New Superman Artwork May Have Revealed The Possible Plot Of James Gunn's Man Of Tomorrow

A new day for the DC Universe is officially dawning, as we now have a better idea of how James Gunn's flagship franchise will continue after the success of this year's "Superman." For months, the writer/director/studio co-head has talked up his plans for a sequel film involving David Corenswet's new take on the Man of Steel. But what other characters would come along for the ride, and what challenge could the Big Blue Boy Scout possibly face next? Those questions have just come closer than ever before to being answered. Thanks to Gunn's bombshell announcement, we know that the next Superman-related film will be titled "Man of Tomorrow" and feature the return of Nicholas Hoult's villain Lex Luthor. What's more, it sure seems like fans will finally get to see one of their biggest wishes come true and watch the bald-headed hater take the fight to his greatest foe like never before in live-action — with the help of the character's bulky power suit. But is there a bigger revelation regarding the plot of the upcoming movie that fans might've missed?

In addition to the main announcement by Gunn, actors Hoult and Corenswet also chimed in on social media to relay the same message; when viewed together, however, the accompanying artwork attached to each of their posts might hint at some incredibly exciting developments to come. Although each of the three posts feature the exact same caption ("Man of Tomorrow. In theaters July 9, 2027"), both Hoult and Corenswet opted for slightly different visuals to tease the news on Instagram. Hoult's includes artwork from DC Comics artist Mitch Gerads showcasing Lex and Superman locked in battle. Meanwhile, Corenswet's has artwork by DC's Jorge Jiménez featuring the two side by side and striking a fierce pose against some unseen threat. And, to round it all off, Gunn's opts for artwork by the legendary Jim Lee, with Superman casually leaning against his nemesis like they're best buds.

Putting this trajectory together, perhaps we can safely speculate that "Man of Tomorrow" will involve Lex and Superman picking up where they left off, fighting one another to even more disastrous results, and then coming together to face a far greater threat.

Is James Gunn about to take a significant page or two right out of DC Comics? Although it's far too early to say for sure, there's reason to believe that the franchise is building up to some seriously major events. When last we saw Lex Luthor in "Superman," his entire plan to discredit the Last Son of Krypton to the masses had blown up spectacularly, leaving him manhandled into the back of a military vehicle and bound for a not-so-comfy prison cell in Belle Reve. Our final look at his vengeful, tearstained face made it clear that he likely wasn't done with his one-sided grudge match with Superman. We can now assume this will escalate even further to an all-out fight between the two in the sequel, aided by Lex's warsuit to help even the odds. But we can't get over that nagging suspicion that some other danger (perhaps Brainiac, as suggested by a recent making-of "Superman" documentary) could force the would-be enemies into a team up to help save the world together in "Man of Tomorrow."

Longtime readers of DC Comics hardly need any reminder that this has happened several times before, of course. The earliest instance of Lex and Superman putting their differences aside for the greater good happened as early as 1963, when "Superman #164" saw them call a truce on an alien planet to help save the indigenous inhabitants from a debilitating drought. Still need more convincing? In "Action Comics #511," we have the first instance of the pair going full "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" against the villainous Terra-Man. Even as recently as 2014's "Justice League #33," none other than Batman himself petitions the League to actually allow Lex to join their little super-group as a full-fledged member — even if it's mostly to keep a wary eye on him. And in case the Brainiac truthers out there need some additional ammo, Joshua Williamson's "House of Brainiac" issue pits Superman and Lex Luthor against the dastardly, big-headed supervillain (along with Brainiac Queen, for good measure).

Could we be in for a live-action adaptation of this exact scenario in "Man of Tomorrow"? We can't in good conscience endorse anyone betting that way, but it sure seems plausible. "Man of Tomorrow" hits theaters July 9, 2027.