You may know him as Aquaman, but his real name is Jason Momoa. Born in Hawaii to a photographer and a painter, Momoa has become one of the biggest action stars around. He got his start on Baywatch, if you can believe it, as Jason Ioane. From there he went on to star in shows like North Shore and Stargate: Atlantis.
He then made appearances in comedies like The Game, but it wasn't until Momoa was cast as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones that he truly began to gain notoriety. From there he went on to be cast as Arthur Curry in the DC Cinematic Universe. He's been in a ton of stuff, and we're ranking of Momoa's most badass roles.
Keegan
It doesn't get much more badass than starring alongside Sylvester Stallone in an action thriller film. Jason Momoa plays Keegan in 2012's A Bullet to the Head. The movie is about Stallone's character, James "Bobo" Bonomo, a hitman, and his partner Louis Blanchard, who kill a corrupt cop.
Blanchard is murdered by Keegan, a rival hitman. This sends Bobo on a path to revenge. We learn that Keegan is actually an ex-mercenary, and he kills multiple people in the film. Momoa is always great, but you can tell he was truly having the time of his life while filming this role.
Spyder
In the 2017 American action comedy film, Once Upon a Time in Venice, Jason Momoa plays a man called Spyder. Spyder is a drug lord who seeks revenge against a man named Steve Ford, a private detective played by Bruce Willis. Not dissimilar to the John Wick films, Ford's dog is super important to him. As a way of exacting revenge, Spyder steals Ford's dog and uses him as leverage to force Ford into performing some convoluted tasks in Venice.
Momoa is excellent as the antagonist character in the movie, and he's pretty hardcore, too. Outside of Momoa and Willis, the film also stars John Goodman, Thomas Middleditch, Famke Janssen, Adam Goldberg, and Jessica Gomes.
Ronon Dex
Jason Momoa played Ronon Dex on the science fiction series, Stargate Atlantis. The character is a Satedan in the Pegasus Galaxy with advanced technological ability. Momoa has stated Dex is something akin to the Stargate version of Chewbacca. One of the trademarks of the character is Momoa's dreadlocks.
Apparently, at one point he cut them off and they had to be sewn back in during the filming of the episodes he was involved in. Ronan Dex is a human character, but he is also a solider, and Ronon was forced to become a Runner, fighting for his survival, for seven years. Eventually, he decided he would hunt the people after him back instead of just running.
Robert Wolf
Did you know that in addition to being an awesome actor, Jason Momoa is also a director and writer? He co-wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the 2014 drama film, Road to Paloma. In the movie, Momoa plays Robert Wolf. Wolf's life is rather tragic; his mother was raped and murdered.
In retaliation, Wolf brutally kills the man that killed his mother. He and a man named Cash (Robert Homer Mollohan) eventually meet up to go on a trek to spread his mother's ashes in her final resting place. Despite being cutthroat when necessary, Wolf is also shown to be extraordinarily gentle with his lover, Magdalena, who was played by Momoa's real wife, Lisa Bonet.
Philip Kovus
The Red Road is a lesser-known drama series that premiered on the SundanceTV channel in 2014. Sadly, the series was canceled after only two seasons. It starred Jason Momoa as the main character, Phillip Kovus. The series is based on the real story of the Rampough Mountain Indians who were seriously harmed by the dumping of toxic wastes from a nearby plant.
Momoa's character, known as Kovus, is a member of the Ramapough Mountain, the tribe involved in the show's central conflict. Kovus and police officer Harold Jensen are working on the opposing side, as Jensen was involved with a cover-up in the incident that directly hurt the Ramapough people.
Joe Braven
Jason Momoa stars alongside Teen Wolf actress Jill Wagner in this Canadian action movie called Braven. It was released just last year. Momoa plays Joe Braven, a family man and the owner of a successful logging company. Joe Braven may not be an assassin, superhero, or warlord like some of Momoa's other characters, but his willingness to protect his family at any cost makes him a certifiable badass. Also, he gets to throw a flaming ax.
Joe eventually gets caught in the crosshairs of a frightening drug lord named Kassen and is forced to do whatever it takes to keep himself, his daughter, and his wife alive. Garret Dillahunt, Stephan Lang, and Brendan Fletcher also star.
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian was a new take on the Conan mythology that had nothing to do with the previous Arnold Schwarzenegger films. However, it was largely panned by critics and considered a bomb at the box office. That said, Jason Momoa is undeniably powerful in the role of the iconic figure.
Even though the movie didn't make much of an impression, he was still nominated for a CinemaCon award. In the film, Momoa portrays Conan, the son of a barbarian chieftain who grows up to be a violent Cimmerian warrior himself. Conan soon becomes embroiled in an epic battle against his enemy, Khalar Zym, who is after the ancient artifact known as the Mask of Acheron.
Declan Harp
Frontier is a Canadian historical television series based around the fur trade in the 1700s. It has been compared to Game of Thrones, except, instead of everyone fighting over an iron throne, they're fighting over who should control the fur trade. Jason Momoa portrays the main character of Declan Harp.
He is an outlaw and wants to destroy the British-lead Hudson Bay Company. His arch-nemesis is Lord Benton, a man who ruthlessly murdered Declan's family. Momoa is excellent in the role and has garnered praise for his performance across all three seasons. Also, in terms of badassery, at one point, Declan literally rips out a guy's spine.
Arthur Curry
Jason Momoa brought Arthur Curry/Aquaman to the big screen. His portrayal of Aquaman has arguably turned the character into the ultimate badass, certainly on par with Batman and Superman. Comic fans have always known that Arthur was powerful, but most of the live-action depictions of Aquaman made him seem somewhat weak by comparison.
He's a superhero who can talk to fish, what's so cool about that? Well, watch Aquaman or Justice League, and you'll see how awesome Momoa is in the role. He is the guardian of the seven seas and capable of immense power. Aquaman went on to become the 20th highest-grossing film of all time and is set for a sequel in 2022.
Khal Drogo
We've reached the number one spot, and it has to go to the role that helped launch Momoa into stardom and make him a household name. He portrayed Khal Drogo, the Dothraki Khal in one of the most famous television series of all time, Game of Thrones. Despite only being part of the series for one season, Jason Momoa was unforgettable in the role and unspeakably badass (even if he couldn't speak English all that well.)
His relationship with Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen is still considered one of the best on the series years after his departure. Plus, who could forget the iconic "golden crowning" of Viserys at the Khal's hands or any of the number of other awesome moments from Drogo?