A new Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer has included the return of Amber Heard's Mera.
Aquaman 2 has been getting worrying test screenings, with one insider describing it as "boring" and potentially one of the worst DCEU movies." It's reportedly so bad that Jason Momoa will be cast as a completely different character in future DC projects once the reboot is in effect.
It doesn't help that Warner Bros. Discovery seemingly had no idea how to handle Amber Heard's Mera and her screen time. But it appeared the studio had finally settled on not reducing her role.
And thanks to the first Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer, it's been confirmed that Heard's role wasn't removed from this controversial sequel.
Aquaman 2 Trailer Debuts on Epic Scale
At CinemaCon 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery showed the first trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom exclusively to attendees.
The trailer opened with Randall Park's Dr. Stephen Shin and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta attacking the surface world with some tentacles destroying a ship and Manta wielding a powerful Black Trident. It even included a quick peek of Nicole Kidman returning as Atlanna.
Jason Momoa's Aquaman also contemplates being the new king of Atlantis, expressing his concerns to his father in saying "I'm supposed to be a king. To bring the land and sea together. But now, I feel the tide shifting." However, to stop Manta, Aquaman has to work with his estranged step-brother, Patrick Wilson's Orm.
The relationship gave off buddy-comedy vibes in the trailer, with Aquaman declaring "No one hits my brother but me!" However, Orm is also seen being supportive of his brother in saying "If you lead, Atlantis will follow."
Quick cuts to zombies, a tropical jungle, the cold artic, and a massive war on land and sea show off the epic scale of this sequel.
The trailer also included a glimpse of Amber Heard's Mera wearing a new white suit before the trailer ended with Aquaman, wearing his classic suit, fighting Black Manta head-to-head.
Aquaman Faces Off Against Black Manta
It's great to see one of the greatest haters in comic books, Black Manta, finally getting his chance to shine in the spotlight.
Abdul-Mateen was only a minor villain in the original Aquaman, but thanks to Park's Dr. Shin, the two seem to discover a whole new power to take on the world and the king of Atlantis after the original movie's post-credits scene.
The tentacles described in the trailer likely belong to another deep sea creature that could potentially rival Julie Andrews' Karathen. The appearance of zombies is also another wrinkle but would line up with this new Black Trident seemingly being a corrupting force of evil.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will release in theaters on December 20.
