Man Of Tomorrow Actor Shortlist For Brainiac Revealed As James Gunn Confirms One Character We Won't Be Seeing

It’s only been a few months since Superman launched James Gunn’s DCU on the big screen, but we’re already looking forward to the sequel, as Man of Tomorrow is less than two years away. While we don’t know exactly what’s in Gunn’s completed script, hints and rumors have indicated who the main villain will be, now, there are new rumors as to who may play that character.

Who’s Allegedly On The Shortlist To Play Brainiac In Man Of Tomorrow

We know that Man of Tomorrow will see Superman and Lex Luthor working together to fight some greater threat, and the fact that the film’s official script includes a cross-section of a human head, including an exposed brain, has led many to believe that classic Superman villain Brainiac will be the big bad. Now, Nexus Point News is reporting that a short list for the role exists, and it reveals three of the names said to be on it:

• Sam Rockwell
• Matt Smith
• Claes Bang

Bang is probably the least known to American audiences, although he did play Dracula in the 2020 Netflix series of the same name. He was also the villain of Robert Eggers’ The Northman. Rockwell is, of course, the Academy Award-winning actor with some comic book movie experience playing Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2. Matt Smith is the former Doctor Who and the current House of the Dragon star who has also done some comic book work in the ill-fated Morbius.

These names should be taken with a grain of salt, as this is just a rumor. However, James Gunn did recently mention that casting of Man of Tomorrow was among his current priorities as co-head of DC Films, so conversations like this are likely happening, so a short list for casting the film’s antagonist, whoever it officially is, probably exists. Even if the list is accurate, there are likely other names on it beyond these three.

One Wonder Woman Character Won’t Appear In The Superman Sequel

Whether or not Brainiac is actually the villain of Man of Tomorrow, we expect many of the characters from Superman to return, and there will almost certainly be some from the world of DC Comics who will debut in the film. One character who won’t be appearing, however, is Steve Trevor. A post on Threads recently claimed that the frequent Wonder Woman love interest would appear in the film, and Gunn himself responded with a single-word reply, saying simply…

James Gunn has called a Wonder Woman project a priority for DC Films, but there’s no particular plan that we’re aware of, beyond a previously announced prequel series set on Wonder Woman’s home island called Paradise Lost. If there was a plan in place for Wonder Woman that meant introducing Steve Trevor, who was played by Chris Pine in the previous DC franchise, early made sense, we could certainly see that happening, but there’s no indication that the Wonder Woman project is anywhere near that point yet.