James Gunn has announced that Superman: Man of Tomorrow will be the follow-up to his Superman reboot, which is a sharp about-face turn to his previous denials of a direct Superman sequel. Still, Gunn may be playing a game of semantics: the title “Man of Tomorrow” has an important meaning in DC lore, having previously been both a comic series and an animated film. As of writing this, all we know for sure is that David Corenswet’s Superman and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor will be more like frenemies in the film, and that Lex will get the upgrade of his iconic green power armor.

However, the question a lot of fans have is what kind of threat to the DCU would bring Superman and Lex together? We may not have that answer, but we can certainly share theories and hopes. There’s one DC villain who has never been seen in a live-action film, and bring the perfect mix of sci-fi menace and comic book grandeur that would make Man of Tomorrow a true event film, more so than a sequel.

Why Brainiac Is the Perfect Villain for Man of Tomorrow

DCU fan threads will tell you that there’s a clear consensus about who the villain of Superman: Man of Tomorrow will be, and it’s Brainiac. The villain had many revisions to his origin story over the years, but the basic framework is always the same: Brainiac is an artificial intelligence (or cybernetic) alien being that scours the cosmos collecting “samples” of civilizations by shrinking down entire cities and keeping them as part of his “menagerie.” The rest of the homeworlds are then annihilated to ensure that Brainiac’s sample becomes a priceless artifact.

Brainiac has shown up on Earth in various DC story arcs, more often than not interested in collecting the last Kryptonians around (Superman, Supergirl), as well as an Earth city (often Metropolis) for the collection. It’s sometimes taken the combined efforts of Superman and Lex Luthor to stop Brainiac; in other story arcs, Lex cuts an unholy deal with the alien collector that would put him in charge of the world, grant him advanced tech, knowledge, etc.

That comic book history is rich with material that Gunn can easily mine for a story for Man of Tomorrow. There are modern elements of Superman lore that fit in nicely to a Brainiac storyline, like a recent story arc where Lex Luthor promoted Superman to head of “Supercorp,” and redirected all former Luthorcorp assets toward helping the Man of Steel better the world on a larger scale, while Lex pays his penance in a prison cell. Of course, Lex has more than jailhouse altruism up his sleeve; in the comics, that involved a deep history with some new baddies (Dr. Pharm and Graft), but in a major DCU film, Brainiac would be swapped in as the true mastermind behind all the calamities SuperCorp is combating. It would also set up an exciting third act where Lex Luthor’s allegiances either shift (or not), further developing him as a major villain with a significant arc in the DCU.

Brainiac also unites Superman and Lex, thematically: for Superman it’s another dark corner of his Kryptonian heritage coming back to haunt him (especially if Gunn uses a Brainiac origin story tied to Krypton). For Luthor, it’s an alien intellect to go up against, a challenge that Superman would need Lex’s mind to help beat (not just his own fists). It’s also an obvious temptation for Luthor to try to seize technology or resources that could advance his own knowledge, technological prowess, and power hold. Finally, Brainiac, as an alien invader threatening the entire Earth, would draw out many characters of the DCU we’ll have met up to that point, from the Superman family, to Earth’s Green Lanterns, the Justice Gang, A.R.G.U.S. and more.

In terms of performance, Brainiac has had some of the best and creepiest depictions of any DC villain. His ability to “upload” into new clone bodies, “plug in” his brain to his ship, the range of cybernetic/robotic abilities he can unleash, and his overall creature design are all iconic. Brainiac also has many layers and a good deal of complexity to his character, and would be a juicy role for any talented thespian to take on. His ship and the general sci-fi (and slight horror) vibes he brings would provide both spectacle and stakes needed for a Superman sequel(?) film.

This one seems like an easy win for Gunn: give fans the major DC villain they’ve been waiting decades to see – a villain that also happens to serve as the perfect foe for Superman and Lex, as well as a worldly threat big enough to justify the larger DCU creeping into the story.

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Superman: Man of Tomorrow has a release date of July 9, 2027. p