James Gunn Teases the Triumphant DCU Return of a Fan-Favorite Superman Legend
James Gunn just teased the comeback of a fan-favorite Superman character in Man of Tomorrow. The DCU follow-up to Superman, written and directed by Gunn, hits US theaters and IMAX next year from DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures.
Here we go again: James Gunn is back at it, dropping hints about which familiar faces we’ll see in his next Superman movie, Man of Tomorrow. And this time, it seems he’s bringing back one of the weirdest characters from his last outing. If you liked the Petri-dish oddball Mr. Handsome—or didn’t even know he existed—you’ll want to pay attention.
Gunn Teases Mr. Handsome’s Comeback
On Threads (yes, Gunn is still having fun there), he posted a photo of a 'Mr. Handsome Fan Club' sign, captioned simply: 'We're live.' Not exactly National Treasure-level code breaking, but coming from Gunn, this is practically jumping up and down and waving the character’s headshot.
For those not scoring at home, Mr. Handsome was introduced in Gunn’s previous Superman film—a humanoid made by Lex Luthor in a lab when Lex was just twelve. According to Gunn, Lex was 'trying to make a human.' It didn’t really work out—they ended up with a pretty bizarre sidekick. Still, Gunn has said the failed experiment means a lot to Lex, maybe more than any other character in his world.
When people ask me my favorite character from [Superman], it just might be Mr. Handsome. Lex created Mr. Handsome in a Petri dish when he was 12—he was trying to make a human. He didn’t come out so well, but he just might be the only one in the world Lex has any true sentiment for, as evidenced by the photo on his desk. Our Mr. Handsome was portrayed by the wonderful Trevor Newlin.
Everything We Know About Man of Tomorrow (So Far)
Gunn is writing and directing this one himself—no surprise there. The film is in production now and is currently scheduled to hit theaters and IMAX screens in the US on July 9, 2027. It’s a follow-up to his previous Superman project, so a bunch of familiar faces are sticking around. Here’s the main lineup this time:
- David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent
- Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor
- Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane
- Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt/Mister Terrific
- Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern
- Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl
- Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen
- Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.
- Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher
- María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/The Engineer
- Lars Eidinger as Brainiac
- Aaron Pierre as John Stewart/Green Lantern
- Adria Arjona (role TBA)
As for Mr. Handsome, Trevor Newlin is back in the role. If you somehow missed his debut or blinked and missed the Petri dish backstory—yeah, this is real comic book deep cut stuff.
Final Thoughts
It’s oddly impressive that Gunn is doubling down on such an offbeat character, but he’s always liked the weird kids at the back of the class. Personally, I find it hard not to be curious about what madness Lex Luthor’s childhood science fair projects will bring to the new DC universe. And let’s face it, Mr. Handsome may not be winning any beauty contests, but the real show here is Gunn giving attention to DC’s most unconventional oddball creations.
Man of Tomorrow lands in theaters July 9, 2027. And yes, Mr. Handsome fans, it really looks like your moment has come.