Introduced in 1955, Ultraman is the polar opposite of Superman. The character is a member of the Crime Syndicate of America, a twisted version of the Justice League that rules over Earth-3. Occasionally, Ultraman and the others will find their way to the main universe and prove to be a thorn in Superman and the Justice League’s side.
Though these days, Superman is more likely to be shown in an evil light himself thanks to stories like Injustice, for several decades Ultraman was a novel concept. He was a way to show fans what it would be like if Superman used his powers for evil.
10 Has Multiple Versions Of Himself
Most evil versions of characters are pretty straightforward in terms of backstories, but Ultraman has plenty of alternate versions of himself. There’s the original from the Pre-Crisis continuity, who was erased by the Anti-Monitor. There are two different Ultraman from the Anti-Matter universe, one introduced in JLA: Earth 2, and the other introduced in Brave and the Bold Vol. 3 #11 by Jerry Ordway and Mark Waid. Then there’s another one introduced during the New 52 that battled the League during Forever Evil. And that’s not counting the various multiverse ones—much like Superman, there is no shortage of alternates for Ultraman.
9 Is Powered By Kryptonite
Unlike Superman who is powered by yellow sunlight, Ultraman is instead powered by Kryptonite. Without access to that rock, his powers will eventually wane and he’ll become nothing at all. However, older versions of the character actually had a limit to how much Kryptonite he could consume before he “overdosed” and effectively was unable to continue fighting. Newer versions have the character addicted to Kryptonite and the strength he gains from access to that rock.
8 The Anti-Matter Version Was Originally An Astronaut
In JLA: Earth 2, Ultraman was originally Lieutenant Clark Kent, a member of the United States of Amerika’s army. He was part of the space program there, and was a human until his spaceship had a horrible accident. He was discovered by aliens who were able to reform his body, transforming it into something more than human. In that universe, Kent ran on the power of anti-kryptonite, mirroring the versions of the character in the past that ran on Kryptonite. The aliens were intending to make him into one of their slaves, but Kent managed to escape before they could, wiping them out and returning to Earth.
7 Has Been Transformed Into A Vampire
The second anti-matter Ultraman was transformed into a vampire after he betrayed the other Supermen of the Multiverse during Final Crisis. After the two of them worked together to defeat a dark Monitor, Ultraman was transformed into a vampire by Mandrakk, a different Monitor who used the energy of the Bleed to alter reality and transform Ultraman into a servant.
This wouldn’t be the only time that happened—on Earth-43, Batman managed to change all of the Justice League into a collection of vampires. This would include a different version of Ultraman, who was the leader of the Justice League of Vampires.
6 His Planet Was Destroyed By The Anti-Monitor
In the New 52 era, the multiverse was re-introduced, and Kal-Il’s origin was changed again. Originally, Ultraman was sent to Earth by a Krypton that was completely safe. It was never explained why, though presumably it was about conquering that world. But in the New 52, Ultraman’s origin shows a Krypton being destroyed by the Anti-Monitor. Jor-Il kills as many other Kryptonians as possible to secure a place to send his son to Earth. There, he believed his son stood a chance at becoming his revenge and striking back at the Anti-Monitor for humiliating him.
5 Ultraman Is Weak To The Yellow Sunlight
In some of the earlier timelines, Ultraman doesn’t have a problem with sunlight at all. He effectively has fewer weaknesses than other versions of Superman because of his relationship with Kryptonite. But the New 52’s Ultraman is a bit different: being underneath yellow sunlight breaks down the Kryptonite radiation that grants him his powers. It’s for this reason that when he landed on Earth his first action was pushing the moon in front of the sun to cause a permanent eclipse and he could retain his powers permanently.
4 The Antimatter Ultraman Can’t Touch Superman
In theory, anti-matter and matter aren’t able to come in contact with one another because if they do then both sides will explode. The second anti-matter Ultraman, which eventually turned into a vampire, actually had to deal with this very problem.
Though he proved to be just as disdainful of Superman as any other version of Ultraman, the two of them weren’t able to come to blows because if they touched it would destroy them both. To battle Mandrakk, the two of them did come to blows, and the resulting energy was enough to power the Thought Robot people often refer to as Cosmic Armor Superman.
3 Ultraman Is Secretly A Coward
The New 52 version of Ultraman has one major weakness no one is supposed to know about: he’s a coward. His father recorded data speaking to him, calling him worthless on his way to Earth. Over time, that information must have gone into his psyche, and while he wants to be the most powerful, he’s secretly terrified of being anything less. When Lex Luthor destroys his source of Kryptonite and exposes him to the sun, he begins losing his power immediately. From there, he can’t stop crying uncontrollably even when he’s locked away, knowing everyone is aware of how weak he becomes when he doesn’t have access to his powers.
2 Ultraman Was Also Raised By The Kents
The New 52 version of Owlman was sent to Earth by his father Jor-Il, who hoped he would get revenge on the Anti-Monitor. While on the way, he was pre-programmed with knowledge and the desire to seek strength above all else. Eventually, he landed on Earth where he found his way into Smallville and was raised by the Kents. But this group of Kents is unlike the ones who raised Clark—here, Johnny is an abusive husband and Martha hates him for being a failure. Kal-Il landed here and commanded them to raise him, which they did until he turned seven, when they tried to escape. For their rebellion, he killed them both.
1 His Wife Is Really Dating Owlman
In nearly every timeline of the Crime Syndicate, Ultraman is dating Superwoman, a version of Lois Lane who is an Amazonian looking to conquer everything. But leaning into the rarely used love triangle of Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman, on their Earth, Superwoman is cheating on her husband with Owlman. In some cases, Ultraman is aware of this and couldn’t care less what goes on between the two of them. In other cases, it’s a major secret that often proves to be their undoing. The New 52 Superwoman is actually cheating on him with Owlman and had the child of Alexander Luthor, also known as Mazahs, the alternate universe version of Shazam.
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