Is Brainiac the new villain in ‘Superman: Man of Tomorrow’? Details explored

Brainiac is the new villain in Superman: Man of Tomorrow, James Gunn's next entry in the DCU and the follow-up to the 2025 hit Superman movie. The update reported by The Wrap comes after speculations that he would be the next villain would be Brainiac, following Gunn's teaser of the script featuring a brain.

Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, Braniac first appeared in Action Comics #242 back in 1958. He's one of Superman's most iconic enemies. However, Brainiac hasn't been featured in a live-action movie, although there have been plans to adapt it into a feature film.

According to MovieWeb, Braniac has been considered for Tim Burton's Superman Lives and for Zack Snyder's Man of Steel 2 before the plan eventually became Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. But in Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Brainiac will finally make it to the big screen.

That said, no casting details about who will play the villain have been confirmed. James Gunn nor Warner Bros. have commented on the story just yet. But according to an exclusive from The Wrap, production for Superman: Man of Tomorrow will start in April in Atlanta. The movie is set to come out in cinemas on July 9, 2027.

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More details on Superman: Man of Tomorrow

James Gunn first unveiled his next project in the Superman saga back in September. He made the announcement on his Instagram on September 3 alongside a drawing by DC head Jim Lee. It features Superman with Lex Luther in his green and purple mech suit leaning against each other.

The upcoming movie will be the first time Luthor's armored suit will be featured in a live-action movie, but it has been seen in comics and animation for some time. But while it follows up on his Superman film, Gunn said that the next feature won't be a direct sequel. Instead, he said that it will feature characters whom audiences already know from Superman.

Lex Luthor (Image via Warner Bros.)

He told The Hollywood Reporter in August:

"I've already finished the treatment for the next story in what I'll call the 'Superman Saga.' I'm working on that and hopefully going into production on that not too far away from today."

But while the Superman director has teased and shared the title and release date for the next movie in the 'saga,' there is not much information about the plot of Superman: Man of Tomorrow. That said, a Variety report on September 10 said that Gunn teased that the next movie will be about "Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat."

He said that it's a big part of the story, but that the plot is "more complicated" than that. He said:

"I really wanted to create someone extraordinary with the two of them [Lex and Superman]. I just love the script so much."

Gunn added that Superman: Man of Tomorrow is as much a Superman movie as it is a Lex Luthor movie.

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Stay tuned for more news and updates on the upcoming movie as the year progresses.

Edited by Kinette Sumadia