It shares its name with the earlier Ultimate Marvel imprint that ran from 2000 to 2015, but is not a direct reboot; while Ultimate Marvel started by updating the origins of classic Marvel Universe characters in a more modern but recognizable Earth-1610, the Ultimate Universe (Earth-6160) features new interpretations of Marvel characters set in a radically altered sociopolitical status quo.
Publication history
The original Ultimate Marvel imprint ceased to be published in 2015, and was destroyed in-story in the Secret Wars crossover, with Maker being transferred to Earth-616, the Prime Universe. Writer Donny Cates used the character during his run in the Venom comic book, with the character trying to restore and return to his original universe. At the end of the story arc, Maker returned to a devastated part of the Ultimate Universe, and later hinted he was planning an invasion of the main Marvel Universe.[1] However, Cates had to pull out of writing the series because of a car accident that left him with six months worth of memory loss with the project given to Jonathan Hickman instead.[2] Hickman had worked with the Maker character in the original Ultimate imprint and wrote the aforementioned Secret Wars crossover.
Hickman started the project with Ultimate Invasion which he took on another path ignoring both the original Ultimate Universe and the plots in Venom Vol. 4. It shows instead Maker moving to a new alternate universe called Earth-6160 and changing it with extensive time travel to prevent the existence of most superheroes and make himself its unquestionable leader. By the end of the story, Maker is defeated and trapped inside The City with Iron Man / Howard Stark and a variation of Kang the Conqueror, with The City scheduled to open up in 24 months. The Maker's Council, a shadow government that manages international relations in a "power behind the throne" style, remains a threat as the new comics that follow are set within such background. Howard's son Tony Stark continues his work to take the world back while taking on the name of Iron Lad.
The first comic was Ultimate Universe #1, a one-shot from Hickman and Stefano Caselli that further developed the context in which the comics of the line will take place. The flagship comic of the line is Ultimate Spider-Man, by Hickman and Marco Checchetto. In contrast with the original Ultimate Spider-Man comic, it stars an adult Peter Parker who is married to Mary Jane Watson and has two kids before he becomes Spider-Man. Hickman said that he was inspired by the version of the character seen in the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.[3]
Writer Bryan Hill, who had previously worked on Blade, will write Ultimate Black Panther with Caselli. The comic will be about Black Panther defending the continent of Africa from Lord Khonshu and Lord Ra. Hill said "I was invigorated by this opportunity because in addition to my immense respect for Jonathan Hickman's detailed storytelling, the idea of shepherding this bold new take on Black Panther in this event gives me a platform to do the kind of broad, epic, storytelling I've always wanted to do in comics. My influences range from the history of Black Panther comics, to Ryan Coogler's incredible work with the recentfilms, to Frank Herbert's world-building capacity of Dune. This is something people won't expect, in the best of ways, and full credit to Marvel and editors Wil Moss and Michelle Marchese for bringing this creative possibility to me."[3]
Peach Momoko, from Demon Days: X-Men, will write and illustrate the new Ultimate X-Men comics. Armor will be the main character, and the X-Men will be tied to folklore and magic. Momoko said "I am very honored to be a part of the new Ultimate Universe. I am very careful in delivering the unique X-Men mutant elements while still being true to my vision and voice. I am also very proud (and surprised) that I was given enough freedom from C.B. Cebulski and Jonathan Hickman to create a brand-new X-Men character. It might not be the normal portrayal of a superhero... but, just like with my Momoko-verse stories, I am excited to introduce everyone to this new world."[3]
In February 2024, it was announced that Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri would write and illustrate The Ultimates, which will follow Iron Lad, Doom, Thor, Sif, Giant-Man, and the Wasp as they band together to fight back against the Maker's Council and take back their world while gaining new allies along the way. Camp said "The new Ultimates line is the most exciting super hero comics event in years, and it's humbling to be a part of it! We are reinventing these classic characters and archetypes to be as surprising and vital as when they were first introduced. Our Ultimates is an evolution not just of the Avengers, but of the whole super hero team concept; from the grand and operatic to the small and personal, THE ULTIMATES will feel like no Avengers or Ultimates comic ever before! That's our ambition, anyway; tune in to find out if we succeed."[4]
Marvel Editor C.B. Cebulski announced at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con that there would be a future one-shot comic titled One Year In, with a recap of everything that happened during the previous year in the Ultimate Universe. He also announced a new ongoing series to be released in late 2024 or early 2025, with no details about the name or characters from the comic.[5] At the 2024 New York Comic Con, it was announced the book would be Ultimate Wolverine by Chris Condon and Alessandro Cappuccio with the official synopsis reading "In order to maintain control of their corner of the Maker’s world, three members of his council – Magik, Colossus and Omega Red – deploy their most lethal asset: The Winter Soldier! But WHO is the weapon behind the mask?".[6]
The Free Comic Book Day 2025 one-shot issue for May 3, 2025 will feature a prologue for the Ultimate Universe's first crossover event.[7]
About Earth-6160
Issue #3 of Ultimate Invasion showed a map detailing Earth-6160 and its locations ever since the Maker remade it into his own image:[8]
Parts of South America make up the Society of South America complete with regional clubs in some parts of South America and fractional cultures in the other parts of South America and parts of Central America. Emmanuel da Costa rules the Society of South America.
The European Coalition is set in France where its surrounding areas are regional governors and the other parts of Europe are Fiefdoms. Henri Duggary rules this area.
The Upper and Lower Kingdoms are set in Egypt with regional dynasties in the surrounding countries and parts of Saudi Arabia and local temples in the rest of Africa, Madagascar, and the other parts of Saudi Arabia. Lord Ra and Lord Khonshu rule this area.
The Eurasian Republic is set in a part of Russia with the rest of Eurasia having regional directors and local schools. The Rasputin family (consisting of Colossus, Magik, and Omega Red) rules this area. It was later revealed that Maker planned to have the Eurasian Republic be the centralized home for mutantkind.[9]
The Children of Eternal Light are set in India with parts of Southeastern Asia and Australia being run by the Shadows of the Immortal Hand. Hulk rules this area.
Hi No Kuni (which is Japanese for "Land of Fire") is set in Japan with daimyos running parts of the Chinese coast. The Harada-Yoshida Alliance (consisting of Emperor Sunfire, Viper, and Silver Samurai) rule this area.
There are also undiscovered territories.
The first issue of Ultimates Vol. 4 reveals the restructured map created by the Maker's Council. It is shown that the North American Union has been redistributed with Henri Duggary ruling its east coast.[10]
The background of the global status quo is explained further through Howard Stark's history files. The Maker arrives in 1963, establishing the City in Latveria and selling himself as an engine of progress. With no heroes to oppose him, he aids in orchestrating the assassination ofJohn F. Kennedy and starts reconfiguring the United States and the rest of the world, eroding national identities and independence in favor of continental empires. He deals, overtly or covertly, with all external threats that traditional superheroes would otherwise handle in other Earths, like Galactus or the Kree–Skrull War. The central government of the United States is dissolved, while corporations start to supersede the old political order. Companies such as Stark/Stane, Oscorp, and Roxxon become essential parts of the internal functioning of the technocratic Union. Politics in its regular form is replaced by a series of manufactured conflicts in a form of war economy practiced between power blocs controlled secretly by the Maker and his Council. The Soviet Union is superseded by a form of Tsarism led by the Rasputin family, three clans unite and form the Harada-Yoshida Alliance in Japan, while other regions face similar systemic changes as the Maker consolidates his influence over the incorporated nation-states and their leaders.
Due to the alterations of world history, there are also social changes. The origins of many heroes and the initial beginning of a Heroic Age are averted. Since Mutants have no central figures to guide them, their political movements are wiped out, leading them to be seen as a fringe presence and an unrecognized minority, dispersed, and scattered while a few are coopted by the system. The Punisher becomes a notorious historical figure due to his actions on the streets while his symbol is used by militias in the modern day. The Savage Land is industrialized and all prehistoric life is extinct after a violent takeover by a group of mercenaries under Roxxon's command in the 1970s, an event called the "Savage Land Revolt".[a] The Maker is regarded as an Imperator, or de facto ruler of the Earth, because he's recognized as the only one equipped to keep the public safe from global threats and being regarded as disseminating technological advances on a regular base, using the organization H.A.N.D. as a secret police.[11]
The Maker is unable to avert certain events, despite using some to his advantage. After the Castle Gamma project of the North American Union tests the "Banner-Ulam Gamma-Bomb" over an island on the Pacific Proving Grounds and causes the creation of the Hulk, he is led towards personal "enlightenment" and becomes the leader of an order of monks called The Children of the Eternal Light, turning into a key figure on The Maker's Council. The testing also causes a mass contamination event (inspired by the real-life incident of Castle Bravo) that affects the island's flora, fauna and population, leading to the unpredictable gamma mutations of Lejori Zakaria and her fellow natives.[12] It's also established that several major corporations serve the Council's interests as proxies, one example being Roxxon as part of Emmanuel da Costa's profile.[13]
Later, H.A.N.D's acronym and role in the Maker's new world order is fully revealed, showing its full name as the "Heroic Anomaly Neutralization Directorate". Implied to be a reorganized S.H.I.E.L.D, Nick Fury is established as serving as its Director and having played a part in eliminating or imprisoning several heroes, enabling atrocities such as the Inhuman Genocide during the Maker's rise to power, with the agency itself also becoming his propaganda and disinformation apparatus. It's established that Duggary rules over Avalon, the Rasputins also have control over Limbo, while Emmanuel Da Costa serves as the Black King of the Hellfire Club. Mutants are seen by the Council as assets, with the Eurasian Republic created to be a centralized hub for them while Hi No Kuni tries to harness its own Mutant population into an army through a religious front called "The Children of the Atom". At the Republic, its Directorate X clones a fallen specimen back to life to act as their "Winter Soldier" against rebel factions such as the Opposition, a united coalition of mutants and humans.[9]
