Superman put the Man of Steel back in the positive spotlight, an area that welcomed him back with open arms. Fans were delighted to see Superman back in that territory as well. It was a story that got Superman right and pleased fans. With that, in combination of Superman setting the foundation for the DCU, a sequel was obviously coming. James Gunn announced it soon after but disguised it as a Superman follow up rather than a sequel. The project was given more information when James Gunn announced it as Man of Tomorrow, a movie where Superman and Lex Luthor must work together to some extent to take out a common threat. In a few illustrated pictures that came along with the announcement, it was shown that Luthor will be in his Power Suit. The reveal left a lot of questions which is a good thing. But with any superhero movie, one question is common, who will be the villain? Who will be that common foe that Superman and Lex Luthor will have to team up against?
The most sensible, logical or at least the most desirable answer is Brainiac.
One reason it would be logical for Brainiac to appear is that he has been considered several times to be the main antagonist for a few Superman projects already. Several of those projects got really close to being made which would have brought Brainiac to the big screen for the first time. Or the final decision to include Brainiac got close as well. When Zack Snyder was tossing up ideas for a Man of Steel sequel, Brainiac was heavily considered. It wasn’t until Batman was brought up where it created a point of no return. No one was going to eclipse Batman to be an antagonistic force against Superman, even Brainiac. With so many opportunities to incorporate Brainiac that have fallen short, a universe that has monster soldiers, multiverse travel and interdimensional rifts would easily welcome in Brainiac. James Gunn heard the demands to bring Superman into that hopeful light that has built the character. Perhaps he could have a similar approach if he were to include Brainiac. Being aware of how many times Brainiac got close to being in a film and hearing how many fans want Brainiac appear could influence him to finally bring Brainiac to cinema.
A small little detail that could lead to hints of Brainiac being included is Luthor’s Power Suit. This will be the first time that his Power Suit will be worn in live action cinema. Obviously, Luthor wears this suit to physically compete with Superman. From the looks of the art that joined the announcement, it does look like Luthor will use it to fight Superman. But while Superman eclipses Luthor’s major role in society, Brainiac could easily eclipse Luthor’s intellect. This version of Lex Luthor was shown to be very egotistical. Superman’s mere presence got Luthor so angry, Luthor was willing to tear the world apart to defeat Superman. Now if Brainiac were to arrive on Earth, that is yet another alien that is better than Luthor. Feeling small compared to two powerful aliens may push Luthor over the ledge and decide to take the fight to them. Instead of creating then sending out an army, Luthor’s ego could tell him to take the fight to Superman and Brainiac. And since he has that large of an ego, Luthor may believe that he could come out on top.
And since Superman and Luthor do have to team up, then Brainiac makes perfect sense. He is the perfect villain that will force the two to come together. Both of them do have history with Brainiac and have the means to combat Brainiac. In some continuities, Brainiac is the reason behind Krypton’s destruction. He even has the capital city of Kandor miniaturized as a trophy. Krypton is obviously destroyed in Superman but no details on how. Brainiac could be that reason, forcing Superman to be a little vengeful toward Brainiac. On the flip side, Luthor is one of the most intellectual people not only on Earth but in the entire DC universe. One character could be a little smarter than him; Brainiac. While Superman’s image grew bigger than Luthor’s own ,forcing Luthor to be aggressive, knowing that someone out in the stars is smarter than him could turn Luthor wrathful. Brainiac perfectly captures what Superman and Luthor are. Superman could match Brainiac’s physicality and the physicality of his technology and weapons. And Luthor could obviously match Brainiac’s intellect and brainpower. So, if anything, the pairing of Superman and Luthor in this situation would actually be less of a genuine team up and more of sharing a common threat. But regardless of why they team up, Brainiac is the perfect villain to force these two bitter rivals to put asides their differences quickly to defeat a powerful threat.
Superman and Lex Luthor are one of the best rivalries in all of comic book history. Superman fights for a tomorrow so everyone could love each other. Luthor fights for a tomorrow so everyone could love him. But if anyone were to threaten that tomorrow, they find themselves on the same side. Far from each other but on the same side. Brainiac could force them to fight on the same side. Brainiac has all the tools to be the perfect villain for Man of Tomorrow. He has what it takes to fight Superman, he has what it takes to fight Lex Luthor, and fits in the short synopsis that James Gunn provided for Man of Tomorrow. Brainiac’s time is long overdue, and the Superman movie is the perfect home for him.
