German star Lars Eidinger will portray the mega-baddie in the the upcoming film.

Man of Tomorrow casts Brainiac: Meet the actor playing the DC comics villain in Superman sequel

German star Lars Eidinger will portray the mega-baddie in the the upcoming film.

By Nick Romano

Nick Romano is a senior editor at ** with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in *Vanity Fair*, Vulture, IGN, and more.

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December 20, 2025 11:38 a.m. ET

Lars Eidinger will play Brainiac in the 'Superman' sequel 'Man of Tomorrow'. Credit:

Matthias Nareyek/Getty; DC Comics

Brainiac has arrived! German actor Lars Eidinger will play the DC Comics mega-villain in *Man of Tomorrow*, director and studio co-head James Gunn announced on social media Saturday.

"In our worldwide search for Brainiac in *Man of Tomorrow*, Lars Eidinger rose to the top," Gunn wrote on Twitter/X and Threads. "Welcome to the DCU, Lars."

Eidinger joins David Corenswet, who stars as Clark Kent/Kal-El, and Nicholas Hoult, who plays Lex Luthor, in the upcoming follow-up to *Superman.*

Gunn first teased the arrival of Brainiac in September when he posted a photo of the *Man of Tomorrow* script. The cover featured a brain-centric image, but the filmmaker has played coy on the matter until now.

"Listen, of course I wasn't unaware that when I posted the cover of the script that there was going to be discussion around that particular topic," he told ** later that month. "But I think we'll hold off from what exactly is happening."

Eidinger is a Berlin-based actor and rapper. He is perhaps most internationally recognized for playing Reinhold von Rumpel, the cruel Gestapo officer in Netflix's Emmy-nominated adaptation of *All the Light We Cannot See*. He also appeared in HBO miniseries *Irma Vep*, starring Alicia Vikander, as the drug-addicted actor Gottfried.

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This year, he starred in the George Clooney- and Adam Sandler-fronted awards season contender *Jay Kelly*. Its director, Noah Baumbach, previously cast Eidinger in his 2022 film, *White Noise*.

*Superman*, released this past summer, saw tech billionaire Lex Luthor pitting his brains against the Man of Steel's brawn in a fight that nearly destroyed all of Metropolis. *Man of Tomorrow*, coming to theaters July 9, 2027, will depict them working together against a bigger threat. We now know that threat is Brainiac.

David Corenswet's Superman and Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor in 2025's 'Superman'.

Warner Bros. Entertainment

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"It's as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie," Gunn told Howard Stern of the sequel in September. "I loved working with Nicholas Hoult. I relate to the character of Lex, sadly. I really wanted to create something extraordinary with the two of them. I just love the script so much."

Other casting for the movie has not been confirmed, but Isabela Merced, who played Hawkgirl in *Superman* and *Peacemaker* season 2, teased her involvement in *Man of Tomorrow*, writing "see you soon" in a past Instagram Story.

Gunn describes *Man of Tomorrow* as the next installment of the "Superman Saga," which will also include next year's *Supergirl*, starring Milly Alcock as Kal-El's troubled boozehound cousin Kara Zor-El. Based on the acclaimed *Woman of Tomorrow* comic book arc, that film will enter our orbit on June 26, 2026.

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