Through all the doubts, reservations and reviews, director James Gunn’s Superman became a statement for him and DC Studios’ new and improved vision. The film made over $600 million (Rs 5926 crore) worldwide, which prompted the filmmaker to quickly begin the production of the sequel, Superman: Man of Tomorrow. In a recent interview, Gunn divulged some more information about the upcoming film and how it will change certain relationships between the characters established in the first one.
In a conversation with podcast host Howard Stern, Gunn talked about his plans for Man of Tomorrow and said, “It’s going to be out in two years, July 9, 2027, which is a relatively short time between sequels, because we knew immediately where we were going. It is a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together, to a certain degree, against a much, much bigger threat. And it’s more complicated than that. It’s as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie. I relate to the character of Lex Luthor, sadly.”
Now, while James Gunn won’t lose a second’s sleep over releasing just one piece of information from the whole plot, fans have started speculating about the identity of this bigger threat. All things considered, Brainiac fits the bill perfectly. The techno-organic supervillain has faced the Man of Steel a number of times and has forced Superman to join forces with his rivals in order to beat him. For example, the parallel world of Injustice is built around a premise much similar to Civil War in the MCU. Batman and Superman take two different sides in an argument, and even after hundreds of comrades are lost, the two come together for the sake of beating the hyper-intelligent Brainiac.
The Colu planet native is a viable option for Gunn, and his entry would be perfect considering MCU just introduced a very similar character in their world, Galactus, even though they got rid of him in one movie. Lex Luthor considers himself the smartest man on the planet, and except for Batman in the comics, there are few characters who can match his intellect. Brainiac’s entry into the narrative will push the easily jealous Lex into action, and Gunn even talked about how that one emotion drives the character of the otherwise smart individual.
He said, “That’s the centre of Lex for me. Three years ago, before Superman came along, he was considered the greatest guy in the world, even with other metahumans and superheroes in the world. And then in one fell swoop, this guy comes in wearing a silly costume, with dimples, and a charming smile, and a great chin, and he’s forgotten.”
While Brainiac seems like the logical step forward, the Kryptonian has a long list of enemies to choose from. Maybe we get a little Bizarro action, maybe Lobo comes around, or maybe Christmas will decide to come in July, and we see either Darkseid or Doomsday.
