Major spoilers for Superman (2025) follow.
Ultraman in Superman (2025) is an imperfect clone of Superman created by Lex Luthor from Superman’s DNA. Lex uses him as a controlled weapon capable of matching the Man of Steel in a fight, making Ultraman one of the most important pieces of the movie’s ending. His identity also helps explain Lex’s larger plan, Superman’s final choice and why the climax is about much more than defeating another superpowered villain.
This guide explains exactly who Ultraman is, what happens to him, Superman’s ending, the truth about the Kryptonian message, Supergirl’s appearance and both post-credit scenes.
Superman (2025) Ending Explained
The final act begins with Lex Luthor’s different schemes collapsing into one another.
Lex has already turned part of the public against Superman by releasing the restored message from Jor-El and Lara. At the same time, the technology behind Lex’s pocket universe destabilizes reality and creates a destructive dimensional rift through Metropolis.
Superman returns to confront the threat while Mister Terrific works on stopping the rift itself.
Ultraman and the Engineer attempt to keep Superman occupied, but the confrontation finally reveals the secret Lex has been hiding: Ultraman is physically another Superman.
The two fight as Metropolis falls apart around them. Superman eventually gains the advantage, with Krypto also entering the battle, and Ultraman is knocked into the black hole associated with Lex’s pocket dimension.
Meanwhile, Mister Terrific manages to stop the dimensional catastrophe before it destroys the city completely.
Lex’s political and criminal operation also begins to unravel. The Daily Planet obtains evidence connecting him to the larger conspiracy, and Lex is eventually arrested.
Superman survives the crisis without accepting Lex’s view that power, genetics or superiority determine who someone really is.
For a spoiler-free look at the movie’s strengths and weaknesses, CinePulse24 also has a Superman (2025) review.
Who Is Ultraman in Superman (2025)?
Ultraman is Lex Luthor’s genetically engineered Superman clone.
That answer is significantly different from the traditional comic-book version of Ultraman.
In many DC Comics stories, Ultraman is an evil alternate-universe counterpart to Superman, most famously connected to Earth-3 and the Crime Syndicate.
James Gunn’s movie takes the name and visual idea of an evil Superman but gives the character a new origin.
Lex obtains Superman’s DNA and creates his own Kryptonian duplicate. The result possesses enough strength, speed and durability to challenge Superman directly.
However, Ultraman is not simply Clark Kent with an evil personality.
He functions more like a weapon.
Lex gives him commands during combat and uses him to attack Superman while initially concealing his true identity behind the Hammer of Boravia disguise.
David Corenswet therefore effectively plays both sides of the confrontation once Ultraman is unmasked.
The reveal also explains why Ultraman can repeatedly push Superman harder than Lex’s other forces. He is not simply another powerful metahuman—he was specifically created from Superman himself.
James Gunn’s version combines ideas from several pieces of Superman mythology rather than directly adapting the classic Earth-3 Ultraman. Entertainment Weekly’s breakdown of the reveal also details the clone origin and the character’s links to earlier Superman concepts. Read Entertainment Weekly’s Ultraman breakdown
Is Ultraman Really Bizarro?
No. Superman does not reveal that Ultraman is secretly Bizarro.
The confusion is understandable because Gunn’s version of Ultraman has characteristics traditionally associated with Bizarro stories.
He is an imperfect Superman duplicate created through cloning rather than the evil alternate-universe Superman usually associated with the name Ultraman.
That does not make him Bizarro.
The movie calls the character Ultraman and never gives viewers a second reveal identifying him as Bizarro.
There are clear similarities between the concepts, and Gunn has blended different pieces of Superman comic history into his interpretation. But saying that Ultraman “is Bizarro” goes further than what the movie actually confirms.
For now, the accurate description is simple: he is Lex Luthor’s Superman clone known as Ultraman.
What Happens to Ultraman at the End of Superman?
Superman defeats Ultraman and sends him into the black hole created within Lex Luthor’s pocket-universe system.
The fight is important because Superman refuses to become the ruthless version of himself that Lex expects.
Instead of proving that the stronger Superman deserves to exist, the confrontation demonstrates the difference between Clark and his clone.
Ultraman has much of Superman’s physical power.
What he does not have is Clark’s upbringing, relationships, independence or moral judgment.
The movie does not stop for a separate scene explicitly declaring Ultraman dead. His final destination therefore leaves a small amount of narrative ambiguity, but nothing in the ending confirms that he survived or is already being prepared for another appearance.
Why Did Lex Luthor Create Ultraman?
Lex needs someone capable of beating Superman physically.
Ordinary soldiers cannot do it. Most metahumans cannot do it. Technology can weaken Superman, but Lex wants something he can directly control.
Ultraman gives him that weapon.
By copying Superman’s biology while removing Clark’s independence, Lex believes he can possess Superman’s power without dealing with Superman himself.
That also makes Ultraman more than a conventional henchman.
He represents Lex’s misunderstanding of Superman.
Lex believes Superman is exceptional because of what he is: an alien with extraordinary genetics and almost unlimited physical power.
The ending argues that this is incomplete.
Lex can reproduce the body.
He cannot reproduce Clark Kent.
What Did Superman’s Kryptonian Parents Really Want?
One of the film’s biggest twists comes from the message Jor-El and Lara sent to Earth with their son.
Clark originally knows only part of the recording.
After recovering the missing section, Lex reveals that Superman’s biological parents expected Kal-El to rule over humanity rather than simply live among humans as their equal.
The restored message is devastating because Superman has spent years treating his Kryptonian heritage as an important part of his identity.
Lex uses the recording publicly to argue that Superman’s presence on Earth was never as benevolent as people believed.
The movie does not eventually reveal that Lex secretly fabricated the message. James Gunn later addressed the debate over its authenticity, and the story treats it as real.
What matters most, however, is Superman’s response.
Clark ultimately rejects the idea that biology determines destiny.
His Kryptonian parents may have had plans for him, but they did not live his life.
Jonathan and Martha Kent did.
The closing Fortress sequence reinforces this when Clark watches footage of his adoptive parents. The emotional answer to the Kryptonian revelation is not another secret about Krypton—it is Clark accepting that his decisions and experiences have made him who he is.
What Happens to Lex Luthor?
Lex Luthor loses control of his plan and is arrested.
Once evidence of his actions becomes public and the Metropolis disaster is contained, Lex can no longer hide behind the political narrative he constructed around Superman.
He ends the movie defeated but alive.
That distinction became even more important after the movie’s release because DC has since confirmed that Nicholas Hoult’s Lex remains part of Superman’s future in the DCU.
Who Is Supergirl at the End of Superman (2025)?
The woman who arrives at the Fortress of Solitude is Kara Zor-El, Superman’s Kryptonian cousin, played by Milly Alcock.
Her appearance happens near the end of the movie before the credits.
Kara arrives to collect Krypto, revealing that the chaotic super-powered dog Superman has been looking after is connected to her.
The cameo is brief, but it establishes an immediate relationship between Superman, Supergirl and Krypto inside the new DCU.
When Superman was released in July 2025, the appearance worked as a bridge toward Kara’s solo film.
Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock, was released on June 26, 2026.
For more on what happens to Kara after her solo adventure, read CinePulse24’s Supergirl ending explained.
Does Superman (2025) Have a Post-Credits Scene?
Yes. Superman has two credit scenes: one during the credits and another after the full credits.
Importantly, Supergirl’s arrival is not one of them.
Her scene happens before the credits begin.
The actual credit scenes are much smaller and deliberately avoid introducing a surprise villain or making a major sequel announcement. James Gunn has explained that this was intentional rather than using the credits simply as advertising for another DCU project.
Superman (2025) Post-Credits Scenes Explained
The first extra scene arrives during the credits.
Superman and Krypto sit together on the moon while looking back toward Earth.
There is no dramatic villain reveal or hidden message. It is simply a quiet moment between Superman and Krypto after everything they have survived.
The second scene comes after the main credits.
Superman and Mister Terrific are in Metropolis as the city is being repaired following the dimensional disaster.
Superman notices that part of a reconstructed building does not line up perfectly and points it out.
Mister Terrific becomes annoyed, and Superman immediately realizes he probably should have kept the observation to himself.
That is where the movie finally ends.
Both scenes are primarily character moments rather than major pieces of future-DCU setup.
What Does the Superman (2025) Ending Really Mean?
The ending is ultimately about the difference between identity and origin.
Clark spends much of the story being defined by other people.
Lex defines him as a dangerous alien.
The public reacts to the Kryptonian message.
Jor-El and Lara attempt to define what their son should become.
Ultraman represents Superman reduced almost entirely to genetics and power.
Clark rejects all of them.
He decides that being Superman is not about following a predetermined Kryptonian destiny.
It is about the choices he continues to make.
That is why Ultraman works so well as the final physical opponent.
The two characters can share DNA without sharing an identity.
Lex manages to duplicate Superman’s extraordinary abilities but fails to reproduce what actually makes Superman heroic.
What Does Superman’s Ending Set Up for the DCU?
The Supergirl connection has already paid off.
Her cameo led into the 2026 Supergirl film, expanding the Kryptonian side of the DCU and developing Kara and Krypto beyond their brief appearance here.
There is now also a much more concrete answer regarding Superman’s own future.
DC officially announced Man of Tomorrow, with a theatrical release scheduled for July 9, 2027. David Corenswet’s Superman and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor are part of that continuation. Read DC’s official Man of Tomorrow announcement
That does not mean the two Superman credit scenes secretly predicted the story of Man of Tomorrow.
They did not.
The sequel was announced later, while the film’s credit scenes remain mostly self-contained character moments.
Watch the Superman (2025) Official Trailers
Want to revisit the clues before finishing the ending breakdown? The official Superman trailers show Lex Luthor, Metropolis, Krypto and several key confrontations without revealing every twist. They are useful for comparing what the marketing hinted at with what the movie eventually reveals about Ultraman and Superman’s final battle.
