Jason Momoa prepares for his dream role as “The Main Man” Lobo in ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’. Image: DC Comics and DC Studios
Jason Momoa as Lobo sounds like a good, if not perfect, casting. For those unaware of who Lobo is, he is an alien intergalactic bounty hunter gifted with near invincibility, immortality, and super strength, with powers comparable to those of Superman. For my generation and older, we got our first glimpse of what Lobo would look like on television in the early 2000s, on one of those obscure WB shows whose series name I have forgotten, and of course, via the Justice League Unlimited animated series on Cartoon Network.
In DC Comics, Lobo has been around for some time now, at least a couple of decades, but he has never received a big-budget movie. That is about to change, as numerous sources confirm that Jason Momoa will portray Lobo in the upcoming film “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.” The actor himself confirmed it on his Instagram account, and the movie studio has also announced it, so everything is a go for Lobo.
Jason Momoa could redeem himself with his live-action portrayal of Lobo, but that depends on whether he stays true to the comic book in terms of his costume, powers, and vibrant personality. Lobo is the closest character to Deadpool in DC Comics, not in appearance but in personality. It will be interesting to see how they approach this, as those unfamiliar with Lobo might mistake him for the brand new character in “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” who is imitating Deadpool. Therefore, the marketing campaign for this upcoming movie should include information about Lobo or a brief introduction to who he is. Otherwise, we could see a repeat of the situation with “Kraven The Hunter,” where many moviegoers thought Calypso and The Chameleon were entirely new characters, which I explained in one of my previous articles. With the time available before filming “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” there is ample opportunity for everyone to learn about Lobo.
I remember years ago when while promoting “Aquaman,” Jason Momoa mentioned in a few interviews that he was a comic book collector when he was young, and Lobo was one of his favorite characters. No, Aquaman was not one of his favorites; “The Main Man” Lobo was his all-time favorite. Looking back, it makes complete sense for him to portray the alien intergalactic bounty hunter, as he has what it takes to embody the role.
Jason Momoa performs a lot of physical stunts in his movies, and when Lobo comes to life on the big screen for the first time, there will surely be many action sequences, stunts, and chaos. Lobo, in DC Comics, is one of the most physically menacing characters, ridiculously strong and able to throw his enemies around with ease. Plus, he is nearly impossible to kill and he has an array of weaponry. In Marvel Comics parlance, try to think of Cable of X-Force with the Deadpool of now, a freak-of-nature comic book character that is on steroids. Can you imagine how that would translate into his scenes in the yet-to-be-filmed “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow”?
Indeed, when I think about it, the two of them look alike, not only in physique — especially when Jason Momoa was a bit younger — but their facial structures are similar, if not downright identical.
When I compared Jason Momoa’s face to Lobo’s, I noticed they are very similar, especially in the jawline, and the shape of the eyebrows and eyes. In general, they have the same facial features. I think Jason Momoa, particularly if he were a bit younger and in better shape, would be great as Lobo. But better late than never, and if a middle-aged Nicolas Cage can portray Ghost Rider, then, for sure, Jason Momoa can be Lobo. Nothing is impossible.
Why not? What I did was check if I had any old DC Comics issues featuring Lobo. I didn’t have one, but I found a trade paperback from 1990 in my huge collection of vintage comics, which had a lot of beautiful ladies surrounding Lobo on its cover. I did find some old trading cards I had from DC that had Lobo on them but they do not count. For all the diehard Lobo fans, I think you know which trade paperback I am talking about.
One thing I do know about Lobo is that he has never been given a solo series that was either a limited-run series or a one-off special (trade paperbacks) in DC Comics. For some reason, Lobo has never had a series that would run for years, but that also makes him special, because when Lobo appears in DC Comics, he does attract attention for several reasons.
One more thing: I compared Lobo from his older DC Comics appearances online, plus the single trade paperback I have of Lobo and Jason Momoa because there is a common practice, which is widely unknown to many, that when an actor portrays a very popular comic book character in a movie — like Iron Man — the artists often draw the comic book versions to resemble the actor. This ties both mediums of entertainment together, allowing moviegoers and comic book collectors to see how the comic book character resembles their movie counterpart. This usually happens after the movie is released. But if you look back to before 2008 when the first Iron Man movie came out, Tony Stark in Marvel Comics did not look like Robert Downey Jr. But after the movie’s worldwide success, he began to resemble him. The point is, this is a common practice, so I am confident that it is a blessing in disguise for Jason Momoa that he looks a lot like Lobo.
Since filming for “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” has yet to start, that gives Jason Momoa plenty of time to get into “Lobo shape.” I believe he will deliver a solid performance, as this is a dream role he has wanted for a very long time.
If this is the Lobo from DC Comics, especially the one from the late ’80s to early ’90s, I can say with confidence that this live-action role for Jason Momoa may surpass all of his Aquaman portrayals! That’s how significant it is for Jason Momoa to land the Lobo role because he is a comic book collector and reader and he knows who Lobo is.