Supergirl’s Wildest Foe: Lobo’s Brutal Powers and Origin, Explained

DC finally did the thing: the Supergirl trailer drops our first look at Jason Momoa as Lobo. Milly Alcock is clearly the headline here as Kara, but let’s be honest, fans have been waiting ages for the Main Man to crash a movie. Now he has.

So, who exactly is Lobo?

In the comics, Lobo is an intergalactic bounty hunter who treats violence and destruction like a hobby. He’s most often tied to Superman’s corner of the universe and, in a very casual bit of self-genocide, wiped out his own planet, Czarnia, by unleashing scorpions on his people. He started life on the page as a villain in 1983’s Omega Men #3, but more recent takes lean anti-hero. In Supergirl, he’s positioned as an unlikely ally for Kara.

How dangerous are we talking?

Lobo is one of the few who can square up to Superman without getting folded. Beyond the brute force, he’s a sharp strategist with enhanced senses, and he’s basically invulnerable to physical damage. His healing factor is top-tier even by DC standards. Some stories go so far as to say only another Czarnian could kill him, which is pretty convenient when you’ve exterminated your entire species. And if you somehow vaporize his body, he’s banned from both Heaven and Hell, so his spirit keeps roaming the cosmos and can jump into other beings. He is very hard to get rid of.

This debut has been a long time coming

• Late 2000s: Warner Bros. kicks around a Lobo movie with Guy Ritchie. He leaves; the idea fizzles.
• Next up: Brad Peyton is reportedly hired to write and direct, with Dwayne Johnson eyed for the role. That version stalls too.
• Then: Michael Bay is considered to helm a DCEU take from a Jason Fuchs script (via THR). Also doesn’t happen.
• Now: Jason Momoa, long a favorite fancast, finally brings Lobo to the big screen in Milly Alcock’s Supergirl.

Why Lobo is in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (even though he wasn’t in the comic)

This isn’t just fan service. Tom King didn’t include Lobo in his Woman of Tomorrow run, but he actually wanted to; editors talked him out of it. On the movie side, James Gunn says adding Lobo turned out to be crucial for shaping the script. Writer Ana Nogueira needed a clean three-act spine for the adaptation, since King’s comic is structured as a series of shorter tales.

'Woman of Tomorrow, in the comics, is a bunch of little stories. And we needed to create one through-line, one three-act, more traditional story. So, Lobo helps us to do that.'

— James Gunn, DC Studios Showcase Official Podcast

Translation: Lobo isn’t just popping in for a cameo. He’s baked into the movie’s engine. Given that, it sure feels like this won’t be the last time we see him in the new DCU.

The date to circle

Supergirl hits theaters June 26, 2026.

Curious where you land on Momoa’s take: do you want full chaotic space biker, or something a touch more grounded? I’m guessing the needle’s going to swing hard toward the former.