Who is Lobo? DC's foul-mouthed space biker bounty hunter explained

Lobo looking especially wild and dangerous. — (Image credit: DC)

Who the hell is Lobo?

Well ya ever-lovin' bastich, he's an almost unkillable, bloodthirsty, over-the-top space biker bounty hunter with a foul mouth and a love for a fine cigar. And if you're part of the cosmic criminal underworld in the DC Universe, you know him as the Main Man, the Last Czarnian, and the guy who's either gonna frag you or turn you in for a bounty at the first chance he gets.

And right now, he's the topic of hot goss among DC movie fans, with the news breaking today that former Aquaman star Jason Momoa has been cast as Lobo in the new DC movie universe, and will make his debut in 2026's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow movie alongside star Milly Alcock.

Momoa taking on this particular part has been the subject of rumor and speculation for several years now. The actor said in an interview during the press tour for Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom that "If they [DC] ever call me and ask me to play, or ask me to audition, I'm there." Today, Momoa re-posted that quote on his Instagram along with the caption: "They called."

So what's the big deal with Lobo?

For one thing, he's kinda like DC's answer to both Deadpool and Wolverine rolled into one (which is probably exactly what James Gunn said when pitching the movie, if it is indeed on the table). By which we mean he's got an almost indestructible healing factor and a willingness to shred through his enemies with vicious fervor, and he's also got a kinda hilarious potty mouth (with spacey terms like 'bastich' often used to replace actual curse words) and a very non-superheroic appetite for vice.

Lobo was created by Roger Sifer and Keith Giffen back in 1983's Omega Men #3, and first hit the scene as more of a straightforward villain (though his sorta resemblance to Wolverine was already in place right away).

At first Lobo made the rounds as a guest star, introducing his origin as the last member of a warrior race known as the Czarnians who are supposedly able to regenerate their entire body from a single drop of blood.

Crush and Lobo #1 cover — (Image credit: DC)

Readers took to Lobo quickly, and he soon evolved into a fan favorite anti-hero, developing the badass space biker aesthetic that's been his calling card since – along with his satirical take on the X-Treme '90s anti-heroes that became popular throughout the decade.

In recent years, Lobo has been an unlikely member of the Justice League of America, and has even discovered he's got a half-Czarnian daughter named Crush who is also a bounty hunter as well as a former member of the Teen Titans. The pair recently co-starred in a comic appropriately titled Crush and Lobo in which the father and daughter reconnect.

If a hard-edged space bounty hunter reconnecting with his equally-lethal daughter sounds exactly like it's up James Gunn's alley, Lobo is one of the first characters we thought of when Gunn's new position as co-CEO of DC Films was announced. And while the character making his debut in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow perhaps suggests more of a supporting role than lead, you have to imagine the door is open to many more appearances should the Ultimate Bastich prove popular.

Lobo had his heyday in the '90s, when Marvel and DC went 'EXTREME'.

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

With contributions from

Will SalmonStreaming Editor