The internet has been abuzz with the news that Jason Momoa is swapping his role of Aquaman for another character in James Gunn’s DCU: Lobo.
To look at the character, it’s clear to see this is a role made for Momoa, but while he might be The Main Man of the comics, many people will be unfamiliar with the Czarnian’s backstory.
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So let’s take a look at who is Lobo, when was he first introduced, and see if there’s been any other live-action depictions we might have missed.
The character of Lobo was created by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen, who first appeared in Omega Men #3 which was released in June, 1983.
Initially conceived as a satirical take on the hyper-serious and gritty antiheroes of the time, Lobo was a minor character whose early design and demeanour were far removed from the iconic figure fans know today.
Originally, he sported a purple and orange outfit, which clearly leaned more towards parody than power fantasy, but that soon changed.
By the late 1980s, it was decided that Lobo should undergo a makeover, with the look we know now being revealed in Lobo: The Last Czarnian (1990), a mini-series by Giffen and Alan Grant with art by Simon Bisley.
Having previously been more of a side/minor character, this release gave the writers a chance to explore, and flesh out, his backstory.
They revealed that he was the last survivor of the Czarnian race, a species he annihilated himself for the sheer thrill of it, and became the interstellar bounty hunter with a thirst for violence.
He has no allegiance to good or evil, being guided purely by his own whims, and was later dubbed ‘The Main Man’ which is a title people still refer to him as to this day.
His regenerative abilities and superhuman strength make him virtually indestructible, and his trademark sense of humour — which is often crude and irreverent — cements his status as one of DC’s most unconventional characters.
While all the talk now is about Jason Momoa’s casting, he isn’t the first person to have played him on screen, with Ireland’s own Emmett J Scanlan having played Lobo in the SyFy series Krypton.
This appears to have been the first live-action iteration of the character, which had appeared in animation and video game adaptations, and Scanlan’s portrayal became a fan favourite for the show’s viewers.
Scanlan himself told Geek Ireland that he loved playing the role as he felt Lobo captured aspects of some of his other favourite comic book characters.
He said: ‘You know, we all have the ones that we loved growing up. I got to play Lobo for example, and two of my favourite characters of all time was Wolverine and the Joker (they still are really), and Lobo was a kind of like, if you put Wolverine and the Joker in a blender, and you got that guy.
‘The only limitations was your imagination when playing that psychopath and it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had on set was doing quips because the showrunner, Cameron Welsh, genius boy that he is, just let me do what I wanted and it was it was an amazing, amazing time.’
Jason Momoa has never hidden his desire to play the role if the opportunity came, and it seems DC Studios’ co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran agreed, having now tapped him to take on The Main Man.
Momoa announced the news himself by sharing a snippet from an old interview which said: ‘So Lobo was…I collect comics, and I don’t do so much anymore, but he was always my favorite, and I always wanted to play Lobo, because I’m like, “Hello? It’s the perfect role.”
‘I mean listen. If they call and ask me to play him, it’s a f*ck yeah. I haven’t received that call, so I don’t want to put any fake news out there, but if they ever call me and ask me to play, or ask me to audition, I’m there.’
Jason simply captioned the post: ‘They called,’ and James Gunn added the comment, cementing the news: ‘Welcome, my friend. 🏍️’ and shared the post to his own social media confirming the casting is for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
The internet has been abuzz with the news that Jason Momoa is swapping his role of Aquaman for another character in James Gunn’s DCU: Lobo. Read More