For years fans have been imploring to witness one of Superman’s biggest villains on the big screen, who would sum up to be a perfect challenge for the man of steel. And this was almost the case for the sequel to Zack Snyder’s highly divisive Man of Steel, which Snyder confirmed himself while reflecting on the possible direction of the canned sequel.

And while the plans of witnessing a face-off between Cavill’s Superman and Brainiac are gone with James Gunn scrapping the struggling DCEU, the hopes of seeing Brainiac have once again rekindled.

James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy Will See Brainiac as the Main Villain Claims Scoopers

With James Gunn set to bring Superman back to his roots with the new DCU’s first major release, Superman: Legacy, rumors have emerged claiming that Brainiac is reportedly involved in the project. Although Gunn revealed that Legacy will witness The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), it appears she might not be the main big baddie of the film. And per Scoopers, Brainiac will end up being the main villain of the Superman reboot.

However, considering that Gunn has yet to comment on the reports, one should take it with a pinch of salt for now, as Gunn has already dismissed the rumors of the movie being set in the Middle East. And with Deadline reporting that Superman: Legacy will witness Nicholas Hoult in the role of Lex Luthor, it’ll be interesting to see if Brainiac ends up being involved in the film or not.

Brainiac Was the Ideal Choice for Superman’s Next Villain per Zack Snyder

While fans are hoping that Brainiac will eventually get his moment to shine in James Gunn‘s new DCU, the iconic villain might’ve already made it to the big screens if WB didn’t try to rush things. Per Zack Snyder, the creative heads did consider bringing Brainiac into the mix, as he’d have made an ideal villain for the sequel to Man of Steel. And had it been a traditional sequel to Zack Snyder’s MOS instead of BVS, which put DCEU on life support for the rest of its existence, we might’ve already witnessed the iconic character on the big screen. Zack Snyder told BroBible:

“We talked about a Brainiac movie…I just think it’s best to give Superman these extraterrestrial challenges because I think you’ve got to be careful with — other than Lex Luthor, because, of course, you have to continue with Lex, because Lex is his real nemesis — but I think you really have to look outside of the Earth for challenges for him because of how powerful he is.”

Although whether Brainiac ends up being the main villain in Superman: Legacy remains to be seen, it’s reasonable to be optimistic about DCU’s new chapter under James Gunn’s leadership.

Superman: Legacy will hit theatres on 25 July 2025.