This was the best DC news to come out of the James Gunn takeover yet. After a meeting with Gunn and the Warner Bros. hierarchy, Jason Momoa has all but confirmed he’s staying on as Aquaman and could even be playing different roles in the universe.
There really hasn’t been too much good news coming out of the Gunn DC takeover lately, so I’m glad this decision was made.
Not only was Jason Momoa fantastic as Aquaman and is currently one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood today, but also ensuring that there is a continuity between the DCEU and the Gunn DC universe is also just as important.
Now, I have no problem with Gunn making some big recasting decisions, such as replacing Henry Cavil as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman but eliminating the entire DCEU cast may not be the best idea in retrospect. Previously, I was fine with all of the actors getting recasted, though I think it’s clear that for the Gunn DC universe to thrive it needs to build a distant, but inclusive bridge to the Snyder DCEU and its loyal fans.
Obviously, Cavil and Affleck were out of the picture, and Ezra Miller should never dawn The Flash costume again after everything he’s done in his personal life, which leaves only two actors able to reprise their roles in the new universe: Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa as Aquaman.
Either actor would have sufficed as they both embodied their characters to the best of their abilities, though if I had to pick one, I would choose Momoa. Not only is Momoa more recognizable and marketable (not saying that Gadot is not marketable, but she just isn’t as popular as Momoa) in the role of Aquaman, but his character is one of the only DC characters not to have been plagued by downfall of the DCEU.
Luckily for Momoa, Aquaman 2 has yet to be released and the inevitable fallout from Amber Heard’s role in the movie has not yet affected his Aquaman portrayal, which is not something that can be said about Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman 1984 (Wonder Woman 2) is one of the worst movies of the DCEU, and the cancellation of Wonder Woman 3 and firing of director Paddy Jenkins has irrevocably damaged the image of Gadot’s Wonder Woman.
Sure, it’s not fair or right that happened to Gadot as she was not responsible for Jenkins’ shortcomings in Wonder Woman 1984 or the relationship breakdown between Warner Bros. and Jenkins for WW3, but it affects her portrayal, nonetheless.
Moreover, Momoa is more versatile in Gunn’s eyes than Gadot as Momoa teased he and the director/studio head have talked about the actor playing different characters in the Gunn DC universe. As of this moment, Gadot is only scheduled to be playing the famous Wonder Woman.
So, I guess we’ll see if Gal Gadot survives the Gunn purge, but I’m glad that Momoa has and will be a key featured in the Gunn DC universe.
Images Source: Featured Image: (Warner Bros. Pictures/DC) (Aquaman – Official Trailer 1 – Now Playing In Theaters – YouTube)
