Fans just got a look at a Batman cameo in 2018’s Aquaman that was eventually deleted from the film.
While Batman has been seen numerous times over the last few years in solo and team-up projects, Aquaman has largely been used in cameo form across the greater DC Universe.
His most recent appearance came via a post-credits scene cameo in The Flash, and he was also part of a Justice League team-up in the final episode of Peacemaker Season 1 in early 2022.
Batman‘s Deleted Aquaman Movie Cameo
Concept artist Ed Natividad shared never-before-seen art from 2018’s Aquaman, revealing a deleted cameo from Ben Affleck’s Batman.
This art shows Batman operating his massive Knightcrawler vehicle in the streets as chaos ensues around him, showing how the Justice League would have played a role in Jason Momoa’s first solo film.
This vehicle was used for stretches during 2017’s Justice League and 2021’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League, both of which featured Batman and Aquaman teaming up on numerous occasions.
In early versions of the Aquaman script, Patrick Wilson’s Ocean Master actually finds resistance from the Justice League when he works to unite the aquatic kingdoms in his battle against the surface world.
Will Batman Return in Aquaman 2?
Batman’s place in the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is quite a complicated issue, with rumors hinting at both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck being involved at different points in time.
Keaton was first rumored to be in the film with The Flash expanding into the multiverse, but in August 2022, Momoa revealed that Affleck had worked on the film and was set for a role in the underwater sequel.
Unfortunately, dreams of appearances by either of them were crushed more recently as Aquaman 2 director James Wan firmly stated that this sequel "is not connected in any way" to other films from the DCEU.
And with this sequel being the final entry in this era of the DC Universe, only time will tell when the Caped Crusader will make his way back into the spotlight.
Aquaman is now streaming on Max. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set to release in theaters on December 20.