Ultraman Great

Mankind has reached Mars. Astronauts Stanley Haggart and Jack Shindo have arrived, only to find something amazing: a towering beast with tentacles. This is Gudis, an interstellar monster just arrived on Mars. Haggart and Shindo try to photograph the monster, in an attempt to become famous back on Earth. Gudis, however, has other thoughts, namely to destroy these interlopers. Intervening, however, is a silver and red giant: Ultraman (called "Ultraman Great" in Japan, in the original series he is simply called "Ultraman"). Using a variety of energy attacks and martial arts tactics, Ultraman nearly overcomes Gudis. Gudis, however, manages to kill Haggart and destroy the ship he and Shindo used to arrive on Mars. Shindo, on the other hand, has been trapped under a boulder which had fallen on him when Gudis caused Ultraman to hit the side of their crater battleground. Ultraman almost overpowers Gudis, but the monster converts to a "virus" and escapes to Earth. Ultraman starts to pursue, but first saves Shindo's life by merging with him.

Back on Earth, the Universal Multipurpose Agency (UMA) discovers an outbreak of monsters. Some of these monsters were created by the Gudis virus infecting ordinary Earth animals, such as a slug or ant. Others are the result of mutation by toxic waste. Still others are ancient creatures that have remain undiscovered until they have been stirred up by the Gudis virus. Shindo miraculously reappears on Earth, and offers his help to UMA, which eventually accepts him as a member, even though they remain suspicious. While Shindo proves invaluable to UMA's discovery of the Gudis virus and in its fight against the infected monsters, it's when Shindo uses the Delta Plasma Pendant to become Ultraman that their best help appears.

Ultraman Great has several energy-based powers, including the ability to send bursts of energy from his hands. Most of his attacks are physical in nature, however. (Curiously, he never exhibits anything resembling the Specium Beam attack of the original Ultraman.) As with most other Ultra-heroes, Ultraman Great can only survive on Earth for 3 minutes, although this time the blame is placed on Earth's "polluted atmosphere." His warning light, mounted on a triangular mount on his chest (which resembles Shindo's Delta Plasma Pendant), blinks when the time is nearly up. When the light stops blinking, Ultraman is forced to revert back to Shindo, and cannot reappear for several hours.

Ultraman Great eventually faces a new, mutated Gudis, which has recreated itself due to the virus infection taking on a new form in humans. The new Gudis is defeated once and for all. Ultraman Great stays around for a while longer, however, facing more ancient, naturally-occurring monsters. Finally, after facing down Kudara and Shillagee, Ultraman Great separates from Shindo, and returns home.

Ultraman Great is more often known in Australia and America as Ultraman: Towards The Future, after his series' title. This series was the first live-action Ultraman series filmed in English, and the first filmed outside of Japan. Ultraman: Toward The Future was filmed in Australia, and indeed was set in Australia. (One episode dealt with a natural beast of the Outback named Deganja, who lived inside a whirlwind. Deganja is well-known to the Aborigines, although UMA suspects it has been maddened by the Gudis virus.)

Aside from live stage shows in Japan, Ultraman Great never appeared with any other Ultra-heroes, although it's usually accepted that Ultraman Great is just one more of the Ultra-heroes from the Land of Light in Nebula M78. One episode indicates that Ultraman Great was created specifically to battle the Gudis.

Nemesis Comics, a now-defunct label of Harvey Publishing, created an Ultraman comic mini-series and short-lived ongoing series that continues Ultraman Great's story after the finish of Ultraman: Towards The Future. The 3-issue mini-series has Ultraman and Shindo merging again after the Gudis is resurrected. Ultraman #-1, bridging that mini-series and the ongoing series, shows Shindo apparently giving his life to rescue Ultraman, who merges with a disabled ex-soldier named Ace Kimura. The series ended with the fourth issue, revealing some secrets of Kimura's and Ultraman's past. The bad part of this series is that its writers assumed this Ultraman was the same as the one that merged with Hayata years ago, and that he was somehow related to Oriental "gods" of ages past ... basically the writers didn't know anything about the rich history of Ultraman.