A location directly tied to Ultraman from 2025’s Superman film has officially made an appearance on the set of James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow (the Superman sequel), proving how the upcoming movie will have at least one connection to Ultraman. Ultraman played a rather large role in Superman, going up against the Man of Steel in combat multiple times. The movie kept Ultraman’s comic story, as it was revealed that he was a clone of Superman. Now, Ultraman may not be returning in Man of Tomorrow, seeing as he was sent into a black hole by Superman, but that doesn’t mean the upcoming film won’t feature different connections to him.
As shared by DCU Brief via X, a fan recently discovered an Ultraman connection on the set of Man of Tomorrow. Specifically, this connection came in the form of an in-universe poster or advertisement that could be seen on what appears to be the side of a bus/tram stop in Metropolis on the Man of Tomorrow set.
Specifically, the poster was for an in-universe business called Dough’s Holes Doughnuts, which has locations all throughout Metropolis. The background of the advertisement featured different types of doughnuts.
Notably, Dough’s Holes Doughnuts was mentioned in Superman and directly connected to Ultraman. One of the times Lex Luthor was meeting with Vasil Ghurkos, the president of Boravia, Lex offered the president a doughnut.
Lex mentioned Dough’s Holes by name, saying, “I got you a donut from Dough’s Holes.”
The connection between Dough’s Holes and Ultraman is that Ultraman was the one holding the doughnut before giving it to Ghurkos. Like in other situations, Lex used Ultraman as, more or less, his servant.
The fact that a Dough’s Holes ad was spotted on the Man of Tomorrow set may seem insignificant, but it proves that Gunn and the rest of the DCU crew are making sure to stay consistent with the new universe and make everything feel as though it is real.
Now that a simple in-universe doughnut location has been referenced in two different projects, Metropolis seems like an actual city, and it shows that everyone is putting a lot of care into the DCU.
Is Ultraman Returning in Man of Tomorrow?
As mentioned, Ultraman had a pretty substantial role in 2025’s Superman, as he was one of the film’s minor protagonists. He went toe-to-toe with the Man of Steel himself and actually found quite a bit of success while fighting him. Notably, it was revealed at the end of the movie that Ultraman was actually a Superman clone that Lex had made, specifically to be able to defeat Superman.
Obviously, Ultraman wasn’t successful in beating Superman, as the Man of Steel was able to send him into a black hole while Metropolis was being split apart due to Lex’s actions.
Many may assume that Superman was Ultraman’s one and only appearance in the DCU, but that may not actually be the case. While not confirmed, it seems as though Superman was setting up Ultraman’s eventual return as Bizarro, another antagonist in the world of DC.
In the comics, Bizarro is like a flawed mirror version of Superman. Since Ultraman fell into a black hole, it is possible that the black hole could alter his mental state, or even his physical makeup, making Ultraman appear and act more like Bizarro.
If Ultraman does come back as Bizarro (who has already appeared in My Adventures With Superman), it could happen anytime, perhaps even as soon as Man of Tomorrow.
However, since Man of Tomorrow will already be dealing with Lex, Brainiac, and likely other major characters, Ultraman coming back as Bizarro would make the film seem a bit overcrowded and could diminish Ultraman’s return.
It would probably be better to save his return and the reveal that he is Bizarro for another movie or TV show, simply for the fact that it would feel more earned if fans had to wait a little while.
