James Gunn sent the DCU fandom into a frenzy when he shared a photo of Man of Tomorrow‘s script with an X-ray of a person’s brain. Immediately, our thoughts went to the obvious answer: Brainiac.
Now, reputed insider Daniel Richtman, aka DanielRPK, has reported that not only is Brainiac confirmed to be the villain in the Superman sequel, but the character’s casting is also nearly done. He added that an offer has been sent out by DC (via X):
Brainiac casting is reportedly nearly done for ‘MAN OF TOMORROW’ An offer has been sent out by DC(via: @DanielRPK) pic.twitter.com/qwWaGHIFvL— ScreenTime (@screentime) December 14, 2025
After Gunn’s photo went viral on the superhero side of Instagram, he addressed the move in a conversation with EW, stating, “Listen, of course I wasn’t unaware that when I posted the cover of the script that there was going to be discussion around that particular topic. But I think we’ll hold off from what exactly is happening.“
Well, we find it hard to believe that the mastermind behind DCU’s new, successful era didn’t think about the result of his actions. With the clue he intentionally or unintentionally dropped, as well as DanielRPK’s latest report, we are bracing ourselves for Brainiac’s entry into the DCU.
Who Could Be James Gunn’s Brainiac?
Now that we have established that Brainiac is going to be a part of DCU, at least according to reports and speculations, the next thing to think about is the man who will bring the genius to life.
According to Nexus Point News, three actors are reportedly in the running: Matt Smith, Claes Bang, and Sam Rockwell. The report stated,
“Sources tell Nexus Point News that Claes Bang, Matt Smith, and Sam Rockwell are among those on the short list for the highly anticipated Superman antagonist.”
However, NPN added back then that no offer had been made. On the other hand, as mentioned above, DanielRPK’s report states that an offer has been sent out.
If those names aren’t enough, insider Jeff Sneider claimed that Dave Bautista‘s name has also come up in the conversation as a frontrunner (via CosmicBookNews). It was previously reported that Gunn is looking for actors with a “strong build and stature” for the role (via NPN). If that’s the case, then Bautista might be the one.
What James Gunn Has Said About Man of Tomorrow
Nicholas Hoult and David Corenswet in Superman | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures
After the success of Superman, fans are eagerly waiting to see what Gunn does next with the sequel. Judging by what the DCU boss has said about Man of Tomorrow so far, we already know it’s going to be yet another hit.
Gunn appeared on The House of R podcast to discuss Peacemaker, where he opened up about what fans should expect from the sequel. Before we get into what he said, let’s refresh our memory.
Superman ended with Nicholas Hoult‘s Lex Luthor getting caught red-handed. Once again, good won over evil, but that was not the end of Luthor. According to Gunn, the sequel will focus on both the villain we love and David Corenswet‘s hero.
He stated,
The story in ‘Man of Tomorrow‘, it is slightly tonally different from ‘Superman‘… ‘Superman‘s’ more comic-booky in some ways than ‘Man of Tomorrow‘, and it has to do with the dual characters of Lex and Superman at the center of ‘Man of Tomorrow‘ and other things.
Talking about where Luthor fits into the story, Gunn added that he is really excited to figure it out:
I think I’m just more interested in getting into the heart of Lex and seeing how he fits into all of this. I think getting to know more of Lex as a human being. I think we saw a lot about the evil part of Lex. He’s pretty evil… I think he, as a character, is really interesting. There’s something, despite everything, that is incredibly heroic about Lex……Take aside morality, which is hard to do, but here is this guy who’s saying, ‘You can hold up a building. You can shoot down planes with your eyes. F*ck you, I’m going to kick your a*s because I’m better than you.’ I can’t help but admire his tenacity and his ego. I mean, his ambition is beyond compare.
Lastly, Gunn stated on The Howard Stern Show, “It’s a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat.” Could that “much bigger threat” be Brainiac?
What are your thoughts on the upcoming sequel? Do you think Gunn will nail this one, too? Let us know in the comments section below!
Man of Tomorrow will be released on July 09, 2027.
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