‘Man of Tomorrow’ Brainiac theories spark from James Gunn’s latest tease

Has the villain of James Gunn’s Superman follow-up been confirmed? Fans certainly think so.

A new social media post from the writer, director, and DC Studios co-head sparked new theories on Monday about Man of Tomorrow, the upcoming movie in Gunn’s Superman Saga. The filmmaker shared an image of the cover page of the script, which includes an X-ray vision point of view of a person’s brain.

Brain. Brainiac. You can see why comic enthusiasts are digging in.

Gunn himself has not confirmed the arrival of Brainiac as of yet. Entertainment Weekly reached out to reps for DC and Gunn for comment.

What is confirmed is that David Corenswet will return as the Man of Steel and Nicholas Hoult will return as Lex Luthor. The two actors and Gunn shared various comic book imagery in the initial announcement of the film, all depicting Superman’s adversary in his classic green war suit.

Speaking on the Ringer-Verse podcast, Gunn said he’s interested in exploring the “incredibly heroic” side of Luthor. “I think I’m just more interested in getting into the heart of Lex and seeing how he fits into all of this,” he said. “I think getting to know more of Lex as a human being.”

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In a separate appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Gunn called Man of Tomorrow “a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat.”

He continued, “It’s more complicated than that, but that’s a big part of it. It’s as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie. I loved working with Nicholas Hoult. I relate to the character of Lex, sadly. I really wanted to create something extraordinary with the two of them. I just love the script so much.”

The movie will follow Peacemaker season 2, which is currently airing weekly on HBO Max; and next year’s Supergirl, which is slated for release on June 26, 2026. Man of Tomorrow is on the calendar for release in theaters on July 9, 2027.