Rumours that Superman will put the Man of Steel against Ultraman have persisted for a while now, with set photos and the movie's trailer seemingly confirming it.

After all, how else do you explain a black-clad villain fighting Superman with a huge "U" on his chest?

Now, an upcoming tie-in book revealed a fresh look at this hulking villain, who is rumoured to have a unique connection to Superman. However, his costume is purple instead of black; either this design is based on outdated concept art, or the plan is to change Ultraman's look in post-production.

The latter seems more likely, and this could even be a second costume the character will don for the final act battle with Superman. We'll have to wait and see, but this is an interesting take on Ultraman (who is typically a Multiversal threat).

Filmmaker James Gunn has been insistent that Lex Luthor is Superman's big bad,...