A muscle suit, a spray of overhead lights, and a half-smile from a man who isn't quite Superman. Sometimes it's the shots that slip out the back door—deleted from Instagram in a heartbeat—that define the conversation. This week, a backstage capture of David Corenswet in his full Ultraman garb has fans, analysts, and the hashtag horde clawing through every stitch for clues.
First, let's be clear: the months of speculation weren't wasted energy—Ultraman is the Man of Steel's clone for this new DC Studios SUPERMAN, and now we've seen the photographic proof. The image, scooped and saved by fans before it vanished from María Gabriela de Faría's Instagram, shows Corenswet unmasked, no prosthetic, no wig. Just the build, the bone structure, and that faint, uncanny grin. What's missing? The heavy chin and askew gaze we'll get on screen—visual cues director James Gunn and his effects team use to tell us this isn't your father's Superman. Credit Albert Valladares for the stunt work, but this photo? This is Corenswet, front and center.
James Gunn, never one to leave things unsaid for long, riffed with typical candor: “He's got a chin that's jutting out, his ears poke out, he's got one eye kind of going in a little direction…Luthor took him out of the oven a little too quickly.” That's the sly comic book touch Gunn wields—playing grotesque distortion without lapsing into parody. For fans craving another villain in the black hole—call him Bizarro, call him Ultraman—Gunn's not closing any doors. “I like to think about where he's going and what he's going to do next,” he teases.
This, coupled with confirmed casting—Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and scene-stealers like Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, and María Gabriela de Faría—cements SUPERMAN as DC Studios' big swing for 2025, on track to hit global theaters this summer courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Date confirmed. The marketing playbook is classic: let the leaks stoke discussion, ration out official stills, then flood the feeds when the trailer drops. These moments—gone in a flash, immortalized on X—are the lifeblood of box office trends. The poster, no doubt, will lean in: double exposure, red and blue clashing, the two faces of Corenswet. Expect every frame and trailer to dissect that duality.
Here's the kicker: Gunn's SUPERMAN isn't just remixing capes and clones; it's staking a claim on thematic resonance. His direction, a cocktail of kinetic action, awkward humor, and genuine heart, is what gives the movie that rare gloss. My review? “Superman is an indescribable joy. A beautiful, moving thrill, David Corenswet is the perfect Man of Steel in a movie packed full of ideas.” Not a word of that's exaggeration. The film soars higher than anything DC's managed in a decade. DC Studios' bold new vision starts here—box office tracking is bullish, advanced ticket buzz is white-hot, and Gunn's industry cache matters more now than any grainy Comic-Con leak.
Industry insiders still hope for Lex to suit up in his iconic Warsuit—a moment the first film teases but never grants, reserving those fireworks for, perhaps, a sequel. It's a classic Hollywood move: hold back just enough to keep the saga alive, ensure the fanbase is talking, speculating, filling digital ink with their own “what if”s.
So here's what matters as SUPERMAN opens in theaters: Every leak, every behind-the-scenes photo, every whispered rumor contributes to the grand DCU reset—one measured reveal at a time. The real story isn't just in the cape or the costume; it's in how these images keep the legend alive, frame by frame.
See the newly unearthed Ultraman photo for yourself and tell me the DCU isn't about to get weird, wild, and surprisingly heartfelt again. That's what studios want—something you can't just watch, but debate, share, or argue about over late-night drinks with the same ferocity fans used to save that deleted Instagram post.
Will Ultraman come back? Will Lex don his suit? You want answers…but for now: you get a glimpse, and that's half the fun.
