A new photo from Man of Tomorrow sets up a major connection to Peacemaker Season 2 ahead of the film's release. Superman and Peacemaker kicked off the DCU's slate in 2025, marking the second and third new releases after Creature Commandos in December 2024. While the franchise is still in its early days, connections between projects are already being built quickly across film and TV.
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn shared the first official image from the set of Man of Tomorrow, which he is also directing and writing. This picture showed off Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor on an unknown planet, standing in a bed of sand. He is also wearing Lex's classic green war suit, which has been seen on various occasions in DC Comics. Man of Tomorrow is filming and will debut in theaters on July 9, 2027.
Looking closely at the chest plate, the suit is branded with the ARGUS logo, which has been seen across the new DC Universe. Normally standing for "Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans," this branding confirms a continuing alliance between Lex Luthor and ARGUS in the 2027 Superman sequel.
This alliance was revealed and established in Peacemaker Season 2 in 2025, when Frank Grillo's Rick Flag visited Lex Luthor at Belle Reve prison. The two struck a deal, with Luthor offering advanced knowledge to Flag so that he could locate John Cena's Christopher Smith in the alternate dimension known as Earth X.
While the origins of this union have not been fully detailed in the new DCU, the set photo from Man of Tomorrow confirms that it will continue for the foreseeable future. It also potentially sets up a bigger role in this movie for Frank Grillo's Rick Flag, who was a minor supporting character in Superman and had a much bigger role in Peacemaker Season 2.
Man of Tomorrow will be the fourth theatrical release in the new DCU under DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. Starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Lars Eidinger, Adria Arjona, and Frank Grillo, the film will pit Clark Kent and Lex Luthor against the supervillain Brainiac.
ARGUS' History in DC Comics & James Gunn's DCU
ARGUS is a relatively new organization in DC Comics, created in May 2012 by Geoff Johns and Gene Ha for Justice League Vol. 2, #7. Originally under the command of Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor, it is introduced in The New 52 as a government intelligence agency that manages metahuman activity and works as the official liaison for the Justice League (who will not be seen in the new DCU for the foreseeable future).
In the DCU, ARGUS operates under the United States Department of Defense, and its acronym stands for "Advanced Research Group of the United States" instead of "Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans." The organization is tasked with regulating and monitoring metahumans rather than uniting them, making it a more antagonistic group in this story.
In Man of Tomorrow, Rick Flag will continue operating as the director of ARGUS, taking over for Amanda Waller following her departure in the aftermath of Creature Commandos. Considering his partnership with Rick Flag will be even more well-established in this movie, ARGUS is expected to gain even more power and influence, especially since it can help develop technology as advanced as Lex's warsuit.
While it is still unknown whether the group will return before Man of Tomorrow, it is expected to be a key presence across the DCU for years to come.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
