Yondu To Brainiac? Michael Rooker Reportedly Leads Superman 2 Villain Race As Matt Smith Slips
With Brainiac locked as the big bad in James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow, casting buzz is boiling over — and while Matt Smith surged as a frontrunner, a new scoop hints his shot at Brainiac may be slipping.
James Gunn picked Brainiac as the big bad for Man of Tomorrow, and the casting rumor mill immediately went full tilt. Some of this is legit, some of it is wishful thinking, and a couple of details are… messy. Here’s where the chatter actually stands right now.
First: Matt Smith hype, then not so much
Fans quickly circled Matt Smith as a top contender for Brainiac. But according to semi-reliable scooper Grace Randolph, Smith isn’t in the mix anymore. In a December 6 update, she added that the actor DC is eyeing is someone Gunn has worked with a lot.
Why everyone keeps pointing at Michael Rooker
Given that clue, the obvious name is Michael Rooker. He’s a Gunn regular and most recently popped up in Peacemaker season 2 as Red St. Wild. Yes, he died on that show. Also yes, Gunn has openly said that cameo does not take Rooker off the board for another role in the DCU. In fact, Rooker wasn’t even the original choice for Red St. Wild; Gunn brought him in as a late replacement.
'Things weren’t quite going well, and so I called you up. I said, "Could you do me a favor? We’ve already spent all of our money on our show. Will you help us out and come in and do this role as a favor? The one thing I’ll tell you is that we will not consider this – meaning that you can’t play another role in the DCU."'
That’s from Peacemaker: The Official Podcast, with the chat starting around the eight-minute mark. Translation: Rooker’s brief Peacemaker appearance won’t block him from playing someone else later. If he does end up as Brainiac, history suggests his DC characters tend to meet nasty ends.
Other names in the mix
- Sam Rockwell: Reportedly on a Brainiac shortlist from Nexus Point News. He played Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2, so he knows his way around a smarmy tech villain.
- Matt Smith: Was a fan favorite pick, but per Grace Randolph, he’s now out of contention.
- Claes Bang: Also mentioned on that reported shortlist.
That same Nexus Point report claims DC isn’t shying away from a recognizable name and is looking at actors with real physical presence for the role.
When does this actually shoot?
Timing is where things get fuzzy. One report pegged filming for next summer. Co-lead Nicholas Hoult told Everything_DCU: 'I can’t reveal anything, I’d get into a lot of trouble. But we start filming in April.' Some chatter even spells that out as April 2026, which would be cutting it very close to release. Either way, with cameras due to roll in or around April, a Brainiac announcement shouldn’t be far off.
The date to circle
Man of Tomorrow hits theaters July 9, 2026.
Who’s your Brainiac? Rooker, Rockwell, a curveball we haven’t considered? Drop your pick in the comments.