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| As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
Kal-Il is Ultraman, the last son of Krypton from Earth 3 and the leader of the Crime Syndicate.
History
Origin
Kal-Il escapes Krypton
Kal-Il was born on the dying planet of Krypton that, through the machinations of his maniacal father Jor-Il, had caught the attention of its destroyer - the Anti-Monitor. Performing a shooting spree through a research lab, Jor-Il was able to secure a life pod for his only son, whom he regarded as his best chance of revenge.
Rocketing to Earth, Kal-Il was inundated with ideology and moralizing inside his rocket, warning him to be the strongest possible being, eschewing all weakness in himself and in others. His rocket crash-landed in Smallville, Kansas, right through the home of the dysfunctional couple Johnny and Martha Kent. Kal-Il gained power from the pieces of his home planet that landed with him and forced the couple to be his parents, staying with them until he was seven years old, at which point he killed them and burned their farm to the ground.
Over the following years, Kal-Il took the name Ultraman and began his pursuits of taking over Earth by murdering the President of the United States and forming the Crime Syndicate. During this time, Ultraman had a dysfunctional relationship with his teammate Superwoman. Unknown to him, Superwoman had a secret affair with Owlman.
Unfortunately for Ultraman and the Crime Syndicate, their stranglehold over the planet was pried loose by the arrival of the being that had destroyed Krypton, who also sought to destroy the Earth.[1] As their world began to crumble beneath them, the fabric between universes was weakened by the actions of another powerful being in another universe, allowing the Syndicate to escape in a dimensional rift. However, they were trapped in interdimensional Limbo for five years, with only the Outsider and Atomica successfully crossing through.
Forever Evil
Earth's new tyrants
In a plot to free his masters, the Outsider manipulated the new dimension's heroes into giving him access to Pandora's Box, freeing Ultraman and the Syndicate from their interimensional prison and unleashing them onto the new Earth.
After disposing of the Justice League and their allies, the Crime Syndicate declared this new Earth their's and invited the world's villains to share in their rule. Noticing the rising sun - its light a weakness of his, Ultraman moved the moon to create a perpetual eclipse.[2]
On his way to Kahndaq to stop an insurrection, Ultraman took a detour to The Daily Planet where he discovered this world's version of his wife Lois Lane. Having confessed he had wanted to leave Superwoman for a long time but kept her as a suitable vehicle for bearing his child, he prepared to force himself on Lois before being ambushed by Black Adam.[3] Though they dueled, Ultraman defeated Adam and broke his jaw.
When Ultraman finally made it to Kahndaq, he forcefully took Metallo's Kryptonite heart, killing him, to strengthen himself. Ultraman talked with Superwoman, who revealed that she was pregnant and that she had also overhead Owlman's plan to betray him. Though his wife encouraged him to be strong for their unborn child, Ultraman assured her he only needed to be strong for himself. [4]
Crime Syndicate vs. Injustice League
When Power Ring was killed by Sinestro, his ring sent vibrations through the Multiverse which drew the attention of the one who destroyed the Syndicate's world, prompting Ultraman and his team to prepare in anticipation of the incoming threat.[5] As they were distracted, the Injustice League, led by Lex Luthor took the opportunity to attack them and inadvertently freed the Syndicate's prisoner from their Earth Alexander Luthor, who intended to kill the Crime Syndicate.[6]
As the surviving members of the Syndicate tried to stop the now free Mazahs, Superwoman chose this time to reveal to her teammates that she had been working with Mazahs the entire time, as he was her lover and the real father of her unborn child. Ultraman, enraged, fought Mazahs, regretting having not killed him when he had the chance before tiring from lack of Kryptonite.
When Mazahs and the rest of the Syndicate were defeated by the Injustice League, Ultraman returned and attacked Lex Luthor, nearly killing him, but was weakened when Sinestro and Black Adam moved the moon back into rotation and exposed Ultraman to sunlight. Lex, now with an upper hand, defeated and humiliated Ultraman, who begged Lex to kill him. Lex refused, forcing Ultraman to live with the fact that he was the weakest man on the planet. Ultraman was then imprisoned by the Justice League, having been restored to power.[7]
Darkseid War
Ultraman was later set free from his imprisonment by the combined efforts of Cyborg and Power Ring, (who had both been possessed by Grid and Volthoom, respectively), to enlist his help in defeating Mobius, the Anti-Monitor, who was the same being that destroyed Ultraman's Krypton and universe.[8] In the penultimate fight, Ultraman viciously assaulted Mobius, landing several punches, but was vaporized with a concentrated blast of antimatter, killing him.[9]
Rebirth
Ultraman and the rest of Earth 3 was resurrected in the multiverse when it decided to heal itself as to how it thought Earth 3 should be. Witnessing the Symbol of Doom in the sky on their Earth, the Crime Syndicate learned about Perpetua and started a mass-slaughter to gain her notice, with Ultraman himself encouraging the bloodshed. Their plan was successful as they gained an audience and she directed them to lead their people, who had been turned into Apex Predators, as part of her army.[10]
Earth 0's John Stewart, Superman of Earth 23 and Wonder Woman of Earth 6 struck Earth 3 to destroy the tuning fork powering her with Anti-Crisis Energy, after she had taken over the multiverse. As Ultraman and Superwoman fought the defeated John Stewart's allies, Owlman decided to betray his team, since he was already upset at the evil Batmen from the Dark Multiverse taking over Earth 0 and was hesitant at what Perpetua will do when remaking the multiverse. Using a gun made at Qward, he killed both Ultraman and Superwoman.[11]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Kryptonian Physiology: The Kryptonians of Earth 3 evolved to the point where they could gain great power from the radiation of their planet. The radioactive remains of Krypton give an even greater power to Ultraman who can absorb and process that radiation inside his own body to gain an immense array of abilities.[1]
- Kryptonite Radiation Absorption: Ultraman's cellular structure allowed him to absorb, store and metabolize Green Kryptonite to fuel all of his abilities. He can do this by either eating it[1] or inhaling it after turning the mineral to dust.[2]
- Ultrastrength: Ultraman was capable of effortlessly move an object as big as the moon to eclipse the sun even after being slightly weakened by it,[2] break bones,[1] defeat Black Adam in combat,[3] and hold his own against Mazahs even after the latter had absorbed the powers of several members of the Crime Syndicate, but Luthor was still able to overpower him.[7] He was strong enough to injure the Anti-Monitor to the point of making him bleed, although ultimately not as strong as him.[9]
- Invulnerability: Ultraman's body was virtually impervious to harm. He could endure being pummeled through many buildings by Black Adam, with the latter being unable to tear him apart,[1] and was unfazed when he was struck by the "Shazam" lightning (but it was still capable of making him bleed).[3] His invulnerability has its limits, and the Anti-Monitor was able to vaporize and kill Ultraman in seconds with a concentrated blast of antimatter.[9]
- Ultrastamina: Ultraman's stamina was dependent on the quantity of Green Kryptonite his body's cells absorb, thus the more Green Kryptonite he absorbs the longer he can use his abilities.[3]
- Flight: Ultraman could defy gravity and fly at incredible speeds.
- Ultraspeed: Ultraman was fast enough to fly from the Earth's surface to the moon's orbit in a matter of seconds.[2]
- Ultrabreath: Ultraman's lungs could store and blow air with hurricane forces.[1]
- Heat Vision: Ultraman's eyes can emit beams of concentrated heat that are hot enough to vaporize minerals[2] and calcinate human flesh.[1]
- Enhanced Senses: Ultraman's senses were augmented to the point that he could hear things like the signal of Jimmy Olsen's superwatch[1] and a little heartbeat in Superwoman's womb.[4]
- Kryptonite Radiation Absorption: Ultraman's cellular structure allowed him to absorb, store and metabolize Green Kryptonite to fuel all of his abilities. He can do this by either eating it[1] or inhaling it after turning the mineral to dust.[2]
Weaknesses
- Vulnerability to Sunlight: The radiation of Earth's yellow sun breaks down the Kryptonite radioactivity flourishing within Ultraman's cells,[1] thus eliminating all of his ultrahuman abilities while leaving him on a weakened and emaciated state.[7]
- Green Kryptonite Depletion: When deprived of Green Kryptonite to empower him, Ultraman's abilities would slowly begin to fade, thus requiring Ultraman to recharge.[3][7]
Notes
- Ultraman was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky, first appearing in Justice League of America #29. However, in the Prime Earth continuity, Ultraman first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in Justice League (Volume 2) #23 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis.
- Traditionally, Kryptonians are only affected by Kryptonite of their own native universe. This doesn't seem the case for Kal-Il since he can be empowered by the Kryptonite of both his home universe and the Prime universe.
Related
- 68 Appearances of Kal-Il (Earth 3)
- 54 Images featuring Kal-Il (Earth 3)
- 6 Quotations by or about Kal-Il (Earth 3)
- Character Gallery: Kal-Il (Earth 3)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Justice League (Volume 2) #24
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Forever Evil #1
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Forever Evil #3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Forever Evil #4
- ↑ Forever Evil #5
- ↑ Forever Evil #6
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Forever Evil #7
- ↑ Justice League (Volume 2) #47
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Justice League (Volume 2) #48
- ↑ Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1
- ↑ Dark Nights: Death Metal Multiverse's End #1
  This character has been primarily an enemy of Superman in any of his various incarnations, or members of the Superman Family. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Superman Villains category." |
 This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Justice League, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Justice League Villains." |
 This character is or was primarily a member of the the CSA (Crime Syndicate of America • Crime Syndicate of Amerika • Crime Society of America), in any of its various incarnations, either on Earth-Three, Earth-3, Earth 3, or in the Antimatter Universe. As with all other CSA members, they are an evil version of a hero of the mainstream DC Universe, primarily the Justice League. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "CSA members" category. |