Superman Man Of Tomorrow: The History Behind His Iconic Title & What It Means For His Future (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Superman first appeared in 1938 with Action Comics #1 and quickly became the character who opened the door for every superhero that came later. Born on Krypton and gaining strength from Earth’s yellow sun, he fought for ordinary people while showing humanity’s better side. Over the decades he has been called many names, but The Man of Tomorrow captured more than just his strength. It suggested a vision of what people could become, not simply what he could do.
James Gunn’s Superman: Man of Tomorrow Movie Release Date
James Gunn recently revealed that the next Superman film will carry this name. Superman: Man of Tomorrow is scheduled to release on July 9th 2027 and will use the classic title once again, with Gunn sharing an image of Superman standing beside Lex Luthor in his Kryptonian armor. Now, using this classic nickname suggests that the film may explore deeper ideas behind the hero rather than simply his strength.
Early Superman Creations by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Apparently the path toward this title stretches back to the early 1930s. Before Action Comics, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were writing science fiction stories and even launched their own magazine in 1932. One of those stories, The Reign of Superman, imagined a villain who gained powers from a scientist that resembled Lex Luthor. That version did not succeed, and the creators destroyed their only copy. Yet pieces of the concept survived and in 1937, their story Federal Men of Tomorrow introduced a hero named Jor-L, a name later given to Superman’s father. Even before Superman’s official debut, Siegel and Shuster imagined him as someone connected to the idea of a better future.
When Superman finally debuted in 1938, he was soon called the Man of Steel, but the Man of Tomorrow name appeared the next year. It was first used in New York World’s Fair Comics #1 in 1939, where Clark Kent and Lois Lane visited the fair only to cross paths with the criminal Nick Stone. Superman saved Lois, caught a bullet midair, chased down Stone, and handed him to the police.
The issue tied into the fair’s theme of “The World of Tomorrow,” and in the closing panel Superman was called The Man of Tomorrow. Krypton itself later expanded this idea. First mentioned in Action Comics #1, its history was fleshed out in 1939, revealing a world far more advanced than Earth. By 1949’s Superman #61, Kryptonians were described as beings who had evolved superpowers through science, showing Superman as a glimpse of what humanity might one day achieve.
Superman Comics With The Man of Tomorrow Title
The name appeared again in 1986 when Alan Moore wrote “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” The two-part story closed the chapter on the Silver and Golden Age versions of the character, per CBR. It portrayed a Superman who faced betrayal, loss, and the breaking of his moral code, ending with him choosing a quiet life without powers.
James Gunn says Superman and Lex Luthor will work together to fight a ‘much bigger threat’ in ‘Man of Tomorrow’
The title would return again in 1995 for the series Superman: The Man of Tomorrow, written by Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, J.M. DeMatteis, and Mark Schultz. It ran alongside the other Superman titles to fill in extra publishing weeks. The phrase resurfaced once more in 2020 with the animated film Superman: Man of Tomorrow, which reintroduced his origin for a new era of DC animation. Screenwriter Tim Sheridan explained that the idea behind the name was simple, what a person chooses today shapes who they become tomorrow.
Grant Morrison gave even deeper weight to the concept with All-Star Superman in 2006. That story followed Superman’s last days after absorbing a fatal amount of solar radiation, yet instead of despair, he devoted himself to leaving behind hope. He cured diseases, built worlds, and finally sacrificed himself to save the sun from Solaris. Morrison showed Superman as an ideal for humanity, someone who pushes forward even when the end is certain.
James Gunn, heavily influenced by Morrison’s vision, even gave All-Star Superman to the cast and crew of his film as essential reading.
