With Superman’s release just around the corner, and a number of trailers and promotional images behind us, we have a decent idea of what to expect from the film and the many characters set to appear within it.
However, one character has remained shrouded in mystery ever since he popped up in the debut Superman trailer: Ultraman.
Writer and director James Gunn’s Ultraman is a very different take on the character made famous in the DC comics. In the comics, Ultraman is an evil, alternate-universe mirror of Superman himself. He looks a lot like Superman, just… evil.
Ultraman in James Gunn’s Superman doesn’t look like Superman at all. His suit, including his mask, has a more military fatigues feel, although the large U emblem on his chest as seen in trailers is unmistakable. But Ultraman’s power set looks consistent with Superman’s, at least based on what we’ve seen of the character in trailers.
Now, Gunn has released a new image of Ultraman that gives us a good look at the character up close. We can see the mask in plenty of detail, complete with dusty goggles. But who is underneath?
Ultraman. pic.twitter.com/KvdcMYL3XZ
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) June 24, 2025
Fans have already spent a great deal of time speculating about the true identity of this film’s Ultraman, with theories ranging from the plausible (a clone of David Corenswet’s Superman, the Hammer of Boravia in disguise, Martian Manhunter / J’onn J’onzz) to the outlandish (Henry Cavill!). Some are joking it’s Chris Pratt. IGN’s own comic book expert Jesse Schedeen has speculated that Ultraman is more akin to Nuclear Man from 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, or some versions of Bizarro from the comics.
So it's confirmed this is ultraman but who's playing him. pic.twitter.com/1TanQAGBJv
— sonci4536 (@AtikChafik) June 24, 2025
But this new image has sparked a fresh round of speculation, with some likening the character’s look to Doomsday, given the vague similarities between the two suits and goggles. Doomsday appeared in monstrous form in Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but his first full appearance, on the cover of Superman: The Man of Steel #18 (December 1992), is more humanoid.
— Daniel Guerra (@guerra_daniel) June 24, 2025
There’s a reason this Ultraman is covered from head to toe. The character’s true identity is meant to be a mystery as audiences head into theaters, so the eventual reveal will be quite the moment.
Gunn recently teased the origins of this Ultraman, although he kept things super detailed. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the DC Universe steward was asked whether Ultraman was Lex Luthor's attempt to create a "Superman kind of figure." He replied: "It's close. Yeah, I think that's close. Ultraman is sort of Lex's thug and is pretty powerful."
We’ll finally find out when Superman launches July 11.
In other Superman news, Gunn recently dismissed concerns that Superman could be confusing with so many superheroes and villains already established in its world, saying: “Oppenheimer has three times as many speaking roles as we do.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
