Man of Tomorrow Has More DC Heroes Than the Justice League Movie, Is It Repeating a DCEU Problem?

Cast members keep getting announced for the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, potentially leading to a problem that already plagued the DCEU. The DCU is still in its early years, with Man of Tomorrow only being the third movie after Superman, Supergirl, and Clayface. Because of this, the DCU is still finding its identity, although the number of superheroes being thrown into the franchise hints that this process isn’t slow.

The DCU is still a long way from a Justice League movie, with the franchise missing major characters like Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash. There isn’t a clear path to a Justice League project, as we don’t know when these iconic characters will first appear. Tons of other superheroes have already joined the DCU, but this isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Man of Tomorrow Has More Heroes Than The DCEU’s Justice League

One of the biggest complaints regarding the DCEU’s Justice League movie is how many characters it had. The main cast consists of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg, as well as a litany of side characters and villains. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were the only characters who had gotten appearances beyond cameos in previous DCEU films, and Superman was the only character who had gotten a true solo film. Because of this, Justice League had to introduce and develop most of its main cast, making the film feel way too crowded. Zack Snyder’s Justice League was a major improvement, but it was over four hours long, proving how much time is required to feature this many main characters.

Unforunately, it seems like Man of Tomorrow is falling into the same trap. The film will feature Superman main heroes like Superman himself, Mister Terrific, Guy Gardner, and Hawkgirl. On top of that, John Stewart and Supergirl will appear, with them both coming from their own solo projects. Plus, it was just revealed that Blue Beetle will appear in Man of Tomorrow, with Xolo Maridueña reprising his role from the 2023 Blue Beetle film. This still doesn’t account for Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Braniac, Rick Flag Sr., and more, including the rumored appearance of Peacemaker.

When it comes to purely superheroes, Man of Tomorrow has one more than Justice League, plus all the other side characters and villains. This has caused many fans to worry that their favorite characters won’t get enough screen time, especially if the sequel has a similar runtime to the 2025 film. Superman has to share the screen with tons of other characters in his own movie, with Man of Tomorrow feeling like the franchise’s first event film. There are still a lot of questions surrounding Man of Tomorrow, but this is by far the biggest concern ahead of the sequel’s first trailer.

James Gunn Has Proven That He Can Handle Superhero Movies With Large Casts

While the comparisons to Justice League are valid, if anyone can handle Man of Tomorrow‘s main cast, it’s James Gunn. Gunn is writing and directing the Superman sequel, and considering his track record, it will probably be great. Superman is one of the best superhero movies of all time, and it’s only the latest in a streak of hits that includes the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, The Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker.

One of the things that these projects all have in common is their large ensemble casts. The first Guardians of the Galaxy has five main superheroes, all of whom had never been seen in a film before. Gunn introduced and properly developed all of these characters, a feat which was made even more impressive by the larger casts of the subsequent two films. On top of that, The Suicide Squad‘s main cast consisted of Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, Ratcatcher 2, and Rick Flag Jr., the same number of heroes that are currently confirmed for Man of Tomorrow. If Gunn can do it once, he can do it again.

Plus, Man of Tomorrow is way ahead of Justice League when it comes to solo projects. Superman, Supergirl, John Stewart, and Blue Beetle will have all gotten their own solo projects ahead of the sequel’s release. That’s three more characters than Justice League had, meaning that Gunn can operate with the confidence that audiences are already familiar with these heroes. While we can’t dismiss concerns that Man of Tomorrow will repeat this Justice League issue, we’re confident that Gunn has things handled.

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