For the past few years, there have been reports that Batman will make an appearance in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. He is allegedly showing up in the post-credits scene as connective tissue to the other DCEU properties.
Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton reportedly shot their respective scenes as the Caped Crusader due to the uncertainty of the release date and continuity since it was unknown during that time if it would be released before or after The Flash.
However, given that the DCEU is set to end with the upcoming film, there are questions now on whether the Batman cameo will still appear in the final cut to avoid promising another movie in the franchise.
Now, the director behind the film has clarified the rumor and it looks like we can no longer expect an appearance from another Justice League member.
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James Wan Reveals Batman Will 'Probably Not' Appear in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Speaking with Empire Magazine (via @FlashFilmNews), director James Wan revealed that Batman will "probably not" appear in the final cut of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and explained that the scenes were shot in case of continuity purposes.
"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 first. But it ended up with Lost Kingdom coming after The Flash," he said.
It looks like we won't be expecting an appearance from Batman in the upcoming film since Wan doesn't sound confident that his scene will make it in the final cut.
Considering that it will be the end of the DCEU, it would be better if they cut the cameo scenes in order to avoid hinting at a future project and tease the audience that we might see more of the DCEU even though that is not the actual case anymore.
It also sounds like Batman doesn't have a major part in the story of the film and his scenes were not relevant enough that they can remove him without any plot loopholes.
With or without a Batman cameo, the sequel can still stand out on its own as an individual Aquaman story and they can make a more proper goodbye to this iteration of the DC franchise by just sticking to the character.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set to release in theaters this December 20.
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