One of Man of Tomorrow's villain stars shared a look into his ripped physical transformation ahead of his DCU comeback. After over half a dozen villains shone brightly in 2025's Superman, the DCU's first movie, Superman 2 will bring a host of new threats for the Man of Steel. One of them will be one of the DCU's most consistent stars to date, who will be no small foe for this film's leading man.
DCU star Frank Grillo shared a look into his workout regimen ahead of his return in DC Studios' Man of Tomorrow. In his Instagram Stories, Grillo posted himself shirtless and indicated he is getting into shape to play Rick Flag Sr. again, using the caption, "The journey begins. #RickFlagSr @dcofficial #MOT Time to get into fight shape."
Standing in front of a boxing poster, Grillo donned a headband and no shirt, showing off his ripped abs, shoulders, and arms during a workout. Known for being in great shape for his superhero movie roles, he is well on his way back to the DC Universe for his third live-action appearance.
Grillo will once again play Rick Flag Sr., the father of Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag Jr., in James Gunn's DC Universe for Superman 2. Along with voicing the character in the animated Creature Commandos, Grillo previously played the ARGUS leader in Superman and Peacemaker Season 2.
Man of Tomorrow will be the fourth movie in DC Studios' Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate. Starring David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, and Frank Grillo, this film tells the story of Superman and Lex Luthor teaming up against a much larger threat: the intergalactic alien Brainiac. Man of Tomorrow will debut in theaters on July 9, 2027.
Frank Grillo's Expected Role in Man of Tomorrow
Grillo already teased a big role for Rick Flag in Man of Tomorrow. While Clark Kent and Lex Luthor becoming reluctant allies will be the main driving force of the story, Rick Flag's quest against metahumans will be a key supporting storyline.
Following the end of Peacemaker Season 2, Flag now has access to an alternate dimension called Salvation, which he uses to protect humanity from dangerous metahumans. That show concluded with Flag imprisoning Christopher Smith in that dimension, which may resurface in Man of Tomorrow.
Flag appears to be leveraging his partnership with Lex Luthor to his advantage, although he will have to work through Lex, manipulating him toward his own vendetta against the Last Son of Krypton as well.
In the end, the three will have to put aside their differences to take on a much larger threat in Brainiac, who is being cast for this movie. Considering how powerful and dangerous Brainiac will be upon his DCU debut, fans are anxious to see how Flag will stand up against him to keep the Earth from being destroyed.
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.
