Amber Heard Thanks Fans For Supporting Her Amid Aquaman 2 Drama
By Afouda Bamidele on January 3, 2024 at 1:00 PM EST
Amber Heard is excited about the success of "Aquaman 2" and knows it couldn't have happened without her fans!
The actress has much to be grateful for after nearly losing her crucial role as Mera, the sexy red-haired character with terrifying hydrokinetic power, in the DC movie's sequel. Many had petitioned for her to be kicked off the project, but her followers, including billionaire Elon Musk, fought to keep her on set.
Amber Heard Gives Her Fans Their Flowers
Despite the daunting odds against her, Heard remains positive thanks to her adoring fans and their war against those who tried to get her role re-casted. She penned a touching note to her devotees in a new social media post, sharing three images of her character's signature red hair.
The first snap was a close-up of the actress's fully glammed-up face with her red tresses gracefully falling down her shoulders in waves. The second slide appeared to be a throwback picture from "Aquaman 1," with Heard's red hair styled into a bun as she bottle-fed her then-baby daughter, Oonagh.
The final image captured Heard's playfulness as she flashed the camera her tongue while seated inside a vehicle. This moment presumably occurred before or after a movie scene with the entertainer trying to hide her special effects makeup behind sunglasses.
View this post on Instagram
All three images showed how happy the 37-year-old was to embody her famous character, and she thanked those who made this reality possible. Flaunting her fun side, Heard sweetly captioned the Instagram post with a pun, writing:
"After all this time, Aquaman 2 made its splash (sorry, it's too easy) 💦 Thank you to all my fans for the overwhelming support and love in Mera's AQ return. Thank you so much ❤ #aquaman."
Despite appreciating fans' continued support, the mother of one didn't risk letting the trolls in, as she turned off the post's comments. Her thank you note comes two months after her followers slammed Warner Bros for not including Mera in the "Aquaman 2" trailer.
Fans Bashed Warner Bros For Amber Heard's Absence In 'Aquaman 2' Teaser
Last November, fans did not mince their words against the production giant following the highly-anticipated release of "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" teaser. The clip captured the movie's main lead, Jason Momoa's Aquaman, and other stars, including Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's villain Black Manta, but no Heard.
The actress's complete absence differed from her blink-and-you-miss-it appearance towards the end of the first trailer released in September. This lack of appearance seemingly suggested Heard wouldn't have much presence in the actual film, but director James Wan denied it was intentional.
"I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go. The first Aquaman was Arthur and Mera's journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm," Wan explained. "So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie. We'll leave it at that."
The director's explanation did not satiate Heard's fans, who vehemently attacked Warner Bros for intentionally removing Mera's presence over her infamous defamation trial with ex-husband, Johnny Depp. One supporter declared:
"Warner bros releasing the Flash despite all the controversy surrounding Ezra Miller, but cutting Amber Heard out of Aquaman 2 is very sinister and weird as s–t."
Another echoed similar sentiments, writing: "It is absolutely ridiculous to center the movie around saving Arthur Jr., and his mother seems to have minimal involvement. Y'all let Ezra Miller have their movie, Rihanna had Johnny Depp in her fashion show, & Loki still had Majors. But y'all draw the line at Amber Heard, oh okay."
"Cutting out Mera/Amber Heard is crazy…. I'm glad the DCEU is washed because this whole thing feels tacky and kills any excitement I have left. Bury that s–t with this movie," a third argued. Before fans aired their displeasure, a bombshell report revealed Heard's ex-lover Elon Musk had kept her role in "Aquaman 2."
Sources claimed the 37-year-old nearly lost her role over her lack of chemistry with Momoa, a sentiment the former head of DC Films, Walter Hamada, echoed in the defamation lawsuit. However, Warner Bros could not fire her thanks to her ex-boyfriend.
An insider revealed the Tesla CEO defended the actress behind the scenes by having one of his litigators send a "scorched-earth letter to Warner Bros. threatening to "burn the house down" if Heard did not return for "Aquaman 2."