Nicholas Hoult Suits Up as Lex Luthor in First Look at 'Man of Tomorrow'

Director James Gunn has given fans their first glimpse of Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor in the highly anticipated Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.

The 36-year-old actor is returning to the role of the cunning entrepreneur, reprising his character for the DCU film that Gunn is once again writing and directing. On June 1, Gunn shared a behind-the-scenes image from production, captioning it simply: "Fit check. Live from the set of Man of Tomorrow."

The snapshot offers the first look at Hoult in Lex's advanced warsuit—the same armor Gunn teased earlier in the year during a playful birthday tribute to the character. In that February post, Gunn humorously described Luthor as "the ambitious and unstoppable CEO and scientist" who is "NOT a villain" but rather "a protector of earth and humanity (he swears on a stack of Bibles)." The post noted that audiences will see how Luthor fares working alongside his arch-nemesis Superman when the film arrives in summer 2027.

According to DC lore, Lex obtained the battle suit while briefly residing on his home planet of Lexor before its destruction. The armor provides him with superhuman strength and durability, enables flight, and grants him force field and energy projection capabilities—making him far more formidable on the battlefield.

The sequel takes an intriguing turn by having Superman and Lex unite against a common threat: the villain Brainiac, portrayed by Lars Eidinger. Production is currently taking place in Atlanta.