The unknown-knowns of Man of Tomorrow have some DC fans running wild with speculation. Naturally, the one causing the biggest stir is the identity of Adria Arjona’s character, with reports that she might be the DC villain Maxima or is actually the DCU’s Wonder Woman, fueling guesses all over (including a bet that Arjona herself made). This week saw another actor confirmed for Man of Tomorrow become the subject of major rumors that have fans wondering what the big secret really is. According to reports, Matthew Lillard‘s character will share scenes with the Daily Bugle staff and reportedly have a biracial family, which led many fans to jump the gun and assume the Scream star was taking on the role of The Flash.
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It’s easy to see why people would assume this, because versions of Barry Allen’s family have been biracial in the past (both The CW’s The Flash series and WB’s The Flash movie had African American actresses playing Iris West). The rumor spread like wildfire despite only circumstantial evidence, and it’s reached the point where James Gunn has commented on it. When asked directly about the rumor that Lillard will play Barry Allen, the DC boss simply said, “No.” Naturally, this begs the question: then who is he playing? We have a guess, but it’s just that.
Matthew Lillard’s DCU Role Draws a James Gunn Response
It’s worth noting that Lillard’s role in Man of Tomorrow was technically something of a secret when it was confirmed to the world, but that itself doesn’t mean that he’s playing a major part in the DCU as a superhero or even a villain. Not long after he was confirmed, a photo from the set with Lillard and Gunn revealed him to be on set in a regular outfit and in a traditional office environment. Considering yesterday’s report revealed he would share scenes with staff members of The Daily Planet, like Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen (another unconfirmed detail), it seems likely that Lillard is… just playing a regular guy, maybe even a new reporter at the newspaper itself
Despite the debunking from Gunn himself, the theory that Lillard might be playing a different DC hero from The Flash does seem to have some weight to it. While plenty were convinced Lillard was the scarlet speedster, others thought maybe he would be playing the role of Ted Kord. The evidence in favor of this is that Xolo Maridueña will reprise his role as Blue Beetle from the 2023 movie, and that film set up the arrival of Kord in some form, but even then, it’s all just speculation.
With all of this in mind, it’s easy to see why fans assume that Lillard has a big part to play in the movie as well as the DCU itself. Not only is the actor a fan favorite, but he’s a frequent collaborator with Gunn himself. That said, at what point in the entirety of the DCU has DC Studios kept a major superhero’s role in a film a major secret? Never.
The casting of Superman, Lex Luthor, Mister Terrific, Guy Gardner, Supergirl, Lobo, and more were all announced without a veil that they might be playing someone else or that it was so secret no one could say. So far, only Adria Arjona’s has had some mystery, but even that came with the initial reports that she’s playing Maxima. To that end, as Gunn himself has pointed out about Man of Tomorrow: “People shouldn’t expect substantial amounts of other characters.”
What do you think? Is Matthew Lillard’s DC role some big secret or just a little part for an old friend of Gunn’s? Sound off in the comments below.
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