Spoilers for The Trials of Ultraman #3 ahead!
Ultraman is facing a new villain, one who denies the existence of the kaiju he is sworn to fight. In Trials of Ultraman #3, his new nemesis, Professor Nikaido, threatens to expose the kaiju, the United Science Patrol, and Ultraman as frauds, a move that could have serious consequences for Ultraman and his allies.
Ultraman’s world has been turned on its ear in the past several months. The world at large has learned of not only his existence, but also of the kaiju. Society is struggling to grapple with this knowledge and it has led some people to flat out deny that Ultraman and the kaiju are real. The public does not trust the USP and others believe that the kaiju are part of a larger, more sinister agenda, one aimed at control and the erosion of civil liberties. These dangerous ideologies collide in Ultraman’s new foe, and readers meet him for the first time in Trials of Ultraman #3.
As the issue opens, Ultraman is fighting the mechanical kaiju from the previous issue. After dispatching the monster, Ultraman associate Kiki Fuji confronts the human controlling it and quickly realizes he is not smart enough to build a mechanical kaiju. The monster’s controller tells Fuji it was a "gift.” Later, the team meets up with former USP agent Katsuichiro Kato, who informs the team of Nikaido’s existence. They learn that even in the wake of the revelation of the kaiju’s existence, people are still denying that they exist and believe they were created by governments as an excuse to increase taxes and overreach their authority. Nikaido is riding this wave and is now planning an exhibition where he promises to reveal kaiju for the hoaxes they are. The team also learns Nikaido used to work for Kato, and it was through Kato that he acquired the tech to build his mechanical monsters.
For many years, the existence of kaiju was kept from the public, and the USP was compliant in this decades-long conspiracy, a fact Fuji brings up in explaining why ideas like Nikaido’s have taken hold. She also goes on to say that governments are not always benevolent, and it would not be a stretch for one to build an army of kaiju to enforce order within their borders, or to invade another country. This is a nightmarish scenario, but the technology is already there and in the hands of private citizens. Beyond the physical destruction such a monstrosity would unleash, the psychic damage it could inflict would be worse, as people will not take Ultraman and the kaiju threat as seriously as they should.
The Trials of Ultraman has seen the hero fight not only kaiju, but more human foes as well, such as Nikaido, who deny the existence of the very thing Ultraman fights. The Trials of Ultraman #3 is written by Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom with art by Fransesco Manna, colors by Espen Grundetjern, and letters by Ariana Maher; it is on sale now in print and digital.
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