Jason Momoa first played Arthur Curry in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. That cameo was followed by a proper debut in 2017's Justice League, and despite the movie's failings, Aquaman followed in 2018 and splashed down to a massive $1.1 billion worldwide.
The sequel was released in 2023, and while the final DCEU movie was more successful than the rest of that year's DC offerings, it still flopped with a disappointing $440 million global haul.
We're not sure what the plan for the King of Atlantis would have been had the DCEU stuck around, though Warner Bros. majorly dropped the ball by not properly adapting "Flashpoint" in The Flash (that would have seen Aquaman and Wonder Woman's respective kingdoms at war with each other). Chances are, he'd have been in the Crisis in Infinite Earths movie, at least.
Aquaman was the butt of many jokes in Peacemaker season 1, with Christopher Smith repeatedly claiming that the hero f***ed fish. The payoff to that gag came in the finale, where Momoa showed up as Arthur alongside Ezra Miller's Flash to deny the accusations.
That scene is no longer canon now that the DCEU has been replaced by the DCU, but much of Peacemaker did still happen. Talking on Peacemaker: The Official Podcast, James Gunn discussed the first episode of season 1, confirming that Bloodsport remains canon. Aquaman's celebrity status, however, does not.
"It's unlikely that Aquaman is a famous hero in the DCU as Superman and Peacemaker season 2 are happening. That's unlikely," the Superman director and DC Studios co-CEO confirmed. Joking that fans can make a "DCU Cut" of the series, Gunn added, "You can cut out Aquaman f***ing fish."
This comes after Gunn recently said we'll be waiting at least a couple of years before seeing Aquaman and The Flash in the DCU, and the expectation is that both characters will (obviously) be played by new actors.
It's going to be exciting to see what Gunn's take on Arthur looks like, especially as he isn't a well-known hero in this world when the events of Superman take place.
Momoa has already moved on to another DC role as he'll play Lobo in next year's Supergirl movie. "[I] have every Lobo comic. He was my favorite. I thought I was gonna be playing Lobo when Zack Snyder called me," the actor said earlier this year. "Because it was Batman v. Superman, they needed to have a villain in there, and that's the only guy that can, you know."
"This is the role I've always wanted to play. That’s the comic I loved, so I'm really nervous about it," he affirmed. "It’s kind of a no-brainer to play this character. It's pretty big. I don't want to give away too much, but I mean, we look pretty dead on, exactly like the character, and he’s pretty rough and gruff and...I'll say the bike’s really cool."
Asked if he expects to play Lobo for the foreseeable future, Momoa added, "I hope so. I hope so. I hope so. It’s her movie, so it's great. I just come in for a little bit."
In Supergirl, Supergirl travels across the galaxy to celebrate her 21st birthday with Krypto the Superdog. Along the way, she meets a young woman named Ruthye and winds up on a murderous quest for revenge.
Supergirl arrives in theaters on June 26, 2026.