Jason Momoa Says He Landed Aquaman By Auditioning For Batman In His "My Man!" Way

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Jason Momoa seems like a good guy. He really does. But it’s hard not to make fun of his “My Man!” take on the DC superhero Aquaman.

Yes, historically, the character has been the butt of jokes because his major superpower seems to be talking to fish. It’s just that Momoa is taking the character into such a completely opposite direction that it almost comes off like desperation. However, it sounds like this whole Aqua-bro persona is just Momoa being Momoa, and is the reason he has the role.

In a recent interview with EW regarding the upcoming “Aquaman,” Momoa detailed how he got the role. And surprisingly, it was after his Batman audition didn’t go as planned:

“And then really the other one after that was my audition for Batman with Zack [Snyder]. And I almost didn’t go because I was like, ‘This is bullshit. 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. 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 ass, jaded and sarcastic. And that’s when Zack was like, ‘I have an idea…’”

It’s that smart ass, jaded, sarcastic, and overall “My Man!” attitude that he’s carried over to his Aquaman persona. And it appears that Momoa is just living his best life, embracing the, for lack of a better word, bro-y aspects of his superhero alter-ego.

In a new Instagram post, promoting the “Aquaman” trailer coming tomorrow, Momoa is seen in his native home of Hawaii jumping off a cliff, swimming underwater near the wildlife, and doing everything to show that not only is he a badass in real life but also that Aquaman is fucking cool.

But at what point is it all just too much? When does all this “Aquaman is badass, bro!” stuff start becoming corny?

And even though it sounds like we’re relentlessly throwing shade on “Aquaman,” that’s not even close to the truth. Everyone wants the upcoming film to succeed, it’s just that what was originally seen as enthusiasm for the role is now just becoming a wee bit grating and corny. And we’re not alone, in this assertion.

Online reaction to the recent poster (the “Finding Nemo” memes are great!) and information about the film seems split. Some people are excited about this Mer-Bro take on the character, while others just don’t get it. One such person asked “Aquaman” director James Wan why someone who spends most of his life underwater would decide that leather pants were the best idea? Wan’s response perfectly illustrates the issue with Momoa’s take on the character.

“Because he’s Jason Foockin’ Momoa!!! You want him wearing swimming trunks?? or pantless! He’s already half naked for goodness sake. Haha,” tweeted Wan.

As we approach the big trailer reveal this weekend, hopefully, all these concerns are squashed and Momoa gives us an Aquaman that is more than “cool” soundbites and muscles. Momoa has proven he’s a decent enough actor in the past, with his work on “Game of Thrones,” but with his interviews, his social media presence, and the overall rock star attitude towards the character, the outlook isn’t great.

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