Man of Tomorrow Should Reboot This Underrated Superman Baddie
Lots of talk about Maxima, but what about Ursa?
Next year, the hotly anticipated sequel Man of Tomorrow will hit theaters, with Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) forming an odd alliance with Superman (David Corenswet) against the evil genius known as Brainiac (Lars Eidinger). But what other villains are in the mix? Recent casting rumors have suggested that James Gunn is looking for an actress to play the DC anti-hero Maxima, an alien queen obsessed with conquest.
Several big-name stars have been connected with this role, though Gunn has denied a few things. First, he’s said that Marisa Abela, Adria Arjona, and Ella Purnell are not testing for this mystery part, even though Deadline reported that all of those names were connected to Man of Tomorrow. Second, Gunn hasn’t actually confirmed that this new character is Maxima. So what’s going on? And for longtime Superman fans, are we really hoping this Man of Tomorrow role will be Maxima?
While Maxima is a cool character who hasn’t been seen on the big screen, what might be more interesting is if Man of Tomorrow features a rebooted version of the wicked Kryptonian Ursa instead. And, right now, the actresses rumored to join the movie would be great fits for Ursa.
On April 9, 2026, Borys Kit and Aaron Couch of The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Eva De Dominici, Sydney Chandler, Grace Van Patten, and possibly Adria Arjona are all testing for the unconfirmed Man of Tomorrow role. While we can imagine any of these performers as Maxima, it seems equally possible that each would make a good Ursa.
Ursa was created for 1978’s Superman: The Movie, and had a much more prominent role in Superman II in 1981. Played by Sarah Douglas, Ursa is a cruel cohort of General Zod (Terence Stamp) who, along with Non (Jack O'Halloran), was sent to the Phantom Zone by Jor-El (Marlon Brando). Ursa wasn’t retconned into Superman comics until 2007, where she appeared in the “Last Son” arc, helmed by Geoff Johns and Superman director Richard Donner. That said, a character named Faora, who popped up in 1977, was similar to Ursa in that she was also an evil Kryptonian who escaped from the Phantom Zone.
Sarah Douglas as Ursa in Superman II (1981). You can see Sydney Chandler rebooting the character, right?
There have been a handful of onscreen versions of Ursa’s buddy, General Zod, this century, including Michael Shannon in Man of Steel (2013) and Colin Salmon playing a time-traveling Zod in the TV series Krypton (2018). But we haven’t had a live-action Ursa since 1981, even though Douglas appeared in the live-action Supergirl series in 2018 as a different evil Kryptonian named Jindah Kol Roz. So maybe we’re due for a reboot of Ursa (or Faora) in Man of Tomorrow. Gunn doesn’t need to bring back General Zod from the Phantom Zone yet again, but a rebooted version of Ursa could be a fun twist.
Superman II is considered a classic to this day. Part of why it works is that Superman has to deal with other Kryptonians, and Ursa is a major reason why that tension is so great. Who can forget the sing-songy taunting way Douglas says “Superman” before really getting into it? Arguably, this character is interesting because she’s simultaneously iconic but also a bit underwritten and underrated. And when you glance at old photos of Douglas in the role, any of the actresses rumored to be joining Man of Tomorrow would be great for a new Ursa, especially Alien: Earth’s Sydney Chandler.
Regardless of which direction Gunn decides to go with Man of Tomorrow, Ursa’s evilness will live on in the hearts of Super-fans everywhere. Hopefully, we’ll see her again very soon.
