We now have confirmation that Brainiac will make his big-screen debut in James Gunn's Man of Tomorrow.
According to The Wrap, the powerful, super-smart cyborg will indeed be the main villain in Gunn's Superman follow-up, and will be introduced as the potentially world-ending threat that forces the Man of Steel (David Corenswet) and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) to put their differences aside and team-up to oppose.
Many fans had assumed that Brainiac would be the movie's big bad, anyway, since Gunn appeared to hint at the character when he shared an image of a medical X-ray with an exposed brain on the first page of his script. Nexus Point News also shared the following details of a casting breakdown: "Makeup and prosthetics will be used for the film’s antagonist. In addition, actors with a strong build and stature are being looked at for the role."
"Listen, of course I wasn't unaware that when I posted the cover of the script that there was going to be discussion around that particular topic. But I think we'll hold off from what exactly is happening," Gunn said when asked about the page during a recent interview.
Brainiac has showed up in DC-based shows such as Smallville and Krypton, but Man of Tomorrow will mark his first feature appearance. It remains to be seen how the character will be introduced in MOT, but there's a good chance it will have something to do with the events of the Peacemaker season 2 finale.
Gunn has previously confirmed that the Quantum Unfolding Chamber Rick Flag Sr. used to discover Salvation is "non-human," which could suggest that Brainiac will come to Earth to recover his technology.
Man of Tomorrow will hit theaters on July 9, 2027. Production is expected to get underway next summer.
Superman also stars Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho (we wouldn't be at all surprised if they also return for Man of Tomorrow).
The cast also features Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell as "Ma" and "Pa" Kent, and Milly Alcock's Supergirl makes her DCU debut ahead of her own Woman of Tomorrow movie.
"And that’s a wrap," Gunn posted last year when filming concluded. "God bless our cast and crew whose commitment, creativity, and hard work have brought this project to life. I set out to make a movie about a good man in a world that isn’t always so much. And the goodness and kindness and love I’ve encountered on a daily basis on the set has inspired me and thrust me forward when I felt too spent to move on my own.
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It has been an honor. The destination has been Superman, but the journey has been the toil and the laughter and the emotions and ideas and magic we’ve shared together on set - and for that I am forever grateful."
You can check out a synopsis for the movie below.
"In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind."