James Gunn Wants to Keep MAN OF TOMORROW’s Brainiac Reveal Secret Until You’re in the Theater
James Gunn would apparently love to pull off something nearly impossible with Man of Tomorrow by getting audiences into theaters without showing them much of anything beforehand.
The Superman follow-up has wrapped filming, which means DC fans are naturally waiting for the marketing campaign to kick into gear. A trailer, a proper look at Superman’s updated costume, and especially our first official glimpse of Brainiac are all high on the wish list. Gunn, however, would rather keep those cards hidden for as long as possible.
When a fan on Threads asked when we might see Superman’s new suit, Gunn replied: "If I could just drop it in theaters without showing anything I would."
That same philosophy applies to Brainiac, the major villain of Man of Tomorrow. Lars Eidinger, known for Babylon Berlin, is playing the iconic DC villain, whose arrival will apparently force Clark Kent and Lex Luthor into the unlikely position of working together.
When another fan asked Gunn directly whether a first look at Brainiac was coming, the filmmaker explained: "Again, I'd rather show people nothing and have people see everything in theaters. But unfortunately we can't entirely do it that way."
Yeah, it’s going to be hard pulling that off in the modern blockbuster marketing machine. It’s easy to understand why Gunn would want to protect these big reveals.
Seeing a major comic book character fully realized for the first time can be a hell of a lot more exciting on a giant movie screen than buried inside a trailer months earlier.
Of course, Warner Bros. still has a very expensive superhero movie to sell, so keeping everything hidden until opening night isn’t exactly realistic.
So far, fans have had to make do with leaked set photos, including images offering a peek at Superman’s slightly redesigned suit. There’s still no trailer for Man of Tomorrow, and with the film scheduled to hit theaters on July 9, 2027, we could be waiting until 2027 before DC Studios starts showing us the good stuff.
Gunn has also cautioned fans against expecting the movie to introduce huge numbers of new characters. At its core, Man of Tomorrow is centered on Clark and Lex, with David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult returning to their respective roles.
They’ll have plenty of familiar DC company. Milly Alcock returns as Supergirl, Aaron Pierre is back as John Stewart, and Rachel Brosnahan will once again play Lois Lane.
One new addition generating plenty of curiosity is Adria Arjona. The Andor star has joined the cast in an undisclosed role, and speculation over her character has been running wild.
Early reports pointed toward Maxima, but more recent speculation has Arjona potentially playing Wonder Woman. Her intense physical training for the movie certainly hasn’t done anything to slow those theories down.
Whether Diana Prince actually appears remains to be seen, and considering Gunn’s desire to keep Man of Tomorrow surprises under wraps, we might be waiting a while for an answer.
Before Man of Tomorrow arrives, the DC Universe has more on the way. Lanterns is currently airing weekly on HBO Max, while Clayface is heading to theaters soon.
As for Brainiac, I’m all for Gunn keeping Eidinger’s full transformation hidden if he can pull it off. Give us enough footage to sell the movie, tease the threat, maybe let us hear his voice, but save the complete Brainiac reveal for the theater.
Some things are simply more fun when the trailer hasn’t already shown you everything.