Canceled Man Of Steel 2 Sequel Would Have Had The Best Superman Villain
The canceled Man of Steel 2 sequel would have seen Superman battle Brainiac.
While it may have seemed like a no-brainer for DC Studios to bring back Henry Cavill as Superman, it’s been recently revealed that this won’t be the case with newly appointed co-CEO James Gunn making the sweeping statement that future productions will feature a younger Clark Kent. For those of us wondering what could have been should a Man of Steel 2 have moved forward, The Hollywood Reporter recently dealt a gut punch when they revealed that the film’s villain would’ve likely been none other than Brainiac. And even though they didn’t share who they were eyeing up for the iconic part, the news doesn’t sting any less.
Word of a Man of Steel 2 showdown with Brainiac comes just days after reports began to swirl surrounding original Man of Steel producer Charles Roven and Peaky Blinders creator Steve Knight heading into a pitch meeting with Warner Bros. execs Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca. Ultimately, the studio would give the Superman flick a pass, putting it on ice until recently appointed co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran made decisions about how they would move forward, a choice that echoes many made in recent days when it comes to some of our favorite DC heroes. And when Safran and Gunn took the reins, the duo delivered some devastating news to the fan community.
Finally giving followers some answers, James Gunn recently confirmed that not only would a Man of Steel 2 film not feature a brawl between Superman and Brainiac, but that the movie wouldn’t be happening at all. And even more shocking, Henry Cavill will not be returning to his role, as other reports suggested, with the studio moving in a completely different direction and following a younger version of Clark Kent. With Cavill out, we can expect the rumor mill to begin churning all over again with who may be cast to play the young hero.
The Superman shakeup came as a shock to many after Henry Cavill reprised his role during the post-credit scene in the recently released Dwayne Johnson-led, Black Adam. With many, including Johnson, stoking rumors over the last several years, stating that it’s all been leading up to a Black Adam v. Superman showdown, the swift unveiling of the change of plans is hitting us hard. So, not only will there be no Man of Steel 2, but the teasers for Superman taking on both Brainiac and Black Adam have completely imploded.
And then, of course, there’s the cameo that Cavill’s Superman was expected to make in the much-talked-about Ezra Miller-led The Flash. After Safran and Gunn’s studio takeover, Man of Steel 2 and Brainiac weren’t the only ideas to be wiped from the slate, it seems now that we can kiss that highly anticipated Cavill cameo in The Flash goodbye. The film will see the titular character racing back through time to save his family and, on the way, he’ll come face-to-face with other iterations of DC superheroes with Cavill originally signed on to reprise his role.
With Man of Steel 2 and therefore Superman’s fight against Brainiac now dead in the water, things are looking bleak for DC fans. Just last week, Patty Jenkins stepped down from her position as Wonder Woman franchise director, leaving us unclear of where the films will be headed – should they take flight at all. The only solace is in knowing that James Gunn and Peter Safran are in charge and have some sort of a plan, no matter how vague that plan is currently.
