Ultraman Is On a Whole Other Level

One of the few villains who has never made an appearance in a Superman film is Ultraman. With a new Superman movie coming out next year, rumors have been swirling that one of the main antagonists will be Ultraman, marking his first live-action appearance. If this rumor turns out to be true, it could give Superman the greatest live-action fight of his film career.

Because of the shifting nature and history of comic books, there have been plenty of different versions of Ultraman over the years. The first debuted in 1964’s Justice League of America #29 by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. This story explored the history of the very first version of Ultraman, who was markedly different from Superman. Ultraman was sent to Earth-Three from Krypton, for reasons not really explained, considering this version of Krypton never exploded.

Upon landing on Earth-Three, Ultraman slowly gained more and more power as he came into contact with Kryptonite. Unlike Superman, Kryptonite doesn’t harm Ultraman; instead it increases his power and even grants him new ones. This trait sticks with the character for many of his comic appearances, with some stories even going so far as having Ultraman snort the Kryptonite like a drug.

Ultraman Was One of the First Evil Versions of Superman in DC Comics

“Crisis on Earth-Three!” from Justice League of America #29 by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, Bernard Sachs, and Gaspar Saladino

This pre-Crisis version of Ultraman teamed up with other evil heroes, known as Owlman, Super Woman, Power Ring, and several others, to form the Crime Syndicate, the most powerful group of criminals on Earth-Three. The group easily conquers the planet and eventually sets their eyes on multiversal domination. Not content with ruling one Earth, they invade Earth-One, where they first encounter the Justice League. While the Crime Syndicate eventually lost this battle, they appear again and again throughout DC’s history. No matter how many times the universe is rebooted or changed, the Crime Syndicate always appears

The original version of Ultraman eventually dies in Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez when the Anti-Monitor obliterates his entire universe. Despite his death, this story isn’t the last readers see of Ultraman, as he’s simply too good of an idea to let go. Ultraman again appears twenty-five years later in JLA: Earth 2 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. This story gives Ultraman the biggest departure from Clark Kent’s origin so far, as this version of Ultraman has a completely different origin, further setting him apart from the heroic Man of Steel.

The Second Ultraman Has a Completely Different Origin from the First

JLA: Earth-2 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely

Superman has perhaps one of the most famous superhero origins of all time. Sent on a rocket to Earth due to his dying planet, the first Ultraman had nearly an identical origin, but the second Ultraman couldn’t be more different. Instead of being an Alien who lands on Earth, the post-Crisis Ultraman is a decorated astronaut who had gone into space plenty of times, but during one of his many outings, his ship crashed. Instead of dying a fiery death, he was saved by a race of aliens. Seeking to create the ultimate weapon, the aliens use Kryptonite to enhance Ultraman’s human body, transforming him into a being of unbelievable power.

Ultraman’s brutal attack on Earth only inspired other super-powered beings to rise up as well.

The aliens, however, made a deadly mistake: they tried to brainwash Ultraman only after giving him his powers. This plan didn’t work, and Ultraman ended up breaking free of his alien captors and killing them with the new powers they had given him. He then returned to Earth and immediately used his new-found powers to take over the planet. Ultraman’s brutal attack on Earth only inspired other super-powered beings to rise up as well. This universe’s Lois Lane was also revealed to be the Amazonian villain Super-Woman, who joined Ultraman when he formed the Crime Syndicate.

The Crime Syndicate’s rule over the planet eventually inspired that world’s Lex Luthor to rise up and try to defeat them. Using his incredible genius, Lex summons the Prime Earth Justice League, leading to another of the “first” encounters between the Justice League and the Crime Syndicate. This version of Ultraman is one of the longest lasting, but again, he wasn’t the final version. After the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal, a third new Crime Syndicate appeared in the DC Universe.

Ultraman Has Once Again Been Reinvented for DC’s Most Recent Era

Dark Nights: Death Metal Upends the DC Universe

This final version of Ultraman went back to his origins of being a dark mirror to Superman. In this interpretation, Jor-Il was a maniacal scientist who sent his son, Kal-Il, to Earth. During the rocket ride, the young Kal-Il was indoctrinated with videos about how he had to be the strongest in the universe and had to eradicate any weakness from himself or others. Because of this “brainwashing,” Ultraman grew up with a much darker personality.

This most recent version of Ultraman has, in fact, already been killed off – by another evil version of Superman. Check out Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #2 by Tom Taylor, Clayton Henry, Jordie Bellaire, and Wes Abbott, available now from DC Comics, for the full story.

When he crashed in Kansas, he immediately forced the Kent family to act as his parents, but when he turned seven years old, he killed them. Ultraman then traveled the world, attacking at random, before finally killing the President of the United States and forming the Crime Syndicate. This version of Ultraman also went back to being empowered by Kryptonite.

Evil Superman Characters Are Proliferate in Comics – and Not Just in the DCU

But Ultraman Was One of the First

There’s something about the evil Superman trope that has clearly fascinated fans and creators. Superman is supposed to be a figure of hope, someone who shows what humanity could be if they truly cared about one another. At the heart of the Superman character is that idea that, with unlimited power, a single man could choose to use it for good, which is the inverse of the idea that “absolute power corrupts absolutely.“

But not everyone is able to believe in that idea, which might explain the obsession with the evil Superman trope. With how powerful Superman is, it’s hard not to imagine what he would be like as a villain, and that’s something DC picked up on very early, as well as other independent creators. From Injustice Superman to The Boys’ Homelander to Invincible’s Omni-Man, there’s no shortage of “evil Supermen” across pop culture.

While Superman himself has always stood as a force for good, Ultraman has always existed as his polar opposite. More than Bizarro, Ultraman becomes completely evil due to being corrupted by his powers. While there have been dozens of different versions of Ultraman over the decades, the one thing they all have in common is how they immediately try to take over the world when they gain the power to do so.

The Crime Syndicate Will Always Be a Major Threat to the Justice League

And Ultraman Is Always Their Brutal Leader

There are so many villains who can challenge Superman physically, but Ultraman has always been a special villain due to how he reflects everything that Superman shouldn’t be. He’s a brutal dictator who only cares about himself and about using his power to hurt others. This trope has been explored dozens of times, with major popular villains such as Homelander and Omni-Man, at least at the start, being directly inspired by the idea of an evil Superman. While these characters are certainly iconic, they’re all just an imitation of the original Ultraman.

Justice League of America #29 and JLA: Earth 2 are available now from DC Comics!