It’s now evident that Ben Affleck’s cut cameo as Batman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom had no place in the DCEU movie. Although Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s cast only included characters closely connected to Aquaman and Atlantis, the fact that the Aquaman sequel is the last of the DCEU’s 16 movies opened the possibility of a cameo by another superhero. In fact, two DCEU heroes were set to appear at some point when the movie was still in production, but given the film’s many changes and delays behind the scenes, these characters ultimately didn’t appear.
The DC Extended Universe attempted to establish a vast, interconnected franchise where every single DCEU character could appear in other DC titles, but the struggles the franchise faced since Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice made it increasingly difficult to continue. By the time Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom reached its final cut, the DCEU was already ending, and adding any crossover or cameos was futile. Still, the Aquaman sequel got to film a huge DC cameo that almost made it into the movie, though at what point in the story it could have taken place is a mystery.
In July 2022, Jason Momoa revealed on social media that he filmed Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom footage with Ben Affleck, who would have replaced Michael Keaton’s canceled Batman cameo in the movie. The specifics of Batman’s role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are unknown, but it was likely to serve as Batman’s final DCEU appearance, possibly with more screentime as Bruce Wayne than as the action-fueled Dark Knight.
However, Warner Bros. plans for the DCEU changed several times while several projects were in production, which led directors like The Flash’s Andy Muschietti and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s James Wan to modify their movies multiple times. In the end, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ended up becoming the DCEU’s final movie, making any cameo or setup pointless. Hence, Ben Affleck’s footage as Batman in the Aquaman sequel was dropped, and the movie eschewed all explicit DCEU connections.
Batman Couldn’t Have Fit Anywhere In Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom’s Plot
Not only was Batman’s cameo in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom unnecessary for the movie’s plot, but it also seems like it would have been impossible to include without it derailing the plot. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom focused on Aquaman’s quest to stop the Black Trident-wielding Black Manta from killing his family and destroying Atlantis. Since the only scenes that take place on the surface world are centered around Tom Curry’s lighthouse and the Deserters’ Kingdom, there would have been very limited possibilities for Ben Affleck’s Batman to appear.
Two moments that could have featured Ben Affleck’s Batman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom include Arthur Curry’s recap montage in the opening sequence and Aquaman’s public speech in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s final scene. Otherwise, Batman could have seemed out of place in any other scene, as there’s little Bruce Wayne could have helped with given his limited connections to Atlantis. Even though Batman could have provided Aquaman with wealth and gadgets, the King of Atlantis has access to even more advanced technology and to Atlantis’ nearly unlimited resources.
Batman’s Absence In Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom Was Beneficial For Everyone Involved
While Batman’s appearance in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could have provided closure to Ben Affleck’s Batman and the DCEU as a whole, it would likely have been a distraction from Aquaman’s solo story. Both Aquaman movies focus solely on Arthur Curry’s journey, and the rest of the DCEU barely has any visible effect on it during his solo movies. Batman’s presence in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom would likely have seemed like a forced cameo that would have also affected the film’s pacing.
Besides, The Flash made it difficult for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to justify Batman’s presence. Barry Allen’s multiversal antics rewrote reality, and both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck’s versions of Batman were replaced by George Clooney’s returning Bruce Wayne. While Barry Allen may have continued to mess with the multiverse and brought back either Batman, adding them to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom would have only raised hopes of future appearances and crossovers, which is an impossible scenario now considering the imminent arrival of James Gunn’s DCU reboot.
