If it wasn’t for Amber Heard’s mere existence, then fans would unanimously be on board with Aquaman 2. After all, the first film raced to over $1.1 billion at the box office to become the highest-grossing DC Comics adaptation ever made, with audiences fully investing in James Wan’s wise decision to position a title hero that had been reduced to a figure of ridicule in many circles as the star of an outrageously cheesy and tongue in cheek fantasy epic that embraced the ridiculousness of the premise.
However, Johnny Depp’s supporters continue to rail against anything that either involves Heard or can be viewed as a slight against her ex-husband, which includes but is in no way limited to review bombing CBS’ Stephen King adaptation The Stand based on her involvement, threatening boycotts against Fantastic Beasts 3 and Aquaman 2, directing a tirade of abuse towards the talent behind the Animaniacs revival and canceling their Netflix subscriptions after believing the false claims that the streaming service were actively purging Depp’s back catalogue from the library.
And just like the legal battles between the two Hollywood stars, the continued backlash against Heard is far from over, with the petition to have her removed as Aquaman 2‘s Mera now passing 1.8 million signatures. The actress may have claimed that people were being paid to campaign against her, but one cursory glance at the internet makes it pretty clear that she’s public enemy number one in the eyes of many.
Of course, there’s no chance that she’s going to be fired from the role unless the next courtroom case goes overwhelmingly against her, so as things stand, she’ll be reporting for duty to the set of Aquaman 2 later this year.