A new Aquaman set photo revealed on Reddit appears to show actress Amber Heard’s Mera fleeing two very large armored warriors.
Not only is she fleeing the two armed warriors, but she is literally jumping across rooftops!
This image could suggest that the James Wan directed Aquaman will adapt Mera’s newly crafted origin as a princess of Xebel. Xebel, originally only known as Dimension Aqua, was revealed to be an extradimensional penal colony where a faction of the Atlantean people were exiled following one of the many civil wars for Atlantis. Mera’s new origin in the comics as a Xebel princess originated in the Brightest Day crossover written by Geoff Johns, who is now DC’s president and Chief Creative Officer. He’s also the man behind the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Johns also collaborated with Wan on the story for the Aquaman movie.
In the Brightest Day crossover, Mera is actually sent to assassinate Aquaman in revenge for exiling the people of Xebel. However, the plan fails and Mera falls deeply in love with Arthur Curry, Aquaman.
While it’s highly likely that Johns would find inspiration from his own work, it’s also possible they might draw inspiration from Dan Abnett’s current run on Aquaman. In the current run, Mera is actually trapped outside of Atlantis attempting to force her way in with all of her magical abilities.
Meanwhile, inside the city Aquaman channels his inner Batman to bring justice to the crime-ridden lower areas of Atlantis, all the while trying to hide his true identity. He hides his identity because he has been deposed as King of Atlantis and is believed to be dead following a coup d’etat.
It’s quite possible that Atlantean forces would be aligned against Mera in this scenario as well.
Another possible option could be the Drift, a rogue rebellious faction who believe Arthur Curry has betrayed the Atlanteans in favor of the surface people, could be attempting to hunt down Mera to use her as leverage against Aquaman. Behind the Drift could be Aquaman’s arch-nemesis Black Manta!
Either way there appears to be some great palace intrigue at play in the upcoming Aquaman!
Mera makes her debut in Justice League on November 17, 2017.
Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman/Arthur Curry, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, Amber Heard as Mera, Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, Yahya Abdul Mateen II as Black Manta, Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Ludi Lin as Murk, and Michael Beach as Jesse Kane.