Ultraman has been one of the most mysterious characters in James Gunn's Superman reboot movie. Everyone from Supergirl, to Apollo of the Authority, to even Doomsday has been speculated to be under the mask.
But with Superman now in theaters, the true identity of Ultraman has been revealed. And though the face that's concealed by the supervillain's distinctive mask isn't one that was totally outside the realm of possibility, who's under there is just a bit more complicated than a simple one-to-one comic book adaptation.
We'll reveal who it is and how Ultraman's identity stacks up to Superman's comic book lore, but first, we've got to offer up a very serious Spoiler Warning, as we'll be getting into some specific details about the plot and characters of James Gunn's Superman. If you haven't seen the movie and you want to go in fresh, turn back now to avoid spoilers.
Seriously, Superman spoilers below
Still with us? OK. So here's who Ultraman actually is in James Gunn's Superman. Ultraman is actually a twisted clone of Clark Kent grown by Lex Luthor, who mind-controls the villain by calling out commands that give Ultraman an edge in battle over the Man of Steel.
Grown from a single strand of Superman's hair, the Ultraman clone first appears in the film as the Hammer of Boravia, pummeling Superman in the first chunk of the film under Lex's commands.
Ultraman then returns, ditching the Hammer armor and teaming up with the Engineer to fight Superman again in the final chunk of the film. Supes manages to overcome Ultraman's power by breaking Luthor's control and then ditching the villainous clone in a dimensional rift.
Obviously, the idea of a not-quite-right clone of Superman is hardly new. Debuting back in 1958, one of Superman's most recognizable villains is Bizarro, an odd, broken-mirror reflection of Superman whose powers are sort of opposite of Supes (he has freeze vision and fire breath instead of heat vision and freeze breath, for example), and who talks in 'Bizarro-speak,' where he often means the opposite of what he's saying. "Me am not Bizarro," means "Hey I'm Bizarro," for example.
There are multiple versions of Bizarro, including several comic iterations that are failed clones of Superman created by Lex Luthor. There's also a version from a square planet known as Bizarro World, where opposite versions of the entire Justice League exist.
The name 'Ultraman' also comes from comics. First appearing all the way back in 1964, two years ahead of the much more famous Japanese hero of the same name. Ultraman is an evil version of Superman from Earth-3, a reality where, instead of a Justice League, there is a villainous Crime Syndicate. Other members include Owlman (Batman), Power Ring (Green Lantern), and Johnny Quick (Flash).
It's interesting that the comic histories of both Bizarro and Ultraman are tied to alternate realities that are home to mirror-opposite versions of the Justice League. Could Ultraman's trip through the dimensional rift lead him to a version of Bizarro World or Earth-3, with an evil, opposite version of the Justice League waiting for him?
James Gunn previously said that the follow-up to Superman wouldn't necessarily be a direct sequel. We know Supergirl is already in production as the next film in the DCU, but is there a chance Gunn was talking about a follow up focused on what happens next to Ultraman?
The next entry in the DCU is August's Peacemaker season 2, which also seems to dig into alt-realities. For more, check out the upcoming DC movies coming down the line, plus our guide on how to watch the DC movies in order.
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