Amber Heard Thanks Fans for 'Overwhelming Support and Love' After Her Aquaman Return

Amber Heard is celebrating her superhero return.

On Instagram Wednesday, the actress, 37, shared throwback photos from her time filming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which hit theaters on Dec. 22. In the sequel to the 2018 Aquaman, Heard reprises her role as Mera opposite Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman.

"After all this time, Aquaman 2 made its splash (sorry, its too easy) Thank you to all of my fans for the overwhelming support and love in Mera’s AQ return," she wrote. "Thank you so much. #aquaman."

During her 2022 defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp, Heard testified that her role in the sequel became "very pared down" amid negative attention on her personal life.

Director James Wan, however, told Entertainment Weekly in September that Heard's character's reduced screen time was always part of the plan for the franchise.

"I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go. The first Aquaman was Arthur and Mera's journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm. So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie," said the director. "We'll leave it at that."

Heard, who had filmed her Aquaman sequel scenes prior to the Virginia trial, argued while on the stand that her reputation and career "took a hit" due to Depp's public attacks on her character.

"I fought really hard to stay in the movie. They didn't want to include me in the film," Heard said at the time.

"I was given a script and then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it, that depicted my character and another character — without giving any spoilers away — two characters fighting with one another, and they basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch out," she claimed.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The future of Aquaman movies remains unclear amid changes among DC Studios.

Last month, Momoa, 44, told Entertainment Tonight that his future in the titular role depended on box office results from the new installment: "I love this character and [I would want to] play it for a long time. If the audience loves it, then there's a possibility. But right now, I’m like, 'It's not looking too good.' "

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is in theaters now.