Lars Eidinger Says MAN OF TOMORROW’s Brainiac Is “The Incarnation of Satan”
Fans had plenty of actors in mind for Brainiac before DC Studios officially revealed that Lars Eidinger would play the iconic Superman villain in Man of Tomorrow.
The casting caught a lot of people off guard, especially with so many bigger Hollywood names floating around online, but if there’s one thing James Gunn has proven over the years, it’s that unexpected casting choices can turn out to be perfect.
Now Eidinger is opening up about stepping into the DCU, and the actor’s thoughts on Superman, Brainiac, and the larger themes of the franchise are way more fascinating than you might expect from a giant superhero blockbuster.
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Eidinger talked about the deeper ideas he sees in Gunn’s upcoming Superman sequel and explained why these movies resonate with him on a philosophical level.
“Even if it seems surprising at first, these films have a serious philosophical ambition. They carry great allegorical weight for me,” the actor shared.
“Take just the word ‘super’ — it’s used as a superlative, for something excellent, wonderful. But ‘super’ really only means ‘over’ or ‘above.’ So Superman is the Übermensch. You have the Super Ego.”
“There’s already a deep psychological dimension built in,” Eidinger continued. “Last week I was on set during rehearsals and asked if I could watch some of the filming, which had already started.
“And I saw an actor in the Superman costume, suspended on wires in front of a bluescreen. I looked at that image and thought: This is the essence of fiction.”
“It’s as significant an image as Hamlet holding the skull: Superman, in that Superman pose, hanging from wires in front of a bluescreen. Being in the Superman universe wasn’t a dream or burning desire for me. But now that it’s happening, I can see a certain inevitability in it, something almost fated.”
That’s an incredibly theatrical way to look at Superman, and it sounds like Eidinger fully understands the mythic side of these characters. His comments also line up pretty well with the kind of emotional and larger-than-life storytelling Gunn brought to the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
The actor later explained that his stage experience helped prepare him for entering the world of comic book movies.
“I involves a different register of performance, one that isn’t primarily realistic and allows for a far more expressive style of playing.”
“When I watch a film like James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, I find it has a great theatrical quality — in the handling of good and evil, and in a certain tendency toward allegory. Brainiac is described as the incarnation of Satan. I find that almost Shakespearean. The king, the fool — there are so many parallels for me.”
Calling Brainiac “the incarnation of Satan” paints a pretty intense picture of what Superman will be up against in Man of Tomorrow. It also gives fans a better idea of why Superman and Lex Luthor may have no choice but to work together against a threat powerful enough to endanger the entire planet.
So far, DC Studios has done a surprisingly great job keeping production details under wraps. Cameras have reportedly been rolling for weeks, but there still haven’t been any leaked set photos or footage from the movie.
That’ll probably change once filming returns to Cleveland for more Metropolis scenes, but right now Gunn seems determined to keep Brainiac hidden for as long as possible.
The film stars David Corenswet as Superman, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific alongside Eidinger’s Brainiac.
The cast also expanded with Andre Royo, Matthew Lillard, Sinqua Walls, and Adria Arjona, who is said to be playing Maxima. There’s also ongoing chatter that Eva De Dominici may be involved as well.
Written and directed by Gunn, Man of Tomorrow hits theaters on July 9, 2027.