While those of you who went in search of plot leaks wouldn't have been too surprised, Superman delivers its most shocking twist (outside of Jor-El's true nature) when Ultraman is unmasked as the Man of Steel's twisted clone.
The villain, who has little in the way of free will and is controlled by Lex Luthor, is ultimately sent hurtling into a black hole. That either brings a permanent end to his story, or sets the stage for Ultraman to return as the DCU's take on Bizarro.
Entertainment Weekly put it to filmmaker James Gunn that Ultraman has elements of both Bizarro and Nuclear Man from Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, prompting the DC Studios co-CEO to share an easy-to-miss aspect of the formidable villain's true face.
"It's funny, [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige wrote me yesterday. He says he hopes his old pal Bizarro..." Gunn trailed off with a laugh. "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 note, "I like to think about where he's going and what he's going to do next."
Gunn also confirmed that Luthor's smart monkeys aren't in any way related to Gorilla Grodd, but revealed that he's "got other plans" for the iconic Flash villain in a future DCU movie or TV show.
Finally, talk turned to the Justice Gang and their under-construction base, the Hall of Justice. Confirming that Metamorpho is now part of the team, Gunn was pushed on whether all this was meant to lay the groundwork for the Justice League's DCU debut.
"Yeah, I think you could say that," he acknowledged. "I don't know why not, but I wouldn't jump the gun with thinking that's going to happen tomorrow."
We don't know where the Justice League fits into his 10-year plan for the DCU, but it seems likely that they'll assemble near the end of the "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" slate. Similar to Marvel Studios and the X-Men, benching the team for a while is necessary, given the damage that's previously been done to the brand.
Superman is now playing in theaters.