Not only was Amber Heard's role as Mera reportedly reduced for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but she almost had a completely different costume.
For the Aquaman sequel and final film of the original DCU, Amber Heard reprised her role as Mera, Arthur Curry's wife, Queen of Atlantis, and the mother of Arthur Curry, Jr.
Now that the December 2023 film has come and gone, fans are learning more about what could have been.
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Amber Heard's Other Aquaman 2 Costume
Concept illustrator Darrell Warner posted scrapped costume designs for Amber Heard's Mera in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
The first design Warner shared on Instagram shows the aquatic queen wearing a much brighter costume with added yellow coloration.
For comparison, the following is what Mera's costume ultimately looked like in Aquaman 2.
The second design Warner posted is a sketch showing Mera with an upswept hairdo and a coral-inspired headpiece, along with wearing an elaborate fish scale detailed gown and a Medici collar.
The artist's Instagram caption reads as follows:
"MERA, MERA on the wall, who is the fairest of them all…… Costume concept drawing. Aquaman & the Lost Kingdom"
Certain elements of this design did make it into Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
For instance, the image below taken from the film shows Amber Heard wearing a gown similar to Darrell Warner's concept complete with that stand-up collar.
Where it differs is Heard's gown in the film features a more simplified bodice and that coral headpiece has been swapped for her standard crown.
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Amber Heard's Aquaman Problems
The final year of the DCU was a rough one for the franchise's stars.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom disappointed at the box office with the latter opening to a lackluster $27.7 million opening weekend.
The year was particularly rough for Amber Heard amidst the ongoing fallout from her and ex-husband Johnny Depp's 2022 public defamation trial.
Whether the controversy surrounding the actress impacted any design decisions for Mera's costumes is unknown but not impossible, especially if her role was further minimized due to legal controversy.
Regardless, it is always fascinating to see ideas dreamed up for the big screen and what could've been in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is streaming now on Max.
