Who Is Ultraman? The Rumored Villain Of James Gunn's Superman Movie, Explained

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The trailer for James Gunn's relaunched "Superman" is here, giving fans their first taste before the film soars into theaters this coming July. The trailer debuts David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, who has an adorable crime-fighting partner in Krypto the Superdog and shares a levitating make-out session with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). There are several other Justice League headliners featured too, but what about the bad guys?

Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor gets a few dedicated shots, and Metropolis is apparently going to suffer a kaiju rampage. But is there anyone else? Well, there's one rumor that might explain the scene of a crowd angrily jeering at Superman. Industry scooper Daniel Richtman claimed in April 2024 that the film will feature the DC Comics villain Ultraman. Speculation about this has been fueled by toy listings for an Ultraman figure and set photos showing a masked figure clad in all-black with a U-insignia on their chest. Keep in mind, though, that Gunn has denied any character but Lex Luthor being the main villain of "Superman."

So, who is Ultraman? And no, we don't mean the Japanese tokusatsu hero (though Gunn is a fan of that one). This Ultraman, created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky in 1964, is an evil version of Superman from a parallel universe. The rumors about Ultraman appearing in "Superman" go hand-in-hand with ones that the film version will have a different origin from the comic one.

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Ultraman first appeared in "Justice League of America" #29, along with his colleagues in the Crime Syndicate of America. They are the Justice League's counterparts from a topsy-turvy universe where the bad guys always win; their ranks include not only Ultraman, but Owlman, Superwoman, Johnny Quick and Power Ring. Bored with conquest, they cross dimensions and challenge both the Justice League and Justice Society in a story titled "Crisis On Earth-Three."

In 1961's "Flash" #123 ("The Flash of Two Worlds"), Gardner Fox introduced the multiverse to DC. The setting of the current Justice League adventures was said to be Earth 1, while the Justice Society's world (home to the DC heroes of the 1940s and early 50s) was said to be Earth-2. The Crime Syndicate's world was dubbed Earth-3, beating "Star Trek" to the Mirror Universe concept by three years.

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Ultraman has largely the same powers as Superman, but fitting his nature as a dark mirror of the hero, he is weakened by sunlight and strengthened by exposure to Kryptonite. (See below.)

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In at least one version, Ultraman is also not a Kryptonian, but a human astronaut named Clark Kent who was bestowed with ultra-human powers. Unlike Superman (an alien raised as a human), Ultraman is a human remade into something else.

Ultraman and the Crime Syndicate have been revisited several times in future DC comics and then animation, such as Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's 2000 graphic novel "JLA: Earth 2," 2010 animated film "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths," and 2013 comic crossover "Forever Evil." Will James Gunn's "Superman" be their next outing?

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Richtman claimed that the Ultraman supposedly appearing in "Superman" will not have the Crime Syndicate backstory. Instead, he will be a clone of Superman created by Lex. This origin brings to mind both Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow), the heavy of the woebegotten 1987 picture "Superman IV: Quest for Peace," and the comic villain Bizarro. Created by Otto Binder and George Papp in 1958's "Superboy" #68, Bizarro is depicted as Superman's shadow self, one with bone-white skin and a grotesque appearance evoking Frankenstein's Monster.

Now, Bizarro's comic history is convoluted. Sometimes he too hails from a parallel dimension, "Bizarro World," where everything is the opposite. His go-to modern origin, though (such as in "Superman: The Animated Series"), is a failed clone of Superman created by Lex Luthor. It's a much simpler origin, for one, and it evokes the "Frankenstein" aspects of Bizarro. Lex is typically an evil businessman these days, but he was originally (and often still is) a mad scientist.

As for why this clone is being called Ultraman? It might just be because Gunn is a fan of the other Ultraman and wants to homage it.

Recent superhero movies have been leaning way too hard on the multiverse concept, so it's a good call for "Superman" to avoid that web. A whole evil Justice League, in a movie that already risks having too many cameos? Yeah, that'd be a bad call. On the other hand... Lex Luthor making an evil Kryptonian monster to battle Superman? It sounds a bit similar to the last movie that tried to kick off a DC cinematic universe and only stirred controversy.

"Superman" is scheduled for theatrical release on July 11, 2025.