Aquaman's Amber Heard Fell In Love With Mera's Fierceness Through The Comics

James Wan and company had a tall task ahead of them when bringing the larger-than-life world of Aquaman to the big screen. But for actress Amber Heard, who portrays the underwater superheroine Mera, that same outlandish world only further motivated her ambition when diving into 2018's "Aquaman."

In a December 2018 interview with ScreenRant, Heard was asked what attracted her to the character. "The Danish Girl" star admitted that she was never an avid comic book reader beforehand but kept an open mind when getting into the source material. "I think I'm really lucky that I met this character in comic book form," she explained. "I was totally unfamiliar with this world and comics and the whole superhero thing ... And, I think because of that, I didn't really know what to expect."

While getting into the comics, Heard discovered the character's rich potential. "It's a strong, badass, kickass, fierce warrior superhero in her own right," Heard continued. "She is the driving force in the script – I mean, of the story. She's the driving force of really making Aquaman Aquaman ... That's the kind of character that I can play, that's the kind of character I can get behind, and that's also the kind of character that we need now." Heard saw more in "Aquaman" than another mindless blockbuster, and the actress was willing to push herself to the limit to realize that potential.

Amber Heard was determined to get Mera right for "Aquaman," not only to please the expectations of comic book fans, but also to empower real life women warriors. So to prepare for the part, she both dived into the character's comic history and stuck to a hardcore training schedule.

Speaking with Shape in November 2018, Heard described her routine, saying, "For 'Aquaman,' I did six months of rigorous training. It was a lot of weight and strength training, as well as special martial arts training. By the end, I was working out for five hours a day." For those curious what such a regime looks like, the actress' Instagram gave a glimpse of the intense prep work involved. An April 2017 post simply captioned, "Another day at the office" sees Heard throwing her stunt trainers about like ragdolls during an intense martial arts training session. 

Heard truly put her muscles to the test in another post from May 2017. Here, she was seen pulling a rope attached to weighted cart. As if that's not tough enough, atop the cart sits actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II who, in the film, portrays antagonist Black Manta. Heard calls him the " ... best/worst workout wingman" in the post's caption. While the actress's involvement with the upcoming sequel "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" seems to have possibly been reduced, her efforts to bring the DC heroine to life are nevertheless worth admiring.