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It feels like yesterday when we were discussing Superman, the first big-screen entry in James Gunn’s rebooted DCU. Now Gunn is out, and Skydance (the company formed by the merger of Warner and Paramount) is already dismantling his grand plans for the DCU.
That means that Man of Tomorrow, which arrives next summer, will be the final entry in Gunn’s ambitious, and occasionally divisive, DC experiment. The DCU’s first chapter — officially titled ‘Gods and Monsters’ — gave us Supergirl and Clayface (as well as TV shows like Peacemaker S2 and Lanterns) in the run-up to Clark Kent and Lex Luthor‘s return.
Man of Tomorrow looks to be upping the stakes from Earthly villains to intergalactic baddies with the introduction of Brainiac, and it may well have been the herald of the first Justice League movie in the rebooted DCU.
Gunn has yet to prove audiences actually care about more than Batman and Supes, which might explain why this follow-up is also an ensemble of sorts. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe prepares to unleash Avengers: Doomsday, Secret Wars, and even a fresh X-Men reboot, their DC counterparts have always struggled to get their dream team off the ground.
We’ll never know what might have been, but we can still enjoy Gunn’s DC swansong when it lands in 2027. Here’s everything we know about James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow.
When is Man of Tomorrow coming out?
Man of Tomorrow will be released theatrically in the United States on July 9, 2027. Most international territories are expected to get it around the same time.
Only a few months after Superman’s release and successful box office run, DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures confirmed the sequel would be coming two years after Clark Kent’s return to the big screen.
How to watch Man of Tomorrow
Man of Tomorrow isn’t out yet, but you can watch the rest of the DCU so far (it’s pretty good for the most part) in preparation first.
When the movie hits theaters on July 9, 2027, it’ll likely remain exclusive to big screens for at least two or three months, depending on how successful it is.
With that said, we know Warner Bros. (now part of Skydance) isn’t the most patient when it comes to theatrical runs based on its track record, so the chances are Man of Tomorrow will hit HBO Max sooner rather than later, probably by early autumn 2027.
Is there a Man of Tomorrow trailer?
No, we’re still waiting for the first Man of Tomorrow trailer. Looking at the timeline of Superman’s fantastic marketing campaign, however, we can guess the sequel will get a first trailer before 2026 ends, probably in time for Christmas.
Is Brainiac the main villain in Man of Tomorrow?
Yes, James Gunn has officially confirmed Brainiac is the main threat Earth is facing in Man of Tomorrow. This explains why other heroes will be joining Superman in a fight against the alien mastermind, but the plot is looking a bit more complex.
In typical comic book fashion (and somewhat reminiscent of Thor: The Dark World), the main hook in Man of Tomorrow appears to be a reluctant alliance between the first movie’s villain, Lex Luthor, and Kal-El (aka Clark Kent). “Enemies to allies” is always a fun dynamic to have in a sequel, especially when stars David Corenswet (Superman) and Nicholas Hoult (Lex Luthor) delivered strong and memorable performances the first time around.
The actual plot remains under wraps, but we can guess Brainiac — one of DC’s biggest and most iconic alien villains — will be a tough nut to crack, thus requiring some sort of unofficial team-up that will include returning heroes like Mister Terrific, Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, John Stewart, Blue Beetle, and even Kara Zor-El (Supergirl). There are other names circling the project that could lead to even bigger appearances, but don’t expect to learn much about them before the movie’s marketing kicks off.
Why should you care about Brainiac? Well, he’s a super-intelligent techno-organic alien from the planet Colu with an obsession with knowledge and self-improvement. A perfect foe for Luthor, Earth’s greatest mind, but also a breath of fresh air for Superman, who’s been stuck battling either Kryptonian menaces or just Luthor too long on the big screen.
Who is in the cast of Man of Tomorrow?
As a direct continuation of Superman, Man of Tomorrow is bringing back plenty of actors in both main and supporting roles, including:
- David Corenswet (Superman / Clark Kent / Kal-El)
- Nicholas Hoult (Lex Luthor)
- Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane)
- Nathan Fillion (Guy Gardner / Green Lantern)
- Edi Gathegi (Michael Holt / Mister Terrific)
- Isabela Merced (Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl)
- Skyler Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen)
- Frank Grillo (Rick Flag Sr.)
- Sara Sampaio (Eve Teschmacher)
- María Gabriela de la Faría (Angela Spica / The Engineer)
- Neva Howell (Martha Kent)
- Pruitt Taylor Vince (Pa Kent)
- Wendell Pierce (Perry White)
New cast members with publicly announced (or previously established) characters include:
- Lars Eidinger (Brainiac)
- Aaron Pierre (John Stewart / Green Lantern)
- Milly Alcock (Kara Zor-El / Supergirl)
- Xolo Maridueña (Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle).
Last but not least, we also know Adria Arjona, Andre Royo, Matthew Lillard, and Sinqua Walls are part of the cast, but their parts remain a secret for now.
Who is Adria Arjona playing in Man of Tomorrow?
Much of the current Man of Tomorrow speculation centers on Adria Arjona’s role in the story. While many have theorized she could be playing Wonder Woman — something that neither Gunn nor Arjona has straight-up denied — the earlier reports and rumors suggested she could be Maxima.
Such a role would fit Gunn’s penchant for throwing lesser-known comic book heroes and villains into his movies wherever possible. If you’re not an avid reader or longtime DC fan, all you need to know is that Maxima is an alien conqueror from the planet Almerac obsessed with Superman as her perfect mate and king. She’s also morally ambiguous, at least when she first appeared, so that makes her a particularly interesting character to bring in for a more complex and nuanced sequel.
With Brainiac spearheading the roster of new DC icons joining Man of Tomorrow, it also isn’t hard to imagine another alien figure factoring into the plot, though the flick is getting extremely crowded as it is.
Is James Gunn returning to write and direct Man of Tomorrow?
Yes, James Gunn is the sole writer and director of Man of Tomorrow.
Despite his previous role as co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios, Gunn is extremely hands-on when it comes to most DCU projects. In fact, it seems he had already begun working on his next movie after Man of Tomorrow, though his unceremonious exit will almost certainly mean the end of those plans.
He’s also co-producing alongside Peter Safran, who was also ousted in November 2026’s DC Studios shakeup.
The rest of the crew includes Sam McCurdy (Peacemaker, Shogun) as cinematographer, Fred Raskin (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Supergirl) as editor, and David Fleming (Superman, Anaconda) as the main composer, among others.