DCU’s Brainiac Casting Has Fans in Rare Agreement

James Gunn just dropped the Brainiac casting for his next Superman movie, and it’s a good one. He announced it himself on social, and fans immediately went, yeah, that tracks.

So, who’s Brainiac?

Lars Eidinger. Gunn posted a side-by-side of Eidinger and the comic version of the character and officially welcomed him to the DCU, which also confirms Brainiac is indeed in the movie.

'In our worldwide search for Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow, Lars Eidinger rose to the top. Welcome to the DCU, Lars.'

That came via Gunn’s post on X, and he followed it up by answering a few questions on Threads. More on that in a second.

Fans weighed in fast (and were pretty into it)

The general vibe: people think Eidinger looks the part and can nail the character’s mix of cold logic and real menace. A few highlights pulled from the replies:

• Multiple folks called it a great pick and said they can’t wait to see his take.
• One reaction summed it up as: Brainiac needs menace and intellect — and Eidinger can sell both.
• Someone admitted they didn’t have him on their bingo card but still expect he’ll cook.
• Yes, the height came up: he’s 6'3', and fans think he looks uncannily close to certain comic versions.

Honestly, if you’ve seen Eidinger do icy, unsettling characters, this makes a ton of sense.

What kind of Brainiac are we getting?

Gunn (yes, the Guardians of the Galaxy guy) said on Threads that he’s pulling from several eras of the character: the 1950s Otto Binder stuff, Marv Wolfman’s surprisingly scary take, the animated interpretations, and the current Absolute Brainiac. He also added that Eidinger’s audition stood out — which is exactly what you want to hear when a character this big is on the table.

The when

'Man of Tomorrow' is set for July 9, 2027. It’s Gunn’s Superman sequel, and now we know who’s coming to collect cities in jars.