Amber Heard's Mera was a huge part of 2018's Aquaman, but heading into Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, it was no secret that the character would be sidelined.
A very public court battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp is believed to be at the centre of that, though director James Wan has repeatedly insisted he always planned to shift the spotlight to Arthur Curry's relationship with his half-brother Orm. As for Heard, she's made a series of damning claims about both the filmmaker and Jason Momoa, going so far as to allege that the latter showed up to set drunk and dressed like Depp in a bid to antagonise her.
When it comes to Wan, Heard claims he failed to support her, claiming she was made to feel "like a pariah" due to her ongoing clashes with her ex-husband.
Whatever the case may be, Mera had more screentime in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom than expected and wasn't killed off (had there been any chance of an Aquaman 3 before DC Studios was formed, the hero's fate might have differed).
Now, Heard has shared her gratitude with her fans. "After all this time, Aquaman 2 made its splash (sorry, it’s too easy)," she says in the Instagram post below. "Thank you to all of my fans for the overwhelming support and love in Mera's [Aquaman] return. Thank you so much."
The sequel has indeed made a splash and while it wasn't a hit with critics, it should have passed The Flash's lifetime gross by the time you read this. Heard also appeared in both cuts of Justice League as Mera, albeit with different accents.
The actress shared a training video from her time working on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in her Instagram story which you can check out below along with some behind-the-scenes snaps.
Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa - along with Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman - return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film of all time: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.
The screenplay is by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, from a story by James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Jason Momoa & Thomas Pa'a Sibbett.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is now playing in theaters.