The sequel to 2025’s Superman has been confirmed. On Wednesday, September 3, James Gunn dropped a piece of comic book artwork on Instagram, which revealed not only the title of the in-development film, but also the release date, too. And, for longtime fans of 1980s DC aesthetic, this movie promises to give us the one thing the 2025 Superman didn’t have, but arguably, could have: Lex Luthor in that infamous green battle suit.
Here’s why Gunn’s simple tease might speak volumes.
Man of Tomorrow release date and possible plot
According to Gunn’s Instagram post, Man of Tomorrow will hit theaters on July 9, 2027, exactly two years after Superman has just hit theaters, and one year after Supergirl is in theaters next summer.
The original art, from comic book legend Jim Lee, depicts David Corenswet’s Superman casually holding a screwdriver, leaning next to Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor. But, this time, Luthor is all decked out in his classic green Warsuit, which is most reminiscent of the suit he first obtained in Action Comics #544, in 1983.
Clearly, this suggests that the movie will feature the return of Luthor, and in it, he’ll be physically fighting with Superman, rather than using a proxy warrior as he did in the most recent movie.
The Man of Tomorrow refers to one of Superman’s many nicknames, and was the subtitle of a 1995-1999 specific line of Superman comics.
Lex Luthor’s Warsuit, explained
Interestingly, although Lex doesn’t wear a suit like this in the new Superman reboot, at least one new set of officially licensed toys for the movie does feature Nicholas Hoult’s Lex in a green warsuit. Even though it didn’t happen in the movie, it’s clear that something was in the mix for the new DCU canon.
Although Lex had a kind of purple “Battle Array” supersuit in the 1970s, his 1984 green Warsuit is, in many ways, his most famous costume. In the Pre-Crisis canon, Lex got his Warsuit from the planet Lexor, where aliens there considered him a hero.
Could the origin of his Warsuit be similar in Man of Tomorrow? There’s a lot of DCU installments coming between now and 2027, so who knows — maybe the seeds for Luthor’s Warsuit will be planted even before Man of Tomorrow hits theaters.
