DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has just shared a first look at Man of Tomorrow's script, and he appears to be teasing—or even confirming—the long-awaited DCU debut of Brainiac.
It's hard to say what other conclusion we should draw from the vintage medical illustration of a human head's anatomy. It might be a reference to Lex Luthor's intelligence or a way of comparing his human physiology to the alien Superman.
However, Brainiac would be a worthy choice of foe to bring Superman and Lex together as reluctant allies.
The Superman sequel will see the latter don his green and purple War Suit from the comics, with Lois Lane, Hawkgirl, Supergirl, and Peacemaker among those expected to appear in the next chapter of Gunn's "Superman Saga."
Fans have spent years waiting to see Brainiac on the big screen. The villain has appeared in TV shows like Smallville and Krypton, but we've yet to see a worthy interpretation of one of Superman's greatest foes in theaters. If he is in Man of Tomorrow, Brainiac should pose a physical threat to the Man of Steel, and an intellectual one to Lex.
In the comics, Brainiac is an alien android from the planet Colu with a 12th-level intellect. Obsessed with collecting all knowledge in the universe, he shrinks and steals cities, including Krypton's Kandor, storing them in bottles.
His abilities include super-intelligence, technopathy, and shape-shifting. Frequently clashing with the Justice League, he seeks to assimilate all data, often at the cost of entire civilisations, and Brainiac's relentless pursuit of knowledge and lack of empathy have cemented his status as one of the DC Universe's most dangerous threats.
During a recent interview with Howard Stern, Gunn said, "It’s a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat. It’s more complicated than that but that’s a big part of it."
"It’s as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie. I loved working with Nicholas Hoult. I relate to the character of Lex, sadly," the filmmaker continued. "I really wanted to create something extraordinary with the two of them. I just love the script so much.”
On social media, Gunn shared, "As I've said countless times, you can watch every project by itself, of course (just like you can watch Peacemaker by itself or watch Superman without seeing Creature Commandos). But Man of Tomorrow and [Peacemaker season 2] are very, very connected."
Check out Gunn's Man of Tomorrow tease in the Instagram post below.