The DC Universe may soon have its Brainiac for the upcoming Man of Tomorrow film. Following the Superman movie ending, Lex Luthor and the Man of Steel are far from done with each other, as the DCU is already working on their next story.
As Brainiac is set to be the central antagonist in Man of Tomorrow, @mchadd1987 shared artwork of what one of James Gunn’s long-time collaborators, Dave Bautista, could look like as the iconic Superman villain in the 2027 installment. Check it out below:
Dave Bautista as Brainiac by mchadd1987Art By: mchadd1987
Recent rumors have been floating around that Bautista is one of the frontrunners for the role of Brainiac in the Man of Tomorrow movie. At the time of this story’s publication, DC Studios has yet to confirm or deny the reports.
Bautista and Gunn worked together through the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and the Holiday Special, where the star portrayed Drax the Destroyer. The DC Studios co-CEO has also brought over several actors from his Marvel Cinematic Universe into the DCU.
The idea of having Bautista in the DCU has been a long-time discussed concept, as Gunn has previously talked about bringing the beloved actor into his franchise. When Bautista spoke with ScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier in September 2025, the MCU alum admitted he was a bit annoyed to have not gotten the call from Gunn yet:
Dave Bautista: (Laughs) I haven’t. You know, I check back with them all the time to see, because I want to be in that world. And I don’t want to say I’m disappointed, but I was really just, you know, I was hoping a year or so ago that I would’ve gotten the call from James saying, “Hey man, we got something for you.”
But I just keep hearing kind of through the pipeline that they’re thinking about me for something, but I don’t know what it is. And I haven’t heard directly from either James or Peter. But I really want to be in that room, you know, I was hoping to go over there and do something with them, but I haven’t heard anything. And I’m not getting younger.
However, as it has been nearly three months since the interview, it’s possible that Brainiac has come up as an opportunity, as it wouldn’t be shocking if Gunn was simply waiting to find the right role for Bautista. If he is cast as the famous DC foe, it would give the DCU’s Chapter 1: “Gods and Monsters” an incredibly talented star portraying him.
If the rumors are true that the Brainiac casting search is already on the frontrunner stages, a DC announcement could possibly be arriving before the year closes out. With Man of Tomorrow filming set for next year, this would set up more hype prior to principal photography kicking off.
To this point, Brainiac has never been portrayed on the big screen, but has appeared in numerous Superman TV shows. As far as live-action is concerned, James Marsters and Blake Ritson played the popular antagonist in Smallville and Krypton, respectively.
The DCU will resume in 2026, starting with the Supergirl movie on June 26, followed by HBO’s Lanterns, and then Clayface on September 11. James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow soars into theaters on July 9, 2027.
