The DC Superhero Stan Lee Loved Most — And It Wasn’t David Corenswet’s Superman

Here is a sentence I did not expect to type: Stan Lee’s favorite DC character wasn’t Batman, wasn’t Wonder Woman… it was Lobo. Yes, the leather-clad, cigar-munching space biker. And a fresh clip of Lee saying exactly that just resurfaced for a very specific reason.

So, why is Lobo trending now?

Because the new Supergirl trailer sneaks in a blink-and-you-miss-it shot of Jason Momoa as Lobo. Momoa has been chasing this role for ages, and now he finally gets to trade the trident for a space hog. One fan mocked the move, saying he went from an iconic DCEU hero to an unknown DCU character. Other fans immediately clapped back by posting the clip of Stan Lee praising Lobo, which sent the video flying all over timelines. One account even flagged it on Dec 11, 2025, basically saying: unknown? It’s Stan Lee’s favorite DC character.

Stan’s pick, explained

In a Q&A, Lee admitted he wasn’t even sure you could call Lobo a superhero, but said the character was absolutely his favorite over at DC. It’s a fun twist, because Lobo was originally cooked up as a send-up of the tough-as-nails Marvel types like Wolverine and Cable. By the 90s, Lobo’s vibe overlapped a lot with Deadpool: foul-mouthed, ultra-violent, and hard to kill thanks to a serious healing factor.

Momoa finally gets his space-biker dream

After the old DCEU was sunset, Momoa actively campaigned to play Lobo in the new DCU. He had a good run as Aquaman, but this is clearly the passion project. The wild part is that Lobo isn’t even in the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic the movie is pulling from. James Gunn explained why he added him anyway:

"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. It’s not an amalgamation of him and Krem… He [Lobo] is a totally separate character. I love Lobo. I always thought he was a great character to adapt and, maybe, in some way, the biggest comic book character that’s never been in a film. So, I think it was a cool thing to do [include him in Supergirl], yeah."

So, if you were wondering why the Main Man is crashing Kara’s movie, that’s the answer: structure. And probably a lot of chaos.

The long, winding road to a Lobo movie

Lobo has been circling live-action for a long time, and the development history is filled with detours that feel very on-brand for him:

• 2009: Warner Bros. announces a Lobo film that would have been the character’s first live-action movie appearance. Guy Ritchie is set to direct. The plot involved Lobo coming to Earth and teaming with a teenage girl to hunt four fugitives. Ritchie leaves to do the Sherlock Holmes sequel, and the project stalls.
• 2012: Brad Peyton signs on to write and direct. Dwayne Johnson is considered to star. Johnson exits, and the script goes to Jason Fuchs for major rewrites.
• 2018: Michael Bay becomes attached and gives Fuchs notes for another rewrite. That version also fizzles.

Cut to now: Gunn brings Lobo into Supergirl instead of launching him solo. Unexpected, but it gets him on screen at last.

Who’s who in Supergirl

Milly Alcock is our Supergirl. Eve Ridley plays Ruthye Mary Knoll. David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham are Zor-El and Alura In-Ze. Matthias Schoenaerts shows up as Krem of the Yellow Hills. And yes, Jason Momoa is Lobo, fully unleashed.

Stan also had a softer spot

When Larry King asked Stan Lee about his favorite DC character, he blanked on the name of his pick and called him a villain — almost certainly mixing up Lobo — then pivoted to his all-time answer: Superman. He talked about how Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s creation was wildly imaginative for its time, and how Krypton (and kryptonite) had to exist so you’d actually worry about the guy. He also joked, as many of us have, that the glasses disguise is ridiculous. Fair.

Release date

Supergirl opens in U.S. theaters on June 26, 2026.