The DCU Would Survive Jason Momoa Playing Aquaman & Lobo So Relax

If you’re reading this, then it’s safe to assume that you know what’s been going on with DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran for close to three months now. Since kicking off their run back in November 2022, Gunn & Safran have been crafting what’s expected to be a 10-year plan for the DCU that will include feature films, streaming series, and more. And while some (but not all) major announcements are still to come by the end of the month, some moves have already been put into play. We learned that Henry Cavill‘s Superman and Dwayne Johnson‘s Black Adam won’t be a part of the new DCU and that Gunn is penning a feature film return focusing on a younger take on The Man of Steel. Matt Reeves (The Batman) revealed earlier this month that he had a meeting coming up with Gunn & Safran, and then we had Jason Momoa making some serious headlines this past week regarding the “great” news he received during his meeting with the duo and Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav. Probably due to it getting to be late in the month with fewer viable days in play for news combined with the timing of Momoa’s video (along with some of his follow-up comments), but it seems like Momoa’s posts have created a ton of unnecessary drama among some of the DCU “fans” out there who can’t wrap their minds around Momoa possibly playing Aquama and Lobo in the same DCU.

Their issue is with the very idea of Momoa continuing to portray Aquaman if he also gets to portray Lobo on the big or small screen, a rumor that’s been building over the past few weeks (and even fueled a bit by Momoa in the past). So since everyone else feels like they have a “Wonka Golden Ticket” to “advise’ Gunn and Safran on what they should be doing, I thought I’d drop my suggestion into the DC Studios “Suggestion Box” on why a Momoa-led Lobo series would be a better way to introduce viewers to the “universe” part of the DCU (more so than “Green Lantern”) and why his portraying Aquaman and Lobo at the same time… in the same universe… is a non-issue that only matters to those looking for excuses to complain.

“Lobo” Series Could Learn From Lucasfilm, Not Marvel Studios: So why would a “Lobo” streaming series starring Momoa work? Because it would fit the gameplan that’s working so well for Disney+ & Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian. We could have an anti-hero, bounty hunter protagonist whose jobs take him to different parts of the universe, building an overarching storyline while also using each episode to introduce new & interesting characters. Just imagine how much of the DCU’s space-faring side could be introduced in just eight episodes- and then we get to talk spinoffs and stand-alone specials. But this is the DCU, so the series would part ways from its “Mando” inspiration beyond that because it would very much need to have a Peacemaker sensibility: combine the absurd and the intense with characters we can still connect with & relate to (even in the midst of global chaos) even if we don’t agree with their actions. Gunn perfected that in his The Suicide Squad spinoff series, and that needs to be at the core of any project moving forward.

But What About “Green Lantern”? Look, I’ve got streaming signals in place of blood running through my veins, so I’m keeping every available body part crossed that “Green Lantern” remains a streaming series because there’s an epicness to it that needs the creative room to stretch & breathe that only streaming can afford. But it’s that very epicness that hurts it when it comes to being a proper vehicle to introduce viewers to aspects of the DCU that they might not be aware of. Right from the start, there’s the question of which Green Lantern. Hal Jordan? Guy Gardner? John Stewart? Alan Scott? Kyle Rayner? And because DC Comics has done an excellent job of expanding the franchise over the past couple of decades, you can’t talk Green Lantern without bringing in the Green Lantern Corp. Then you have Sinestro, the different power rings, and a whole bunch more mythology that’s entwined enough that it becomes difficult to figure out what to cut so as not to overwhelm viewers. Again, that right there screams a series that I would definitely watch, but it’s already crowded without bringing other heavy hitters into the mix. But with Momoa’s Lobo series, you’ve got a much cleaner and more malleable backstory to work with, one that viewers can easily latch onto with enough “canon space” saved for some DCU-expanding “guest appearances”

Momoa Can’t Play Aquaman & Lobo in the Same DCU? Then You Must Hate “Doctor Who” & Peter Capaldi: If the long-running BBC franchise can survive 60 years with instances of the same actor playing multiple roles within the show’s universe, then so can the DCU. Following up on what Gunn had to say on Twitter this weekend, the decision should come down to the right person in the right role for the best experience. If that means Momoa believes he could play Aquaman on the big screen and Lobo on the small screen (I will not stop pushing this idea), then why not give him the shot? And if he can bring distinction to each character (and there’s nothing in that dude’s filmography that tells me he can’t), then give him both roles, especially when we’re talking about two distinctly different characters like Aquaman and Lobo. But for some folks to crap on the idea’s Corn Flakes just because it’s “never been done before” is just close-minded silliness. Think about it. Of all the s**t we’re asked as geeks to suspend belief on, is fighting the idea of Momoa playing two characters in the same DCU really the hill you want to plant your flag on? Apparently so…