Less than two months separate us from the release ofAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the film that will mark the definitive end of the current DC cinematic universe before giving way to the new version created by James Gunn and Peter Safran. But even though the film still belongs to the previous canon, it seems that some details that prove the connection between the sequel and the SnyderVerse will be removed, such as the participation ofBen Affleck’s Batman.
Five years have passed since the first adventure of Jason Momoa’s King of the Seven Seas hit theaters, and the road to its sequel was not easy despite the enormous success achieved with the first part. During that time, the management of Warner Bros. Discovery changed several times, Zack Snyder left permanently, and the connections between the films of the universe he was building were replaced to deliver independent movies that barely contained small references to other titles.
The DC movies released this year,Shazam! Fury of the Gods,The Flash,Blue BeetleandAquaman and the Lost Kingdomare a clear example of the consequences of all these changes, and the fact that fans already know that they have no connection with the future of the franchise. Except, perhaps, for the film starring Xolo Mariduena.
But when James Wan began working on the second part of the 2018 movie, he had no idea the chaos that was going to happen in the middle. Even last year, whenJason Momoa shared images from the setwith Ben Affleck dressed as Bruce Wayne, everything seemed to indicate that there would still be some kind of connected universe for their characters. However, a few weeks before the release ofAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Wan reveals that it is highly unlikely that Affleck will appear in the film, and explains why (viaEmpire)
“Probably not. 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 [before The Flash].”
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Although the main Batman inThe Flashis Michael Keaton’s, since most of the film is set in an altered timeline where Bruce Wayne is different from the one Barry knew, Ben Affleck has a brief participation in the beginning of the movie and even stars in an action sequence, which ends with an interaction with Ezra Miller’s character and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. Therefore, ifAquaman and the Lost Kingdomwas released before the film directed by Andy Muschietti, Affleck’s participation would have made a lot of sense.
Beyond what could have happened, the current scenario is not at all favorable for Affleck’s return as the Caped Crusader, nor is it for Gadot, or Henry Cavill as Superman, and even for Momoa, although the latter still has a chance to playa very different characterin the future of the DCU.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomis now scheduled to be released in the United States on June 02, 2025.
