Following the monumental success of Superman, DC Studios has quickly greenlit Man of Tomorrow, a cinematic sequel that promises to explore an uneasy alliance between Superman (David Corenswet) and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) against a much larger threat. Given Luthor’s well-established hatred for all things alien, many fans immediately pointed to Brainiac as the perfect antagonist for such a narrative. These rumors gained significant traction when director James Gunn shared a copy of the Man of Tomorrow script featuring a brain on its cover, an image that seemed to confirm the popular theory. However, the recently concluded second season of Peacemaker now points the entire DC Universe in a completely different direction. Gunn was adamant that the series would serve as a direct lead-in to Man of Tomorrow, and now that the season finale has aired, a new villain has emerged as the likely antagonist for Superman’s next film.
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Warning: Spoilers below for Peacemaker Season 2
In Peacemaker Season 2, we find out why Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) was so obsessed with the Quantum Unfolding Chamber. Instead of using the technology to find resources that could solve the world’s inequalities, the director of ARGUS is convinced that metahumans represent a threat bigger than institutions such as Belle Reve can ever contain. His plan, then, is to send every metahuman criminal to a different planet, which he baptized Salvation. Since Rick Flag Sr. found a planet that seems inhabitable, he can convince politicians to support his drastic measures, as metahumans would be allowed to have a life in Salvation, which could be sold as a sensitive solution to the public.
In the final moments of Peacemaker Season 2, Rick Flag Sr. takes revenge on Christopher Smith (John Cena) by forging documents to send him alone to Salvation as a volunteer. The scene underlines how Rick Flag Sr. is a villain in the DCU moving forward, but also teases that Salvation might not be as peaceful as it sounds. As soon as he’s alone on this new planet. Chris starts to hear creatures growling from all around him, as huge beasts move through the trees. That means Salvation is home to some unseen aliens, which are likely the threat Superman and Lex Luthor will have to fight side by side. Fortunately, the DC Comics Salvation Run storyline can give us some valuable clues about Man of Tomorrow and the DCU’s main storyline.
What Is DC Comics’ Salvation Run?
Salvation Run was a seven-issue limited series that began in 2007, serving as a tie-in to the major “Final Crisis” event. The premise, initiated by Amanda Waller and carried out by Rick Flag Sr. and the Suicide Squad, involved the mass capture of Earth’s supervillains. Tired of the endless cycle of breakouts from facilities like Arkham Asylum, the United States government decided to exile them all to a distant planet light-years away from Earth. Using Boom Tube technology, villains ranging from A-listers like Lex Luthor and the Joker to lesser-known criminals were transported to the planet Cygnus 4019, nicknamed Salvation. They were left with no supplies or equipment, as this would absolve the government of any responsibility for their fate.
Once stranded, the villains quickly descend into chaos, fracturing into opposing factions. One camp coalesces around Lex Luthor, who uses his intellect to try and devise a way back to Earth. Another falls under the unpredictable and violent leadership of the Joker, creating a brutal civil war among the castaways. Furthermore, the planet itself proved to be intensely hostile, populated by deadly creatures and strange mechanical traps that picked off the exiles one by one.
The horrifying truth about Salvation was that the planet was secretly a training ground for the New Gods of Apokolips, overseen by one of Darkseid’s most sadistic followers, DeSaad. DeSaad viewed the arrival of Earth’s villains as an unexpected opportunity. He unleashed his armies of Parademons to cull the weaker villains, intending to train the stronger survivors for his own dark purposes. This revelation drastically escalated the stakes, forcing Luthor’s faction to accelerate their plans for escape before they were all killed or enslaved by the forces of Apokolips. The storyline also firmly established Salvation as a direct outpost of Darkseid’s empire.
Is Darkseid the First Big Bad of the DCU?
The introduction of the planet Salvation in Peacemaker is far too specific to be a mere coincidence. Gunn even explicitly referenced the Salvation Run comic storyline in the show’s official podcast, all but confirming that the DCU will draw heavy inspiration from this source material. Since the series is designed to connect directly to Man of Tomorrow, it is highly probable that the movie’s central conflict will revolve around the Salvation initiative spiraling out of control. The monstrous sounds heard by Peacemaker suggest the planet is already home to Apokoliptian beasts, and the arrival of more metahumans from Earth could trigger a full-scale response from their master. An invasion of Earth by Apokolips’ Parademons, led by a field commander like DeSaad, is precisely the kind of overwhelming threat that would force Lex Luthor to accept help from Superman.
This direction would allow DC Studios to begin building towards a massive confrontation with Darkseid, the quintessential Justice League nemesis. Introducing his lieutenant, DeSaad, and the Parademons in Man of Tomorrow serves as the perfect first step in a larger cosmic war. Furthermore, DC Studios is currently developing an animated Mister Miracle series centered on the heroes and villains of the New Gods. While it remains unconfirmed if the series will be set in the main DCU or as an Elseworlds story, using the Salvation plotline in the cinematic universe allows Gunn to organically weave these characters into his overarching narrative. It establishes the forces of Apokolips as a foundational threat and sets the stage for an eventual battle against Darkseid himself.
Man of Tomorrow is set to be released on July 9, 2027.
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