2027’s Man Of Tomorrow Movie Villain Officially Breaks a 50-Year Superman Rule

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The upcoming film, Man of Tomorrow, will move away from a common type of villain seen in Superman movies for the last half-century. DC Studios, now led by James Gunn and Peter Safran, already has almost 20 established villains for its new cinematic universe.

James Gunn, co-CEO of DC Studios, has announced that Lars Eidinger will be playing Brainiac in the upcoming movie, Man of Tomorrow, scheduled for release in 2027. Gunn shared on Instagram that he conducted a global search for the perfect actor for the role and is excited to have Eidinger join the DC Universe.

After a global search for the perfect Brainiac in the upcoming ‘Man of Tomorrow’ project, we’ve chosen Lars Eidinger. We’re thrilled to welcome him to the DC Universe!

Following his appearance in Jay Kelly, Eidinger is joining the DC Universe as the villain Brainiac. Brainiac is a powerful, alien being with a technological side who collects and showcases entire civilizations as trophies. He’s considered one of Superman’s greatest and most dangerous foes.

The upcoming movie, Man of Tomorrow, scheduled for release on July 9, 2027, will be a first for Superman films: it will introduce a DC Comics villain other than Lex Luthor or General Zod. Although Nicholas Hoult will play Lex Luthor in the movie, he’ll surprisingly join forces with Superman to battle the villain Brainiac.

Every Superman Villain From the Last 50 Years

 Superman (1978) – Lex Luthor

As a huge film buff, I always go back to Christopher Reeve’s original Superman from 1978. It really set the standard for superhero movies! The film introduces us to Lex Luthor, brilliantly played by Gene Hackman, as this incredibly smart, yet ruthless, scientist and businessman. The plot revolves around his discovery of Superman’s vulnerability to kryptonite, and then he concocts this totally over-the-top scheme to destroy California by using nuclear missiles to set off the San Andreas Fault. It’s classic villainy!

Superman II (1981) – General Zod

Terence Stamp, who recently passed away, famously played the villain General Zod in the 1980 film Superman II. Zod, along with other Kryptonians, breaks out of an otherworldly prison and wreaks havoc on Metropolis, even taking control of the White House. This forces Superman to make a difficult choice: help restore Zod’s home planet, Krypton, even if it means the destruction of Earth, or save humanity and let Krypton fall.

Hackman reprised his role as Lex Luthor, joining forces with Zod and the Kryptonians. He made a deal with them and helped them try to defeat Superman.

Superman III (1983) – Ross Webster

Unlike the previous films, Superman III features Robert Vaughn as the primary villain, Ross Webster. Webster is a ruthless businessman who tries to control global markets and, with help, creates Kryptonite to challenge Superman.

This film is unique because, like one other Superman movie in the past 50 years, it doesn’t feature Lex Luthor or General Zod as the villain. However, the antagonist in this movie, Webster, isn’t based on any existing DC Comics character – he was created specifically for the film.

Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987) – Lex Luthor

In Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Gene Hackman returns as Lex Luthor to battle Christopher Reeve’s Superman. After escaping from prison, Luthor joins forces with weapon merchants and develops a powerful clone with the goal of causing trouble around the world.

Hackman also provided the voice for the character known as Nuclear Man, while Mark Pillow physically portrayed him. Nuclear Man can only operate in sunlight and possesses powers equal to Superman’s, along with retractable claws.

Superman Returns (2006) – Lex Luthor

In the 2006 film Superman Returns, Kevin Spacey made his debut in the DC Universe as Lex Luthor. In this installment, Lex develops an ambitious plan to build a new landmass in the Atlantic Ocean using materials from Superman’s home planet, Krypton, and Kryptonite. His ultimate goal is to sink America and kill billions of people, all in an attempt to control a vast amount of land.

Man of Steel (2013) – General Zod

Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, released in 2013, launched the DC Extended Universe. The film featured Henry Cavill as Superman, facing off against Michael Shannon’s portrayal of General Zod. Zod, having escaped from the Phantom Zone, arrived on Earth and tried to change the planet’s environment to suit Kryptonians, which would have made it impossible for humans to live there.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) – Lex Luthor

In the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Jesse Eisenberg played Lex Luthor, establishing the character’s role in the DC Extended Universe. The movie shows Luthor cleverly pitting Batman (played by Ben Affleck) against Superman (played by Henry Cavill), then building a dangerous weapon and almost leveling Gotham City.

I was so excited to see General Zod back, even if it wasn’t exactly him. Lex Luthor did something crazy – he used Zod’s DNA and Kryptonian technology to build this massive monster called Doomsday! It was terrifying, and Doomsday went on a rampage through Metropolis and Gotham. Thankfully, Superman and Batman finally teamed up with Wonder Woman, and together they managed to take the beast down. It was an epic battle!

Superman (2025) – Lex Luthor

James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie, launching the new DC Universe in 2025, introduced a fourth live-action version of Lex Luthor, portrayed by Nicholas Hoult. In the film, Luthor, played by Hoult, cloned Clark Kent (David Corenswet) and launched a media campaign to damage Superman’s reputation, all while trying to build his own power base.

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2025-12-24 20:06