Ultraman: New Set Photos Hint at Superman Villain?

New Superman movie set photos seemingly confirmed reports of a powerful DC Comics villain appearing in the film. Interestingly, writer and director James Gunn previously insinuated that reports of this character's role in Superman were incorrect.

In April 2024, notable scoopers CanWeGetSomeToast and DanielRPK reported that Superman would face Ultraman in his first DCU movie. DanielRPK reported that Ultraman would be the "main villain" of Superman, only for Gunn to share a Threads post declaring that Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor was the movie's primary antagonist and urging fans not to believe news regarding the film unless they see it from him. While Gunn never explicitly said Ultraman wasn't in Superman, his statement left many with the impression that he debunked reports of Ultraman's role.

With the film currently in production, Superman set photos and videos have given fans their first glimpse at several characters from the Man of Steel's extensive family. Now, new images shared by Cleveland.com seemingly confirm Ultraman will be in Superman despite Gunn's perceived denial. Photos by David Petkiewicz and a video taken by Josh Duke show David Corenswet's Superman being apprehended and taken into custody by what appears to be Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr., María Gabriela de Faría's The Engineer, and a fully costumed and masked figure. This mysterious masked person is seen with a "U" symbol on their chest, leading most fans to conclude that this character is Ultraman. At the time of this writing, Gunn has not commented on the character's identity.

Despite no official confirmation of this character's identity, some fans are criticizing Gunn for casting doubt on reports of Ultraman's role in Superman when they may have been correct. Others are defending Gunn, noting that he never denied Ultraman was in the movie and only clarified that Lex Luthor was the main villain. However, DanielRPK noted Gunn's phrasing implied Ultraman was never in the film. DanielRPK also explained that when he reported Ultraman was the "main villain," he meant the evil Superman doppelganger was the main antagonist the Man of Steel has to fight, as he allegedly never battles Lex Luthor in the movie.

While the "U" symbol on this masked character is arguably solid evidence of Ultraman's role in Superman, it should be restated that there has been no official comment on this character's identity. Of course, an evil Superman clone would arguably be one of the few characters capable of subduing the Man of Steel, unless the latter willingly surrenders to the authorities. Perhaps Superman is being arrested because he is accused of crimes perpetrated by his evil double, which will only be revealed towards the film's ending. This might explain why the unnamed villain is masked and Gunn implied Ultraman isn't in Superman, as it may have been intended as a plot twist.

Of course, this is purely speculation, so fans must wait until official sources confirm or deny Ultraman's role in Superman. Still, if Ultraman is in the movie, fans may have difficulty trusting Gunn when he comments on DCU rumors.

Superman is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.

Source: Cleveland.com