Jason Momoa is one of Hollywood’s biggest actors. Momoa starred on Baywatch in his early career and then got his big break on Game of Thrones. After playing Khal Drogo, however, he couldn’t get work. He and his wife Lisa Bonet struggled financially for a time until he scored the role of a lifetime, DC’s Aquaman, in 2015. He debuted as Arthur Curry in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016.
Now, he’s played Aquaman in three other DC films and is set for the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. We don’t know how much longer he’ll play the superhero, but fans want him to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he leaves.
Jason Momoa met with the Russo Brothers about joining the MCU before ‘Aquaman’
Before Momoa debuted as Aquaman, he had more than one chance of joining the MCU. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, before the premiere of Aquaman in 2018, Momoa said he talked to the Russo Brothers, the Marvel directing duo who made Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
“I met the Russo brothers [who directed Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War and Infinity War], who are amazing,” Momoa said. “It was one of the best meetings I’ve ever had. I was going to do something with them, which unfortunately didn’t work out. It was going to be a villain, I think. People always want to hire me to play a villain, you know?”
Momoa also revealed that he auditioned for a Guardians of the Galaxy role, which many speculated was Drax the Destroyer. When that didn’t work, Momoa went to DC and tried for Batman. “I got to audition with [Chris Pratt], who’s just a legend and a gentleman. That didn’t work out. And then really the other one after that was my audition for Batman with Zack,” he said.
“I almost didn’t go because I was like, ‘This is bulls—. 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. I thought for sure I was going to be playing [DC Comics villain] Lobo or something.”
When he went to audition, he didn’t have high hopes, but director Zack Snyder knew who Momoa should play. “The only people I knew they were casting for were Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman — who the hell am I going to play? So 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. I just played him as a smart a–, jaded and sarcastic. And that’s when Zack was like, “I have an idea…” That idea was Aquaman, although Momoa was skeptical. “Blonde? Tights? Orange and green shirt?”
Fans wanted Jason Momoa to play Kraven the Hunter in the MCU
In March 2020, one fan created an ultra-realistic piece of fan art that depicted Momoa as the MCU villain Kraven the Hunter. After everything that Spider-Man went through in Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, fans started to think that Kraven would be the perfect villain for the web-slinger to battle it out with next, Screen Rant wrote at the time.
Which prompted digital artist Bosslogic to create a picture that showed what Momoa would look like as the character. Honestly, Momoa as Kraven doesn’t look too far off from Momoa’s character Baba Voss in Apple TV’s See.
At the time, it was doubtful that Momoa would make the crossover to the MCU, with his Aquaman schedule and all, plus the fact that Marvel had yet to announce the appearance of Kraven or many other details about Spider-Man 3. But some fans are still holding out hope.
Jason Momoa says he wants to play Wolverine in the MCU
Following Disney’s merger with 21st Century Fox in 2019, the fate of Marvel’s X-Men was left in the balance. Hugh Jackman had signed off as Wolverine, earning the Guinness World Record for having the longest career as a live-action superhero, and many wondered who’d replace him.
According to SuperBroMovies (per CBR), Momoa revealed he’d happily play the character once he debuted in the MCU during an appearance at Celebrity Fan Fest in San Antonio, Texas. There were no quotes or footage of him revealing this, but it has made fans think.
While Momoa would be an excellent Kraven and Wolverine, the fact remains that he’s tied to DC for the foreseeable future. But, who knows? Maybe all the talk about him crossing over might spur Momoa into action once his ties to Aquaman are broken. He’s currently working on a buddy cop film with Dave Bautista, so maybe he’ll get some advice on joining the MCU.
