It has been confirmed that Amber Heard will be returning as Mera in the upcoming Aquaman movie, much to the disappointment of a lot of fans it seems.
On Tuesday, during an exclusive presentation at an event for CinemaCon, Warner Bros gave members in attendance a glimpse at the first trailer of DC’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is set to hit the big screens later this year, per The Independent.
The sequel, which sees Heard star alongside Hawaiian superstar Jason Momoa, has been a talking point ever since the first movie garnered wildly positive reviews back when it debuted in 2018.
However, ever since Heard, 37, has been tied up in an extremely messy defemation court battle with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, it seems as though she's lost a lot of public support after the Pirates of the Caribbean actor made multiple claims of abuse against her.
As per NBC News, Heard alleged that her former partner subjected her to years of abuse, testifying in graphic terms about the ups and downs of their marriage and the toll of his "pattern" of violence.
Depp, for his part, said that Heard was the aggressor.
There were multiple bold accusations being thrown from one side to another with video evidence as well as witness testimonies also presented throughout the lengthy trial.
In the end, the jury sided with Depp in his libel case at London's Royal Courts of Justice, though it seems that many are still struggling to see both Depp and Heard in a positive light following the accusations and evidence highlighted throughout the saga.
In turn, the news of Heard's return to Aquaman has not been sitting well with fans, who have accused DC of defending an "abuser."
"Interact with this tweet if you won’t be watching Aquaman 2 because Warner Bros want to keep a proven abuser (aka Amber Heard) to play Mera," wrote one user.
"Amber Heard has a cameo in Aquaman 2. Reminder she was proven to have defamed Johnny Depp with abuse allegations, withhold charity to children and the entire world heard her abuse Depp in audios. Meanwhile, Depp lost his role on false allegations," added another.
"If you needed another excuse not see 'Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom' Warner Bros’ has announced Amber Heard will officially return as Mera in the upcoming movie. Ug, gag me with a spoon..."
The backlash comes after the highly-publicized defamation trial between Heard and her former husband came to an end on June 1, 2022.
At the time, a petition to have Heard removed from the movie based on the accusations Depp had made against her sky-rocketed in popularity.
The Change.org petition was originally created by Jeanne Larson in the fall of 2020, after Johnny Depp announced that he was asked by Warner Bros to resign from the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
At the time of this writing, more than 4.6 million people have signed the petition.
