Rumours about Superman's Ultraman being the Man of Steel's clone persisted for months before we saw the big reveal in the movie itself. Albert Valladares (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) served as the villain's stunt performer, but David Corenswet also donned the costume.
That was confirmed by the Engineer actor María Gabriela de Faría, when she shared several behind-the-scenes photos from the movie on Instagram in a now-deleted post. Fortunately, X has done its thing and saved this fun shot of Corenswet as Ultraman before it was lost to us.
The Clark Kent actor isn't wearing a wig or prosthetics, so this likely wasn't for scenes where Ultraman was unmasked (leaving us to wonder how many of the character's scenes were with Corenswet in the costume).
"It's funny, [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige wrote me yesterday. He says he hopes his old pal Bizarro..." Gunn recently said when it was put to him that Ultraman could return from that black hole as a far more recognisable character from the comics. "He wants to see Bizarro. Yeah, I think he's all those things, but also just kind of this f---ed-up version of Clark."
"There used to be some sadder stuff in there at some point that I got from the script that I really liked. I didn't have time for everything. I don't know if you noticed, David's got prosthetics on [as Ultraman]," he continued. "He's got a chin that's jutting out, his ears poke out, he's got one eye kind of going in a little direction. [Luthor] took him out of the oven a little too quickly or something."
While Gunn wasn't willing to say too much about whether we'll see more of Ultraman, he did confirm he's been mulling over the character's DCU future. "I like to think about where he's going and what he's going to do next."
Lex Luthor was Superman's main villain, with Ultraman and the Engineer serving as his muscle. The hope had been that Lex might don his Warsuit from the comics to fight the Man of Tomorrow, though it seems we'll have to wait until a possible sequel for that.
Check out this new behind-the-scenes photo from Superman in the X post below.
Superman, DC Studios' first feature film to hit the big screen, is set to soar into theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures.
In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.
"Superman is an indescribable joy," we said in our review. "A beautiful, moving thrill, David Corenswet is the perfect Man of Steel in a movie packed full of ideas. Fortunately, under James Gunn’s expert direction, all of those work, creating a rousing experience that flies higher than DC has in a very long time."
The movie stars David Corenswet in the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Also appearing are Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Neva Howell, and Milly Alcock.
Superman is now playing in theaters.