James Gunn Confirms How Long Man of Tomorrow Takes Place After Superman 

The DC Universe‘s flagship film Superman proved successful enough on both critical and commercial fronts that DC Studios moved quickly to greenlight a sequel. That follow-up, titled Man of Tomorrow, forces David Corenswet’s Clark Kent into an uneasy alliance with his imprisoned arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) against the arrival of Brainiac (Lars Eidinger), marking the first time the two characters have worked together in live-action DC history. The sequel is further expanding the roster of Chapter One by incorporating John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), who debuts in HBO’s Lanterns before crossing into the film, and by bringing back Milly Alcock’s Supergirl following her solo film this summer. As filming of Man of Tomorrow continues, Gunn has now addressed the sequel’s place in the shared universe.

“Basically real time,” Gunn stated on Threads when a fan asked how long after Superman the sequel is set. Given that Superman opened in July 2025 and Man of Tomorrow arrives on July 9, 2027, Gunn’s clarification reveals new details about Lex Luthor’s arc. The villain was sent to prison at the conclusion of Superman, and a real-time gap means he will have been incarcerated for roughly two years before the story of Man of Tomorrow begins.

The Man of Tomorrow Timeline Placement Raises Questions About Other DCU Projects

While two years might seem like a major gap, the timeline placement of Man of Tomorrow mostly aligns with what we know from other DCU projects. Gunn had already established that Supergirl, which opens June 26th, is set between Superman and Man of Tomorrow. That means her solo film gives Kara independent development before she steps into the larger ensemble. Meanwhile, Lanterns, the HBO series premiering August 16th, is confirmed to have a dual timeline, one beginning in 2016 and a second set in 2026, meaning the show is simultaneously a prequel and a present-day story. John’s return in Man of Tomorrow is then set to happen after his training with Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler). Clayface is a prequel, so that movie is not really affected by the news.

Read Next

Every Member of Superman’s DCU Family Tree Confirmed

However, Man of Tomorrow‘s timeline placement raises some questions about Christopher Smith (John Cena). Season 2 of Peacemaker ended with Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) stranding Chris on Salvation, a hostile planet with no established path home. Gunn confirmed there are no current plans for a third season of Peacemaker, meaning Chris’s situation on Salvation was always intended to carry forward into future projects. Sadly, so far, we don’t know what those projects could be. Man of Tomorrow is a film about Brainiac, and there is no indication the story makes space to address what is happening to Chris on Salvation, or how the planet is even being used by the US government. That means a two-year stretch of in-universe time passes with one of the DCU’s most prominent characters stranded and unaccounted for, and no movie or TV show in the calendar to address that significant gap.

Man of Tomorrow is scheduled for release in theaters on July 9, 2027.

How do you feel about the timeline structure of the new DC Universe? Should DC Studios keep following real-time dates or push the in-universe events closer?  Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!