Man of Tomorrow will break away from a trend in Superman movie villains that has stood for the better part of 50 years. DC Studios already has nearly two dozen established antagonists in its new universe, under the leadership of company co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran.
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn confirmed that Lars Eidinger will play the role of Brainiac in 2027's Man of Tomorrow. In an Instagram post, Gunn reflected on his "worldwide search" for the actor to play Brainiac before welcoming Eidinger to the franchise:
"In our worldwide search for Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow, Lars Eidinger rose to the top. Welcome to the DCU, Lars."
Most recently seen in Jay Kelly, Eidinger will add to a long list of villains in the DCU with his role as Brainiac. Known as a Justice League-level threat, Brainiac is a techno-organic alien who collects entire intergalactic civilizations and displays them as trophies, making him Superman's most dangerous enemy to date.
With this casting, Man of Tomorrow, which is set to debut in theaters on July 9, 2027, will be the first movie in Superman's film history to feature an established DC Comics villain outside of Lex Luthor or General Zod. While Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor will be a main character in this movie, he will move to the heroes' side, teaming up with the Man of Steel to take down Brainiac.
Every Superman Villain From the Last 50 Years
Superman (1978) - Lex Luthor
Christopher Reeve's first Superman movie (released in 1978) pitted the iconic hero against his most notable foe, Lex Luthor, brought to life by the late Gene Hackman. In this movie, Luthor is depicted as a scientific genius and businessman. He discovers Superman's weakness to kryptonite before enacting a plan to destroy California by triggering the San Andreas Fault with nuclear missiles.
Superman II (1981) - General Zod
The late Terence Stamp joined Christopher Reeve's Superman franchise in 1980's Superman II, playing one of Clark Kent's most famous alien antagonists, General Zod. Escaping from the Phantom Zone, Zod and other Kryptonians terrorize Metropolis and take over the White House, forcing Superman to choose between rebuilding Krypton and destroying humans or letting Earth live.
Hackman returned for a second round of action as Lex Luthor. He teamed up with Zod and the Kryptonians, reaching an agreement with them and assisting in their efforts to kill Superman.
Superman III (1983) - Ross Webster
Superman III takes a different direction than its predecessors by introducing Robert Vaughn's Ross Webster as the main villain. Webster is a greedy industrialist who attempts to manipulate the world trade markets, and he also receives assistance in creating Kryptonite, which he uses to defeat the Last Son of Krypton.
While this is the only other movie in the last 50 years not to feature Lex Luthor or General Zod as a villain, Webster is not a DC Comics character; he is an original character created for the movie.
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987) - Lex Luthor
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace brings Gene Hackman back for a third round of action against Christopher Reeve's hero as Lex Luthor. In this film, Luthor escapes prison and teams up with arms dealers, creating a super-powered clone to create global chaos.
Additionally, Hackman voices the clone (with Mark Pillow providing the physical depiction), who is known as Nuclear Man. Only able to function in the sunlight, Nuclear Man boasts the same powers as Superman, and he also has a set of retractable claws.
Superman Returns (2006) - Lex Luthor
For Brandon Routh's Superman Returns in 2006, Kevin Spacey joined the greater DC Universe as Lex Luthor. This time, Lex pushes a major real estate scheme forward to create a new continent in the Atlantic using Kryptonian materials and Kryptonite. He hopes to submerge America and kill billions in his quest to own as much land as possible.
Man of Steel (2013) - General Zod
Kickstarting the DC Extended Universe in 2013, Zack Snyder's Man of Steel utilized Michael Shannon's take on General Zod against Henry Cavill's revival of Clark Kent/Superman. Finding his way to Earth after escaping the Phantom Zone, Zod attempted to terraform the planet, making it inhabitable for Kryptonians and uninhabitable for its human population.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) - Lex Luthor
2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the DCEU's second film, introduced this franchise's version of Lex Luthor, portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg. After manipulating Ben Affleck's Batman and Henry Cavill's Superman into a battle with one another, he creates his own monstrous weapon and nearly destroys Gotham City.
General Zod also returns in a unique fashion in this movie, as Luthor uses his DNA and Kryptonian tech to create an enormous monster called Doomsday. This creature is unleashed on Metropolis and Gotham City before Batman and Superman team up with Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman to take the beast down.
Superman (2025) - Lex Luthor
When James Gunn's Superman pulled back the curtain for the new DC Universe in 2025, it delivered the fourth live-action theatrical depiction of Lex Luthor, this time played by Nicholas Hoult. Creating a clone of David Corenswet's Clark Kent, Zod spread anti-Superman propaganda across all forms of media, hoping to discredit and defame the hero while building his own empire.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. 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.
