WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Ultraman: The Trials of Ultraman #2 by Kyle Higgins, Mat Groom, Francesco Manna, Espen Grundetjern and VC's Ariana Maher, on sale now.
The latest entry in Marvel's take on the Ultraman franchise has seen the titular hero rise to prominence after first appearing on Earth and taking on the Kaiju threat. Unfortunately, most people don't believe that interdimensional monsters have invaded his world or that there is a giant alien robot fighting them on our behalf.
To make matters worse, there are those who have decided that the United Science Patrol are to blame for both releasing and engineering the Kaiju threat, and Ultraman has just had his very own Man of Steel moment by staring them down in Ultraman: The Trials of Ultraman #2.
Ever since opening the Kaiju Vault, the beasts have been popping up all over the globe. Interestingly, Dan Moroboshi, the USP agent who disappeared after encountering an Ultra almost sixty years ago, has also returned. The USP wasn't able to get to Dan quick enough, though, and he became a captive of the Joint Armed Disclosure Front, a lightly-organized terrorist group with a seething hatred for the USP. Rescuing Dan as Ultraman would be easy enough, but doing so could leave the entire world vulnerable if a Kaiju materializes before Shin is able to return to his superhero form. Instead, Shin and Kiki Fuji go incognito to rescue Dan, which goes horribly when the two walk right into the middle of Dan's interrogation. When the guns are turned on them, Shin makes the change into Ultraman just as bullets start flying, proving that he is just as capable of terrestrial foes as he is against giant monsters.
Ultraman leaps directly in the line of fire, taking every bullet that would have struck Kiki. While he has been seen taking on ten-foot Kaiju all the way up to Godzilla-sized foes, this is the first time that he has absorbed gunfire without flinching. Ultraman isn't just stronger than a speeding bullet; he's faster than one, too. When the guns are turned on Dan Moroboshi, Ultraman zips across the room with superhuman speed to shield him.
These feats might seem like small ones compared to what Ultraman has accomplished so far, but for a brand new take on the franchise, they are important details that highlight exactly what the titular hero is truly capable of. Of course, the JADF aren't just packing heat, and soon enough their own giant fighting robot has crashed through the wall ready to unleash everything it has on its targets.
With any luck, it won't take long for Ultraman to figure out how to deal with yet another new kind of threat, especially considering he only has a couple of minutes to use his powers in the first place.