10 Man of Tomorrow Fan Theories, Ranked by Likeliness

James Gunn's Man of Tomorrow is a few years away, but fans are already excited about the upcoming sequel to 2025's Superman. As the director has stated, the movie will be a seeming team-up between Superman and his nemesis Lex Luthor against a bigger threat. Beyond that, not much has been confirmed, but the fan theories are already piling in.

Most of the current theories about Man of Tomorrow involve the potential villains, especially given how Superman's rogues gallery hasn't always been adapted on the big screen. There's also the scope of the project and how it will utilize the protagonists, along with other DC Universe figures. Some of these are more likely than others to happen, with one of these theories almost entirely confirmed.

Man of Tomorrow May Foreshadow a True Man of Tomorrow in Superboy

The rivalry between Superman and Lex Luthor has been represented in several ways in the comic books, but one hero is an almost ironic manifestation of this feud. Superboy was introduced after The Death of Superman as a clone of the real Man of Steel, and it was later revealed that the human part of his stabilized Kryptonian hybrid DNA came from none other than Lex Luthor. This made Lex and Superman fight more than ever, and it could be set up soon in the cinematic DC Universe.

The modern Superboy might eventually be introduced in the DC Universe, and the seeds of this could be sewn in Man of Tomorrow. This would be part of a revenge scheme left by Luthor in the event of his death, mirroring the false "son" clone body that was seen soon before The Death of Superman. Of course, this all depends on the longevity of James Gunn's DC Universe, and it's unknown if it will last long enough for Superboy to debut.

Lex Luthor's Origins Will Be Shown in Man of Tomorrow

Superman started the DC Universe on the big screen, but it was notable for not being another origin story. While Superman's backstory is incredibly well-known, the same isn't the case for his arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor, who has several divergent origins from throughout the decades. Given that Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor mostly resembles the version created by John Byrne and Marv Wolfman, it would make sense if his backstory further reflected this.

The DCU Lex Luthor may have his origins shown in detail in Man of Tomorrow, with these directly contrasting him with Superman. If anything, it would be a sort of villain origin story in a way that hasn't been done in previous movies, including the controversial Joker films. This may not fit in the runtime for an overall narrative, but a flashback is the least that Gunn will likely add.

Supergirl May Fly Into the Story of Man of Tomorrow

Milly Alcock plays Supergirl in the DC Universe, with this version of the character briefly appearing at the end of 2025's Superman. Supergirl is set to have her own movie in 2026, and while it's unknown where she'll appear in the DCU after this movie, she's seemingly an unofficial member of the Justice Gang (as seen in the second season of Peacemaker). Of course, there's a big chance that she has at least some role in the third DCU "Super" movie.

Supergirl's appearance in Man of Tomorrow largely depends on who the villain is, as Superman and Lex may need help against a bigger threat. If nothing else, she might have a role similar to her cameo in 2025's Superman. It's also worth noting that her solo movie is based on a standalone Tom King comic book, so it's hard to see where her character will go from there.

Ultra-Humanite Is the Villain of Man of Tomorrow

There's already speculation about the villain for Man of Tomorrow, and James Gunn's posting a picture of the script with a cover showcasing a brain made this even more obvious. An unexpected route that will still fit this would be to instead have Ultra-Humanite as the villain. Not only would this fit the scope of the movie, but it would match something that Lex Luthor said in the film's predecessor.

Ultra-Humanite was Superman's first recurring supervillain in the comics and essentially a prototype Lex Luthor, so having Superman and Lex both fight him makes a lot of sense. He's most known for a gigantic mutated gorilla form with an exposed brain, with his physical strength and psychic powers vexing the Man of Steel. This would embody the idea that "brain beats brawn," as Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor previously put it.

Pa Kent May Die In Man of Tomorrow

Though he was only briefly seen in the movie, a more rural, down-to-earth Pa Kent was introduced in James Gunn's Superman. This iteration is still alive well into Clark's career as a superhero, which reflects the modern comic books ever since the publication of the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. Before the retconning effects of Flashpoint, however, Pa Kent met his end in a similar way to classic iterations.

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's "Brainiac" story arc had Pa Kent die from a heart attack, similar to what happened in the classic Superman: The Movie. If that titular alien villain really is the foe in the new movie, as most expect him to be, this scene could definitely be replicated and make for tragic gravitas. Of course, there's still the controversy over how the previous DC Extended Universe movies killed off Pa Kent, so this might be avoided.

Another DC Team Will Be Adapted In the Movie

One of the first DCU projects that James Gunn announced was The Authority, with this film based on the Wildstorm Comics team of the same name. Superman already introduced The Engineer, who's usually a major part of the team, and Lex's forces hinted at the Stormwatch team through the moniker Planetwatch. Unfortunately, the group's cinematic debut has had a few hurdles in terms of being developed, and elements may show up elsewhere.

Superman and The Authority is one story that may influence Man of Tomorrow, with the Man of Steel interacting with other Wildstorm characters. Thus, the goal may be to use more mainstream DC characters to softly launch the darker Wildstorm heroes into the new DCU. Given that Lex has ties to The Engineer in this universe, there's a great chance that this happens.

Lex Luthor Will Be Officially Pardoned

Lex Luthor was imprisoned and publicly despised by the end of Superman 2025, with his plot to destroy Superman's reputation only ruining his own. The character has recently been seen in Peacemaker Season 2, with Luthor conversing with Rick Flag about a plan that may get him back in the government's good graces. If this is the case, it will directly tie into what will be seen in 2027's DCU movie.

Man of Tomorrow will have Lex Luthor working with Superman due to the former being on the path of redemption, even if it's a self-serving path. The government will call Luthor in to help deal with a particular threat, with Flag making good on his promise to help Luthor out and restore his former influence. While it's unlikely that this version of Lex will become the president of this universe, his redemptive path is almost guaranteed.

The Justice Gang Will Become Something Greater in Man of Tomorrow

Superman introduced the DC Universe's somewhat less-than-heroic Justice Gang, with this trio of Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific being a sort of prototype for the Justice League proper. So far, it's unknown exactly which metahumans are presently operating as heroes in the DCU, but it's obvious that an actual Justice League is on the way. The road to its formation may also lie in an upcoming film.

Man of Tomorrow may have a threat so big that the Justice Gang realizes its own limitations, forcing the team to act more seriously and lose its corporate backing by way of Maxwell Lord. If nothing else, the team will possibly appear to be beaten back by the movie's main threat. In a way, it would be a much more successful version of the ideas seen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

The City of Kandor and Another Kryptonian Locale Will Be Established

In the comic books and most adaptations, the villainous Brainiac is known for outright bottling cities for his morbid collection. One of these is Kandor, which was actually part of Krypton and its last remaining mini-civilization. A similar area is Argo City, which is sometimes where Supergirl is from and portrayed as either another city or another planet entirely.

Bringing in the bottled city of Kandor or even Argo City would allow Kryptonian society to be expanded in the DCU. In fact, restoring Kandor and introducing new Kryptonians is a way to adapt the "New Krypton" story arc. It might also pave the way for bringing in foes such as General Zod, and this method would be a fresh direction for the villain that James Gunn might use.

Brainiac Is Almost Confirmed for the DCU

Brainiac is one of Superman's most notable villains, but he's never been in any of the live-action films. Most fans now assume that Brainiac will be the villain in Man of Tomorrow, especially after a recent social media post by James Gunn. More than anything else, this is the most likely result for the upcoming movie.

Of course, even if this is true, there's still a lot of speculation as to which version of the villain will be used. The DC Animated Universe had its own unique take on the character, but this differs from the traditional Coluan iteration. More than likely, the amalgam-esque version reintroduced by Geoff Johns might be the biggest influence, and he might bring Koko the alien monkey along for the ride.

Man of Tomorrow flies into theaters on July 9, 2027.

Release Date : July 11, 2025

Runtime: 130 minutes

Director : James Gunn

Writers: James Gunn, Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel

Cast : David Corenswet (Superman) , Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane)