The DCU Just Dropped a Bombshell About Man of Tomorrow (& Changed Its Main Character for Good)

Superman is finally streaming on HBO Max, allowing fans who couldn’t make it out to theaters the chance to watch James Gunn’s first film in the DC Universe. All the magic of the movie is still present, with David Corenswet’s Man of Steel being just as charismatic on at home. It’s hard to believe that a character so great could be preparing to take a back seat in only his second movie, but that’s the direction that Gunn is going in. The follow-up to Superman, Man of Tomorrow, will hand the spotlight over to Lex Luthor, who makes quite the first impression in his DCU debut.

Lex is as evil as he’s ever been in Superman, killing a man just because he dared to offer the titular hero a hand. Fortunately, the villain gets what’s coming to him at the end of the movie when his plan backfires and the authorities apprehend him. That seemed like it would be the end for Lex until he returned in Man of Tomorrow, but Gunn just made good on his promise of the latest episode of Peacemaker being a wild one.

Rick Flag Sr. Gets Inside the Mind of a Villain in Peacemaker Season 2

Despite taking over for Amanda Waller, Rick Flag Jr. is falling into the same trap as his predecessor by letting personal vendettas cloud his judgment. Of course, he wants to take out Peacemaker, the man responsible for killing his son, and he’s using the hunt for the anti-hero’s Quantum Unfolding Chamber as an excuse. With Peacemaker in the wind in Season 2, Episode 6, the only thing that Flag can think to do is reach out to someone who has experience with pocket universes: Lex. A trip to Belle Reeve puts the head of A.R.G.U.S. in the same room as the villain, who’s seen better days, using a cane after his run-in with Krypto at the end of Superman.

Lex doesn’t have anything nice to say about his stay at Belle Reeve, mostly because he’s in the same prison as a couple of metahumans who can’t keep their hands off of each other. Flag’s visit makes Lex push his luck, as he offers a way to track Peacemaker’s portal in exchange for his release. Flag might be desperate, but he’s not ready to let Lex free, so the best he can give him is a transfer to Van Kull Prison, which, in the comic books, is in Metropolis. While being so close to home, yet still in a cell, probably doesn’t sound appealing to most, Lex is a savvy individual with numerous connections.

Read Next

James Gunn Just Confirmed a Disgusting Superman Detail, And Now Every DC Fan Will Think About It

Lex Luthor Will Be in Prime Position to Torment Superman When Man of Tomorrow Kicks Off

It remains to be seen if Lex returns in Peacemaker Season 2. Flag could need to visit him again if the tracker doesn’t work or to renegotiate the terms of the deal. Whether he does or not, the show doesn’t have to do much more to set the stage for Man of Tomorrow. Gunn has already revealed that a threat will force Lex and Superman to work together, but it’s hard to believe that the hero would ever let his arch-enemy out of the slammer. The more likely scenario is that, since Lex is so close by, he uses some kind of catastrophic event in Metropolis as a means to escape and shave off a couple of centuries off his sentence.

Lex, of course, isn’t going to be at full strength, and that’s probably going to be a tough pill to swallow for him while standing next to a buff alien. To even the playing field, he’ll have to put together his iconic power suit that he’s donning in all of the Man of Tomorrow artwork. The appearance of Nicholas Hoult’s character in Peacemaker is so shocking that it’s hard to focus on what he’s talking about and whether it has anything to do with Superman‘s sequel. However, every word he utters carries considerable weight because he’s about to become just as important to the DCU as the hero who haunts his every waking moment.

Peacemaker Season 2 is streaming on HBO Max.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!