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James Gunn is currently beavering away on Superman and so far, most of what we know about the upcoming DCU movie we've found out through casting announcements and... leaked set pics. The latest of which look to reveal another villain David Corenswet's hero is set to face off against: Ultraman.
Or at least that's what fans are theorizing, anyway, thanks to the 'U' symbol on his suit. Aside from that, the figure's look is a far cry from the character's brightly colored get-up in the comics. In the snaps, which see him carting Superman off with the help of Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr and María Gabriela de Faría's The Engineer, he does resemble someone, though, and that's Black Noir, from Prime Video series The Boys, which has predictably sparked a whole bunch of jokes online.
"The Boys is such a crazy show," wrote one Twitter user. "Can't believe they're doing a crossover episode with Superman and Black Noir."
"Ultraman is gonna take off his mask to show he looks like David, and we're gonna have a movie adaptation of The Boys' ending before the show finishes," teased another, playing on the fact that The Boys' new Black Noir has yet to reveal his face.
"Why is Black Noir arresting Superman?" tweeted a third.
James gunn saw this and said "Yeah this is my ultraman" 💀 pic.twitter.com/B6k3TqhS9SJune 26, 2024
The Boys didn’t have the balls to adapt Black Noir being Homelander’s clone so James Gunn is doing it for Superman/Ultraman 💀June 25, 2024
i find it hilarious that ultraman in this movie is part-ultraman (name/logo), part-bizarro (failed superman clone), part-doomsday (suit design), and part-black noir reference (evil homelander clone clad head to toe in all black, whose nature isn’t revealed until later) pic.twitter.com/6CNfUGsSXjJune 26, 2024
In the comics, Ultraman is a name used by several dark versions of the Man of Steel, who all hail from alternate universes. The original version's home planet was never exploded and he was empowered by Kryptonite, developing a brand new power every time he was exposed to it. Superman, of course, was significantly weakened by it.
Not everyone is convinced the character will turn out to be Ultraman, however. A bunch of people reckon he's actually dimension-hopping baddie Ulysses. "It's not Ultraman pulling a Black Noir, Gunn debunked that. Instead it's gonna introduce Ulysses/Neil Quinn, who shows up in the Superman New 52 run. I mean look at his suit, it's clearly New 52 Inspired," claimed a doubter.
Elsewhere, others have said they think he's Bizarro, an imperfect clone of Superman created by Lex Luthor, who'll be played in the film by Nicholas Hoult.
Also starring Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Superman is set to fly into cinemas on July 25, 2025. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming DC movies and shows heading our way.
