As Man of Tomorrow gears up to start production on the DCU clash between David Corenswet's Superman and Lars Eidinger's Brainiac, a unique experience revealed a glimpse at the Bottle City of Kandor. Brainiac is a superintelligent android and cyborg from the planet Colu who travels the universe collecting knowledge and shrinking whole cities to collect in a skull-shaped ship.
Warner Bros. just opened the doors to the Superman Experience: Defenders Unite at its Hollywood studio tour, allowing attendees to team up with Superman, Supergirl, and Krypto to fight the DCU's Darkseid. Attendees to Hollywood's DCU experience have been able to see many props from Superman, including a life-sized animatronic Robot #4 and, notably, the Bottle City of Kandor (via DCU Brief).
The version of the Bottle City of Kandor available at the Superman Experience is interactable for attendees, with dials to adjust features such as the time of day and watching, turning the Kryptonian capital from a neon-lit to a high-tech snowglobe.
DC Comics fans will be more than aware of the story behind the Bottle City of Kandor, which sees the knowledge-hungry Brainiac shrinking and preserving Krypton's capital city shortly before the planet's unfortunate destruction. In some adaptations, Brainiac has even been behind the planet's destruction.
After Superman liberates the Bottle City of Kandor from Brainiac, it is typically held within the Fortress of Solitude as he searches for a suitable way and place to restore it and its citizens to normal size. The society that arises from the newly restored city usually resides under a red sun and is called New Krypton.
As James Gunn prepares to introduce German actor Lars Eidinger as one of four main villains appearing in next year's Man of Tomorrow, it's notable that a version of the Bottle City of Kandor has made its way into the Superman Experience.
As most of the interactive experience's props are closely inspired by their looks in Superman and the DCU, it seems increasingly likely that the Bottle City of Kandor will fold into Brainiac's storyline and conflict with the heroes in Man of Tomorrow.
Fans already witnessed Krypton's DCU destruction in the first trailer for Supergirl, with Argo City seemingly being shielded in a bubble as the rest of Krypton dies around it, although the fate of Kandor remains unconfirmed for now.
FX's Krypton spent its two-season run 200 years before the birth of Superman and the destruction of his homeworld, with Kandor serving as its primary setting. In that show, Kandor was depicted as an extremely class-driven society, as the Rankless found themselves on the grimy streets while the Gilded lived in the high-up utopia.
In Krypton, Brainiac, known as the Collector of Worlds, was actually the main villain, having traveled back in time to destroy Krypton early and bottle Kandor City in order to prevent the birth of his future foe, Superman.
James Gunn is expected to start production on Man of Tomorrow imminently in Atlanta ahead of its July 9, 2027, release. Beyond David Corenswet's Superman and Lars Eidinger's Brainiac, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor will co-lead a cast of familiar heroes and villains from James Gunn's DCU in the Superman sequel.
What to Expect From Superman: Man of Tomorrow's Brainiac
After multiple reboots and almost five decades of Superman blockbusters, Man of Tomorrow will mark the first time ever that Brainiac has come to the big screen. While Zack Snyder confirmed that Brainiac was on the cards for Man of Steel 2, that, of course, never came to pass, as no sequel was ever made.
It's no secret that James Gunn's familiar blend of superhero action, comedy, and emotional moments isn't for everybody, and some have justifiable concerns about whether he will handle Brainiac with the gravity he deserves. That said, Chukwudi Iwuji's animal scientist, the High Evolutionary, was anything but a joke in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so fans probably shouldn't worry for now.
As the destruction of Krypton is set to be integral to Supergirl and Kara Zor-El's backstory, one has to wonder if Gunn will dig it back up for Man of Tomorrow. If there's one thing Gunn loves, it's truly personal stakes, and revealing Brainiac as the one behind Krypton's destruction, who is holding its last piece hostage in his collection, would be a perfect motivator for David Corenswet's DCU hero.
