DC Studios’ Man of Tomorrow is reportedly recasting a key SnyderVerse superhero. James Gunn’s DCU has already recast numerous heroes and villains from Zack Snyder’s DCEU/SnyderVerse on the road to assembling its own Justice League. After Superman introduced the Justice Gang, which many have speculated will one day evolve into DC’s premier superhero team, DC Studios has already added three Leaguers to Man of Tomorrow, igniting hopes that the 2027 sequel will lay the groundwork for the next live-action Justice League.
According to a post on Patreon by scooper Daniel Richtman, James Gunn’s DCU is expected to introduce Martian Manhunter in Man of Tomorrow, based on a casting grid. The shapeshifter was played in the SnyderVerse by Harry Lennix, where his introduction in Zack Snyder’s Justice League came as a major twist.
Lennix featured in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman as General Calvin Swanwick, eventually stepping up to become the United States’ Secretary of Defense. Later, Zack Snyder’s Justice League revealed that Swanwick was actually Martian Manhunter in disguise all along.
While J’onn J’onzz is, of course, a green-skinned Martian, his human disguise in most modern adaptations is as a Black man. DC Studios has thus far cast two Black male actors in unconfirmed roles for Man of Tomorrow: 57-year-old Andre Royo from The Wire and 41-year-old Sinqua Walls from Teen Wolf.
Based on Richtman’s latest DCU scoop, there is a high chance that Royo or Walls is playing the rebooted Justice League icon, although which, if either, may not be revealed until Man of Tomorrow hits theaters in July 2027.
Fans already had reason to believe that Martian Manhunter’s DCU debut was imminent, as Gunn teased his infamously beloved cookie brand, Chocos, earlier this year, sparking hopes that he may appear in Man of Tomorrow.
Martian Manhunter’s DCU Debut All Links Back to Brainiac’s Arrival
Recently, Andor star Adria Arjona boarded Man of Tomorrow, reportedly playing Maxima, the warrior queen of the planet Almerac. With Lars Eidinger’s Brainiac arriving to cause trouble on Earth in the 2027 blockbuster, perhaps Almerac has already fallen victim to his intergalactic knowledge collecting before the movie.
Some have speculated that Brainiac was involved in Krypton’s destruction in the DCU, especially as DC Studios already revealed the first look at its Bottle City of Kandor. Fans could get more clues as to what caused Krypton’s destruction as soon as next month in Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El.
Typically, Martian Manhunter leaves his world as the sole survivor of a genocide that wiped out his green-skinned kind. If J’onn J’onzz does appear in Man of Tomorrow, the DCU could link that conflict back to Brainiac, thereby giving him a motivation to come to Earth and join other heroes in taking on the genius big bad.
As the cast of Man of Tomorrow continues to grow, it has become increasingly clear that the DCU blockbuster isn’t exactly a simple Superman sequel, but rather a Justice League-level crossover event. That said, the League is yet to assemble in the DCU and may not until the latter moments of Man of Tomorrow or beyond.
