Man of Tomorrow will reportedly star a classic Superman foe – now it's time for James Gunn to comment on the worst-kept secret in Hollywood

A Jim Lee illustration of Lex Luthor in his powersuit with Superman leaning against him

Superman and Lex Luthor are set to join forces to battle Man of Tomorrow's Big Bad (Image credit: Jim Lee/James Gunn/Instagram)

Man of Tomorrow's primary villain has apparently been revealed
It's someone who's been long rumored to appear in the DCU movie
James Gunn is yet to comment on this new report

Another day, another Man of Tomorrow villain report – and it sounds like we were right about the film's Big Bad all along.

Per The Wrap, Brainiac will be the main antagonist of James Gunn's next DC Universe (DCU) movie. The outlet doesn't say where it got its information from but, considering The Wrap has a good track record when it comes to exclusively revealing details about new movies and TV shows ahead of time, there's bound to be more than an element of truth to it.

Brianiac's apparent installation as the primary foe in Gunn's Superman sequel film won't shock DCU devotees. Indeed, an intense wave of speculation has surrounded the identity of the movie's villain-in-chief ever since Gunn revealed the official title for his Superman follow-up.

In September, Gunn confirmed a big fan theory about Man of Tomorrow by admitting Supes and archnemesis Lex Luthor would be forced to work together to combat a common threat. According to fans, that was our first big clue that a supervillain like Brainiac would be public enemy #1 in the comic book flick.

Later that same month, Gunn shared an image of Man of Tomorrow's finished script that further convinced fans of Brainiac's involvement. More recently, a new report revealed more details about Man of Tomorrow's predicted villain, which included a physical description of a character that sounded like Brainiac. Right now, then, all signs point towards the super-intelligent android being the the film's main antagonist.

Opinion: It's time for Gunn to confirm the identity of Man of Tomorrow's villain

A screenshot of Brainiac sitting with his hands clasped and his head attached to wires in a DC comic book panel — It's looking increasingly likely that Brainiac will be Man of Tomorrow's main villain (Image credit: DC Comics)

Of course, the big question now is whether Superman and Luthor will indeed square off against Brainiac – and there are only a handful of people who can verify if this is the case.

While he's usually quick to confirm and deny rumors regarding Warner Bros' rebooted comic book-inspired franchise, Gunn had yet to comment on The Wrap's report at the time of my writing this article. Whether it's Threads, X/Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, the DC Studios co-CEO tends to corroborate reports, especially those from L.A-based publications, such as The Wrap, soon after they're published.

Admittedly, according to his social media accounts, he's just returned from a well-deserved holiday. Based on the times of his latest posts on each platform, he hasn't been on any of them since The Wrap's report dropped, either. It's possible, then, that Gunn might pass judgement on the aforementioned article shortly.

And, in my view, he should do so. Sure, he could stay quiet and let fan discussions around Brainiac's possible live-action debut continue. And, okay, not everyone is as terminally online as DCU fanatics or journalists like myself, so keeping schtum on the matter won't spoil the surprise for general cinephiles well ahead of the DCU Chapter One movie's planned July 2027 launch.

Still, Brainiac's likely appearance in Man of Tomorrow now appears to be one of Hollywood's worst-kept secrets; and, frankly, Gunn's silence on the topic speaks volumes in itself. The forthcoming flick is also bound to be full of other big reveals and surprises, so sitting on this particular secret until the film is released isn't going to make or break anything.

While we wait to see if Gunn raises his head above the parapet, find out everything we know so far about Man of Tomorrow. Don't forget to watch its forebear and Peacemaker season 2, either, both of which are out now on HBO Max, and which are integral to setting up Gunn's next project.

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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.

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.

Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.

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