Man Of Tomorrow Photo Reveals First Look At Nicolas Hoult With Lex Luthor's Warsuit

You know how sometimes your mailman will get chased by a dog on their route and, instead of subjecting themselves to that humiliation all over again, they'll go to any lengths to make sure that doesn't happen in the future? Imagine that same scenario, except applied to Superman and his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor. Oh, and it happens to involve one heck of an overcompensating warsuit.

Director James Gunn's "Superman" did just well enough at the box office upon release last year to justify a fresh start to the newly-christened DC Universe, and a lot of that had to do with the performance of Nicholas Hoult as our favorite bald-headed bad guy. Naturally, his downfall involved quite the moralizing monologue by our big blue boy scout (David Corenswet) and, yes, some cathartic rag-dolling courtesy of Krypto. We knew that the ever-petulant villain is set to return in Gunn's sequel, "Man of Tomorrow," and that he wouldn't stand for such an ignominious end. Now, thanks to a social media post by Gunn, we're getting our first official look at Hoult suited up to the nines in his classic green warsuit on the set of the film.

Yes, this is what happens when you have an extremely online director who also happens to be in charge (along with Peter Safran) of an entire superhero franchise. Gunn made his big reveal on Instagram to tease the return of Lex, who's clearly not messing around this time. The sequel will involve the threat of Brainiac (Lars Eidinger) and an intriguing team-up between Superman and Lex. Expect plenty of tension, some serious action, and (hopefully) more tantrums to come.

No, that's not a weird cross between the Master Chief from "Halo" and Marvel's Mysterio — that's Lex Luthor boasting a look we've never seen in any live-action "Superman" movie before. Not unlike with Ben Affleck's Batman in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (which recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary), fans have long awaited the debut of Superman's biggest and baddest antagonist in his most formidable armor. In the comics, Lex has suited up on several occasions to deal with threats far too powerful for any mere human ... even one with a mind as sharp as his. So, what's a guy to do except go out and find himself a warsuit of his own that can match any super-powered individual he might come across?

Purists will likely end up debating this new reveal from the set of the new "Superman" film for the days, weeks, and months to come (and beyond), but there's no denying that this feels ripped from the pages of DC Comics. The plot of "Man of Tomorrow" has been confirmed to follow "a much, much bigger threat" that necessitates both Superman and Lex becoming unlikely allies against the arrival of Brainiac. As for the photo itself, James Gunn is careful not to give much away in terms of specifics and merely comments, "Fit check. Live from the set of 'Man of Tomorrow.'" The setting appears to be a desert with no other characters in sight, so there's no telling what kind of misadventures Lex is up to in that scene.

Whatever it might be, we've never been so glad to see the Superman villain up to no good. "Man of Tomorrow" is set to hit theaters July 9, 2027. Before that, "Supergirl" lands on June 26 of this year.