminished role wouldn't make headlines for other movies, "Aquaman 2," much like DC overall, has found itself in the middle of a hurricane of controversy. Heard, of course, lost her infamous civil defamation trial against Johnny Depp, which she claims led to Wan and Warner Bros. diminishing her role in the sequel. While Wan states otherwise, it seems Mera will spend most of the sequel raising the heir of Atlantis, as Arthur and Orm (Patrick Wilson) fight to stop Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Either way, "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" is the official end to the old DCEU, and after a brutal production, we can't help but think everyone is ready to move on.