James Gunn shares image of finished script for Man of Tomorrow – and fans are convinced it reveals who the DCU movie's villain is

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A brain teaser if ever there was one

A screenshot of the front page of the second draft for James Gunn's Man of Tomorrow movie
James Gunn might have dropped a huge clue about the identity of Man of Tomorrow's villain (Image credit: James Gunn/Instagram)
  • James Gunn has seemingly dropped a big hint about who'll be the villain of Man of Tomorrow
  • A new image of the movie's script was shared online by the DC Studios co-CEO
  • DC fans are convinced its front page teases the identity of its Big Bad

A new teaser image for Man of Tomorrow has whipped DC fans into a frenzy over the potential identity of its primary villain.

Taking to social media yesterday (September 22), DC Studios co-chief James Gunn shared a new picture of the completed second draft for his Superman sequel. And, it's the front page of said screenplay that's convinced DC comic book fans that the identity of the movie's Big Bad is hiding in plain sight.

Potentially big spoilers immediately follow for Man of Tomorrow. Turn back now if you're avoiding them.

The script, which you can see in the Instagram post above, doesn't actually reveal who'll be the primary antagonist of the DC Universe (DCU) film. However, the anatomical image that adorns its front page, which shows a vertical slice of a person's head with their brain on display, has swayed fans into believing that the DCU Chapter One flick's Big Bad is Brainiac.

Indeed, threads on various Reddit pages, such as r/DCU_Leaks and r/DC_Cinematic, the ResetEra forums, and social media apps are awash with comments from users claiming that this has to be a Brainiac-based tease.

Of course, this could just be Gunn, who knows full well that fans will read anything and everything into the tiniest tease, could be trolling all of us. Sections of the DCU fanbase think that's the case, too, with some suggesting that the image is a reference to Lex Luthor. Man of Tomorrow is expected be as much of a character study of Superman's archnemesis as it is of the iconic Kryptonian. So, the script's anatomical image might imply we'll learn more about Luthor's inner workings and what makes him tick in Gunn's Superman sequel.

Comment from r/DCULeaks

If Gunn is teasing Brainiac's DCU debut, though, this isn't the first time it's been hinted that he'll be Man of Tomorrow's main villain.

Speaking to Howard Stern earlier in September, Gunn confirmed a major fan theory about Man of Tomorrow's plot – that being, Superman and Luthor having to work together to defeat a common foe. There are other cosmic threats in DC Comics that this film's story could be based around. However, Brainiac certainly fits the bill as someone so dangerous that they'd force Clark Kent/Kal-El and Luthor to form an uneasy alliance to defend planet Earth.

Anyway, you can learn more about Brainiac in my Man of Tomorrow announcement article, which contains four big fan theories about the upcoming superhero flick. Once you're done there, check out my dedicated guide on Man of Tomorrow, which reveals more about its confirmed release date, likely cast, possible plot details, and more.

But, what do you think? Does this all but confirm Brainiac is Superman 2's villain? Or are we barking up the wrong tree? Let me know in the comments.

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Tom Power
Senior Entertainment Reporter

As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.


An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot.


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