James Gunn sent shockwaves through the DC fan base earlier this year when he revealed his Superman follow-up, Man of Tomorrow. The film, which is already scheduled to hit theaters in July 2027, will feature the unlikely team-up of arch enemies Lex Luthor and Superman. Gunn has confirmed the two join forces to take on a substantial threat, and fans have spent the time since speculating who that threat could be. A popular theory to emerge is that Brainiac, one of the most iconic Superman villains, is finally going to appear in a live-action film. Not only is Brainiac a dangerous enough adversary to make Superman and Lex team up, the title page on the Man of Tomorrow script sports a bisected diagram of a human brain. Gunn has now addressed the Brainiac speculation.
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Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Gunn admitted he knew the Man of Tomorrow cover page would spark a new wave of fan theories. “Listen, of course I wasn’t unaware that when I posted the cover of the script that there was going to be discussion around that particular topic,” he said. “But I think we’ll hold off from what exactly is happening.”
When Could the Man of Tomorrow Villain Be Confirmed?
Spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2
Man of Tomorrow is still under two years away from premiering, so there’s no rush for Gunn to confirm too many details at this point in time —especially since right now it’s more important to keep the focus on the remaining two episodes of Peacemaker Season 2. In fact, the show could be the reason why Gunn is holding off on saying too much about Man of Tomorrow‘s mysterious villain. He recently revealed that the Peacemaker Season 2 finale is as important to Man of Tomorrow as anything. Hypothetically, that episode could establish a foundation for Man of Tomorrow‘s antagonist, and Gunn is keeping things under wraps to preserve a major surprise.
Peacemaker has already set the story for Man of Tomorrow in motion with its Lex Luthor cameo. While Gunn wants each DC Universe movie and TV show to work on its own (allowing viewers to jump in at any point without doing much “homework”), he’s still working in a shared universe, and narrative connections between various projects are to be expected. Peacemaker was described as the “direct follow-up” to Superman, so it’s logical for the series to be a bridge between that film and Man of Tomorrow. As Rick Flag Sr. continues his search for Peacemaker’s interdimensional portal, his uneasy partnership with Lex will likely be fleshed out further in the coming episodes, setting up key plot threads for Man of Tomorrow.
If the Peacemaker Season 2 finale doesn’t reveal the Man of Tomorrow villain, fans probably won’t find out the antagonist’s identity until next year, when the movie begins production. There will likely be an extensive casting process to find the right actor to play the villain, and whenever that performer signs on to the project, Gunn could look to get ahead of any leaks or amateur set photos by confirming character details then. He’s made a habit to be very transparent about his upcoming works with fans, allowing them to set their expectations. There will surely be plenty of rumors and reports concerning the Man of Tomorrow villain as the film gears up to start shooting, so Gunn may want to provide clarity at the outset.
It will be interesting to learn the truth behind the brain diagram as more information about Man of Tomorrow comes to light. It’s easy to see why fans have jumped to the conclusion that Brainiac is the villain, but perhaps the distinct image has a different meaning. Gunn has said Man of Tomorrow is very much a movie about Lex Luthor, diving deep into a more “heroic” side of his character. Lex could believe he is the “man of tomorrow,” feeling his intellect could save the world from an unthinkable threat. The United States government is leaning on Lex’s help to solve a multiverse problem, so he probably thinks he’s the only one capable of protecting his dimension.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
