Aquaman actor Jason Momoa teased a Lobo connection after the newly-anointed head of the DCU posted about the DC Comics villain.
Everything can happen now that the DCU has new leadership, and that includes past actors from the franchise, perhaps coming back to take on a different super-powered role.
In the time since James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced to be joining DC Studios in a Kevin-Feige-like role, gargantuan announcements have made their way out. One of which is the reveal of another big-screen adventure coming for Henry Cavill's Man of Steel.
After this announcement, Gunn sparked the Man of Steel 2 fandom by posting a photo of Superman villain Lobo online, with the caption, "Glad to be here."
The image is not a confirmation that the antagonist is coming to the DCU, but with past mentions of the character from Aquaman actor Jason Momoa, as well as a few new quotes, it could be an indication of some bigger plans for the character.
A Momoa-Sized DC Tease
In an interview with ComicBook.com Aquaman star Jason Momoa reacted to DC Studios head James Gunn potentially teasing Lobo as the villain of Man of Steel 2.
Speaking with Brandon Davis, Momoa was asked if Gunn's Mastadon post about the DC big bad was connected to a recent comment from the actor that his "dreams" would come true under Gunn and Peter Safran's tutelage at Warner Bros. The DC star said "Well, everyone knows I’m a comic book fan" and fans can "do [their] research and find out what [this 'dream' project] is:
Davis: “You mention your dream with James Gunn and Peter Safran. I saw James post Lobo. Are those two things–”
Momoa: “Did he really?!”
Davis: “He posted a photo of Lobo–”
Momoa: “Show me.”
Davis: “He posted a photo of Lobo on Mastodon to say, ‘I’m on this app too,’ with a tease of Lobo.”
Momoa: “Huh.”
Davis: “Is your statement and his post connected?”
Momoa: “Well, everyone knows I’m a comic book fan. The comic I collected the most, and I have every comic there is... you can do your research and find out what it is.”
Momoa has commented on wanting to take on the role of Lobo in the past, telling the New York Times (NYT) that back before he for the part of Arthur Curry he joking thought Zack Snyder wanted to play the Superman villain.
He told the NYT a story about how when he was called into Snyder's office the Justice League and Man of Steel director asked the Game of Thrones star, "Do you know who I want you to play?” to which Momoa said "Lobo:"
No. People were like, 'Oh, we love Jason,' but still didn’t know what to do with me. Then Zack Snyder called and he wanted me to audition for Batman, and I was like, 'Nah.' I couldn’t see myself getting Batman, so I almost said no to the whole thing. But I did the audition, and I played it like if Batman was this vagrant, kind of a hustler. I knew they weren’t going to cast me, so I thought I might as well just do something fun. I did that and it was exactly what Zack wanted for Arthur Curry, Aquaman’s alter ego. So he called me in to the office, and he’s like, 'Do you know who I want you to play?' And I’m like, 'Lobo.' A long-haired, cigar-smoking, motorcycle-riding alien bounty hunter from the DC Comics universe.
Momoa said the reason he went to Lobo first was that he is " the only person who can take on Batman, Superman:"
He’s like, 'No, not Lobo.' And I’m like, 'That’s the only person who can take on Batman, Superman.' He said: 'The good news is you’re Aquaman. The bad news is no one is going to know for the next three to four years.' Then it was brutal, just trying to take odd jobs: You’re in one scene of 'Justice League' or 'Batman' or 'Superman.' Then you get to 'Aquaman.'"
He has also said in the past that Lobo is the only other DC character aside from Aquaman he would want to take on. In another interview with ComicBook.com from 2019, the actor was asked who else in the DC mythos he would want to play, and he said "Lobo,” noting that he would like to take on " a villain.”
Momoa remarked at a convention appearance in 2014 that he has always thought he was "random for Aquaman," but " A guy like... Lobo [he] could see:"
“I don’t even know where that comes from, it’s like me being... uh... Robin or something. Who pulls that out? I see that on the Internet and I’m like, ‘Aquaman? A guy like... Lobo I could see.’
Is Lobo Coming to the DCU?
So, what does this all mean? Everything regarding this story has been cryptic with no one really saying anything, but still saying a lot.
To start, if the DC brain trust were to be bringing the iconic villain to the big screen in some capacity, Momoa would be the perfect fit. He has the exact look one would look for in a Lobo actor, and the character has enough cache around the WB offices, even having his own HBO Max series planned at one point.
There is only one problem - Momoa is already Aquaman. He is already a hero in this DC Universe. This would be like Tony Stark actor Robert Downey Jr. asking to play Norman Osborn in the next Spider-Man movie.
But the thing is, at this point in the newly-minted DCU, anything can happen. It feels like Warner Bros. is at a point where they are going to get through the announced slate and then reset some way or another.
That does not mean blipping the current canon out of existence, but it could mean reevaluating who their big tentpole heroes are and who they are played by. So if a film like next year's The Flash were to reset the universe like it is rumored to, then that could be an opportunity to have someone like Momoa jump over from his Arthur Curry role to something like Lobo.
