James Gunn Quashes Brainiac Rumors for the Superman Sequel, Teases New Villain in Man of Tomorrow

James Gunn is back swatting rumors like flies, and this round is all about Superman: Man of Tomorrow, its villain, and a certain Guardians of the Galaxy alum supposedly circling a role.

No, Dave Bautista is not secretly playing Brainiac

A report floated the idea that Dave Bautista was being lined up as Brainiac in the Superman sequel. Gunn jumped on Threads to knock that down and also point out that he has never even said Brainiac is in the movie.

"Let's forget a moment I've never said Brainiac was in the movie. I freaking love [Dave Bautista] & I have many ideas for who he could play in the DCU. But he & I have never discussed a role in Man of Tomorrow, nor have we discussed it amongst ourselves at DC. In addition, truly, NONE of the names, from the six or seven I've seen rumored for a role, have auditioned or been discussed at all."

So who is the villain?

Gunn did confirm one thing: the big bad this time is not Lex Luthor or General Zod. That answer came in a fan exchange after his Threads post. Beyond that, he is keeping the specifics locked up.

Why the Brainiac chatter got loud

The Brainiac speculation did not come out of nowhere. Gunn previously shared an image of the first page of the Man of Tomorrow script draft that included an anatomical sketch of a very not-human head. People connected the dots. Gunn is now telling everyone to put the marker down.

What we actually know about Man of Tomorrow

The sequel is dated for July 9, 2027. David Corenswet is back as Superman, and Nicholas Hoult returns as Lex Luthor. That is official. Everything else people are confidently tweeting about? Not official.

DCU timeline check: what hits before this

• Supergirl lands next June (June 2026). Its trailer arrived with a Gunn-led Q&A where he confirmed Superman will appear in the film, and star Milly Alcock talked up wanting more flawed female superheroes in the mix.
• Lanterns is slated for 2026 on HBO. So far, all we have is an 11-second trailer. Blink and you missed it, literally.

Short version: Man of Tomorrow is real and dated, Corenswet and Hoult are in, the villain is not Luthor or Zod, and despite a very suspicious alien-looking doodle on a script page, Gunn has not announced Brainiac. And he definitely has not talked to Dave Bautista about the movie.