“What's going on?”: James Gunn shares a close-up picture of the mysterious Ultraman from Superman, and fans are going crazy

James Gunn just dropped a close-up photo of Ultraman from his upcoming Superman film, and the internet has officially entered chaos mode. Captioned "Ultraman" the image offers a gritty, shadow-soaked peek at the mysterious figure, sparking theories, debates, and wild fan spirals in record time. With one cryptic social media post, just a close-up of what looks like a battle-worn Ultraman, Gunn has sent the internet into full detective mode.

We’ve glimpsed the masked menace in trailers and leaked set photos, but Gunn’s new shot gives us the most detailed look yet, and fans are losing it. Some say the look doesn't match the villain's actual description. Others are getting Doomsday vibes, comparing it to the villain’s containment suit from the comics. Some are even wildly theorizing that Henry Cavill is under suit and honestly? Anything could be true.

Trending

In the comics, Ultraman is a more evil but similar version of Superman who is the leader of the Crime Syndicate. He is, in some comics, described to have quite similar features to Superman. However many fans are also complaining that the character is not accurate to the comics.

One fan said: "I still can't believe it, that's Ultraman? What's going on?"

Another fan, user @YourMovieFix wrote that the character resembles Doomsday more than Ultraman: "Love how he looks neither anything like Bizarro or Ultraman. Even looks more like Doomsday. Yet BvS Doomsday got torn up online by the' accuracy' crowd over a bone beard. Okay."

User @NebsGoodTakes wrote: "Horrible Ultraman adaptation, doesn't even have a fin on his head."

Another user @octaslasher2 wrote about how the character lacks comic accuracy: "Yet another reason why I won't watch this in theatres. Why couldn't you just make a comic accurate Ultraman? All this talk about everything being based on comics and then you give us this Bizarro ripoff (created by Lex). Hell Cavill could have played Ultraman. Faithful my ass."

Yet another user @FatalJayShow said: "Either Henry Cavill or Chris Pratt under that mask."

Not much is known as of now about Ultraman's character, except for his alliance with Lex Luthor and that he's a negative influence in the film. Fans are all the more excited to see who will be under the mask and as the film's release date nears, we'll surely know more.

More details on James Gunn's Superman

James Gunn’s Superman, flying into theaters on July 11, 2025, is a reset button for the entire DC Universe. As the opening chapter of DC Studios’ Gods and Monsters slate, the film marks Gunn’s first bold step as co-head of the studio, alongside Peter Safran. And instead of trying to recapture the shadow of Henry Cavill’s Superman, Gunn is carving out something completely fresh, anchored in heart, not just heat vision.

And then we have David Corenswet, fitting in neatly as the Man of Steel. Joining him are Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. From everything we have seen in trailers and teasers so far, all the characters have electric chemistry and presence.

But this isn’t your classic origin tale. Gunn’s Superman is already flying, but he’s still figuring out who he really is. Caught between his Kryptonian legacy and Kansas roots, he’s not just fighting villains, he’s fighting to belong. Early footage even shows a bruised, vulnerable Superman calling out to Krypto in a frozen wasteland. No glory shot, no cape billowing, just raw humanity.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

Comment

Quick Links

More from SoapCentral