After years of delays, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is finally here to close out the ups and downs of DC’s current movie universe. Though the production has been through some big changes, we know for sure that a new start for a new, less connected DC film universe is on the horizon for Warner Bros. Pictures after Aquaman 2.
But before seeing the future of the new DCU, here’s everything you should know about the last adventure of Jason Momoa’s Aquaman before seeing the movie:
Is there a post-credits scene?
Unsurprisingly, there is a mid-credits scene in the latest Aquaman movie. It happens after the main end credits and before the behind-the-line names start scrolling — though don’t expect any big Aquaman 3 reveals. Also, there’s no scene at the end of the credits, so if you’d like to stretch your legs and head out, that’s up to you.
Is this movie part of James Gunn’s new DCU?
Nope. There are no plans on the books right now for Aquaman to join James Gunn’s universe. That doesn’t mean that the character won’t ever show up, but it does probably mean that Jason Momoa’s version probably won’t be carrying on to the new universe.
Will there be another Aquaman movie?
2018’s Aquaman made an absolutely massive amount of money, making it the highest-grossing DC movie of all time. So it’s not completely impossible to think that, like 2019 moneymaker Joker, Aquaman could remain a standalone series. But shifting Aquaman into “Elseworlds” doesn’t seem to be in the cards, as there’s no indication that Momoa’s Arthur Curry will be a part of the oncoming version of the DC Cinematic Universe.
That hasn’t stopped Momoa from lobbying to join Gunn’s new universe in some other capacity though, as he’s said he’s happy to come in as a new character, too.
Where does Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom take place in the DCEU/Snyderverse timeline?
This is the last movie in the Snyderverse timeline, but it doesn’t technically take place at the end of that timeline. If we’re counting Zack Snyder’s Justice League as the canon version of the film, then that movie’s flash forwards, where we see Batman and other heroes in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, are the farthest point in the existing timeline. Other than that (and bits and pieces of The Flash), Aquaman is the last movie in chronological order.
Is Amber Heard in this movie?
Heard’s participation in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was called into question when the trial between Heard and ex-husband Johnny Depp became a social media frenzy that drew ire from nearly everyone on both sides of the celebrities. Heard and Warner Bros. execs have voiced conflicting accounts of whether her role was reduced and why.
What we do know is that Lost Kingdom went through many re-edits, and when Heard was barely in the initial trailers, there was rampant speculation that she might not be in the movie much. This didn’t turn out to be the case.
[Ed. note: What follows contains some light spoilers for the movie.]
Whatever the re-edits were — apparently mostly to remove references to the ongoing Snyderverse version of the DCU — Heard is definitely still in the movie. She doesn’t play as a large a role in this sequel as she did in the first, with most of the focus on Arthur Curry and Orm’s relationship. Whether her reduced role came from simple storytelling decisions or something more calculated is for those involved to unravel in the future.
