Ultraman (DC Comics)

This article is about the DC Comics supervillains. For the 1940s era All-American Comics superheroes, see Ultra-Man. For the DC Comics teenage superhero, see Ultra Boy.

Ultraman is the name of several supervillains appearing in stories published by DC Comics. The characters are all evil or corrupted alternate-universe counterparts of Superman. Ultraman first appeared in Justice League of America #29 (August 1964).

Ultraman
The Pre-Crisis Earth-Three Ultraman as depicted in Convergence: Crime Syndicate #1 (April 2015). Art by Phil Winslade (pencils and inks) and Lovern Kindzierski (colors).
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Justice League of America #29 (August 1964)
Created by	Gardner Fox Mike Sekowsky (based upon Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster)
In-story information
Alter ego	Clark Kent Clark Luthor Kal-ll (New 52 Earth 3) Kal-El (Infinite Frontier Earth 3)
Team affiliations	Crime Syndicate of America (Earth-Three) Crime Syndicate (Qward) Crime Syndicate of Amerika (Anti-Matter Earth) Crime Society of America (Earth-3)
Abilities	See list Superhuman strength, endurance, hearing, speed, agility and reflexes Superhuman vision Heat vision Electromagnetic spectrum vision Microscopic vision X-ray vision Telescopic vision Infrared vision Superhuman breath Freeze and wind breath Accelerated healing Invulnerability Flight

Publication history

Ultraman first appeared as the evil counterpart of Superman on the original Earth-Three. Having created the worlds of Earth-One, containing Silver Age superheroes, as well as Earth-Two, containing the Golden Age ones, DC Comics decided to expand the universe to include various themed universes. The first of these was Earth-Three, in which there were villainous counterparts of DC's heroes as well as heroic counterparts of DC's villains. The first Ultraman is killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths when Earth-Three is destroyed by an anti-matter wave. Following his death, Ultraman appears in Animal Man and Infinite Crisis.

Since Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC has returned to the concept of Ultraman, creating two different characters with that name, often appearing only for a single issue in a story arc. There have been several appearances by both characters. The first version was an anti-matter version of Ultraman, created for Grant Morrison's JLA: Earth 2 graphic novel. This version has appeared several times and was slain at the conclusion of the Final Crisis series. Another version, closer to the Silver Age original Ultraman, appeared on the New 52 universe's Earth-3. Based on comments by Grant Morrison, this Earth-3 universe is not the pre-Crisis Earth-Three, making this a new character unrelated to previous versions.

Fictional character biography

Original Earth-Three Ultraman

Unlike Superman, the Earth-Three Ultraman is empowered by kryptonite, originally developing a new superpower with each new exposure. In one such encounter, Ultraman gains the ability to see through dimensional barriers, making the Crime Syndicate aware of the multiverse. This allowed the Syndicate to attack the Justice League and Justice Society. Ultraman also differed from Superman, in that his version of the planet Krypton had not exploded. Where the Earth-Three kryptonite originated was never specifically listed in any published book.

In the early 1980s, Ultraman allies with Lex Luthor of Earth-One and Alexei Luthor of Earth-Two in an unsuccessful attempt to eliminate their respective Supermen. Later, Ultraman and the Crime Syndicate ally with Per Degaton, who uses them in his attempt to conquer Earth-Two by stealing nuclear missiles.

In Crisis on Infinite Earths, Ultraman is killed when the Anti-Monitor destroys Earth-Three. Following this, he appears in Animal Man, where he learns of his status as a fictional character.

In One Year Later, it is revealed that Saturn Queen rescued Ultraman from the events of Crisis and brainwashed him to serve her.

Ultraman also appears in the Infinite Crisis and Convergence events.

Clark Kent (Anti-Matter Ultraman)

Antimatter Clark Kent as Ultraman.

In 1999, Ultraman was reintroduced in the JLA: Earth 2 graphic novel. The Crime Syndicate of America (CSA) is revealed for the first time to the Justice League by Alexander Luthor, the heroic antimatter counterpart to Lex Luthor. In this continuity, the CSA comes from the Antimatter Universe, each member being the antimatter counterpart to a core League member.

Unlike the original pre-Crisis Earth-Three Kryptonian Ultraman, the antimatter Ultraman was fully rewritten for modern continuity as Lieutenant Clark Kent, a human astronaut from the antimatter Earth and no longer a Kryptonian matching Superman exactly. After his ship imploded into hyperspace, an unknown alien race reconstructed Kent in an attempt to repair the damaged astronaut, which ended up altering the human both mentally and physically, giving him ultrapowers similar to Superman's superpowers. According to Alexander Luthor, the process also twisted Ultraman's mind. In contrast to Superman, Ultraman's power relies on his proximity and exposure to a substance called Anti-Kryptonite; the longer and farther he is separated from it, the weaker he becomes. This substance has repeatedly been shown to have no apparent effect on Superman, just as Kryptonite has been shown to have no effect on Ultraman.

Antimatter Ultraman is unhappily married to his Crime Syndicate teammate Superwoman. Their alter-egos are the Antimatter Earth's alternate Clark Kent and Lois Lane. In the early 2000s, the two had a child together, but Superwoman maintains a periodic affair with another member of the Crime Syndicate, Owlman, much to Ultraman's frustration. Ultraman would usually fire his eyebeams in between Owlman and Superwoman as a warning when he sees Owlman flirting with Superwoman, although undisclosed photographic blackmail material in Owlman's possession stops Ultraman actually doing anything permanent to him.

Antimatter Clark Kent has been shown to have returned to the Antimatter Earth and again leads the antimatter Crime Syndicate. In an attempt to repair their Earth after the destruction done by the Weaponers of Qward (which resulted as part of the follow-up to their appearance in the first issue of JLA/Avengers), The Syndicate was shown to have been kidnapping people from all 52 matter universes as shown in the Trinity series. In Trinity #13, antimatter Ultraman, Owlman and Superwoman were banished to an alternate subdimension by Superman after Superman defeated Ultraman in a fight.

In Superman Beyond, the antimatter Ultraman was recruited on a journey to the DC Universe's version of Limbo, along with several other alternate universe Supermen, briefly combining - albeit against his will - with Superman to activate a massive robotic version of themselves to defeat Mandrakk, the dark Monitor, their raw power combining in the robot along with Superman's moral strength and Ultraman's pragmatic ruthlessness. In Superman Beyond #2, he was shown to have been converted into a vampiric being. In the seventh issue of Final Crisis, the antimatter Ultraman was apparently slain by the united Supermen alongside his new master, Mandrakk.

Post Crisis Earth-3 Ultraman

In 52 Week 52, a new version of Earth-Three was shown as one universe amongst the Post-Crisis DC Multiverse. In the depiction was the Crime Society of America, whose members were twisted versions of the original Justice Society of America, including Superman. The names of the characters and the team are not mentioned in the two panels in which they appear, but this Post-Crisis Earth-3 Ultraman was originally shown to be aged, as he was a counterpart of the aged Superman of Post-Crisis Earth-2. When the Earth-3 Ultraman is shown in later appearances of the Countdown series, he is no longer aged but young. The Earth-3 team is the Crime Society of America.

The Society make their first solo appearance in Countdown Presents The Search for Ray Palmer: Crime Society #1 (origin of Post Crisis Earth-3 Owlmen, Talons, Jokester, who is a heroic Joker) written by Sean McKeever and illustrated by Jamal Igle. In subsequent appearances, the Crime Society are agents of Monarch's Multiversal army. Ultraman, along with several other members of the Crime Society, were in the Earth-51 dimension when Superman-Prime destroyed the Monarch's containment armor unleashing all of Monarch's quantum energy which destroyed the entire Earth-51 dimension. As such, Ultraman is presumed dead along with his fellow Crime Society members. A Ultraman with the exact same design appeared in The Brave and the Bold, powered by the same kryptonite that weakens Superman. He was brought to the main earth by Mixyezpitelik, the antimatter universe's Mxyzptlk, to help Superman defeat Megistus.

The New 52

In The New 52's rebooted continuity, a new version of Ultraman is introduced as one of the members of the Crime Syndicate to arrive from Earth-Three at the conclusion of the Trinity War event.

This version of Ultraman is Kal-Il, who comes from a version of Krypton whose people are mean-spirited and selfish. Unlike their other incarnations, they gain power when exposed to green Kryptonite. Just before this Krypton was destroyed, Kal-Il's parents Jor-Il and Lara sent him to Earth-3 to one day seek vengeance against the being that destroyed Krypton (whom Jor-Il inadvertently summoned), teaching him to become the strongest being on the planet, or become nothing at all. Upon his arrival on Earth-3, the young Kal-Il coerced two alcoholic drug addicts, Johnny and Martha Kent, to adopt him, only to murder them years later once he had no further need of them. He went on to found the Crime Syndicate and take over the world. Ultraman is a violent, homicidal megalomaniac, as well as an elitist and Darwinist who values strength and selfishness, and hates weakness and altruism. After Earth-3 was devastated by the same being that destroyed Krypton-3, Ultraman led the Crime Syndicate to the Prime Earth to conquer it.

This version of Ultraman possesses the standard powers of a Kryptonian, only he is empowered by green Kryptonite (being able to crush it into powder and even snort it like cocaine) and is weakened by yellow sunlight. He was responsible for murdering Monocle when he claimed that the Crime Syndicate was the Justice League in disguise. Ultraman moved the moon in front of the sun to eclipse the Crime Syndicate's section of Earth as well as to protect himself from its rays.

The New 52 version of Ultraman is depicted as lacking Superman's vulnerability to magic. In the final battle, Ultraman engages Alexander Luthor but is beaten, Alexander leaves him to steal Deathstorm's powers. Ultraman later returns and attempts to attack Lex Luthor after he murdered Alexander Luthor only to be weakened after Sinestro and Black Adam move the moon and expose him to yellow sunlight. Lex Luthor opts not to kill Ultraman and kills Atomica instead. Afterwards, Ultraman and Superwoman are arrested.

In Darkseid War, Ultraman is killed by the Anti-Monitor. He is later resurrected in the Year of the Villain event.

Infinite Frontier

Following the reboot of the multiverse after Dark Nights: Death Metal, a new Earth-3 and Ultraman are created. Kal Il is the last survivor of the dead planet Krypton, sent to Earth as a baby. He was found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who adopted him and named him Clark. His powers manifested early and he never bothered to hide them, so the other children were afraid of and ostracised him, telling him that he was from space. The Kents exploited Clark and his powers for free labour, teaching him that obedience was the ultimate virtue and that people who did not contribute to society were to be reviled as "freeloaders". They also manipulated him to be emotionally dependent on them so that he would never leave the farm. When he was a teenager in 1963 his parents showed him his spacecraft and revealed to him that he was the last of his kind, telling him they were all he had. They hoped this would make him afraid to ever break free of them, but in fact he turned on them, realising that they had only ever taken advantage of him. He flew away from Smallville, carrying his ship.

Ultraman reveals himself to the world on November 22, 1963 by assassinating the hated President John F. Kennedy with his heat vision. He is the world's only known metahuman until other beings with unnatural powers began to emerge at the start of the year 2021. He rules Metropolis as a semi-benevolent dictator, beloved by some but feared and hated by many others. Ultraman allows the people of Metropolis limited freedom but tolerates no dissent. The only people who dare to challenge him openly are Lex Luthor and Cat Grant.

Following the Starro invasion, a number of metahumans reveal themselves to the world, and Luthor recruits them into the Legion of Justice. Owlman and Superwoman approachs Ultraman for an alliance to counter Luthor and rule the world, offering to make him their leader. Ultraman accepts and Superwoman also offers herself to him, hoping to conceive an heir.

Powers and abilities

Ultraman possesses the same Kryptonian superpowers as Superman. However, he is weakened by yellow sunlight and empowered by green kryptonite.

Other versions

Earth-43

As well as Earth-3, there is also a further New 52 iteration of Ultraman (as opposed to Superman) on vampire-dominated Earth-43, who is a member of the ex-metahuman vampiric "Blood League", which also includes vampire analogues of various superheroes and supervillains.

In other media

Television

• A variation of Ultraman named Kal-Ul appears in The World's Greatest Super Friends episode "Universe of Evil", voiced by Danny Dark. Similarly to the comics and Kal-El / Superman, Kal-Ul hails from Earth-Three and was sent from Krypton to Earth. Upon his arrival on Earth, he continued growing stronger until he reached adulthood, renamed himself "Ultraman", began a life of destruction, and eventually founded the Super Enemies.
• A variation of Ultraman named Clark Luthor appears in season ten of Smallville, portrayed by Tom Welling. This version hails from Earth-Two, where the toddler Kal-El was discovered and raised by Lionel Luthor instead of Jonathan and Martha Kent and went on to become the murderous Ultraman. Additionally, Ultraman is vulnerable to all kinds of Kryptonite and bears an L-shaped scar on his right arm after his foster brother Lex Luthor attacks him with Gold Kryptonite.

Film

• Ultraman appears in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, voiced by Brian Bloom. This version is the leader of the Crime Syndicate and is vulnerable to Blue Kryptonite.
• Ultraman appears in Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, voiced by Matt Lanter.

Video games

• Ultraman appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced by Nolan North. After the Justice League disappear, he and the Crime Syndicate pose as the Justice Syndicate, with Ultraman adopting the alias of Kent Clarkson, Clark Kent's replacement at the Daily Planet, to spread misinformation.
• Ultraman appears as a boss in DC Universe Online as part of the "Earth-3" DLC.

See also

• List of Superman enemies

External links

• Supermanica: Ultraman of Earth-3 Supermanica entry on the Pre-Crisis Ultraman