DC fans expecting Man of Tomorrow to turn into a massive superhero team-up might want to adjust those expectations. James Gunn has made it clear that his upcoming Superman sequel belongs primarily to Clark Kent and Lex Luthor, regardless of how many familiar DCU faces are showing up.
Gunn recently responded to fan speculation on Threads about possible “secret characters” appearing in the movie. According to the filmmaker, fans shouldn’t expect “substantial amounts of other characters” outside the central players because the story is focused on Clark and Lex.
A lot of DC characters have already been connected to Man of Tomorrow. Superman’s Justice Gang heroes are returning, while Aaron Pierre will appear as John Stewart, Milly Alcock as Supergirl, and Xolo Maridueña as Blue Beetle.
Adria Arjona is also part of the movie, and there has been plenty of speculation that she could be playing Wonder Woman. Gunn’s comments suggest that whether she’s Wonder Woman or someone else entirely, audiences probably shouldn’t go into the movie expecting these supporting heroes to dominate the story.
Gunn expanded on what he meant by “substantial amounts,” explaining that he was talking about both the number of characters and how much screen time they’ll receive.
He also pushed back against some of the speculation surrounding the film, saying things online “have been blown way out of proportion” and that “most stuff is just dead wrong.”
So while Green Lantern, Blue Beetle, Supergirl and other DCU heroes may be joining the fun, Man of Tomorrow doesn’t sound like it’s secretly becoming an Avengers-style gathering of superheroes. Clark Kent and Lex Luthor remain the main attraction.
There are still some mysteries surrounding the cast. Sinqua Walls and Matthew Lillard are both playing undisclosed characters, and fans naturally asked Gunn for information about their roles. He didn’t give anything away.
Gunn also recently talked about his approach to Maxwell Lord and how the larger DCU relates to the comics. He explained that the DCU “is not a xerox of DC Comics” but rather “an alternate universe.”
He went on to describe himself as “a huge fan of the deeply flawed but hardly malevolent Max” from the original Justice League International comics by J.M. DeMatteis, Keith Giffen, and Kevin Maguire.
That philosophy gives Gunn plenty of room to remix characters and relationships without being locked into recreating specific comic book stories. It also makes all the speculation surrounding Man of Tomorrow a little harder to predict, especially when Gunn himself is warning fans that much of what’s circulating online isn’t accurate.
David Corenswet returns as Superman alongside Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, while Lars Eidinger joins the DCU as Brainiac, the film’s main antagonist.
Production on Man of Tomorrow wrapped on August 26 after roughly 93 days of filming. Warner Bros. Pictures will release the movie on July 9, 2027.
There are clearly plenty of DC characters in the mix, but Gunn seems determined to keep the movie centered on the complicated relationship between Superman and Lex.
