Martian Manhunter's DC Universe Debut Teased By James Gunn With Cryptic Photos
It looks like another classic DC Comics superhero is making his way to the new DC Universe. Director James Gunn is hard at work on pre-production on his new movie "Man of Tomorrow," the follow-up to last year's "Superman." We know that David Corenswet will be back as Clark Kent/Superman and Nicholas Hoult will reprise his role as Lex Luthor. Other than that, much remains mysterious, save for the fact that Lars Eidinger will be bringing the villain Brainiac to life. But a recent tease from Gunn indicates that Martian Manhunter is imminent.
Set design in Chocos. #Superman pic.twitter.com/lvT9prU5nI
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 27, 2026
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 27, 2026
"Set design in Chocos. #Superman," Gunn said in the caption to the first set of photos. While he didn't provide any additional comments to the second batch, those words were more than enough to clue us in to where this is all headed if you're familiar with Martian Manhunter's cookie habit.
In 2024, Gunn previously teased Martian Manhunter, as well as his odd addiction to Chocos cookies. That was then, this is now. So does that mean Martian Manhunter is going to have a major part to play in "Man or Tomorrow"? Or are we just going to have him set up through Easter eggs/teases?
That question will remain unanswered for a while, but Gunn knows what he's doing. He's set a clear expectation for DC fans who are familiar with the character's history.
Martian Manhunter appears to be joining the new DC Universe
Martian Manhunter, aka J'onn, has a longstanding history in the pages of DC Comics, having made his debut in "Detective Comics" #225 back in 1955. He was created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa and has remained a fixture of the DC Universe, particularly as a member of the Justice League, for decades. Martian Manhunter also has a long history with "Justice League International," a title James Gunn appears to be pulling a lot from. And in the comics, the character loves Chocos, which are sandwich cookies clearly inspired by Oreos.
For those who haven't read the comics all that much, the character will likely still feel familiar. He's appeared many, many times in other media in everything from the animated "Justice League" TV series to "Smallville." He also appeared in Zack Snyder's "Justice League" as portrayed by Harry Lennix. George Miller was also going to include him in "Justice League: Mortal" before the movie was scrapped.
Even if Martian Manhunter doesn't appear in the flesh in Gunn's latest, the DC Universe has plenty of projects in the hopper coming down the pipeline, including "Supergirl" and "Clayface" this year. Shows like "Lanterns" and "Booster Gold" are in the works as well, among others.
As for "Man of Tomorrow," Gunn has already more or less ruled out a Wonder Woman appearance, so don't expect this to devolve into a too much, too soon situation like what happened with the former DCEU. If Martian Manhunter is going to make his debut in this movie though, we'll likely hear something on the casting front sooner rather than later.
"Man of Tomorrow" is set to hit theaters on July 9, 2027.