James Gunn is the master of getting nerds hyped up, but he took things to the next level recently by previewing the script for Superman 2, titled Man of Tomorrow. It was just the cover, but the image (an anatomical close-up of a man’s head prominently featuring his brain) seemed to heavily hint that the Man of Steel would be fighting Brainiac in his next solo film.
While some fans are worried about the choice of villain (preferring instead someone more down to Earth like Metallo), the truth is that Brainiac is the perfect new DCU villain for Superman to fight.
Brainiac is a novel choice because we have never seen Superman fight this character in a live-action movie. The villain is a staple of the comics and played a major role in the Superman: The Animated Series, but in live-action, the computer version of this iconic villain has only appeared in Smallville and Krypton, shows that had a very limited budget. It will be great to see Brainiac on the big screen and powered by an equally big budget that will hopefully do justice to this character, someone who is a major threat on a galactic level.
Speaking of which, another reason Brainiac is a great choice for a Superman villain is that he effectively raises the stakes for this cinematic franchise. In Superman, all of Metropolis was in danger thanks to an out-of-control dimensional rift that threatened a city of millions; it’s only fitting, then, that the sequel introduces an even bigger threat, one that makes the dangers of the first film feel downright trivial. And Brainiac is an alien menace who could easily threaten the entire world, which should make for an effective, high-stakes sequel.
Brainiac on the series Krypton
As an added bonus, Brainiac being a threat to the entirety of Earth will provide the perfect excuse for Superman and Lex Luthor to team up, something Gunn has already teased for Superman 2. The interactions between David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult were arguably the best part of Superman, and I’ve been hoping against hope that the next film will have even more. An invasion of the city snatcher, Brainiac, will provide a perfectly logical reason for Earth’s greatest hero and its greatest villain to team up, and their snappy dialogue is likely to be just as entertaining as any fight scene.
Brainiac Doesn’t See Himself As A Villain
In the hands of the right writers, Brainiac is also a great Superman villain because he doesn’t see himself as a villain at all; rather, he sees himself as a force for good, collecting and preserving various aliens and cultures throughout the galaxy. In this way, he is similar to Lex Luthor, who genuinely believes that he is saving the world by removing Superman, the alien outsider who ensures that humanity no longer has to fight for itself. It will be particularly fun to see how Brainiac and Luthor interact with each other: two supervillains who are convinced that they would be superheroes if not for that pesky Man of Steel.
Brainiac on Superman: The Animated Series
All of this is assuming, of course, that Brainiac is well-written, but after the success of Superman, I’m willing to extend some fanboy faith towards James Gunn. Quite frankly, his portrayal of the Man of Steel breathed new life into the tired superhero genre and actually made me excited for tights-and-flights movies once again. And if Gunn can deliver another film of the same or higher quality with this sequel, it will establish the DCU as a genuine silver screen juggernaut, one with the capacity to do what once seemed impossible: finally put the faltering MCU out of its misery.