The marketing for Superman has emphasized that the main antagonist of the film is the latest cinematic iteration of corrupt tycoon Lex Luthor, played by former X-Men star Nicholas Hoult. But while Lex’s intellect and wealthy influence likely make him the movie’s most dangerous threat, as is often the case across different media, it appears he will be turning to some partners and/or subordinates to pose a physical challenge to Clark Kent/Superman (David Corenswet). The film’s trailers show Clark fighting a pair of armored figures, one of whom appears to succeed in physically restraining him, possibly with the help of cyborg vigilante Angelica Spica/The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) and U.S. government forces. Both of these mystery opponents appear to share at least some of Clark’s Kryptonian superpowers, and between this and their masked appearances, fans have been hard at work speculating which characters from DC Comics they could be revealed to be.
Writer, director, and DC Studios co-president James Gunn has recently begun to refer to the purple-armored antagonist, whose costume is emblazoned with what appears to be a stylized “U,” as Ultraman, but while that is the code name of a notable villain from DC canon, the complicated mythology related to him has led some fans to wonder if the moniker is part of an attempt at misdirection and that the film character will ultimately have more in common with a different figure from the comics, with speculation on who that could be ranging from villains like Bizarro to Doomsday. However, given the aspects of the comic mythology both the film and other early projects in the fledgling DC Universe franchise appear to be focusing on, I personally wouldn’t be surprised if either “Ultraman” or the so-called “Hammer of Boravia” (if they’re not the same character) turn out to be a version of Kon-El/Conner Kent, the cloned sidekick of the Man of Steel who becomes known as the superhero Superboy.
Who Are DC’s Ultraman and Superboy?
Created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky, Ultraman first appeared in Justice League of America #29 in 1964. Most iterations of the character are doppelgängers of Clark’s from one of a few iterations of an alternate universe dubbed “Earth-Three.” Earth-Three is known for being essentially the moral opposite of DC’s main universe, with Ultraman and the doppelgängers of other DC heroes being villains while those of the regular villains are heroes. While DC adaptations from the past decade have frequently explored the concept of the multiverse, the last live-action film to do so was The Flash, which was a critical and commercial failure. Given that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently in the midst of its own multiverse-heavy storyline and the sheer number of characters and concepts already being introduced by Superman, many fans feel that it would be best if the DCU held off on exploring alternate realities, at least in this film.
There have been several iterations of Superboy in DC history, some of which are simply young versions of Clark, but to many Millennial and early Gen Z readers, the most iconic is Conner Kent. Created by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett, he first appeared in The Adventures of Superman #500. A human clone created by Project Cadmus, Conner was given some of the same superhuman powers as Clark, but his were all based on a form of telekinesis rather than Kryptonian biology. When Clark was (temporarily) killed in battle with Doomsday during The Death of Superman event, Conner was one of several crime fighters who attempted to fill the ensuing void.
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Although he used the code name “Superman,” Conner was open with the public about his origins and, when Clark returned, began going by Superboy in his new role as one of the older hero’s regular partners. Conner has also been a long-standing member of the adolescent superhero teams Young Justice and the Teen Titans. During his first stint with the latter group, his origin was revised, with it being revealed that half of Conner’s DNA was in fact cloned from Clark’s, although the other half came from Lex’s. He subsequently gained the remaining Kryptonian powers while retaining his unique telekinetic abilities, and later versions and adaptations of the character have presented streamlined versions of his origin in which his connection to Lex is discovered much sooner, with it often causing Conner to doubt his own morality and potential. The character’s rebellious, sometimes comically brash personality sets him apart from others in the Superman family, though he has also repeatedly proved to be a true, effective hero, and a more stoic iteration from the Young Justice animated series is also popular with fans.
Conner Kent Would Fit In the DC Universe Perfectly
Cloning is arguably a more widely known, easily understood aspect of science fiction (given that it is actually used, to a more limited extent, in real life) than the multiverse, so introducing Conner in Superman would likely be easier than doing so with a comic-accurate Ultraman. And the character’s canonical ties to Lex and other corners of the DCU would make him a natural inclusion, with Gunn even having called fan theories about Ultraman being Lex’s attempt to make a duplicate of Clark being “close” to the character’s actual storyline. In the comics, Conner has occasionally been involved in storylines that also feature Task Force X/The Suicide Squad, which will continue to be an important part of DCU projects like Peacemaker and Creature Commandos, if not more.
Ana Nogueira is also writing a live-action Teen Titans film for the DCU and while some may expect Kara Zor-El/Supergirl (Milly Alcock) to be the first choice for a Kryptonian Titan, given that she is already set to star in her own DCU film (also written by Noguiera), Conner’s history with the group is much more extensive in the comics—though the film could always use both characters. Most importantly, Clark getting Conner to break away from Lex’s influence and become a hero would be a compelling demonstration of the former’s inspirational qualities, which are said to be thematically crucial to Superman.
