Why Jason Momoa refused to bulk up for Lobo in Supergirl

If you know Jason Momoa, you might assume he never turns down a chance to hit the gym and haul round comically large weights for a superhero gig. Not this time. For his turn as the intergalactic roughneck Lobo in Supergirl, Momoa decided to leave the dumbbells where they were, and honestly, who can blame him?

'I didn't have to do s—!'

In a pretty candid chat with Men's Health, Momoa spelled out why he skipped the bulking ritual this time round. To put it plainly: the Lobo physique is, as he described, 'no way' happening without a bit of movie magic. The big bloke with face paint you see in the comics? That's all prosthetics for the film. Or as Momoa summed up with refreshing glee:

'I didn't have to do s—! I don't want to walk around like that. I can't fit in a suit, can't even fit through a doorway. I'm big enough. But I want him to look that way. You want him to have that size.'

The man isn't wrong. Costume departments exist for a reason. Lobo is meant to be a walking wall of muscle, not a bloke who can't get through his own caravan door. Frankly, it feels like the on-set catering probably breathed a sigh of relief too.

Getting the Part: Momoa Manifesting Lobo

What's especially interesting is that Momoa didn't just say yes to Lobo—he chased the role. As DC Studios started its James Gunn/Peter Safran era back in 2025, Gunn revealed on social media that Momoa texted him the morning they were handed the keys, saying he wanted to play Lobo. There's evidently been a bit of fan-casting floating about for years, and apparently Momoa's been on the same wavelength.

James Gunn himself got a bit nostalgic about it on X (Twitter, for those who still call it that):

'On the anniversary of Lobo, I can't help but think of a text I received from Jason Momoa on the morning it was announced Peter & I were the heads of DC Studios – the day Jason & I first discussed him joining the DCU as Lobo.'

Cut to now, and Momoa's wish has well and truly come true.

So What Else Do We Know About Supergirl?

• Film Release: 26 June (the second big DC movie under Gunn and Safran's stewardship)
• Director: Craig Gillespie (the one behind I, Tonya and Cruella)
• Screenwriter: Ana Nogueira
• Cast: Milly Alcock plays Supergirl herself, with Eve Ridley, Matthias Schoenaerts and David Corenswet also in the mix
• Based On: The comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow from Tom King and Bilquis Evely
• Plot: Follows Kara Zor-El (aka Supergirl) on a journey to help a girl named Ruthye after her father is murdered
• Early Buzz: Reviewers are all over the map, but Alcock's performance is getting a nod even from the harsher critics. Rotten Tomatoes has it pegged at 57% at last update—so, divisive, but not a disaster.