In 2025, James Gunn revamped the iconic Superman character in a film that not only breathed new life into the saga but also paved the way for an expansive cinematic universe. This new direction moves beyond most DC films since 2013’s “Man of Steel,” offering a revitalized exploration of its rich mythology. In this world, metahumans are well-established, with Superman, portrayed by David Corenswet, already at odds with Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult. The movie skips the familiar tropes, diving straight into its own narrative. For those listening closely, important lines in “Superman” might offer clues about future developments.

What can audiences expect from sequels and other DC Universe entries following “Superman”? “Supergirl” is set to premiere on June 26, 2026, with “Clayface” following on September 11 of the same year. The question remains, does Gunn have a vision for the antagonist of “Superman 2”? Additionally, what role will “Superman” play in shaping the upcoming “Lanterns” series featuring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre? Is there a larger narrative expanding across time and space being constructed? While Gunn might be withholding many details, that hasn’t stopped fans and online communities from speculating on theories that could be pivotal to the unfolding DCU.

The film “Superman” in 2025 concludes with the hero overcoming Lex Luthor’s underling, Ultraman, revealed to be a clone. Despite being swept into a black hole by debris, speculation suggests Ultraman might reappear in a subsequent “Superman” installment.

In DC lore, Ultraman is depicted as a sinister Superman from an alternate reality (Earth-3), leading the Crime Syndicate, a notorious variant of the Justice League with twisted versions of Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, and others. In the film, the cloned Superman is mute but seemingly aware of his identity as Ultraman. Transported to another universe through the black hole, he may discover an absence of Superman, allowing him to dominate any version of Earth he encounters, possibly rallying local villains to his cause.

“Superman 2” might adapt the “Crisis on Two Earths” storyline, featuring a virtuous Lex seeking our Superman’s assistance against the Crime Syndicate. With “Superman” already showcasing heroes like Mr. Terrific (played by Edi Gathegi) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), this crime ring could feature malevolent counterparts that the Justice Gang or possibly the Justice League would need to thwart.

While making Ultraman align more closely with his comic portrayal seems a straightforward choice for “Superman 2,” another intriguing possibility is suggested: a sequel could introduce him in a different light as another Superman clone from the comics, offering a fresh narrative direction.

Some fans believe Ultraman could turn into the villain Bizarro, who’s the opposite of Superman in every way, including the way he talks. Since Ultraman can’t speak, it’s possible that he lands in another reality where, say, everyone speaks backwards. He could learn how to talk there, giving him Bizarro’s unique speech patterns. Along the way, he could increase his intelligence and find a way to return to his original Earth to take down Superman. 

Bizarro could also become a henchman for a much greater threat. Brainiac would make an excellent antagonist for a future “Superman” movie, so perhaps he could pull Ultraman/Bizarro back to our reality out of a desire for some extra firepower. Granted, that would make the prospective plot of “Superman 2” similar to the first, in which the main villain’s henchman is a Superman clone. But all the pieces are there for it to happen. 

There are many plot points that could factor into a “Superman” sequel, but let’s focus on how the film could establish something in another DC project. “Lanterns” is currently scheduled to come out sometime in early 2026, and “Superman” has already introduced one Green Lantern — Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion). The show will mostly focus on two new Lanterns, namely Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). Fillion has been confirmed to appear as well, but a fan theory suggests he may not stick around too long. 

An official yet vague synopsis for “Lanterns” states that it’ll be “a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.” Now, that may sound disappointing, in that Hal and John will be grounded on Earth for much of the show despite being more cosmic heroes. Investigating a murder may sound like it’d be a little beneath them — unless they’re tasked with figuring out who killed another Green Lantern. And a surefire way to get audiences invested is to kill off Guy Gardner. 

We don’t know the extent of Fillion’s role just yet, but he did tell Entertainment Weekly, “I’ve dropped more F-bombs in that project than I have in, I think, my entire career put together.” If the show kicks off with Guy’s death, maybe we’ll get flashbacks of Hal and John remembering — and being annoyed at — his churlish attitude. 

Arguably, the most controversial thing James Gunn did in “Superman” was change Superman’s parents. In most media, the two are benevolent figures who want Kal-El to be a symbol of hope for humanity. However, in 2025’s “Superman,” Lex discovers that the message sent by Jor-El (Bradley Cooper) and Lara Lor-Van (Angela Sarafyan) to their son implores him to conquer Earth. Having heard only the undamaged portion of the message where they tell him to be good and inspire humanity, Superman is completely taken aback by this revelation. 

Lex himself states that he didn’t alter the message at all, and while it appears legitimate, that hasn’t stopped a fan theory from circulating that the message was indeed messed with. It would take a highly powerful technological entity to fool the likes of Lex and the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), and a prime candidate would be Brainiac. In “Superman: The Animated Series,” Brainiac — who hails in most versions from the planet Colu — is reinvented as a Kryptonian super-computer who helps orchestrate Krypton’s downfall so that he can save himself along with all of Krypton’s knowledge. 

Perhaps a “Superman” sequel could have a similar path forward for Brainiac. As a massive artificial intelligence, he could alter Jor-El’s message to his son in the hopes that Kal-El would conquer Earth, setting the stage for Brainiac himself to arrive. Regardless, it’s high time this villain made his debut in a live-action “Superman” movie.

The DCU’s canon can be tricky to navigate, but fortunately, James Gunn posted a primer online explaining what is and isn’t important going forward. In essence, “Creature Commandos,” “Superman,” and “Peacemaker” Season 2 are all canon, and if anything from a DC project that’s pre-“Creature Commandos” gets referenced, then that also becomes canon. 

More than anything, it seems like “The Suicide Squad” and “Peacemaker” have the most potential to directly be canon, which may explain a certain “Superman” plot point. “The Suicide Squad” references the fact that Earth no longer has kryptonite, which is why Lex has to use Metamorpho’s (Anthony Carrigan) transformational abilities to obtain kryptonite so he can torture Superman. In “The Suicide Squad,” it’s mentioned that Bloodsport (Idris Elba) shot Superman with a kryptonite bullet — which could have laid the groundwork for Superman wanting to get rid of all of the other kryptonite left on the planet. 

Of course, neither Superman nor Supergirl (Milly Alcock) can get close to the substance, but since Superman has a relationship with the Justice Gang, he might have contracted them to destroy all remaining kryptonite so that no one, especially Lex Luthor, could use it against him. 

At the beginning of “Superman,” Clark listens to Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van’s message to soothe himself. By the end, in one of the film’s most heartwarming moments, he now watches video footage of Jonathan (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and Martha Kent (Neva Howell) raising him as a child, recognizing them as his true parents. It’s a nice moment, but some fans have pointed out it’s a little odd that he’s still wearing the House of El insignia on his chest. 

In most Superman lore, the “S” on his chest isn’t actually an “S” that stands for “Superman.” It’s the emblem for the House of El, but if Superman recognizes that his biological parents were awful people, why would he still want to bear that symbol? 

Perhaps James Gunn is saving a redesign for a future film. After all, the symbol in the film isn’t quite an “S.” One of many small details in “Superman” is that it looks pretty similar to the emblem the character wore in the “Kingdom Come” comic storyline. One theory suggests that in “Superman 2,” he’ll have a new emblem that looks more like a proper “S,” casting off the burden of the House of El and just having it be “S” for “Superman.” 

Since the DCU is an interconnected cinematic universe, a big event film like “The Avengers” should be on the docket. We don’t know what it is yet, but James Gunn teased one to Screen Rant, saying: “It’s not what anyone thinks. It’s not what anyone would guess. But I think that if people watch the next season of ‘Peacemaker,’ they’ll see where a lot of these things are going.”

Some folks are already trying to guess the game plan, especially since Gunn said the big event won’t be what everyone is thinking. That would likely cross out major moments in the comics like “Flashpoint,” “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” and “Final Crisis.” However, there is a theory that DC Studios will adapt the “Our Worlds at War” storyline, in which an entity called Imperius seeks to wipe out all life in the universe, starting with Earth. This causes Earth’s heroes and some villains to unite to defeat him. 

It’s definitely a more cosmic story, which would line up with “Supergirl” and “Lanterns” establishing a lot of what’s going on in outer space in this universe. It would also make sense in terms of how Gunn seemingly wants to get a “Wonder Woman” project off the ground because Hippolyta, Wonder Woman’s mother, dies in “Our Worlds at War.” A “Booster Gold” show, based on the time traveling hero, also seems to be a priority, and time travel factors into “Our Worlds at War” too, since Superman transports Imperius back to the Big Bang to defeat him. 

We’ve already discussed a couple of ways Ultraman could return in “Superman 2,” but bringing him back may be seen as just more of the same. That doesn’t mean Lex Luthor is done cloning the Man of Steel just yet, and he may just do it again with very different results. 

It’s possible the DCU could introduce Superboy, who was retconnned in the comics to be a clone made up of the DNA of both Superman and Luthor. This makes him an intriguing character because he shares the genetics of someone who’s completely righteous and someone who’s diabolically evil, meaning he has to juggle two opposing sides of his personality. An untold truth of Superboy is that he’s sometimes even stronger than Clark Kent, so perhaps he’ll work as one of Lex’s minions until realizing he’s can choose to do good instead. 

Superboy’s introduction into the DCU would make sense if a “Teen Titans” movie or TV series ever happens. There have been reports that a “Teen Titans” script was underway, with casting supposed to start later this year, but the chronically online James Gunn shot those rumors down. While it could be in development, it may not happen for a while. That could give the DCU plenty of time to introduce Superboy in “Superman 2” as well as someone like Robin in the upcoming Batman movie, “The Brave and the Bold.” 

Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn) only has a brief cameo in “Superman,” but we’ll see him again soon. The “Peacemaker” Season 2 trailer has a scene where it looks like Lord, in addition to Hawkgirl and Guy Gardner, are interviewing Peacemaker (John Cena) for a position of some kind. The ending of “Superman” shows the whole Justice Gang intervening to prevent Boravia from invading Jarhanpur, so it’s clear Superman has inspired more metahumans to do what’s right, even if it goes against what the United States government might want. 

This has led to a theory suggesting that Lord, who’s already affiliated with the Justice Gang, will create a new superhero team — Justice League International. This is a variation of the Justice League that works for Max Lord and is co-sponsored by the United Nations, granting them more leeway to intervene in international affairs.

Following the Justice Gang pushing back on Boravian forces, a government official even claims that metahumans are making the rules now, showing how there’s fear that superheroes could take over. A savvy businessman like Lord would likely come up with a solution to give heroes some slack, while still having some semblance of control over them, and the JLI could be the ideal compromise. 

James Gunn has certainly been hesitant about saying what the next “Superman” movie will look like. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a straight-up “Superman 2,” but instead something a little different in which the Man of Steel is nonetheless integral. Gunn hinted on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, “Superman is very important. And it’s not Batman versus Superman.” Hopefully, more information comes to light sooner rather than later, but some fans believe a future film could be some variation of “Superman vs. the Authority.” 

When Gunn and Peter Safran, co-heads of DCU Studios, initially unveiled a line-up of future DC movies, part of the docket included an “Authority” film. The Authority are a team of heroes in the comics who go to extreme lengths to protect the world, with the Engineer, introduced in “Superman,” being part of the line-up. Plans can always change, and it’s possible that Gunn may not want a standalone “Authority” movie any longer, but he could combine it with a “Superman” sequel and have the Man of Steel confront a group of heroes who want justice but go about it in a different way. 

This could make for a more interesting moral dilemma for the Man of Steel. Instead of dealing with someone who’s just evil, he would confront metahumans who are technically on his side but use different methods than him. In all of his interviews, it’s clear that James Gunn wants to throw fans off the scent as to what the DCU is building toward, but as with any mystery, fan theories are bound to fill in every gap along the way.