Rumours that Superman will put the Man of Steel against Ultraman have persisted for a while now, with set photos and the movie's trailer seemingly confirming it.
After all, how else do you explain a black-clad villain fighting Superman with a huge "U" on his chest?
Now, an upcoming tie-in book revealed a fresh look at this hulking villain, who is rumoured to have a unique connection to Superman. However, his costume is purple instead of black; either this design is based on outdated concept art, or the plan is to change Ultraman's look in post-production.
The latter seems more likely, and this could even be a second costume the character will don for the final act battle with Superman. We'll have to wait and see, but this is an interesting take on Ultraman (who is typically a Multiversal threat).
Filmmaker James Gunn has been insistent that Lex Luthor is Superman's big bad, and described his approach to that character in an interview which took place when the trailer was released.
"One of the things that was very important to me was to make Lex Luthor Superman’s equal. I wanted this Lex to be scary – and that is not just because he is a bad guy and he is a bad, bad guy but he has his reasons for thinking what he thinks. We do get into that, and it is a lot of ideological things and it comes down to what Superman represents versus what he represents as the world’s most intelligent man."
"So, I really do think that it becomes a battle of ideologies between the two of them and how they look at the world. One of them is very generous with his point of view, which to me is Superman, and one of them is not very generous , which to me is Lex, but there also has to be an intelligence with the way he deals with the henchmen that Lex has around him."
"Those are the things that make him incredibly dangerous to Superman and when you are willing to fight and there are no rules you have a bit of an upper hand against the person that you are going to fight who has a lot of rules."
Many fans have questioned why Superman will battle what looks to be an amalgamation of characters in Ultraman, though theories persist that Gunn could be laying the groundwork for Bizarro's DCU debut. Kaiju also look set to come into play, while Lex may end up donning his power suit.
Check out this new look at Superman's take on Ultraman 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.
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 arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.