Warning! Spoilers for Crime Syndicate #3 by DC Comics
While one might expect Ultraman - DC's evil version of The Boys to have a lot in common, a new comic just showed the pair are more similar than ever previously thought. In a new issue of Crime Syndicate, the Earth-3 Superman just proved he cares much more about his own public image than saving the lives of innocent people.
Homelander was originally conceived by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson in The Boys as a parody of Superman, whose ego and anger made him a villain - despite appearing as a hero to the general public. Homelander has practically identical powers to the Man of Steel and shows what would happen if Superman was actually evil and controlled by a corporation. Ultraman, created by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis (the original version of Ultraman was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky), is a straight-up evil version of Superman from a different universe, who is the opposite of Clark Kent, even using Kryptonite to power himself up as opposed to getting weakened by the alien substance.
In Crime Syndicate #3 by Andy Schmidt, Kieran McKeown, Dexter Vines, Steve Oliff, and Rob Leigh, the evil Justice League forms for the first time as Starro attacks Metropolis. After giving himself a Kryptonite boost, Ultraman charges through the villain but is knocked down by its psychic blasts. Meanwhile, Alexander Luthor tries to evacuate the innocents caught in the crossfire. After Superwoman finishes off Starro with her lasso, the new superteam meets up amidst the destruction in Metropolis. Luthor tells Ultraman they could have save "every last soul," but the evil Superman responds by caring more about publicity than those dead.
Ultraman poses for a photo op with the Crime Syndicate and flexes his muscles with a big smile on his face. Clearly, he cares more about his own image than the devastating suffered in Metropolis. The scene is eerily similar to how Homelander behaved when he let an entire plane full of people die, so they wouldn't tell the media about his failures as a hero. When a supposed hero with the powers of a god thinks more about their brand than their actions, they aren't really a hero anymore.
Readers knew Ultraman was evil, but the fact he doesn't care at all about the people dying in the Crime Syndicate's battle with Starro shows he truly is the more vile version of Superman. He didn't think twice about the people caught in the crossfire, instead, he cared more about a photo op. Ultraman's focus on his public image is right out of a page of Homelander's playbook. Crime Syndicate #3 is in stores now.
