Jaw-dropping Revelation: Ben Affleck's Epic Batman Cameo in Aquaman Finally Unveiled after 5-Year Wait!

Summary

Ben Affleck's Batman cameo was originally planned for 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,' but it has now been removed from the movie.

Adding the Justice League to 'Aquaman' would have diminished the focus on the main character and hindered his story progression. Warner Bros. probably wanted to avoid any potential pitfalls by introducing the Justice League into 'Aquaman' immediately after the contentious reception of the 'Justice League' film.

New DCEU concept art unveils Ben Affleck's Batman cameo, five years after the release of Aquaman in theaters. While Superman kickstarted the DCEU, it is Aquaman who will bring the franchise to a close later this year with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Initially planned for the December film, reports now reveal that Affleck's Batman cameo will no longer be included. Interestingly, this storyline in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom mirrors a similar attempt in the original Aquaman movie.

Concept artist Ed Natividad, known for his work on Aquaman as a conceptual vehicle designer, has shared new concept art featuring Affleck's Batman. The artwork depicts Batman joining forces with the DCEU Justice League in their battle against Ocean Master. In an earlier version of Aquaman, a fierce conflict between Ocean Master and the three kingdoms would have taken place within a city, as illustrated below.

In the early versions of the Aquaman 2018 script, Ocean Master commands the 3 Kingdoms to join him in the invasion of the surface world. He is met with resistance from the JL.

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Why Aquaman Was Right To Cut The Justice League

Although it would have been exciting to witness the presence of the Justice League in Aquaman, it was a more prudent decision to exclude them. Firstly, Aquaman marked Arthur Curry's first stand-alone film, a project that Warner Bros. had invested years into materializing. Incorporating other superheroes would have overshadowed Arthur's journey and compromised the intricate narrative between him and Ocean Master.

Aquaman, released after Justice League in 2017, was highly controversial for the DCEU timeline. Not only was it a major disappointment at the box office, but the controversies surrounding Joss Whedon's reshoots for Justice League made the situation even worse. Therefore, Warner Bros. likely decided against including the Justice League in Aquaman so soon after the 2017 film.

Interestingly, DC attempted to include a cameo by Affleck's Batman in the Aquaman sequel, titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but ultimately decided to remove it. The difference this time is that the sequel is being released immediately after The Flash, which has left the fate of Affleck's Batman uncertain. Including him in the DCEU at this point would likely confuse audiences. We can only hope that the creative struggles faced by Aquaman and other DCEU movies will not carry over into James Gunn's upcoming DC Universe in 2024.

Source: Ed Natividad