James Gunn’s Next Superman Villain Is Finally Delivering on the Promise of Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel 2

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James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie (2025) is expected to revitalize the character, making him popular again. DC Studios is already planning to keep that momentum going with a sequel, currently titled Man of Tomorrow, scheduled for release in 2027.

Okay, so it’s pretty much a done deal: Brainiac is going to be the big bad in the next Superman movie, Superman: Man of Tomorrow. James Gunn himself has been hinting at it, which is huge news for those of us who’ve been following DC for years. Honestly, it’s thrilling to finally see Brainiac heading to live-action. But, and this is a bit of a bummer, fans of the old Zack Snyder universe have been wanting to see Superman battle Brainiac since 2013, so while it’s exciting, there’s a little bit of ‘what could have been’ hanging over it.

Early plans for a Man of Steel sequel featured the villain Brainiac releasing all the prisoners from the Phantom Zone, including Faora-Ul, who would have lived after the first movie. The idea was that the escaped prisoners, facing the threat Brainiac posed to everyone, would eventually team up with Superman to defeat him. Later, Henry Cavill and director Christopher McQuarrie (known for Mission: Impossible – Fallout) proposed a version that also included the Green Lantern Corps.

Henry [likely referring to Henry Cavill] had an interesting perspective on the characters, and it struck me how much Superman and Green Lantern had in common, creating potential for great conflict,” McQuarrie explained on the HSC Podcast. “This also opened up possibilities for a story that could really expand the universe.”

Man of Steel 2 Would’ve Been A DC Sci-Fi Epic (With Heart)

It’s interesting that both potential storylines for a Man of Steel sequel aimed to tell a large-scale, science fiction-driven Superman story, while also making the hero relatable by showing him as an inspiring leader – even to villains. The sequel also offered a chance to explore the darker side of Krypton and how Clark Kent/Kal-El would reconcile that with his life as an Earthling.

Zack Snyder envisioned a grand, multi-film arc for Superman, starting with Man of Steel and continuing through a planned Justice League trilogy. This story would have shown Henry Cavill’s Superman growing from a naive and imperfect hero into a true icon by learning from his mistakes and ultimately overcoming a possession by Darkseid’s Anti-Life Equation. Instead, audiences received a story focused on Superman’s death and resurrection, as depicted in Batman v Superman and Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Man of Tomorrow Can Still Convey the Thematic Heart of Man of Steel 2

I’m hearing some really interesting things about the new Superman movie, Man of Tomorrow. Apparently, Brainiac is going to be the big bad, and it’s forcing Superman – played by David Corenswet – to team up with Lex Luthor, who Nicholas Hoult is portraying. It sounds like they both want to save Earth from Brainiac, but the real drama will be seeing if Superman and Lex can actually work together, and how long that uneasy alliance will last. It’s a fascinating setup!

The planned story doesn’t stop James Gunn from making similar points to those in a potential Man of Steel 2. Gunn’s first Superman movie ended with the hero choosing his human upbringing as Clark Kent over his Kryptonian background – a background that was later established as having problematic, authoritarian roots. Because Brainiac’s history is often tied to Krypton, he could be used in a few ways. He could help Clark deal with his alien heritage, or even allow Gunn to address the criticism around Superman’s birth parents and their original mission for him. Perhaps Brainiac manipulated the message from Jor-El and Lara, attempting to control Kal-El and his purpose on Earth.

What excites me most about James Gunn taking the reins at DC is his ability to craft these huge, sprawling sci-fi stories that pull in all sorts of cosmic elements. But, crucially, he still seems focused on Superman becoming an even more inspiring hero – not just for Earth, but for the entire galaxy. Basically, it looks like those of us who loved Man of Steel probably won’t get a direct sequel, but Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow might actually give us the epic Superman story we were hoping for all along.

Superman: Man of Tomorrow is set for release on July 9, 2027.

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2025-11-19 16:10