James Gunn's Superman movie finally offered fans the first full look at its secret villain. Several big baddies are confirmed for David Corenswet's Man of Steel to go up against in the DC Studios epic (including Lex Luthor, Metamorpho, and several others); however, one key member of the film's antagonistic bunch still has largely been kept under wraps.
A new Amazon product listing showed the first head-to-toe look at Superman's villain, Ultraman. The character has appeared in several marketing pieces for the film thus far, but fans still do not know who the supervillain is, who they will be played by, and how they specifically factor in Superman's plot.
The sneak peek at the character popped up in the official activity book for Superman. It shows the masked villain in a skin-tight suit (not all that different from Superman's) floating with his arms spread wide.
The costume includes rounded goggles on the mask, a purple tint, and a metallic "U" splayed across the chest (probably for Ultraman).
Ultraman has been teased in bits and pieces, along with the rest of the movie's DC Comics villains. The villain appeared in the Superman trailer, standing alongside Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor and being caught in a headlock by David Corenswet's titular man in tights.
Superman is set to soar into theaters on July 11, kicking off the newly minted DCU. The film is directed by DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn and stars David Corwenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult, among others, in its A-list ensemble (read more about the Superman cast here).
While not an origin story, Superman will recount the early years of Clark Kent/Superman as he navigates balancing his human life with being Earth's Kryptonian protector.
Who Could Superman's Secret Villain Be?
Fans have gotten a good look at several of Superman's primary villains; however, Ultraman's role in the film has not been explored too deeply.
Some previously speculated that the secret villain was Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor in some super-powered suit, allowing him to spar directly with David Corenswet's all-powerful Superman. However, that theory has been disproven as Ultraman was seen with Lex in several promotional shots for the film.
It may be a stretch, but fans might have to look to the DC Multiverse to learn more about the character's origins. In the comics, Ultraman is an evil variant of Superman from another reality.
There is a chance that to take down the Man of Steel, Lex Luthor ripped a hole in reality, coming into contact with this alternate, villainous Superman. He then may have employed Ultraman to help in his quest to take down Superman, using him as the muscle while Lex remains the brains of the operation.
This tactic would make sense as (without his iconic power armor) Lex has long been unable to contend with Superman physically. Bringing in a character that could go blow-for-blow with the titular Kryptonian for the film makes sense, saving Lex's power armor for a potential sequel somewhere down the line.
Suppose this is the direction James Gunn takes Ultraman. In that case, there is a chance Gunn is hiding the character's identity because he is secretly being played by Superman actor David Corenswet (seeing as in the comics, the character is just an evil version of the movie's central hero).
