James Gunn has revealed the тιтle for the upcoming Superman sequel, and it’s not “Superman 2”. Supporting Gunn’s previous reveals that Superman 2 wouldn’t be happening while sequels would, it appears as though the next chapter of the DCU’s Superman saga will see the Man of Steel potentially sharing the spotlight, while also embracing a classic name from the comics.

Confirmed by James Gunn, the Superman sequel is officially тιтled Man of Tomorrow. Gun also shared brand-new artwork teasing the upcoming movie, as did actors David Corenswet (Superman) and Nicholas Hoult (Lex Luthor). Here’s what we know about Man of Tomorrow, what the тιтle means, and what the new images may be hinting at for the upcoming DCU movie.

What Superman 2’s Man Of Tomorrow тιтle Means

The new Man of Tomorrow тιтle originates from the original DC Comics, dating back to the Golden Age of the 1940s. Just like “Man of Steel” or “Last Son of Krypton”, “Man of Tomorrow” is one of Superman’s classic alt-monikers.

Not only does the Man of Tomorrow name signify Superman’s origins from an advanced alien civilization, but it also largely relates to his representation as the ideal humanity can strive toward and one day hope to achieve. The name also connects to Metropolis, aka “The City of Tomorrow”.

Notable comics using the Man of Tomorrow тιтle include Alan Moore’s “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”, an iconic storyline just as critically acclaimed as Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman, which served as a key source of inspiration for Gunn’s first Superman movie.

Likewise, DC Comics also had a Superman: Man of Tomorrow series in the 90s, which prominently featured the return of Lex Luthor.

Man Of Tomorrow Teaser Images Explained

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Along with the exciting new тιтle reveal, Gunn also shared the new artwork from Jim Lee, featuring both Superman and Lex Luthor side by side. Based on Superman’s DCU suit and the 2025 date on the artwork underneath Lee’s signature, it looks like this artwork was specifically made for Gunn’s reveal.

The same goes for the artwork shared by Superman actor David Corenswet from DC artist Jorge Jimenez:

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Likewise, Lex Luthor actor Nicholas Hoult shared his own piece of artwork by Mitch Gerads:

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In all three of the new images, both Superman and Lex Luthor are shown together, with Luthor notably wearing his classic green warsuit from the original comics.

Firstly, this suggests that the upcoming DCU movie may very well see Luthor getting his hands dirtier with more direct clashes with Superman, compared to the first Superman movie, where Lex used operatives like Ultraman via voice commands from LuthorCorp. However, only one of the Jim Lee images sees Superman and Luthor fighting each other (the one posted by Hoult).

In Gunn’s image, Luthor and Superman are side by side, and Kal-El is ever leaning on Luthor’s armor with a screwdriver in his hands, suggesting a more amicable relationship than one would expect given the ending of the first Superman movie.

Likewise, the image posted by Corenswet sees Superman and Luthor ready for battle, though the image suggests they’re fighting together, rather than fighting each other.

All things considered, it feels likely that the Man of Tomorrow will refer to both Superman and Luthor. After all, Luthor was the hero and beloved son of the “City of Tomorrow” before Superman showed up. Combined with his genius intellect and advanced technology, the “Man of Tomorrow” could certainly be applied to Luthor from a certain point of view.

Luthor being a co-protagonist in “Man of Tomorrow” would also support Gunn’s claims that the sequel won’t be a direct Superman 2.

With that idea in mind, perhaps a bigger threat will motivate the two rivals to join forces (fingers are crossed for Brainiac). While rare, Superman/Luthor team-ups have happened before in the comics, and even recently in Joshua Williamson’s “House of Brainiac” storyline last year, where the two fought Brainiac together.

How Man Of Tomorrow Fits Into The Overall DCU Slate

James Gunn also confirmed that Man of Tomorrow will be released on July 9th, 2027. This means that the DCU sequel will be released two years after the first Superman and one year after Supergirl in 2026. Likewise, it also makes more sense now why the Woman of Tomorrow тιтle was dropped from next year’s Supergirl movie.

All in all, it’s going to be very exciting to learn more about James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow the closer we get to its release date, especially as the new DCU continues to grow and expand with new movies and shows.

Man of Tomorrow releases July 9th, 2027 from DC Studios.