James Gunn Reveals When MAN OF TOMORROW Takes Place in the DCU Timeline and What It Means for Lex Luthor

The DC Universe is continuing to take shape, and thanks to a quick response from James Gunn, fans now have a much clearer idea of where Man of Tomorrow fits into the franchise timeline.

Following the critical and box office success of Superman, DC Studios wasted little time moving forward with its next chapter. The upcoming sequel, Man of Tomorrow, will put David Corenswet’s Clark Kent in a situation nobody expected, forcing him to team up with his longtime enemy Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult, to face the threat of Brainiac, portrayed by Lars Eidinger.

It marks the first time Superman and Lex have ever worked together in a live-action DC project, which is reason enough to get fans talking. But the movie is also pulling in several major players from across Chapter One of the DCU, including Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart and Milly Alcock’s Supergirl.

As production on the film continues, Gunn was recently asked on Threads how much time passes between the events of Superman and Man of Tomorrow. His answer was surprisingly straightforward: “Basically real time.”

That simple clarification actually reveals quite a bit about the state of the DCU.

Since Superman was released in July 2025 and Man of Tomorrow is set to arrive on July 9, 2027, the story will pick up roughly two years after the events of the first film. That means Lex Luthor will have spent about two years behind bars before the sequel begins.

Considering Luthor was imprisoned at the end of Superman, that time jump could have a major impact on the character. Spending two years locked away while plotting his next move sounds exactly like the kind of thing Lex would turn into an advantage. Unless he got out earlier after the events of Peacemaker.

The timeline also lines up with what Gunn has already established for other DCU projects.

Supergirl, which hits theaters on June 26, takes place between Superman and Man of Tomorrow. That gives Kara the opportunity to go through her own adventures and character development before stepping into a larger ensemble story alongside Clark and the rest of the growing DCU roster.

Then there's HBO's Lanterns, which premieres on August 16. The series reportedly features two timelines, one beginning in 2016 and another taking place in 2026. That makes the show both a prequel and a present-day story within the DCU.

By the time Man of Tomorrow rolls around, John Stewart's training under Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan should already be behind him, setting the stage for his big-screen return.

The Clayface movie remains unaffected by this timeline update, as that project is set before the events of the current DCU storyline.

While Gunn's timeline clarification answers one question, it also creates a pretty interesting new one involving Christopher Smith, better known as Peacemaker.

Season 2 of Peacemaker ended with John Cena’s Chris stranded on Salvation, a dangerous alien world with no obvious route back to Earth. Adding to the mystery, Gunn has already confirmed there are currently no plans for a third season of Peacemaker.

That suggests Chris's story was always intended to continue somewhere else in the DCU. The problem is that nobody knows where.

At the moment, Man of Tomorrow appears focused on Brainiac, Superman, Lex Luthor, Supergirl, and John Stewart. There has been no indication that the movie will address what happened to Peacemaker, how he's surviving on Salvation, or why the U.S. government was using the planet in the first place.

If Gunn's "real time" explanation holds true across the board, that means nearly two years pass in-universe with one of the DCU's most recognizable characters stranded on an alien world and completely off the radar.

Maybe that's a mystery DC Studios wants fans thinking about for a while. Or maybe the answer is waiting in a project that hasn't been announced yet.

Either way, Gunn's latest timeline reveal helps connect several important pieces of the DCU puzzle while opening the door to even more questions about where these stories are heading next.

Man of Tomorrow is scheduled to hit theaters on July 9, 2027.