Man Of Tomorrow's First Tease Is Now Streaming On HBO Max

Published Sep 21, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2023. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers. Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism. HBO Max has officially given fans of James Gunn's DCU their first tease about Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to Superman 2025, and you can stream it now. Among the many upcoming DCU movies on the horizon, Man of Tomorrow is arguably the most highly anticipated. Though Clayface promises to be a major change of pace for the franchise and a possible major horror hit, it's also something of a side story about a Batman villain. Man of Tomorrow is the DCU's first mainline movie since the box office failure of Supergirl, and it's a chance to set things right for the franchise. Though Man of Tomorrow is a big moment for the DCU, the franchise has been very secretive about it so far. DC has confirmed some of the cast of Man of Tomorrow, with notable characters like Brainiac and John Stewart as well as notable newcomer actors like Adria Arjona and Matthew Lillard. There are still a lot of unknowns about Man of Tomorrow, though, from Arjona and Lillard's roles to anything beyond a tease of Lex Luthor and Superman teaming up to fight Brainiac. As Man of Tomorrow's July 9, 2027 premiere date approaches, however, HBO Max has finally given fans a tease about the new movie. The Green Lantern series Lanterns has, so far, taken place primarily in 2016, years before Superman, which is set in 2025. The newest episode of Lanterns, however, took place in 2026 and used its updated timeline to set the stage for Man of Tomorrow for the first time. Lanterns Episode 6 Saw John Stewart Tease Superman & Its Fallout Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Lanterns episode 6. HBO Max's Lanterns recently gave the DCU its first concrete tease about Man of Tomorrow. In Lanterns episode 6, the first episode primarily set in the modern-day 2026 timeline, saw John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) operating as an architect for the first time. It also saw John speak at length about the events of Superman 2025 and, more importantly, the fallout of the devastation Lex Luthor's pocket universe wreaked on Metropolis. While John was trying to pitch his "arks," mass panic rooms that could protect Midway City in the event of a catastrophe or attack, he also revealed a bit about the state of the world in the DCU. Evidently, the United States military allocated billions of dollars to cities to upgrade their defenses as a response to Lex Luthor's actions. While it's not much, Lanterns gave viewers a look into how the world is responding to the events of Superman 2025 and building context for Man of Tomorrow's story. Based on Lanterns episode 6's beginning, it seems that Lex Luthor is a very hated man in America. Given Man of Tomorrow's premise, that Lex and Superman will have to team up to fight Brainiac, that context is very important. Getting Lex out of prison will likely be a big problem, and there may even be a chance for something of a redemption arc for Lex, at least in the court of public opinion. Though Supergirl was set after Superman, that film never gave viewers any more information about the in-universe state of the DCU. Kara Zor-El is primarily off-planet for the majority of the film, and when she does return, it's only to have a heart-to-heart with Clark Kent without discussing anything about Metropolis, Lex Luthor, or the DCU at large. Lanterns episode 6, then, is the first time the DCU has addressed the fallout of Superman 2025, which makes the new context and world building it teased all the more valuable. Lanterns Could Also Be The First Step To Assembling The Justice League In Man Of Tomorrow Via MovieStillsDB While Lanterns episode 6 was the DCU's first tease for Man of Tomorrow, there's a chance the show could become even more important in its final two episodes. Aaron Pierre is set to reprise the role of John Stewart in Man of Tomorrow, which presumably means he'll be operating as the main Green Lantern by the end of Lanterns. As such, Lanterns is going to be very important to understanding what will likely be a main character in Man of Tomorrow and the Green Lanterns as a whole. More than that, however, is the chance that Lanterns could be the first step to introducing the Justice League in Man of Tomorrow. As previously mentioned, Man of Tomorrow is shaping up to be a major team-up movie. Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, Superman, Supergirl, and John Stewart are all already confirmed to appear in the movie and, presumably, join forces against Brainiac. There's also been speculation that Wonder Woman could appear in Man of Tomorrow, marking her first appearance in the DCU. Lanterns, then, could be laying the groundwork for Man of Tomorrow to bring the entire Justice League together for the first time in the DCU. Episode 6 showed the scale of the destruction Lex Luthor alone was capable of, inspiring the U.S. government to give out billions of dollars to Midway City alone. That's the first concrete indication that Brainiac could be a big enough threat to force the Justice League to form. On top of that, Lanterns still has two more episodes to lay the way for the Justice League and Man of Tomorrow. Lanterns Release Date August 16, 2026 Network HBO Lanterns is a 2026 DC superhero detective series centered on veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan and new recruit John Stewart. The two intergalactic peacekeepers investigate a murder in Nebraska, drawing them into a dark Earth-based mystery with deeper implications for both men. Man of Tomorrow Release Date July 9, 2027 Director James Gunn Writers James Gunn Producers Peter Safran, James Gunn Prequel(s) Superman Franchise(s) Superman, DCU Cast Nicholas Hoult Lex Luthor Rachel Brosnahan Lois Lane Man of Tomorrow marks a new chapter in the Superman saga, as Superman teams up with longtime adversary Lex Luthor to face the formidable villain Brainiac.