Superman: Legacy's Main Villain May Be [SPOILER] According To DC Comics

Fans of the DC characters are on pins and needles, waiting for any scrap of information they can get on the upcoming James Gunn-iverse. With the DCEU coming to a close, it isn't hard to imagine that people are ready for something new and refreshing. Of course, we already know we're getting that new and refreshing look with "Superman: Legacy," set to kick off Gunn's reboot. While we have some casting information, we don't know much about the movie's plot outside of some basic themes. However, with a new tweet from DC, the publisher may have leaked that we are getting none other than Brainiac as the film's main villain.

The tweet's caption reads, "Looking forward to SUPERMAN: LEGACY? So are we! Read the comics that inspired the upcoming film on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE." In a series of posts, DC shared three images of "Superman" covers hinting that the film is inspired by "All-Star Superman," "Superman: Birthright," and "Action Comics #866." There is a lot that a two-hour movie can pull from each of these comics, but maybe the most telling part of this lead is the fact that the third comic features the main villain, Brainiac. While fans assume that Lex Luthor will play a big part in antagonizing the Kryptonian, the comics that inspired the film hint at something different.

So far, replies to the tweets have been divided, with some people excited about the prospect of finally getting a Brainiac in live action and others expressing their frustration at the departure of Henry Cavill. However, there is a lot to look forward to if our favorite robotic alien really is on the way.

In the third comic listed as inspiration, "Action Comics #866," Superman hears something hurtling toward Earth and goes to stop it. When he makes contact, it turns into a skeletonized version of Brainiac's bot and tries to lobotomize him. Superman defends himself, but the bot draws blood and does a scan before shutting down. At the end of the comic, we find Brainiac awakening in his ship shaped like a skull, surrounded by hundreds of bottled cities.

There are a handful of villains that would work well in a live-action medium. Lex Luthor is the obvious one, and Doomsday and Darkseid are veritable certainties to meet our hero face-to-face. But Brainiac has inexplicably never gotten his moment in time. While he almost got his debut in a 1997 Kevin Smith project, it fell apart, and we never got an opportunity to see the self-proclaimed comic book fan's faithful adaptation come to life.

This tweet from DC gives us hope that James Gunn is about to drop a significant DC/"Superman" villain on us as a way to kick off the new DCU with a bang. But there is another possibility that cannot be ignored. This is the third comic listed as an inspiration, which means it could be a subplot to the other two. Just like the comic that was teased as the inspiration, it could be introducing Brainiac but only hinting at his existence for a later installment. If that is the case, and we will only see Superman battle a bot at the end and a scan awakening Brainiac, then someone else will need to be the big bad in "Superman: Legacy."

Let's face it; there can't be a "Superman" franchise without a Lex Luthor any more than there can't be a "Batman" franchise without a Joker. So while it is teased that Brainiac will be at least part of the storyline in "Superman: Legacy," it is likely that Luthor will be the primary antagonist, leading to a Brainiac ease. The other comics in the tweet lend some credibility to the idea, as the first one leans heavily on the bald billionaire with a hatred for the Kryptonian.

"All-Star Superman" follows Superman after receiving a fatal dose of radiation poisoning from Luthor and then going about accomplishing some end-of-life tasks before he expires. Everything from creating Earth-Q to leaving behind DNA to creating a son with Lois Lane is done so Earth is always protected, even after his death. In the comics, he flies into the sun and then returns as a golden deity. Probably not the way Gunn would begin a franchise, but the idea that Luthor will get the best of Superman and hit him with a fatal dose of something (radiation or kryptonite) that puts the Man of Steel's mortality on display is fathomable.

The second comic listed, "Superman: Birthright," reimagines Krypton's destruction and the Kents as they raise Clark from boyhood. The three comics together paint a picture of flashbacks to Krypton and its destruction by Brainiac, Clark Kent's childhood as he contemplates his place in the world as both man and hero, Luthor nearly killing him before he overcomes and accepts his responsibility as Earth's protector, and the appearance of Brainiac to set up the next installment. Of course, all of that is pure speculation at this point, but DC looks to be teasing something similar.