James Gunn’s new Superman movie introduced Ultraman to the DCU, who has the same powers as Superman and a fascinating origin story linked to Lex Luthor. However, unlike his comic counterpart, this Ultraman feels more like a different DC character, Bizarro.
Fans have reasons to think that Ultraman from the latest movie was based on this DC antihero, who has a very complex backstory.
Is Ultraman a Bizarro Superman clone in the DCU?
While there is no official confirmation that Ultraman is Bizarro, or will become Bizarro in the future, there are some hints that seem to validate this fan theory. In the comics, there are multiple clones of Superman, but Ultraman is not one of them. In the comics, Ultraman is a variant of Superman who does not follow Superman’s ideals.
Bizarro, however, is canonically a clone of Superman. Created by Lex Luthor, he is often portrayed as a mindless pawn, much like Ultraman is in the new movie. However, in the comics, he is also an imperfect clone and, over time, deteriorates into a pale-skinned monster.
The character, therefore, resembles a bizarre version of Superman, similar to how Ultraman appears in the DCU. In some comic versions, Bizarro also creates Bizarro World, a weird version of Earth. Offbeat characters, all resembling Bizarro, populate this world. At the end of the new Superman movie, Ultraman is dragged into a black hole in Lex Luthor’s pocket universe.
There is a possibility that DC did not outright show this character’s death because they wanted to have the option to explore the Bizarro angle in the future.
Given the character’s tragic backstory, he fits right into James Gunn’s signature style of depicting comic book characters. His moral ambiguity makes him an ideal match for that style. Director James Gunn has done this multiple times in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he worked with characters like Rocket Raccoon, Yondu, and Adam Warlock.
Superman is playing in theaters.
