Man of Tomorrow writer and director James Gunn has taken to social media to share a first look at Nicholas Hoult wearing Lex Luthor's iconic Warsuit from the comics.
First teased in artwork released when the Superman sequel was announced, it's a striking design that's been brought to life here with practical effects, not CGI. However, there are a couple of noteworthy changes in this live-action rendition.
For starters, Lex appears to be wearing some sort of protective bubble around his head. Based on the setting—it could be Mars, for all we know—that isn't hugely surprising, but it gives this more of a space suit feel than something he'll be fighting Superman in (not that we have any doubt they'll collide at some point).
The second big talking point is the A.R.G.U.S. logo on his chest. The artwork released last year had the same power battery design as the comics. However, it's clear now that Lex is working for Rick Flag Sr. in Man of Tomorrow, which is likely why he's no longer in prison after nearly destroying Metropolis.
That means this suit was almost certainly created with A.R.G.U.S. technology, not whatever remains of LuthorCorp. It's also worth noting that, with cameras now rolling in outdoor locations, we could be about to see this Warsuit on the set of Man of Tomorrow.
"The story in Man of Tomorrow, it is slightly tonally different from Superman," Gunn previously teased. "Superman’s more comic-booky in some ways than Man of Tomorrow, and it has to do with the dual characters of Lex and Superman at the center of Man of Tomorrow and other things."
He continued, "I think I'm just more interested in getting into the heart of Lex and seeing how he fits into all of this. I think getting to know more of Lex as a human being. I think we saw a lot about the evil part of Lex. He's pretty evil. I think he, as a character, is really interesting. There's something, despite everything, that is incredibly heroic about Lex."
"Take aside morality, which is hard to do, but here is this guy who’s saying, 'You can hold up a building. You can shoot down planes with your eyes. F*** you, I'm going to kick your ass because I'm better than you.’ I can't help but admire his tenacity and his ego," Gunn admitted. "I mean, his ambition is beyond compare."
In Man of Tomorrow, Superman will be forced to team up with Lex Luthor to battle Brainiac, a threat not just to Metropolis but the entire world.
Written and directed by James Gunn, previously announced stars include David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Lars Eidinger as Brainiac, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag, Sr., Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific.
Andre Royo, Matthew Lillard, Sinqua Walls, and Adria Arjona recently joined the cast, though we still don't know for sure whether the latter is playing Maxima or Wonder Woman. There's also speculation about Eva De Dominici playing one of those characters.
Man of Tomorrow arrives in theaters on July 9, 2027.