Lobo’s DC Universe backstory has gotten an early update thanks to Supergirl previews, confirming one part of the character’s origins will be adapted over in some form into the cinematic universe. One of the most interesting parts of the DCU thus far is the way in which it holds true to aspects of DC’s comic lore that prior movie worlds haven’t, while still adjusting major details in order to forge the franchise’s own path.
This was clear as early as the releases of Creature Commandos and Superman, which balance major tweaks like Superman’s parents sending him off with the hope he would eventually take over planets in the Kryptonian name with some of the first accurate comic depictions of heroes like Mister Terrific and Metamorpho that we’ve ever had on the big screen.
The DCU’s Lobo also seems as though he’ll be an emblem of this kind of balancing act. While Lobo’s debut in the DCU timeline makes a big change from the comics by putting him in the DCU’s adaptation of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow – a comic he’s not in – the newest Supergirl teaser scene featuring Lobo confirms that the franchise will use a part of the bounty hunter’s backstory that perfectly sums him up, even if it is also an origin that it seemed very likely the franchise would avoid.
Lobo’s Newly Revealed Supergirl Scene Confirms The DCU Character Keeps One Crucial Part Of His Comic Story
The newest glimpse of Lobo in Supergirl comes with a side serving of confirmation that the DC character will be keeping one of the most dramatic parts of his backstory in the DCU – namely, the detail where he’s responsible for the death of his entire planet, as Supergirl refers to him as “an immortal with a god complex – killed off his entire planet. Not a fun guy.“
While there’s the off chance the DCU intends to retcon this by later revealing things didn’t go as Kara tells Ruthye they did, the fact Supergirl is aware of Lobo and that he’s at least believed to have wiped out the population of his own planet – as she states in the scene – bodes well for the DCU’s characterization of Lobo, and for the fact it appears the character’s full unhinged comic dynamic will be translated into the on-screen world.
In the comics, Lobo attempts to wipe out the entire of the Czarnian race for a science project, though he’s sabotaged by the fact there is one Czarnian left: him. Though later DC comics have adjusted some of the details around this plot point, it’s a great encapsulation of how absolutely ruthless and dramatic Lobo can be, and so works as a stellar piece of early setup for his DCU counterpart – and a pleasant confirmation that the franchise doesn’t intend to soften Lobo in order to make him fit in the cinematic universe.
Supergirl’s Lobo Setup Proves It Can Handle DC’s More Complex Antiheroes
Given the DCU’s Lobo is set to be played by Jason Momoa – who is already beloved by many superhero movie fans for his role as Aquaman in the DCEU – and given we know he and Supergirl are hunting down roughly the same rogues, it’s easy to see how the franchise could have ended up softening Lobo’s edges to make him fit a specific role in the film, especially because the comic version of the Lobo can be a little over the top in his own stories to say the least.
The fact the DC Universe appears to have embraced Lobo and one of the most exaggerated parts of his comic history – showing him as an intimidating and morally questionable figure – makes the on-screen bounty hunter seem as though he’ll be decidedly close to his original counterpart, and also makes it seem as though the franchise isn’t afraid to delve into his morally questionable dealings even as it sets him up to be a side protagonist in the movie’s plot.
Overall, this aligns with the DCU’s prior handling of other antiheroes like Peacemaker and Vigilante, and suggests future antiheroes and complex figures from DC’s lore that are adapted in the DC Universe will get a similar comic accurate but three-dimensional depiction on-screen, which could well help the franchise become the biggest and best DC cinematic universe to date.