The true big bad of the DCU may be revealed, and it’s not Brainiac.
Damon Lindelof recently handed out Green Lantern hats to the cast of the upcoming Lanterns series, and fans think it’s a clue pointing to The Centre, the ancient entity from DC’s New Frontier storyline.
Combined with recent teases in Gunn’s Superman: Man of Tomorrow script reveal and the finale of Peacemaker Season 2 – in addition to Gunn’s affinity for including his political agenda – it’s starting to look like The Centre could be the force tying Gunn’s entire DCU together.
The Centre — DC’s Hidden Cosmic Threat
First introduced in Darwyn Cooke’s acclaimed comic DC: The New Frontier, The Centre is an ancient, sentient island that predates human civilization. Over millions of years, it watched life evolve, grew disgusted with humanity’s violence, and decided to wipe out the species entirely. It manifests as a living landmass that can unleash psychic hallucinations, influence minds into madness, and spawn monstrous creatures — including flying dinosaurs (more on that below).
In the story, Superman and the heroes of the 1950s unite to stop The Centre, with Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern ultimately defeating it by launching it into space. The aftermath led to the formation of the Justice League, a plotline that sounds strikingly similar to what Gunn seems to be setting up for the DCU.
Gunn’s Tease Adds Fuel To The Theory
Last month, Gunn shared a photo of the Man of Tomorrow script featuring an anatomical illustration of a human head with the brain exposed. Fans initially took it as a reference to Brainiac, but it actually could be a clever hint toward The Centre, as the image literally highlights “the center” of the human mind.
Gunn also confirmed that Man of Tomorrow is “a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat.” That “bigger threat” could easily describe The Centre, a being powerful enough to require Superman and Lex’s uneasy alliance.
Lanterns’ “Terrifying Mystery” Connection
In Gunn’s original DCU presentation, he described Lanterns as a “True Detective”-style mystery series where Hal Jordan and John Stewart uncover a “terrifying mystery” on Earth that “ties into the larger story of the DCU.” That mystery could be The Centre. Rumors have suggested that Lanterns will introduce an ancient being beneath Earth’s surface, which is a direct nod to The Centre’s comic origins.
If true, this would make The Centre the connective tissue linking Lanterns, Supergirl, and Man of Tomorrow, setting up a cosmic-level threat long before the DCU’s eventual Justice League film.
Peacemaker’s Salvation Planet
Peacemaker Season 2’s finale also hinted at something much larger. John Cena’s Chris Smith ends up trapped on Salvation, an alien prison planet for metahumans. Some fans believe Salvation could be a hybrid of the New Frontier’s Dinosaur Island and The Centre itself. In the comics, The Centre can manipulate its geography, create illusions, and imprison life within itself, all traits that would make a connection between the two plausible.
Peacemaker Season 2 also ended with – you guessed it – dinosaur sounds.
How does Supergirl connect?
At first glance, Supergirl seems disconnected, as it’s set in space and focused on Kara Zor-El’s journey far from Earth. But there are a few ways Gunn could tie the stories together:
- Supergirl as a Prelude to Earth’s Crisis – The film might stand alone for most of its runtime, following Kara before she reaches Earth. Subtle hints — psychic disturbances, alien cults, or cosmic anomalies — could foreshadow The Centre’s influence even from across the stars.
- The Centre’s Reach Extends Beyond Earth – The Centre is telepathic and capable of influencing sentient minds over vast distances. In New Frontier, it manipulates people and animals into madness — so extending that to interstellar range isn’t far-fetched.
- Multiverse and Dimensional Parallels – The DCU already uses alternate dimensions. The Centre could exist in more than one plane, meaning what happens on Salvation (the prison planet seen in Peacemaker) or in Supergirl’s galaxy could be fragments of the same entity’s influence.
If Supergirl remains mostly standalone, her arrival on Earth could mark the moment when she encounters the first signs of The Centre — setting up her connection to Superman and the eventual team-up against it, possibly joining her cousin and Lex in Man of Tomorrow.
The Centre fits with Gunn’s political messaging
If The Centre is indeed the DCU’s ultimate villain, it also fits James Gunn’s storytelling style almost perfectly.
The Centre judges humanity for its moral decay, violence, and arrogance, which is exactly the type of allegorical villain Gunn loves to write. His Superman film already carried moral and ideological undertones about human nature, politics, and faith in society. Both Creature Commandos and Peacemaker heavily feature “the message.”
The Centre’s disdain for mankind could serve as Gunn’s new vessel for social commentary — an ancient being condemning modern humanity for the same failings Gunn critiques through his characters.
Some fans have noted Gunn’s tendency to embed moral and political messaging into his work, often through villains or conflicted heroes who see the world’s hypocrisy. The Centre allows that same thematic exploration on a cosmic scale. It’s a literal godlike being lecturing humanity for its sins while Superman, the embodiment of hope, has to defend the very species that The Centre wants to erase.
All Roads Lead To The Centre
If the theory holds, The Centre would serve as the DCU’s overarching existential threat, a being older than time, hidden beneath the planet, influencing minds and events from the shadows. Gunn’s “world-building, not story-building” approach allows this mystery to unfold across multiple projects, rather than building toward a single Thanos-style confrontation (something Gunn has dismissed).
From Lanterns to Supergirl to Man of Tomorrow, all signs are pointing to something ancient, and it may not be Brainiac after all. The real villain could be hiding in plain sight — right at the center.
Lanterns streams in 2026. Supergirl opens June 26, 2026. Superman: Man of Tomorrow hits theaters July 9, 2027.
