There’s a lot that remains unknown about the future of the DC Universe, which is now being overseen by DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. One of the biggest sources of speculation has concerned which characters or actors will — or won’t — carry over into the new DCU, with plans already in place to recast Superman. In recent months, rumors have begun to swirl that current Aquaman star Jason Momoa might be stepping down from that character in Gunn and Safran’s new continuity, but could still stick around in his “dream” role of the bounty hunter antihero Lobo. On Friday, Momoa himself appeared to shut down those rumors, indicating that he might end up playing more than one character going forward.
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“I’ll always be Aquaman,” Momoa explained. “The rumors are… I’ll always be Aquaman. Ain’t anyone coming in there and taking sh-t. And then, there might be some other characters too. I can play other things too. I can be funny and savage and charming, once in a while.”
To an extent, Momoa possibly playing two well-known DC characters in the same universe might be unprecedented — but could it actually work?
Where could Lobo appear in the DC Universe?
With his comedic nature and bizarre cosmic roots, there’s basically no limit as to where Lobo could appear in Gunn and Safran’s new DCU. We know that Gunn is currently writing the new Superman reboot movie, and Lobo has certainly gone toe-to-toe with the Man of Steel several times over in the comics. Over the years, the character has also existed in a group content pretty frequently, whether in the Justice League of America, the Suicide Squad, or Stormwatch.
It’s incredibly easy to imagine Lobo also anchoring his own project, with the most obvious options being a movie, HBO Max-exclusive series, or even an HBO Max-exclusive special. (After Gunn’s recent success with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+, the infamous Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special feels like a no-brainer.) Even beyond Lobo himself, there could be success in adapting the award-winning Crush and Lobo miniseries, which is centered around his teenaged former-Teen Titan daughter.
Why Jason Momoa can play Aquaman and Lobo.
For starters, it’s also worth considering the possibility that the DCU’s plans for Lobo might stretch beyond live-action appearances — while Momoa could physically cameo as the character here and there, his wild, space-faring aesthetic could easily lend itself to an animated adaptation or even a video game. With Gunn and Safran confirming that their plans include both animation and games, that could be an easy way for Momoa to fulfill his dream of playing Lobo, without starring as two separate characters in parallel live-action projects.
But even if that is the case, and Momoa’s stints as Aquaman and Lobo both span live-action — would that really be a bad thing? Outside of a single 1994 issue of Aquaman, Aquaman and Lobo have largely been on the periphery of each other’s DC stories, not really crossing paths outside of the occasional world-ending group scenario. The same would realistically be true in the early days of Gunn and Safran’s DCU, meaning it would not be distractingly-obvious that Momoa is hypothetically playing both characters. He certainly wouldn’t be the first actor to portray multiple characters in the same superhero universe, as Alfre Woodard and Mahershala Ali have both done (or will do) so in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As long as Momoa’s the best possible actor to portray both characters — which, based on his passion for both, appears to be the case — general audiences probably will be too entertained to care. Plus, the eventual hypothetical crossover between Momoa’s two characters onscreen would practically be guaranteed to break the Internet
Do you hope Jason Momoa plays both Aquaman and Lobo in the DC Universe? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
