Man of Tomorrow Set Photo Easter Egg Confirmed by James Gunn

James Gunn celebrated the start of Man of Tomorrow‘s production by sharing a set photo on social media. While it contained several Easter eggs and references, one stood out, particularly for Chess fans. This is a callback to an important event in the game’s history. Recently, the filmmaker confirmed that it was the case.

James Gunn confirms major chess Easter egg in official Man of Tomorrow set photo

Gunn shared a photo from the Man of Tomorrow set on Instagram. It includes a clapboard — seen from a distance — showing Superman’s insignia mixed with Brainiac’s logo. Also shown are an open bag of Ruffles chips, Lex Luthor’s inmate card, and, most importantly, a red-and-black chessboard.

Upon closer inspection of it and the arrangement of the chess pieces, eagle-eyed fans of the game realized it referenced an important moment in its history: Game six of the Deep Blue vs. Kasparov rematch in 1997 (via ScreenRant). This is notable for being the first time a machine outthought and defeated not just a man, but a reigning world Chess champion.

The CEO of DC Studios confirmed this Man of Tomorrow Easter egg on Threads. Sharing a link to the article in his post, he captioned it “True.”

The chessboard and specific arrangement of pieces could likely be an analogy to Superman’s conflict with Brainiac in the movie. The former embodies Kasparov in this situation, and the latter portrays Deep Blue. Alternatively, it could also refer to the intelligent Lex Luthor taking on the Kasparov role and going up against the incredibly sharp-minded technology-fueled alien. This would put him in a difficult situation, one where he cannot overcome Brainiac by simply using his brain. Thus, he would be forced to reluctantly ally with Superman, the film’s core plot point, to best him.

Man of Tomorrow flies into theaters on July 9, 2027. In addition to directing, Gunn wrote the script. He also co-produced with Peter Safran.

David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, and Rachel Brosnahan reprise their roles from Superman. Skyler Gisondo, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, Nathan Fillion, Sara Sampaio, Frank Grillo, and María Gabriela de Faría also return. New cast members include Lars Eidinger as Brainiac, Aaron Pierre as John Stewart/Green Lantern — reprising his role from HBO’s Lanterns — and Adria Arjona in an undisclosed role, rumored to be Maxima.

Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on SuperHeroHype.