This article contains spoilers for “Superman”.
Superman’s archenemy is, without a doubt, Lex Luthor. But the problem the movies have always faced is that Luthor is a regular guy; one punch from Superman and he’s dust. So how do you make Lex stand up to the Man of Steel? Traditionally, there have been two options: put Lex in a suit of armor or give him a super-powered enforcer.
Superman movies have always been about the latter, and James Gunn’s new “Superman” is no different. Lex’s (Nicholas Hoult) muscle is Ultraman. Yes, the rumors were true; Ultraman does appear in “Superman” as a key villain. However, he’s a bit different from the comic book version.
During “Superman”, Ultraman remains silent and wears a full-body black suit, with a doomsday-like goggle mask.
But the hints at his true self aren’t subtle. He has the same powers as Superman (David Corenswet): flight, strength, heat vision, etc. He also wears a “U” insignia on his chest, mirroring Superman’s costume. Lex is also somehow able to enter the Fortress of Solitude with Ultraman, even though it’s only open to Superman’s DNA signature. In the third act, Ultraman and Superman collide together on the ground. Ultraman rips off his crumbling mask, revealing Superman’s face staring back at the hero.
See, Lex managed to get his hands on a strand of Superman’s hair from a battle scene. He used it to make a (much less intelligent) clone of the hero. Don’t worry, though, because at the end of the film, Ultraman is thrown into a black hole; it’s hard to imagine even someone as strong as him coming back from that .
There is precedent for an evil Superman named Ultraman in DC Comics. However, in the comics, Ultraman is the Clark Kent of a parallel universe (“Earth-3”), where the Justice League are villains called the Crime Syndicate. This Ultraman has appeared in other DC films and television shows, such as the 2010 animated film “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths,” where he was voiced by Brian Bloom and portrayed as a superpowered mob boss. ( “Superman via Tony Soprano,” the film’s script states .)
This Instead, Ultraman is part of a long trend of evil mirrors for Superman in the “Superman” movies.
