MAN OF TOMORROW Set Photos Reveal an Injured Superman and a Classic Lex Luthor Weapon Pulled Straight From DC Comics
As filming on Man of Tomorrow continues, a fresh batch of leaked set photos has given DC fans something pretty cool to dissect.
While most eyes will naturally be drawn to an injured Superman, there’s another detail lurking in the images that longtime comic readers immediately picked up on. It looks like one of Lex Luthor’s most obscure comic book weapons is finally making its live-action debut.
The leaked photos, which have been circulating online and were later shared on X, show David Corenswet suited up as Superman following what appears to be a brutal confrontation.
The Man of Steel’s costume is visibly damaged, with sections of the suit burned away and patches of skin exposed underneath. It’s a striking image and a clear sign that whatever happened hit Superman harder than the average supervillain punch.
Additional photos help fill in some of the blanks. Standing opposite Superman is Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, decked out in his green and purple Warsuit. But it’s the weapon in Luthor’s hands that has fans talking.
The gun appears to be none other than the Nuclear Kryptonite Ray-Gun, a deep-cut piece of DC Comics history that dates all the way back to 1962.
The weapon was specifically designed to exploit Superman’s greatest weakness by firing Green Kryptonite radiation. In comic book lore, Luthor originally created plans for the device in a 1961 story before the weapon itself made its debut the following year.
For DC fans who love seeing classic comic elements brought to life, this is a pretty exciting discovery. While the Nuclear Kryptonite Ray-Gun has appeared in animation, most notably in Justice League Action, it has never actually shown up in a live-action Superman project before.
There have been references to weapons capable of killing Superman in series such as Smallville and Superman & Lois, but audiences never got to see the actual Nuclear Kryptonite Ray-Gun on screen.
What makes the reveal even more interesting is how naturally the weapon fits alongside Luthor’s Warsuit design. The gun appears to share the same visual style and technology aesthetic, making it look like a custom-built addition to Luthor’s arsenal rather than a random comic Easter egg dropped into the movie.
Of course, fans expecting a full movie centered on Superman and Luthor trying to destroy each other may not want to get too comfortable with that idea.
Reports surrounding Man of Tomorrow indicate that Clark Kent and Lex Luthor will eventually find themselves on the same side when a much larger threat emerges in the form of Brainiac.
That dynamic alone opens the door for some fascinating character moments. Before that uneasy alliance happens, though, it certainly looks like Luthor will put Superman through the wringer with a weapon that comic fans have been waiting decades to see in live action.
Man of Tomorrow is the next major chapter in James Gunn’s growing DC Universe and follows the events of Superman. The DCU continues expanding next month with Supergirl, but these latest set photos suggest Superman’s next adventure is already packing some deep comic book cuts that fans are going to appreciate.