James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ Sequel Could See the Debut of a Major Villain

One of the wildest moments of my life involved visiting the set of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Not only was I happy that my wife and I got to share in such a momentous occasion with a good friend of ours, but I’ve been a massive DC comics fan for my whole life. Getting to see that world brought to life was massive, even if I didn’t actually get to see the film until five years later.

There were plenty of memorable moments, but one of the biggest ones happened when I found myself standing next to Henry Cavill and Geoff Johns as they were mid-conversation. The former was dressed as, well, Superman. That’s how he was when I met him, and yet, hours later, I still hadn’t gotten over it. Johns wrote some of my favorite comic books ever, and felt more important to witness than Superman (at that time, at least).

It wasn’t just being near these two that sent me into a tizzy, though; it’s what they were discussing that knocked me over: Brainiac. They weren’t saying, “he’s gonna be in the next movie” or anything like that. But they were discussing this classic Superman villain, and it’s safe to say that had either of them remained at the company, that would have been the plan (allegedly).

I’ve sat on that for almost ten years (Jesus)! Feels good to get it off my chest. At the time, it seemed like a massive secret I was now in charge of, but it eventually amounted to nothing. Johns would move on for… reasons, and Cavill’s Superman ended up facing off against a different villain whose name starts with a B. So, I held onto that secret, even though I could have just gone and told the Wrap about it (if they existed then).

The Wrap is reporting that Brainiac will appear in the next James Gunn Superman movie, Man of Tomorrow. Gunn released artwork for that script, which implied Superman and Lex Luthor would be teaming up, and if The Wrap is to be believed, they’ll be doing so against the alien menace who often seeks to bottle up cities and collect all knowledge of the universe.

Brainiac is a fantastic idea for a villain in a Superman movie because he can often match wits and strength with the Big Blue Boy Scout. His being an intellectual foil for Luthor should also prove entertaining. As of this writing, Gunn has yet to shoot this rumor down, so do with that information what you will. All I know is that one of my kids is now excitedly requesting to see a trailer, but doesn’t understand that the film doesn’t come out until 2027. Not sure how to break it to him yet.