(Credit: Alamy)
Fri 28 November 2025 1:30, UK
Jason Momoa looks like he was drawn by a comic book artist, being tall, muscular, handsome, and instantly recognisable with hair that seems to defy every single law of physics.
The Hawaiʻian Adonis is precisely the sort of larger-than-life personality you expect from a Hollywood superstar, and since he already looked like one, it was only a matter of time before he got the chance to play a superhero on the big screen, which came in 2017, when he made his first appearance as Arthur Curry, better known as Aquaman.
As the trident-wielding King of Atlantis, Aquaman is one of DC’s tentpole characters briefly introduced into the live-action fold during Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, before making a more formal debut in the super fun, not-at-all-complicated Justice League. Following this was the first Momoa-fronted solo movie, which was an unexpected smash, grossing over $1billion worldwide, and as for the sequel, well…let’s just move on.
In terms of cultural relevance, the fish whisperer is probably Momoa’s biggest legacy, which is what makes this confession even more shocking, where in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the star revealed that he had actually auditioned for the role of Batman in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), and even then, he needed some serious persuading.
“I almost didn’t go,” he said, “I was like, ‘This is bullshit. I’m not a white guy. I ain’t playing Batman’. Even if I do, I don’t even want to. It’s like an American playing James Bond, you know? I almost didn’t do it.”
Even in an era full of gender- and race-swapped recastings, Bruce Wayne has always been portrayed as a wealthy, upper-class white guy, which didn’t change with the DCEU, as Ben Affleck got the part. Momoa must have known this subconsciously because, even though he auditioned, he didn’t take it totally seriously.
“In the meeting, I just played it as if Batman had died in an alley and some thug picked up his suit and put it on,” he continued, “I just played him as a smart ass, jaded and sarcastic, and that’s when Zack was like, ‘I have an idea…’”
This conversation must have taken place prior to 2014, which is when Momoa was announced for the role. Since then, he has played the character five times, six if you count Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League, seven if you are animation inclined and count The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, and why wouldn’t you really? Of course, his days in the sea were cut short when the DCEU was mercy-killed by James Gunn when he took over DC Studios, and unlike certain other characters, Aquaman’s future is still unconfirmed.
There’s every chance Momoa could return to the role as he was arguably the only star introduced post-Justice League to actually make good on his solo outing and, as we mentioned earlier, he certainly fits the superhero bill from an aesthetic point of view. Alas, with Gunn going scorched earth on the entire series, it’s unlikely that he’ll return; still, considering he didn’t even audition for the part in the first place, I’d say he’s done pretty well out of it.
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