Jason Momoa Hops DC Universes, Rides In As Lobo For 'Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow'
The King of Atlantis is officially becoming the long-talked intergalactic bounty hunter after years of pursuit
After years of talk, the call has been made. Jason Momoa, who starred as Arthur Curry aka Aquaman in three films of the previous DC Extended Universe with cameos in others, as well as The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, has officially joined the new DC Universe. Trading seahorses for motorcycles, the actor will portray the antihero Lobo, debuting in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
Momoa has been talked about as Lobo even before the DCEU was actually set for closure, a very vocal fan of the character who has collected all of his comic appearances. He himself made the confirmation on Instagram, a transcription of a past interview quote that started by mentioning Lobo briefly but directly, continuing with “I collect comics, and I don’t do so much anymore, but was always my favorite, and I always wanted to play Lobo, because I’m like, ‘Hello? It’s the perfect role,'” said the actor. “If they call me and ask me to play him, it’s a f*ck yeah…if they call me and ask me to play or…audition, I’m there.” And the post was simply captioned with “They called.” Not only that, but DC Studios co-CEO and the DC Universe’s creative steward James Gunn commented with “Welcome, my friend. 🏍️” and subsequently posted comic art of Lobo with an American flag draped over his shoulders and fireworks in the background to all of his socials. It has not been revealed what the timeline is that Momoa was cast or when it was known (by the involved people) he would be in Supergirl specifically.
Lobo was created by writer Roger Slifer and artist Keith Giffen, debuting in Omega Men #3 in June 1983 as a straight villain. But momentum in usage faltered greatly until the 1990s, when his incredibly-received reinvention as a violent and irreverent bounty hunter repositioned him as an antihero who enjoys chaos and destruction. Becoming a parody aimed at the grim and gritty comics of the era, the major boost in popularity is partially credited to artist Simon Bisley, whose “exaggerated and dynamic style” helped redefine the character. Coming from the planet Czarnia, Lobo does have powers, namely superhuman strength, regenerative abilities and invulnerability.
In adapted media, he’s probably best known for his DCAU iteration voiced by Brad Garrett. Debuting in Superman: The Animated Series "The Main Man", the Preserver makes Superman his bounty to add to his collection of endlings as the last Kryptonian. He and Superman team up when he’s about to be collected himself. In Justice League’s “Hereafter” he barges in to replace Superman on the team since Supes is presumed dead from the Toyman’s strike that sent him into the far future. He’s of course deposed when Superman returns. Appearances in Young Justice and Justice League Action have Lobo voiced by David Sobolov and John DiMaggio respectively. After an ill-fated live-action Lobo movie started by Guy Ritchie’s direction was announced in 2009, it found its way through Brad Peyton (and Dwayne Johnson, who jumped ship to sign on to play Black Adam instead) and was last heard alive in 2018 with Warner Bros. pursuing Michael Bay. It fell away with the rest of the DCEU. The following year, Lobo made his live-action debut on Syfy’s prequel series Krypton, where, played by Emmett J. Scanlan he’s got an axe to grind with Brainiac, who has already destroyed Czarnia. There were also plans for a Lobo-starring spinoff that fell away when Krypton was canceled.
Starting out on Baywatch: Hawaii, Momoa starred as Ronon Dex on most of the latter four seasons of Stargate: Atlantis. His role as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones got him on Warner Bros.’s radar to cast him as Aquaman, first cameoing in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice before starring in both the 2017 and 2021 versions of Justice League, and headlining Aquaman and its sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which was the DCEU’s final film. He also had a post-credits scene cameo in the immediately preceding film The Flash, as well as what is now the least-canon scene of the entire first season of Peacemaker. Upcoming, Momoa has A Minecraft Movie, opening April 4, the live-action/animated Animal Friends from Legendary, which opens in October, as well as Fast X: Part 2, and Amazon MGM’s The Wrecking Crew opposite Dave Bautista, who is coming off of playing Guardian of the Galaxy Drax in the MCU. On TV, he has the Apple miniseries Chief of War.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is the new DC Universe’s second film. It’s set to be released on June 26, 2026, and now has a definitive filming start date of January 13. While considered an adaptation of Tom King’s comic story, plot details are reportedly under wraps, but we do know that this version of Kara Zor-El, played by Milly Alcock, is a bit more hardened from having to survive solely on the remains of the destroyed Krypton. She’s enlisted by a noble and honorable alien warrior named Ruthye Marye Knoll, played by Eve Ridley who is hunting down Krem of the Yellow Hill, played by Matthias Schoenerts, across the galaxy after he killed her father. Lobo does not appear in the original comic, but a bounty hunter sure seems to have a place in this kind of story. It will be directed by Craig Gillespie from a script written by Ana Nogueira. Gunn produces with fellow DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran, with DC executive vice president Chantal Nong executive producing.
Source: Deadline