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As the first film in the new DCU, James Gunn's Superman did a whole lot for DC cinematic lore. It introduced Milly Alcock as Supergirl, hinted at the plot of Peacemaker, and maybe even more importantly, established the deep rivalry between the heroic titular character and the villanous Lex Luthor. However, director Gunn has apparently decided to subvert expectations regarding that last little bit - revealing thta Superman follow-up Man of Tomorrow will see Superman and Lex teaming up.

The comments were made during an interview Gunn did with Howard Stern on September 10, which were then posted on the Stern Show social media pages the same day. Asked about the future of what Gunn is calling the Superman Saga, the Crature Commandos creator and current head of DC Studios said that the infamous comic book rivalry would be set aside in the next high-flying film, for a slightly unsurprising reason.

"We knew immediately where we were going," said Gunn, "And it is a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together, to a certain degree, against a much, much bigger threat."

We know the question that you're asking yourself right now, because it's the same one we were asking -just who the hell is theb "much, much bigger threat?" Names like Darkseid and Braniac immediately come to mind, but then again, Creature Commandos proved that even an unknown character like Ilana Rostovic could become an omega-level threat to every hero in the known DCU.

(I know, I know - I'm using Marvel terminology.)

Whatever the threat ends up being, it will have to be one that not only puts the world in danger, but also somehow superceded Lex Luthor's incredible ego, as we saw Nicholas Hoult so brilliantly put on screen this summer. Who knows? Maybe Gunn is pulling from SIlver Age comics here, and the threat will turn how to be the same reason that Lex Luthor lost his hair. 

Man of Tomorrow soars into theaters July 9, 2027.

James Gunn's Superman movie is out now - and we have a lot to say about it. You can also read about Superman's S-Shield through the ages, how Superman and Clark Kent keep their secret identity secret, our recs for best Superman comics, and how to watch all his TV series and movies in order.