In James Gunn’s Superman, David Corenswet’s Kal-El has no shortage of enemies to battle. He faces off with everyone from Ultraman to María Gabriela de Faría’s Engineer to a runaway kaiju, all while Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor pulls the strings. It’s a good thing the Man of Steel has such a vast rogues gallery, or else there might not be anyone left to build a sequel around.
Superman may not be overly interested in laying seeds and dropping teases for future movies, but we do have to wonder if Gunn is telegraphing the villain of a potential Superman 2. It all has to do with the open-ended fate of one character. Which iconic DC villain could Gunn be hinting at? None other than Superman’s backwards-talking doppelganger, Bizarro. Let’s break down the evidence.
Why Ultraman Is Like Bizarro
As many DC fans suspected, there’s a reason Ultraman’s face is kept hidden for much of the movie. Early on, we learn that Ultraman was genetically engineered by Luthor as part of his ambitious Planet Watch initiative. He’s meant to be the perfect weapon - a being that possesses all of Superman’s powers but is completely malleable and controllable.
In the climax of the film, it becomes apparent just how much DNA Ultraman shares with Superman when his face is finally revealed and we see a scraggly, long-haired version of Corenswet’s face. Ultraman truly is Superman, just without Clark’s latent humanity and intelligence.
At this point, it’s hard not to be reminded of a specific incarnation of Bizarro from the comics. While, traditionally, Bizarro is depicted as an alien from the square-shaped planet Bizarro World, DC attempted to give the character more of a grounded makeover for its New 52 reboot. 2013’s Forever Evil introduced a new take on the character, one that may well have inspired Gunn’s version of Ultraman.
The New 52 Bizarro is also a Superman clone genetically engineered by Luthor. He’s the first semi-successful test subject, codenamed Subject B-0, though an invasion by the Crime Syndicate forces Luthor to defrost his creation five years early. That’s the source of Bizarro’s white, mottled skin and limited intelligence. Bizarro also wears an inside-out Superman T-shirt, explaining his iconic backwards Superman costume.
Bizarro helps Luthor defend the world from these interdimensional invaders, and the two form a surprisingly tender bond (very much unlike Luthor’s clear disgust for Ultraman in the movie). Bizarro ultimately dies fighting Luthor’s Earth-3 doppelganger, Mahzahs, and Luthor avenges his friend. As Forever Evil ends, Luthor is seen ordering his scientists to begin growing a new Superman clone, while also instructing them to specifically wake him up five years early again. That’s probably the most humanity Luthor has ever shown anyone.
Even prior to the New 52, the idea of Bizarro being a Superman clone created by Luthor was explored in Superman: The Animated Series. There’s a definite precedent here.
The Birth of Bizarro World
There are definite comparisons to be drawn between the DCU’s Ultraman and the New 52 version of Bizarro. But that’s not the only reason we think Gunn may be setting up Bizarro in a possible sequel. Ultraman’s open-ended fate also hints at a larger storyline for this poor, misunderstood villain.
Even after finally gaining the upper hand, Corenswet’s Superman stops short of killing Ultraman in the film. Instead, Ultraman is dragged into the black hole at the center of the pocket universe Luthor created to serve as his personal prison. When the rift between dimensions is finally closed, Ultraman is left trapped and alone. But given that he has all of Superman’s powers, we’d venture to guess he’s not dead.
Instead, we could easily see a scenario where Ultraman is left isolated and alone in this strange realm. Maybe the solitude drives him crazy, transforming him into a shambling creature with pale skin who speaks in opposites. Maybe the next time we meet Ultraman, he’s devolved into Bizarro.
The pocket dimension itself seems to be the perfect way to introduce Bizarro World to the DCU. The fact that so much of the architecture and geological formations in that realm are cubes could very well be a telltale clue that this is where Gunn is headed. Luthor’s pocket universe could reassemble itself to form one giant, cubed planet. And don’t forget - the movie ends with a post-credits scene revealing Metropolis isn’t perfectly realigned. That jokey moment could be a clue that the pocket dimension will come back into play in a potential Superman 2.
The question is just how far down the Bizarro rabbit hole Gunn might go in future movies. Will we see Bizarro versions of Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane and the rest of the Daily Planet crew? Will he introduce Bizarro’s friend Batzarro, the World’s Worst Detective? If anyone is going to mine that ridiculous DC treasure trove, it’s Gunn.
It’s also worth remembering that Bizarro and the anti-Bizarro known as Zibarro play a major role in Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman, a comic we know was a huge source of inspiration for Gunn and his team. Gunn may want to further honor that comic by including Bizarro in the sequel. If not as the main villain, then at least as an entertaining side character. If Gunn can make Guy Gardner’s hideous bowl cut work in live action, then there’s no reason he can’t do justice to Bizarro.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
