After months of speculation, fan-castings and rumors, James Gunn finally confirmed that Brainiac will be the main villain Man of Tomorrow, played by Lars Eidinger. The news came as a bit of a surprise, given that just days prior, the DC Studios co-CEO had stated he'd never said that Braninac was in the movie. Now, however, he was explained why the announcement was made.
On Threads, a fan asked Gunn a question that has since been deleted. The DC Studios co-CEO responded with a clarification, explaining that The Batman: Part II is a DC Studios product, and that him and Peter Safran are producers on it. That, however, is known information. Most importantly, he revealed that the reason for Lars Eidinger being announced as Brainiac was because he was aware the news would eventually find their way online:
"Batman Part II is a DC Studios film, and Peter and I are producers. But generally we don't have a ton of announcements about any movie that isn't even in production yet. Things like the Lars as Brainiac announcement were because we knew it was going to get out there."
His response sparked a conversation around another topic: Clayface being featured in The Batman: Part II. In response to his comment, a fan asked Gunn if it had been true that Matt Reeves wanted to feature a realistic version of Clayface in The Batman: Part II, but was not allowed to due to the character's upcoming DCU film, directed by James Watkins and starring Tom Rhys Harries. Gunn denied this, stating The Batman sequel script had not changed since its inception:
"What? Where does this stuff come from? No, it's the same exact script it has been from the beginning."
For context regarding the fan's question, Clayface was, at one point, heavily rumored to be the villain in The Batman sequel, with his inclusion even being reported by Deadline. All the way back in 2023—prior to The Batman: Part II being delayed to 2027 and DC Studios' Clayface being officially greenlit—Deadline reported that Mike Flanagan had pitched his Clayface project to DC. The trade stated the villain was meant to figure into Matt Reeves' The Batman sequel in a significant way:
"That said, other sources are telling us that scripts are constantly changing, and that Clayface is a big addition to Matt Reeves’ The Batman 2. Let's wait until the dust settles here and something moves forward. It remains to be seen whether Clayface is a connection between The Batman 2 elseworld and Gunn and Safran's feature and series sprawling DC's Gods and Monsters – Chapter One."
Then, in March 2025, Batman-on-Film Editor-in-Chief Bill Ramey said that, "apparently," Clayface was initially supposed to be the villain in The Batman: Part II, before he was set to star in his own DC Studios production:
"As far as [Clayface] being in the Reevesverse, I thought it could at first because Matt Reeves is producing. But it seems that it is indeed DCU, and that Reeves is producing because he came up with the idea. Apparently, Clayface was going to be in The Batman: Part II at one time, then shifted to being a Reevesverse spinoff film, and then morphed into a DCU project. Perhaps that's where all the rumors about Clayface being in [The Batman: Part 2] came from?"
Prior that statement, in 2024, Gunn debunked Clayface (and Scarecrow) appearing in The Batman: Part II responding to a fan on Threads: "Firstly, no. Secondly, couldn't be the case as there hasn't yet been a first draft of a script."
Clayface is scheduled to release on September 11, 2026. The Batman: Part II will glide into theaters on October 1, 2027.
Would you like to see The Batman universe be merged with the DCU? Which movie are you most excited about: Clayface or The Batman: Part II? Let me know in the comments!