Lars Eidinger is giving fans an early idea of what to expect from Brainiac in James Gunn’s Superman follow-up, Man of Tomorrow, and it sounds like DC Studios is leaning hard into the villain’s darker side.
The German actor, who is playing Brainiac in the film, spoke with THR about joining the Superman franchise and described the character in heavy theatrical and biblical terms.
“Brainiac is described as the incarnation of Satan,” Eidinger said, adding that he finds the role “almost Shakespearean.”
Lars Eidinger Sees Superman As The Übermensch
Eidinger told THR he doesn’t see Man of Tomorrow as a simple franchise gig. He said the Superman universe carries “serious philosophical ambition” and “great allegorical weight.”
The actor broke down the word “super,” pointing out that it means “over” or “above,” before connecting Superman to the idea of the Übermensch and the Super Ego.
For Eidinger, the character is not just a man in a cape. He sees Superman as a symbolic figure loaded with psychological meaning.
He also recalled visiting the set and seeing an actor in the Superman costume suspended on wires in front of a bluescreen. Eidinger compared the image to Hamlet holding the skull, calling it the “essence of fiction.”
Brainiac Gets A Satanic Description
The actor said his background in theater has helped him with Man of Tomorrow because the film allows for a more expressive style of performance instead of something strictly realistic.
Eidinger also compared James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy to theater, especially in how Gunn handles good and evil and uses allegory.
“When I watch a film like James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, I find it has a great theatrical quality — in the handling of good and evil, and in a certain tendency toward allegory,” he said. “Brainiac is described as the incarnation of Satan. I find that almost Shakespearean. The king, the fool — there are so many parallels for me.”
Man Of Tomorrow Release Info
Man of Tomorrow is directed and written by James Gunn and follows his Superman movie starring David Corenswet.
The film stars David Corenswet as Superman, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Lars Eidinger as Brainiac. Aaron Pierre is also part of the cast as John Stewart Green Lantern.
Man of Tomorrow is set to be released in theaters on July 9, 2027.
(note: featured image of Lars Eidinger as Brainiac is fan art)
