Ben Affleck’s Departure from Aquaman 2 May Have Been for the Better for his Batman’s Story
DC Studios’ Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom starring Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson was released recently as the fifteenth installment in the DCEU. Jason Momoa who plays Aquaman had pitched the story for the sequel during the production of 2018’s Aquaman. He had also expressed his excitement about reuniting with Ben Affleck for the sequel but Affleck was nowhere to be found in the movie.
The sequel of a successful and popular Aquaman that broke multiple records, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom comparatively received mixed reviews. Some audience members believe that the sequel has been disappointing in comparison to the first movie. But at the same time, moviegoers are curious about Affleck’s scenes that were shot for his cameo. Let’s find out more about them.
James Gunn and Peter Safran reportedly requested to have Ben Affleck’s cameo removed from Aquaman 2
With Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s release, it has been known that the DCEU is coming to an end as James Gunn and Peter Safran gear up with their reboot DCU. Jason Momoa who plays Arthur Curry/ Aquaman in the series back in July confirmed that Ben Affleck would return to DC movie as Batman for a cameo. Momoa wrote under a picture he shared with Affleck on his social media,
“It’s not a f***king secret anymore. Reunited Bruce and Arthur. Love you and miss you Ben WB studio tours just explored the backlot all right. Busted on set all great things coming Aquaman 2. All my aloha j.”
But in September, director James Wan spoke to Empire and clarified that Affleck would most likely not appear in the movie. He said,
“All I’ll say is that those scenes were just to have something in the bank in case we needed to explain time continuity if we came out first.”
According to Superhero Hype, James Gunn and Peter Safran had reportedly requested director James Wan to remove Ben Affleck’s cameo from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The reason was their plan to reboot the DC brand with new faces after the release of Aquaman 2 and the cameo would have been pointless.
Critics and audiences believe Ben Affleck’s departure from Aquaman 2 was ‘for good’
Fans and critics who were excited to see Affleck once again on-screen also wondered where would his cameo fit the movie. It either would have seemed forced or unnecessary since Batman doesn’t fit in the story that focused on Aquaman’s quest to stop Black Manta from killing his family and Atlantis.
Eagle-eyed fans pointed out that even if Affleck had appeared in Aquaman 2, he would have appeared either on Tom Curry’s lighthouse of the Deseters’ Kingdom which again had a very slim chance of happening.
But they also mentioned that there could have been two places where the actor could have appeared; Arthur Curry’s recap montage or in his public speech which is the final scene. Bruce Wayne’ cameo is considered unnecessary for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom because there is very little that he could have done for Aquaman.
It has also been said that somewhere the fans are okay with Affleck’s cameo not making it to the movie because it would have just distracted the story. Bruce Wayne’s cameo would have seemed forced and disrupted Aquaman’s story which is the entire crux of Aquaman movies.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is playing in theatres.
