Is Man of Tomorrow “Superman 2” or something else? Here’s what James Gunn has revealed

DC Studios boss James Gunn dropped a surprise announcement this week: Superman will return to movie theaters in July 2027 with the release of Man of Tomorrow. Maybe that’s not a surprise, if you acknowledge Superman’s solid office performance, and Gunn’s breakneck pace of writing and directing DCU content. Still, a Superman sequel turning around faster than a lot of contemporary TV shows may have been unexpected by some. But here’s the thing: Is Man of Tomorrow actually a sequel? Or just another entry in the cinematic DC Universe?

According to comments from Gunn in recent weeks and months, Man of Tomorrow is not a direct sequel nor is it explicitly quote-unquote Superman 2. It’s definitely not Superman: Man of Tomorrow. Instead, it’s the next installment of the “Superman saga” to arrive after next year’s Supergirl. But expect Superman (David Corenswet) to have a “major role” in Man of Tomorrow, a movie that could wind up being led by the irredeemable villain Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult).

Gunn may be overly cautious about revealing too much about his next Superman saga movie, or he may be trading in semantics about what does or doesn’t constitute a sequel — or even if a proper Superman 2 is planned. (This post certainly implies Gunn hasn’t written a Superman 2 script yet.)

“I’m not sure how you define ‘direct sequel,’” Gunn said in July in reply to a fan comment on Threads. “I pretty much think of Peacemaker season 2 as a direct sequel [to Superman.]”

Peacemaker season 2 will also serve as a “Man of Tomorrow prequel,” according to Gunn. He stressed the stakes of Peacemaker’s new season in an Instagram post on Thursday, alongside a photo of John Cena as Chris Smith standing over the actor who plays his alternate-dimension Peacemaker doppelgänger (very briefly) in season 2. Whether that’s a clue about the dual-dimension importance of Peacemaker season 2 as it relates to Man of Tomorrow or just a funny behind-the-scenes picture remains to be seen.

But Gunn has hinted at something major happening on Peacemaker this season, something that may not pop up until episode 8 of the show — which Gunn describes in Threads replies as one of his favorite episodes of the new season. (Will Superman show up?)

Only a few things are certain. Superman and Lex Luthor will both appear in Man of Tomorrow, with Corenswet and Hoult reprising their roles. It’s almost guaranteed that Luthor’s Warsuit will appear on-screen, given the three pieces of artwork that accompanied Man of Tomorrow’s announcement. As for the rest, we’re just going to have to wait and see where the “Superman saga” goes — and who Lex and Supes are teaming up against.