Aquaman Concept Art Reveals A Major DC Cameo Got Scrapped From The Film

After spending years in the DC Comics universe, Aquaman (Jason Momoa) finally got his live-action solo movie spotlight in 2018. "Aquaman" sees the titular hero connect with his Atlantean roots while preventing his brother, King Orm (Patrick Wilson) — also known as Ocean Master — from launching a war with the surface world. It turned out to be an exciting and successful big-screen outing for the trident-wielding hero, earning loads of praise and well over $1 billion at the global box office. Still, one has to wonder if it would've done even better had there been a greater inclusion of some other bigtime DC heroes.

According to "Aquaman" concept art, the film could've featured Batman (Ben Affleck) during the final act. The piece of art in question shows Batman's Knightcrawler vehicle confronting a giant crab of sorts on the streets, battling back against Orm's invasion. "Aquaman" concept artist Ed Natividad dove even deeper into the meaning behind the art piece, writing, "Ocean Master commands the 3 Kingdoms to join him in the invasion of the surface world. He is met with resistance from the JL," (via ArtStation). Therefore, it's entirely possible that other Justice League members could've briefly appeared in the 2018 film.

Evidently, Affleck's Batman missed out on "Aquaman," but what are the odds we see him in the sequel?

"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" is on its way to theaters. This time around, Aquaman and Orm have to reluctantly team up in hopes of defeating Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who wields the powerful and mysterious Black Trident. During this adventure, Aquaman will be surrounded by allies such as his father, Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison), and his wife, Mera (Amber Heard), but that's not all. There's a chance Ben Affleck's Batman could appear in some capacity.

Initially, plans were reportedly in place for Michael Keaton's Batman to appear in Aquaman's second film. This would've connected the feature to "The Flash," which puts his version of Bruce Wayne front-and-center, but it came to light that the minds behind "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" swapped Batmen. Instead, Affleck's Batman was said to have taken his place, with Jason Momoa even spoiling his inclusion on Instagram. However, recent reports have claimed that in light of the DC Extended Universe being phased out in favor of the James Gunn and Peter Safran-led DC Universe reboot, Affleck may be out of the picture as well. 

So, will Ben Affleck's Batman pop up in "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom"? Fans will just have to wait and see when the long-awaited sequel premieres on December 20.