Man of Steel 2 was almost a reality during Zack Snyder’s DC era.
During his interview on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Snyder was asked if there were ever formal plans for Man of Steel 2 before the development of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The DCEU filmmaker confirmed that another sequel was indeed being considered, as he stated, “We absolutely did. My plan was to hopefully have this sort of established timeline we could branch off and go do this Brainiac movie that would have like a Superman/Brainiac solo concept.”
However, in the end, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice went forward, bringing Ben Affleck into the DCEU movie timeline, along with Gal Gadot being cast as Wonder Woman. While Man of Steel 2 didn’t happen, the Brainiac plans are coming to fruition as part of a different franchise through Man of Tomorrow.
In 2027, the Man of Tomorrow movie, featuring David Corenswet back as Superman, will bring Brainiac to life on the big screen in James Gunn’s DC Universe. Lars Eidinger has been tapped to bring the famous DC enemy to life, as Clark Kent and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor will have to team up against the popular foe.
Outside of Snyder’s plans, a Man of Steel sequel was almost considered after Cavill’s return in Black Adam, as Warner Bros. was looking into making a new film with his version of Superman. However, it was axed in the end as DC Studios was launched under Gunn and Peter Safran, leading into the reboot with the DCU.
Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, are all available through home media release as well as on streaming. Man of Tomorrow flies into theaters on July 9, 2027.