Before Jason Momoa, DC's Lobo Nearly Starred In Two Different Cartoon Series

The DC Universe continues to check all the right boxes under James Gunn's watch with the announcement that Jason Momoa is taking on the role of Lobo in "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow." It isn't surprising, considering that the former "Aquaman" expressed interest in the role, even before becoming the King of Atlantis. And, well, just look at the guy — he's practically part Czarnian.

This isn't Warner Bros.' first effort with Lobo, though. The first attempt to give the character the true spotlight came about in 2000 via a DC animated show and would have featured The Main Man center stage in a show penned by John P. McCann, whose credits included "Animaniacs," "Freakazoid," and "Batman: The Animated Series." By that point, Lobo had already appeared in the DC Animated Universe with "Superman: The Animated Series" as well as "Justice League," and the hope was to apply the same quality to the character. Unfortunately, this scenario wasn't as clean-cut as adapting a Caped Crusader or the Last Son of Krypton.

Just like the anti-hero himself, the studio struggled to find a way to contain the chaotic nature of the character, even choosing to do the unthinkable and remove the last living Czarnian's signature weapon of choice — his gutting hook — and never show his self-healing abilities. Doing so removed the risk of the highly violent scuffles he was known for getting into. As a result, Warner Bros. struggled to find the right audience for the bounty hunter, killing any chance of the project coming to life. It would be over 20 years later when a glimpse of another show came to light, only for it to ultimately get the same treatment.

After the ditched attempt at an animated show in 2000, the Czarnian seemingly got a second chance in 2020, but was quickly cut down again. Thanks to a LinkedIn post from writer, producer, and actor Olan Rogers, it was revealed that HBO Max had plans for another Lobo series that would have had the character share the screen with his half-Czarnian daughter, Crush. "Here are a few pieces from a DC animated project for 'Lobo and Crush' Coty Galloway and I had pitched and sold in 2020," wrote Rogers. "We had been in development for the past couple of years on it. We were excited to push these characters and add this whole new layer to them. It was bonkers, wildly funny, and full of hard rock! We had lots of fun working with WarnerMedia, DC Comics, and HBO Max on it."

The stills for the show were bursting with a vibrant energy that DC fans would have lapped up. Had it been pitched just a few years later, it might've have even looked great next to the unofficial "Suicide Squad" sequel, "Creature Commandos." Now, though, with the potential for the character to get some well-deserved attention thanks to Momoa handling a live-action iteration, that lethal bastich Lobo could get another life in animated form after all. But let's not forget about that other all-but-forgotten attempt to see the gnarly Czarnian in live-action when he swung by Superman's home planet in a short-lived television series. 

Jason Momoa might shine a spotlight on a character that casual DC fans may be unaware of, but it's essential to note that before he even parks himself on the bounty hunter's legendary Spacehog, someone else warmed it up in 2018. Released on Syfy, the TV series "Krypton" was set 200 years before the birth of Superman and followed Kal-El's grandfather Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe), who fought neighboring houses to restore honor to his family name. In the show's second season, Lobo appeared in four episodes and was portrayed by Emmett J. Scanlan. Syfy was so confident in the character and Scanlan's performance that in 2019, a spin-off was announced to be in development that would have diverged from the happenings of Kal-El's family tree. 

Unfortunately, it was an idea that didn't last, as it was only months later that plans for Lobo were canceled along with "Krypton". Regardless of yet another attempt at the big, bad bastich, though, it was enough to demonstrate in all his violent and limb-losing glory that Lobo can work in live-action and that Jason Momoa is the perfect man for the job. From "my man" to The Main Man, we can only hope that the former Justice League member will have some fun alongside Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) when "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" soars into theaters on June 26, 2026.