Brainiac Wants Lex Luthor in MAN OF TOMORROW and He's Threatening to Destroy Metropolis to Get Him
New set videos from Man of Tomorrow continue to pull back the curtain on what looks like a massive conflict brewing in Metropolis, and if the footage is any indication, Lex Luthor may have found himself at the center of a world-ending problem.
The latest video making the rounds appears to feature an alarming message directed at the citizens of Metropolis, seemingly delivered on behalf of Brainiac himself. During filming, a stand-in could be heard reciting the following announcement:
"Attention, citizens of Metropolis: I am your overlord. If you do not hand over Lex Luthor, I will blow up the city.”
The message reportedly goes on to state that Metropolis has 12 hours to respond.
Whether this dialogue is actually part of the final film or simply placeholder audio used during production remains to be seen. Still, it's an interesting detail because it suggests that Brainiac isn't just targeting Earth. He specifically wants Lex Luthor.
That raises some interesting questions. Why is Brainiac after Lex? Is there a connection to the alien technology we've already seen introduced elsewhere in the DCU?
One possibility is that it could tie into Luthor's reported use of Peacemaker's alien Quantum Unfolding Chamber, which was apparently exploited to give Rick Flag Sr. and A.R.G.U.S. access to Salvation. If that's the case, Lex may have attracted the attention of a cosmic threat far bigger than he anticipated.
The set footage also gives us a look at another major confrontation, this time between Superman and Lex Luthor himself.
One video shows the Man of Steel delivering a brutal beatdown to the business mogul while he's suited up in his heavily armored Warsuit. If Brainiac is demanding that Lex be handed over, Superman may be trying to bring him in before things spiral even further out of control.
Reports from the set have also indicated that members of the crowd are calling for Superman to kill Luthor, which tells us quite a bit about where Lex stands with the public at this point in the story. It sounds like he's become Metropolis' most hated man and a genuine public threat.
The footage also helps explain one of the more unique design elements of the Warsuit. Since Lex is still just a human underneath all that armor, the transparent dome protecting his head suddenly makes a lot more sense when he's taking punches from a Kryptonian.
As for the Warsuit itself, reactions online have been mixed. Some fans have compared the design to Buzz Lightyear, but director James Gunn appears to have fully embraced the classic comic book aesthetic.
The impressive thing here is that the suit is a completely practical creation, bringing a remarkably comic-accurate version of Lex's iconic armor to life on screen.
What makes all of this even more intriguing is what we've already heard about the film's larger story. In Man of Tomorrow, Superman will reportedly be forced to join forces with Lex Luthor in order to stop Brainiac, a threat that endangers not only Metropolis but the entire planet.
If that's the direction the movie is heading, these set videos may have just revealed the first pieces of an uneasy alliance between two of DC's greatest rivals. And if Brainiac really is hunting Lex Luthor, Superman might end up protecting the one person he'd rather see behind bars.
We'll have to wait and see how much of this footage actually makes it into the finished film, but one thing is becoming clear: Man of Tomorrow is shaping up to deliver a very different kind of Superman story, one where the fate of the world may depend on Superman and Lex Luthor finding a way to work together.