For a comic book character who’s been around for what will soon be a century of existence, Superman is usually perceived as having a pretty anemic Rogue’s Gallery of villains—and especially in film. Sure, sometimes you’ll get a Doomsday or a General Zod in the mix, heavy hitters that can match the Man Of Steel punch for punch. But filmmakers seem almost pathologically unwilling to branch out from Lex Luthor for long when it comes to picking a Super Baddie, drawn in by the obvious parallels between the humble alien reporter and the massively envious human billionaire. Now, though, one of Supes’ heaviest hitters is reportedly going to get a chance to shine, as The Wrap reports that James Gunn has supposedly selected Brainiac as the villain in his new Superman (and Luthor) film, Man Of Tomorrow.
We note “supposedly” because no specific sources have been cited here, and Gunn is never shy about using social media to slap down rumors and theorymongering amongst fans. (Today, his Threads feed is just him posting a hermit crab video, so presumably he hasn’t seen this latest round of speculation—although he did ask people not to read into things too much a few days ago, when he reposted a comics vlog about Brainiac.) Fans have already been speculating that the character would be the villain in the 2027 film in any case, largely on account of being one of the few Superman foes who can match the Kryptonian on sheer might, and Luthor on mental power. (It’s not like Toyman is going to stand up to these two guys for very long.)
Created in 1958, the character of Brainiac has evolved a lot over the years, but the basic details remain the same: He’s an alien, he’s immensely powerful, and he’s generally obsessed with collecting knowledge and, in some cases, actual populations, from the planets he visits and then destroys. (His most notorious act, in almost any continuity, is shrinking the Kryptonian city of Kandor and placing it inside a bottle.) In essence, the Big B marries Luthor’s icy arrogance with the threat of a full-blown alien invasion—to the extent that the pair have often been depicted either teaming up, warring to be intellectually superior to each other, or both. The Wrap report quotes past comments from Gunn indicating that it would take a true threat to get Luthor (who’s in an increasingly cushy position after the events of Peacemaker‘s second season) to team up with “the alien,” and Brainiac certainly fits that bill.
Gunn recently posted a picture of the first draft for Man Of Tomorrow on social media, showcasing, among other things, the prominent picture of a human brain he’d decided to put on the cover. The film is set to go into production in April of 2026.
