- The main villain for DCU's Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters could turn out to be Brainiac.
- The message seen in Superman, from his parents, told Kal-El to conquer the Earth, which is the polar opposite of what we have seen so far.
- This message could have been corrupted by none other than Brainiac, since Lex has been denying it all the time in the movie.
The message by Superman’s Kryptonian parents in the movie made quite a hullabaloo. Instead of the usual heartfelt guidance we’re used to, this version flips the script. Superman’s parents tell him to conquer Earth. Naturally, this sparked theories, and the immediate reaction was to blame Lex Luthor. But what if it’s not Lex this time? What if this altered message is a clue, a sinister breadcrumb leading us to the real threat of the DCU’s future? I believe this twist could be foreshadowing the arrival of a villain in James Gunn’s DCU that we haven’t yet seen in live action. So, let’s break it down.
Was the Message by Superman’s Kryptonian Parents Altered?
In Superman (2025), one of the film’s most unexpected twists comes from something that should’ve been simple: a message from Superman’s parents. Throughout the movie, Clark is driven by what he believes is a call to serve and protect humanity, a kind of spiritual compass gifted to him by his Kryptonian origins. But as it turns out, he’s only been hearing half the story, quite literally.
The second half of that message was lost and corrupted. That is, until Lex Luthor and The Engineer manage to break into the Fortress of Solitude and recover it. Now, you’d expect a heartfelt continuation, right? Something inspiring? Instead, the full message takes a sharp, dark turn. Kal-El is told to conquer Earth and preserve the Kryptonian genome.
Just like that, the narrative flips. Now, your gut might say, “Yep, classic Lex move. He must’ve tampered with it.” But interestingly, Lex repeatedly denies doing anything to the tape. So we’re left with two options: Either Lex is lying, or someone else had a hand in that message being altered. And if you ask me, I’ve got a pretty good guess who that might be.
James Gunn Could Set up DCU’s One of the Most Dangerous Villains Through This Message
Now, when Superman Robot 4 mentions that the message from Kal-El’s parents was “corrupted in transit” from Krypton to Earth, what if it wasn’t corrupted technically, but in a much more sinister, intentional way? I think that message was literally “corrupted”. And if you ask me who could pull off something like that? There’s only one name that comes to my mind to appear as the DCU’s ultimate villain: Brainiac.
Hear me out. In a recent interview with ScreenRant, James Gunn made it crystal clear that predicting the direction of the new DCU is no easy task. Now, while many are betting that Doomsday is the big bad of Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, I don’t think that’s the case. I believe Doomsday will show up down the line, but for this chapter? It has Brainiac as DCU’s Chapter 1 Villain written all over it.
Why? That corrupted message is our biggest clue. It turns Superman’s origin on its head, and who better to manipulate that than Brainiac, DC’s cold, calculating, and terrifying artificial intelligence? Combine that with Lex Luthor’s absolute peak levels of hate for Superman in this movie, and you’ve got the perfect setup for a live-action adaptation of the Divided We Fall storyline.
For those who aren’t familiar, that’s the storyline where the U.S. government goes after the Justice League over accountability concerns, tensions rise, the League breaks apart, and on top of all this, Brainiac merges with Lex Luthor.
Of course, this is all just a theory, but if you think I might be onto something, let’s talk about it in the comments. Got a theory of your own? Bring it on. After all, speculation is half the fun.
