There are several stars joining the DCU in James Gunn’s 2027 Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, most notably Adria Arjona and Matthew Lillard, and while rampant rumors have been flying about both, Lillard just shut down some of the biggest theories about his character (and his unexpected reveal is actually surprising). While a prominent and fairly recent rumor had Lillard playing King Faraday, there was a general consensus that he would be playing someone notable from the DC comics, whether that was Ted Kord, Barry Allen, or someone else.
However, in a recent interview with The Direct, Lillard shockingly seemed to put all of those rumors to bed at once, indicating that not only is his Man of Tomorrow character none of the aforementioned names, but also, he’s not from the comics at all. Instead, he seems to be a James Gunn original character—and that might be an even riskier decision than casting him as a fan-favorite hero. Check out Lillard’s exact comments below.
About his Man of Tomorrow role, Lillard told The Direct, “It’s a very James Gunn moment. So, I wouldn’t worry too much about finding him in the comics.” Wisely, Lillard didn’t give too much away in terms of what he did say, and it’s worth noting that this isn’t exactly confirmation that the character isn’t in the comics at all. However, at the very least, these comments from Lillard suggest that he is not playing a massive, easily recognizable character from the comics. Also interesting is the fact that Lillard called this a “James Gunn moment” (likewise suggesting it’s an original DCU character), as that in particular might be what ruffles feathers.
Still now, there is division within the fanbase regarding Gunn being at the helm—seemingly most but not all of it having to do with some DC fans holding out hope for the Snyderverse—and a character that is, essentially, being built by Gunn himself, at least based on these comments, could run the risk of creating even more division on that front. However, it’s really a gamble either way. Had Lillard been cast as a major DC character, the opposite could have been true, wherein fans could have been outraged by Gunn’s and/or Lillard’s take on the character. There’s certainly no straightforward way to appease all or even the majority of fans within a franchise as large as DC.
It will be interesting to see how this relates to Adria Arjona’s character, though, as many are still expecting her to be playing the DCU’s Wonder Woman. There does seem to be quite a bit of excitement over that possibility, so perhaps that would be a situation in which casting a major character would be the right call. For now, it’s just a waiting game to see who Arjona and Lillard are each playing and whether those casting decisions are ultimately positive or cause for further backlash to the DCU.
Who are you hoping to see Arjona and Lillard play in Man of Tomorrow—or are you happy to hear that Lillard seemingly will play an original character? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
