Man of Tomorrow’s First Set Photo Has A Brilliant Superman Easter Egg 99% Of Fans Missed

by

James Gunn has begun filming his upcoming movie, and he shared a first glimpse of what fans can expect. He posted a photo on social media showing a chess board, Lex Luthor’s prison ID and badge, a bag of chips, and, most notably, the movie’s clapperboard. The clapperboard features a new logo that combines Superman’s symbol with that of Brainiac.

While fans of comics and movies debated a new symbol, chess enthusiasts noticed something different about the chessboard itself. It wasn’t just a game in progress; the arrangement of the pieces deliberately referenced a legendary match: game six of the 1997 showdown between Garry Kasparov and the Deep Blue computer.

The Day Machine Beat Man

Garry Kasparov, a legendary chess player, first played IBM’s Deep Blue computer in 1996 to test if a machine could beat a human. He won that match 4-2, similar to the story of John Henry, though thankfully Kasparov wasn’t harmed! However, their 1997 rematch would have a different outcome.

Kasparov fought hard over six games. He won the first in 45 moves, leading many to believe that even with improvements – IBM had renamed the computer “Deeper Blue” – Deep Blue wouldn’t be able to win. However, Deep Blue won the second game, forcing Kasparov to resign, though the victory was questioned. The computer made an unusual move that didn’t offer any real advantage, but it was strange enough to disrupt Kasparov’s strategy. He even suspected IBM was secretly using a human player to control the computer.

The third and fourth games ended in ties, giving Kasparov a chance to come back and win. In the fifth game, he almost succeeded, but missed a crucial move, resulting in another draw. The entire match would come down to the final game – the winner would be the champion. A human victory would prove that computers couldn’t compete with human strategy and creativity. But if Deep Blue won, IBM would have created the most advanced machine ever built at that time.

Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov quickly, with Kasparov resigning in under 20 moves. The machine won the match with a score of 3.5 to 2.5. Kasparov suspected IBM of unfair play and requested a rematch, but IBM surprisingly discontinued the Deep Blue project instead. It was as if, like the computer in the film WarGames, Deep Blue understood that the best way to win was to stop playing altogether.

The Final Kasparov VS Deep Blue Board Matches James Gunn’s Photo, But Who Is Kasparov?

The final game between Kasparov and Deep Blue is well-known in both chess and computer science because it marked the first time a computer defeated a human player through strategic thinking. It’s interesting that James Gunn used this exact board position in a photo, and it likely wasn’t a coincidence. The setup seems to represent Brainiac defeating a human opponent, but who that human is remains a question. Is it Superman, representing the champion of humanity like Kasparov, or could it be Lex Luthor?

It seems Superman is the most likely hero to struggle with Brainiac. If he could easily defeat Brainiac himself, he wouldn’t need to partner with Lex Luthor. However, James Gunn has hinted that Lex Luthor will play a central role, and might be the one unable to handle the threat. Gunn previously stated he’s “more interested in exploring Lex’s character.” In the recent Superman movie, Luthor was defeated through kindness and connection, but his intelligence remained unchallenged. It’s possible that in the upcoming Man of Tomorrow story, Luthor will encounter an enemy he can’t outsmart, forcing him to rely on teamwork – the same thing that defeated him before.

We’ll all know for sure on July 9, 2027.

3 Questions
Chess Moves and Superhero Showdowns: Test Your Knowledge
Your Top Score
—
Attempts
—
0
0
Report Error

Found an error? Send it info@screenrant.com so it can be corrected.

Read More

2026-04-22 03:10