Hubbry Logo
UltimatesUltimatesMain
Open search
Ultimates
Community hub
Ultimates
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Ultimates
Ultimates
Ultimates
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia
The Ultimates
Promotional art for The Ultimates 2 #1 (February 2005).
Art by Bryan Hitch & Paul Neary.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
(Ultimate Marvel)
First appearanceThe Ultimates #1 (March 2002)
Created byMark Millar
Bryan Hitch
(based upon The Avengers by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)
In-story information
Base(s)Triskelion
Ultimates Mansion
Leader(s)Captain America
Member(s)Nick Fury (founder)
Captain America
Iron Man
Thor
Wasp
Giant-Man
Roster
See: List of Ultimates members

The Ultimates is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, which first started publication from The Ultimates #1 (cover date March 2002), as part of the company's Ultimate Marvel imprint.[1] The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Avengers comic-book franchise, centering around a task-force of super-humans and special agents organized by the U.S. government to combat growing threats to the world. The tale chronicles their progress as they bond and slowly learn to work together, despite their differing natures and personalities.[2]

Publication history

[edit]
Writer Mark Millar signing a copy of the collected edition of the first miniseries during an appearance at Midtown Comics in Manhattan.

The first volume of the Ultimates, written by Millar and illustrated by Hitch, was published in limited series format and ran for thirteen issues with production delays from January 30, 2002[3][4] until March 31, 2004.[5] Hitch described the alternative-reality reimagining as one where, "You have to approach it as though nothing has happened before and tell the story fresh from the start.... We had to get to the core of who these people were and build outwards, so Cap [Captain America] was a soldier, Thor is either a nut case or a messiah ... Banner [the Hulk] an insecure genius, and [superspy Nick] Fury the king of cool".[6]

A second series, also by Millar and Hitch, was released as Ultimates 2 and ran 13 issues from Dec. 2004 to May 2007.[7] The series had originally been slated for April 2004, but was resolicited to stockpile enough issues for a monthly release.[8][9] It ran into similar production delays, however, due to Millar's struggles with Crohn's Disease and involvement writing Civil War, as well as the artists' need to keep busy with other work in the meantime.[10][11]

In a 2004 interview, Millar outlined the difference between the Ultimates and the Avengers: "The idea behind The Avengers is that the Marvel Universe's biggest players all get together and fight all the biggest supervillains they can't defeat individually, whereas Ultimates 2 is an exploration of what happens when a bunch of ordinary people are turned into super-soldiers and being groomed to fight the real-life war on terror."[2]

This was followed by the one-shot Ultimate Saga (Nov. 2007), a condensed retelling, by writers C. B. Cebulski and Mindy Owens and artist Travis Charest, of the events of Ultimates and Ultimates 2. A third series, Ultimates 3 (Dec 2007 – Sept 2008) was written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Joe Madureira.[12]

Mark Millar returned to the Ultimates with a series of shorter miniseries, beginning in 2009 with Ultimate Comics: Avengers, which ran from August 2009 until July 2011.[13]

The Earth-6160 version of the Ultimates began its own comic series on June 5, 2024.[14]

Plot

[edit]

The Ultimates

[edit]
Main article: The Ultimates (comic book)

General Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. establishes a strike force of government-sponsored superhumans which includes Steve Rogers (Captain America); scientist couple Henry and Janet Pym (Giant-Man and the Wasp); Bruce Banner (the Hulk) and Tony Stark (Iron Man). Together, they are based at the S.H.I.E.L.D facility the Triskelion. When Banner injects himself with the super-soldier serum and goes on a bloody rampage as the Hulk, he is eventually stopped by the other superhumans with the aid of Thor. The team then join forces with the mutants Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch and agents Hawkeye and Black Widow against the alien shape-shifters the Chitauri, who are defeated.[15]

The Ultimates 2

[edit]
Main article: The Ultimates 2

A year later public opinion has turned against the team when it is discovered that Bruce Banner is in fact the Hulk and was responsible for hundreds of deaths. The team is undermined further when Thor is accused of being an escaped mental patient and is incarcerated. This is the doing of his brother Loki, who also facilitates the creation of a new team of anti-American multi-nationals called the "Liberators". With the aid of the Black Widow – who betrays the team to the Liberators – the Ultimates are captured, but eventually escape and battle the Liberators to the death. With the aid of Asgardian warriors, the Ultimates defeat both Loki and the Liberators. Seeing how having the Ultimates working with the United States government "policing" the world would produce similar results to their battle against the Liberators, the team decided to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. and to continue to work as an independent team instead.[16]

The Ultimates 3

[edit]
Main article: The Ultimates 3
Promotional art for cover of The Ultimates 3 #1 (February 2008), by Joe Madureira and Christian Lichtner.

Hank Pym is under house arrest at Ultimates Mansion. One of Pym's Ultron robots drugs him and leaks a sex tape of Stark and the Black Widow to the internet. These distract from the robot's fatal shooting of the Scarlet Witch. Magneto abducts Wanda's corpse and retreats to the Savage Land, where he is confronted by the Ultimates. Pym and Wasp discover the truth about the Ultron robot, which has adopted the identity of Yellowjacket and uses the Ultimates' DNA to create a series of android duplicates. Although the true Ultimates destroy their android counterparts and Yellowjacket, Quicksilver is apparently killed by Hawkeye. The Wasp then invites Pym to return to the Ultimates, and he accepts. The mastermind behind the robot's plot is revealed to be Doctor Doom.

New Ultimates

[edit]
Main article: Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates

The Ultimate Defenders, suddenly with superpowers, steal Thor's hammer from Valkyrie. Hela agrees to release Thor in exchange for a son. Loki arrives in Central Park with an army of monsters.

Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates

[edit]
Main article: Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates

Writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Esad Ribić relaunched the Ultimates with a different lineup consisting of Nick Fury, Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Woman and others.[17][18]

All-New Ultimates

[edit]

Following the conclusion of the miniseries Cataclysm and under the Ultimate Marvel NOW! banner, coinciding with the Marvel Universe All-New Marvel NOW! launch, writer Michel Fiffe and artist Amilcar Pinna brought together a new team, including Spider-Man, the new Black Widow who was formerly Spider-Woman, Kitty Pryde, Bombshell, and Cloak and Dagger.[19] The book ran for 12 issues.

All-New Ultimates has been collected in two trade paperbacks; Volume One is titled Power for Power, collecting issues #1–6; while Volume Two is titled No Gods, No Masters, collecting issues #7-#12.

Return

[edit]

When the Maker collaborated with the High Evolutionary to destroy the Superflow that kept the different universes separate in order to merge them into one reality, the Ultimates members Captain America, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp, and Hulk were revived where they were to help Eternity fight the First Firmament.[20] When Earth-616's version of the Ultimates arrived on Counter-Earth to confront Maker about his actions, he ordered the Earth-1610 Ultimates to attack. As both versions of Ultimates concluded that there is no reason to fight each other, Maker killed the Earth-1610 Captain America for disobeying his orders. Upon Maker being defeated, both Ultimates helped Eternity to defeat the First Firmament. Afterwards, the Earth-1610 Ultimates left to pursue Maker.[21]

The Ultimates are later seen on Earth-1610 when it is recreated.[22]

Other versions

[edit]

Earth-616

[edit]

As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel branding, the Prime earth version of the Ultimates make their debut where they deal with cosmic threats before they can affect Earth.

Ultimate Universe

[edit]
Main articles: The Ultimates (2024) and Ultimates (2024 team)

When Maker traveled to Earth-6160 and remade it into his own image during the "Ultimate Invasion" storyline, the Ultimates were later formed to take the world back from him and his council.[23][24]

Sales and reception

[edit]

Overall, the Ultimates series has been generally well received by critics and readers, with the first two volumes being praised for the surprisingly mature themes and concepts, the more humanly flawed and layered characterizations of the original Avengers members, Millar's storytelling and writing, Hitch's photo-realistic and cinematic-styled artwork, the modernized, grittier and realistic, yet simultaneously engaging and intriguing re-imagining of the classic Avengers mythos and the political relevance of the first two volumes, while criticism was leveled at the unnecessarily adult-oriented, shallow attempt at maturity and the overly cynical tone and direction of the series, with the third volume: The Ultimates 3 being met with a mostly negative reception, compared to the positive response received by the first two volumes, for the aforementioned reasons. The first volume of Ultimates #1 ranked fourth among the top 300 comics sold for February 2002, based on Diamond Publisher's indexes,[25] with the next three issues ranked second,[26] second,[27] and third,[28] respectively.

Popmatters.com praised Mark Millar's writing in the opening eight issues, stating the writer "is able to walk a very fine line of keeping the story measured yet entertaining".[29] Comics Bulletin, in a review of the "Homeland Security" story arc, states the artwork is "visual magnificence" yet is concerned about the dark writing of the characters stripped of their "super-heroic nobility" and was "disheartened by the book’s tone and cynicism".[30] Shakingthrough.net gave "Homeland Security" a 4.2 out of 5.0 stating it is an "engaging read, filled with intriguing and amusing modern takes on classic Marvel characters" whilst praising Bryan Hitch's artwork by saying it is "amazing, gorgeous artwork, which continues to set the standard for cinematic photo-realism."[31]

Ultimates 2 #1 ranked second among the top 300 comics sold for December 2004,[32] with the next three issues ranked second,[33] fourth[34] and sixth,[35] respectively.

Reviewing Ultimates 2, Curledup.com praised Millar's writing of the classic heroes and the "inclusion of current-day politics" improves the storyline.[36] Comics Bulletin reviewed the final issue #13 but found it anticlimactic with the issue degenerating to a "slug fest". The artwork was praised with the reviewer stating that Bryan Hitch's "artwork has definitely been one of the main elements that will make this series memorable."[37] Den of Geek praised the artwork, with "Bryan Hitch doing some of the best work of his career", but was critical of Millar's writing stating it had "no substance".[38]

Ultimates 3 #1 ranked first in December 2007's Top 300 comics with preorder sales of 131,401,[39] Issue #2 ranked number seven with 105,070 preorders.[40] Issue three ranked better than its predecessor, falling at number five, but had a smaller number of preorders, totaling at 97,210.[41]

Reviewing Ultimates 3, IGN called the book a "reasonably decent experience" although the issue "falters on its own merits",[42] only to later state while reviewing the third issue that "Behind the theatrics and swagger, there's just nothing there to draw me in. These are the characters that I used to enjoy in name only, hollow shells of what they used to be."[43] Alvaro's Comic Boards' review was even harsher, remarking that Ultimates 3 "has somehow managed to entirely miss what made the Ultimates something other than alternative universe Avengers" and adding "this was the worst comic I've read all year".[44]

2011's Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates received highly positive reactions upon its debut. Chad Nevett from Comic Book Resources wrote that "the comic is exciting and sets up a large story that, right now, seems like it could easily end with the destruction of the team. A first issue that starts with its foot on the gas is exactly what’s called for",[45] while IGN gave the first issue 8/10.[46]

Collected editions

[edit]
Title Material collected Published date ISBN
The Ultimates Vol. 1: Super-Human Ultimates #1–6 April 2006 978-0785109600
The Ultimates Vol. 2: Homeland Security Ultimates #7-13 April 2006 978-0785110781
The Ultimates: Ultimate Collection Ultimates #1–13 October 2004 978-0785110828
The Ultimates 2 Vol. 1: Gods and Monsters Ultimates 2 #1–6 September 2006 978-0785110934
The Ultimates 2 Vol. 2: Grand Theft America Ultimates 2 #7–13 January 2007 978-0785117902
The Ultimate Annuals Vol. 1 The Ultimates Annual #1, Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual #1, Ultimate X-Men Annual #1, Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1 February 2006 978-0785120353
The Ultimate Annuals Vol. 2 The Ultimates Annual #2, Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual #2, Ultimate X-Men Annual #2, Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #2 February 2007 978-0785123712
The Ultimates 2: Ultimate Collection Ultimates 2 #1–13, Ultimates Annual #1 December 2007 978-0785121381
The Ultimates Omnibus Ultimates #1–13, Ultimates 2 #1–13, Ultimates Annual #1 June 2009 978-0785137801
The Ultimates 3: Who Killed the Scarlet Witch? Ultimates 3 #1–5 May 2009 978-0785122692

In other media

[edit]

Marvel Cinematic Universe

[edit]

Animation

[edit]

Video games

[edit]

Novels

[edit]

Two novels based on the Ultimates have been released:

Tomorrow Men (ISBN 1-4165-1065-6) Michael Jan Friedman
The Ultimates: Against All Enemies (ISBN 1-4165-1071-0) Alexander C. Irvine

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Ultimates

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The Ultimates is a thirteen-issue miniseries published by under its imprint from March 2002 to April 2003, written by and illustrated by . The series reimagines the Avengers as the Ultimates, a secretive U.S. government-funded team of enhanced individuals—including , , Thor, and the —tasked with addressing threats in a modern, geopolitically tense world. It adopts a gritty, realistic tone influenced by post-9/11 anxieties, emphasizing military bureaucracy, interpersonal conflicts, and the moral ambiguities of state-sponsored heroism over traditional idealism. Launched as part of Marvel's effort to refresh its properties for new readers, The Ultimates achieved commercial success through its high-profile creative team and innovative widescreen paneling, which mimicked cinematic storytelling and influenced subsequent . The narrative arc culminates in battles against extraterrestrial invaders, highlighting themes of global security and the weaponization of superpowers, while portraying characters with flawed personalities—such as America's initial disdain for and Fury's pragmatic ruthlessness. Its defining characteristics include graphic violence, profane dialogue, and unflinching depictions of human frailties, which deconstructed superhero tropes but drew criticism for elements like racial epithets, homophobic undertones, and misogynistic portrayals that reflected a deliberate push toward "realism" at the expense of sensitivity. The series' legacy endures in its impact on the , particularly in shaping team dynamics, origin stories, and the grounded aesthetic of ensemble films like The Avengers, though it predates and contrasts with the more sanitized adaptations. Sequels like (2005) and Ultimates 3 (2008) expanded the storyline but shifted creative directions, leading to declining critical reception amid interventions. Despite controversies over its provocative content, The Ultimates remains a benchmark for bold reinvention in , prioritizing narrative innovation over conventional heroism.

Publication history

Origins in the Ultimate Marvel imprint (2000–2002)

The Ultimate Marvel imprint launched in October 2000 with the release of Ultimate Spider-Man #1, designed to draw in new readers by modernizing iconic characters with fresh origins stripped of the main Marvel Universe's accumulated continuity baggage. This initiative addressed declining comic sales by offering accessible entry points into superhero narratives, emphasizing grounded, cinematic storytelling over decades of convoluted lore. In the summer of 2000, writer pitched Marvel editors on reimagining the Avengers as a flagship Ultimate title, though the proposal faced initial rejection owing to doubts about team books' commercial viability, with Avengers sales hovering around 40,000 copies monthly. Millar's concept centered on a government-funded black-ops , diverging from traditional heroic ensembles to incorporate realism, interpersonal drama, and celebrity dynamics akin to modern media stars. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks profoundly influenced the project's direction, infusing it with geopolitical realism and a pro-status-quo ethos aligned to the ensuing War on Terror, portraying superheroes as tools of American idealism and military might. Announced around Comic-Con International as a core Ultimate series, The Ultimates targeted heightened post-9/11 interest in patriotic, militaristic heroism to boost sales, with early previews circulating in 2002 ahead of its March debut issue. This setup positioned the title to capitalize on cultural shifts toward jingoistic narratives, achieving smash-hit status reflective of the era's demand for such themes.

Volume 1: The Ultimates (2002–2004)

The Ultimates Volume 1 comprised a 13-issue limited series published by Marvel Comics, with issue #1 bearing a cover date of March 2002 and released on sale January 30, 2002, and the final issue #13 cover-dated April 2004. Written by Mark Millar and primarily penciled by Bryan Hitch, the series formed a cornerstone of Marvel's Ultimate Marvel imprint, reimagining the Avengers concept in a contemporary setting. The title experienced rapid commercial success, evidenced by strong sales figures in 2003; for instance, a resolicitation of issue #9 sold 104,190 copies to comic shops in March of that year, surpassing the 100,000-copy threshold. This performance highlighted the series' popularity amid the Ultimate line's expansion. Artist fill-ins occurred during production delays associated with Hitch's detailed style, including Steve Epting on issues #7 and #8, though Hitch returned to complete the run through #13. Key milestones included integration with the Ultimate War crossover miniseries, spanning four issues from September 2002 to January 2003, which pitted the Ultimates against the Ultimate X-Men and Spider-Man teams in a conflict orchestrated by Doctor Octopus and the Roxxon Corporation. The series maintained a bimonthly or irregular schedule due to artistic demands but concluded as planned without transitioning to an ongoing format at that time, paving the way for its sequel.

Volume 2: The Ultimates 2 (2005–2007)

The Ultimates 2 continued the creative partnership of writer and artist from the first volume, maintaining the emphasis on high-profile, cinematic storytelling within the imprint. The series comprised 13 issues, published bimonthly due to production delays stemming from Hitch's intricate, artwork style. Issue #1 debuted in March 2005, with the final issue #13 released in April 2007. The publication adopted an oversized trim size for enhanced visual impact, aligning with Marvel's strategy to differentiate Ultimate titles through premium formatting. This volume expanded the narrative scope beyond the team's internal dynamics, incorporating broader Ultimate Universe crossovers such as ties to Ultimate Elektra (2004–2005 miniseries) and setting up the Ultimate Power event (2006–2008), which pitted the Ultimates against elements from the Squadron Supreme line. An accompanying Ultimates Annual #1 (October 2005) provided supplementary content, including introductions to new super-soldier elements, while Ultimates Annual #2 (2006) featured standalone stories that intersected with ongoing crossover developments. Sales for The Ultimates 2 remained strong, consistently ranking at or near the top of monthly comic charts despite the irregular schedule, reflecting sustained reader interest from the first volume's success. Initial print runs outperformed many contemporaries, with issues like #7 (September 2005) achieving high demand in the aftermarket. Collected editions, including The Ultimates 2: Ultimate Collection (, December 2007, compiling #1–13 and Annual #1), bolstered long-term accessibility and sales, compiling over 460 pages of material. This format helped mitigate single-issue delays, contributing to the series' enduring commercial viability within the imprint.

Volumes 3 and 4: Decline and cancellation (2008–2011)

The Ultimates 3, published from December 2007 to April 2008, consisted of five issues written by Jeph Loeb with art by Joe Madureira. This miniseries, subtitled Who Killed the Scarlet Witch?, served as a bridge to the Ultimatum crossover event, exploring internal team conflicts and the mystery surrounding Scarlet Witch's apparent death. Loeb's narrative drew stylistic influences from gritty crime stories, emphasizing intrigue among S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives and Avengers members, though it faced delays due to Madureira's scheduling issues. The series tied into Ultimate Origins by revealing backstory elements that escalated toward the cataclysmic Ultimatum wave, which flooded the Ultimate Universe with deaths and reboots. Following the disruptive Ultimatum event in 2009, which killed off numerous characters and fragmented the Ultimate line, Marvel relaunched the team under Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates in March 2010. Written by Loeb with pencils by , this six-issue limited series (ending in 2011) focused on Thor's return and the team's recovery efforts amid Asgardian threats and Loki's schemes. Core members including , , and reformed to counter global instability, but the storyline highlighted the post-event disarray, with disbanded teams like the and hunted mutants underscoring broader universe fatigue. The period marked a sharp decline for the Ultimates titles, driven by reader exhaustion from Ultimatum's high body count and continuity upheavals, which eroded the line's initial appeal of fresh, modernized heroes. Sales for Ultimate Comics titles, including New Ultimates, fell amid industry-wide trends, with event-driven spikes giving way to sustained drops as the imprint struggled to retain momentum post-2008. By 2010, circulation had dipped below viable thresholds for ongoing series, exacerbated by creative shifts under Loeb that some attributed to inconsistent character portrayals and narrative incoherence. Editorial decisions to restructure into the "Ultimate Comics" branding led to New Ultimates' cancellation after its final issue in February 2011, merging residual elements into subsequent titles rather than sustaining the flagship run. This effectively ended the original Ultimates volumes, reflecting broader challenges in maintaining the Ultimate Marvel imprint's viability amid declining interest and sales.

Revivals in Ultimate Comics and All-New Ultimates (2011–2013)

Following the catastrophic events of Ultimatum, which resulted in widespread destruction and the deaths of numerous heroes on December 16, 2009, Marvel Comics revived the Ultimates concept in Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates, launching issue #1 on August 24, 2011. This 30-issue series, spanning 2011 to 2013, sought to unify the fragmented superhuman teams in the Ultimate Universe, incorporating elements from the concurrent Ultimate Comics: Avengers by incorporating overlapping rosters and threats like the Nimrod sentinel fleet targeting mutants. Sam Humphries wrote issues #11 through #24, emphasizing recovery efforts amid global instability, including confrontations with technological and extraterrestrial dangers. The series tied into broader Ultimate Universe narratives, such as the 2013 Ultimate Hunger miniseries by and Kevin Maguire, which served as a to Cataclysm: The Ultimates' Last Stand. In , the Ultimates contended with Galactus's insatiable consumption, exacerbated by the Maker (an alternate Reed Richards turned antagonist), forcing strategic alliances and desperate measures to avert planetary annihilation. These event-driven plots highlighted the team's role in defending a battered , with crossovers involving Ultimate Comics: Avengers characters like and reinforcing the interconnected defense structure. In January 2013, the title transitioned to All-New Ultimates, a 12-issue run written by Michel Fiffe and illustrated by Amilcar Pinna, focusing on a younger roster including , Black Widow, , and newer recruits amid street-level threats and superhuman gang conflicts. Fiffe's narrative integrated crossovers with , portraying the team as a provisional unit combating urban chaos and psychopaths in the wake of larger cosmic events. The series concluded with issue #12 in April 2014, as escalating multiversal incursions foreshadowed the Ultimate line's termination. The revivals' cessation aligned with Marvel's 2015 Secret Wars event, which destroyed the Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610) through Beyonder-orchestrated incursions, canceling all ongoing Ultimate titles including remnants of the Ultimates storyline. This multiversal collapse, detailed in Jonathan Hickman's Avengers and New Avengers arcs leading into Secret Wars #1 on May 6, 2015, effectively ended publication of Ultimates-related content until later reboots.

2024 relaunch in the new Ultimate Universe (2024–present)

![Cover of The Ultimates #1 (2024)][float-right] The 2024 relaunch of The Ultimates debuted on June 5 as part of Marvel Comics' new Ultimate Universe imprint, written by Deniz Camp and illustrated by Juan Frigeri. This series emerged from the groundwork laid by Jonathan Hickman's Ultimate Invasion limited series in 2023, which established a reimagined Ultimate reality distinct from the main Marvel continuity, where The Maker—an alternate Reed Richards—had reshaped global history to suppress superhero emergence. The Ultimates team forms to address the resulting societal and existential disruptions in this post-Maker world, integrating with ongoing titles like Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate Black Panther to explore themes of reconstruction and heroism in a delayed modern age. As of October 2025, the series remains ongoing, having published at least 16 issues since its launch, with monthly releases continuing into late 2025. It has seen commercial success, with early issues selling out at launch and prompting reprints, contributing to the broader resurgence of the line amid strong overall sales for the imprint. Solicitations extend through 2026, but Marvel announced at 2025 that the entire , including The Ultimates, will conclude with Ultimate Endgame in April 2026, marking the planned endpoint for this revival.

Creative influences and development

Mark Millar's vision and deconstructive approach

Mark Millar pitched The Ultimates in summer 2000 as a reimagining of the Avengers featuring a U.S. government-funded team of superheroes, distinguishing it from the anarchic protagonists of his prior work on The Authority. This concept positioned superhumans explicitly as instruments of state power, recruited and salaried by S.H.I.E.L.D. under to address global threats in a contemporary setting devoid of the original Marvel Universe's accumulated fantastical history. Millar's approach emphasized pragmatic, real-world military operations over idealized heroism, drawing from current events like the and portraying characters with flawed personalities, interpersonal conflicts, and media scrutiny akin to celebrities. Central to Millar's deconstruction was a rejection of utopian tropes in favor of grounded realism, where fewer action sequences allowed for character-driven , including domestic tensions and ethical ambiguities reflective of dynamics. Influenced by his tenure—which featured violent, interventionist superheroes—Millar shifted toward state-sanctioned responses, critiquing unchecked power while endorsing a pro-status quo framework suited to post-Cold War . He envisioned superpowered individuals as government assets in a "real world" scenario, where recruitment and oversight mirrored protocols rather than voluntary . The series' March 2002 debut, shortly after the , 2001 attacks, amplified its alignment with demands for assertive , transforming initial WWII nostalgia into a of modern devastation and decisive countermeasures against perceived existential threats. Millar incorporated empirical details from broadcasts to infuse political , subverting escapist fantasy with causal consequences of interventions, such as public relations fallout and internal betrayals echoing real-world spycraft. This foundational intent prioritized first-principles rethinking of team dynamics, treating the Ultimates as dysfunctional tools of rather than moral paragons.

Jonathan Hickman's role in the 2024 revival

initiated the groundwork for the 2024 Ultimate Universe relaunch through his four-issue Ultimate Invasion (June–September 2023), co-created with artist , which depicted the Maker—an alternate Reed Richards from the original —engineering a dystopian devoid of superheroes by preemptively neutralizing key historical events like the creation of the Super-Soldier Serum. In this narrative, the Maker, having survived the multiversal incursion that destroyed -1610, manipulates reality to establish a totalitarian governed by his , comprising despotic versions of , Khan (a analogue), and others, thereby necessitating the emergence of a new resistance force to dismantle this engineered stasis. This setup directly precipitated the formation of the new , positioning them not as reactive defenders but as proactive architects tasked with deconstructing the Maker's imposed order and forging sustainable causal frameworks to avert future incursions. Hickman's overarching vision for the 2024 line, articulated in announcements at San Diego Comic-Con 2023, emphasized a modular, interconnected structure across titles to ensure long-term narrative viability, with the Ultimates series serving as the cosmic linchpin for rebuilding a grounded universe insulated from multiversal volatility. Unlike prior iterations prone to episodic crises, Hickman designed the Ultimates to prioritize foundational world-building—evident in their integration with Ultimate Universe #1 (February 2024), a one-shot he wrote that assembles the team (including Iron Lad, Sif, and Hawkeye) to challenge the Council's suppression of free will and technological advancement. This approach extended to cross-title synergies, such as with Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (March 2024), also penned by Hickman, where empirical, history-altered realism underscores a universe rebuilt on deliberate, incursion-proof principles rather than supernatural excesses or multiversal bleed. As the line's architect, Hickman recruited writers like Deniz Camp for The Ultimates (launched June 2024, illustrated by Juan Frigeri), entrusting them with guidelines to expand his blueprint while maintaining thematic coherence in opposing the Maker's deterministic control. This strategic oversight aimed at , with the Ultimates embodying a shift toward long-arc causal —focusing on preemptive restructuring of global power dynamics over transient skirmishes—to cultivate a resilient . Hickman's framework thus reframed the team as existential rebuilders, drawing from his prior works' emphasis on systemic overhauls to deliver a cohesive, empirically anchored revival distinct from the original Ultimate imprint's deconstructive tone.

Artistic contributions and stylistic shifts

Bryan Hitch's illustrations for The Ultimates Volume 1 (2002–2004) employed expansive widescreen panel layouts and photorealistic detailing to evoke a cinematic scope, underscoring the series' emphasis on gritty, grounded realism amid large-scale conflicts. This approach, with its meticulous environmental textures and character-focused compositions, aligned with the imprint's deconstructive tone, distinguishing it from traditional aesthetics. The style's appeal correlated with strong market performance, as The Ultimates #1 topped charts in February 2002 sales to comic shops, ranking fourth among the top 300 titles per Diamond Distributor data and contributing to the volume's consistent high rankings. Hitch's , drawing from real-world references for authenticity, amplified the narrative's raw, unidealized portrayal of heroism, influencing subsequent visual trends in . Later volumes marked stylistic evolutions: Volume 3 (2008) shifted under to a dynamic, manga-inflected approach prioritizing fluid action poses and exaggerated expressiveness, injecting energy into combat sequences while retaining an edgy, animated edge. This contrasted Hitch's measured realism, favoring stylized flair over granular detail to heighten immediacy in high-stakes encounters. The 2024 relaunch adopts Juan Frigeri's cleaner, precise linework, blending modern textures with expressive poses reminiscent of classic Marvel dynamism, to foreground technological motifs in a streamlined . Diverging from the ' heavy photorealism, this data-infused aesthetic reflects contemporary digital precision, enabling clearer depiction of advanced interfaces and speculative tech while maintaining gritty undertones through stark contrasts and immersive layouts.

Fictional team and universe

Core roster and recruitment

The Ultimates were initially formed as a black-ops supersoldier initiative under the oversight of S.H.I.E.L.D. director , tasked with addressing unconventional threats to national security in the imprint. The core founding members included (Steve Rogers), a super-soldier from who had been frozen in ice since the 1940s and was revived by S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists shortly before the team's activation; (Tony Stark), a billionaire industrialist and weapons manufacturer who developed advanced powered armor to enhance his capabilities following health complications from his lifestyle; and the husband-wife scientific duo of (Hank Pym) and the Wasp (Janet van Dyne), both S.H.I.E.L.D. researchers specializing in Pym Particles for size manipulation and flight. Additional foundational recruits comprised the Hulk (Bruce Banner), a biochemist whose exposure to an experimental gamma-enhanced super-soldier serum—intended to replicate Captain America's formula—resulted in involuntary, rage-triggered transformations into a destructive green-skinned monster, with the change causally linked to emotional stress rather than mere accident; and Thor, an extraterrestrial prince from a distant planet who manifested god-like powers including weather control and superhuman strength, initially approached by Fury while institutionalized as a delusional patient but joining after demonstrating his abilities empirically. Unlike traditional superhero teams, these members exhibited realistic human frailties: Stark's history of alcoholism and hedonism compromised his reliability; Banner's transformations posed an internal threat due to their unpredictability; and Pym displayed volatility bordering on instability, reflecting empirical limits to their heroism rather than idealized morality. S.H.I.E.L.D. later expanded the roster with field operatives Hawkeye (Clint Barton), a precision archer and sniper trained as an elite agent, and Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), a Russian-born spy with enhanced physiology from Soviet experiments, both integrated to provide tactical support without the overt powers of the founders. Characters like Vision were absent from the initial lineup, reserved for later volumes amid evolving threats. In the 2024 relaunch within Jonathan Hickman's new Ultimate Universe, the Ultimates shifted to an independent resistance force assembled by Iron Lad (a teenage Tony Stark variant orphaned and driven to heroism) and a masked Doctor Doom (Reed Richards variant, altered by trauma with partial elongation abilities), bypassing S.H.I.E.L.D. entirely to challenge the tyrannical Maker's regime. Core members included a revived Steve Rogers (Captain America), thawed from cryogenic preservation to lead with his unaltered super-soldier enhancements; Thor and Sif, Asgardians freed from imprisonment with Thor reclaiming his hammer Mjolnir; Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, recruited via Pym Particle tech; America Chavez, a dimensionally empowered individual liberated during operations; She-Hulk (Lejori Joena Zakaria), a gamma-mutated defender focused on ecological restoration; Jim Hammond (Human Torch), a repaired android from World War II; and Hawkeye (Charli Ramsey), a Native American archer adopting Barton’s legacy gear after allying with Rogers. This iteration emphasized proactive assembly against systemic control, with members' diverse origins—technological, cosmic, mythical, and artificial—united by opposition to suppressed individualism rather than governmental directive.

Headquarters, technology, and support structure

The Ultimates' primary headquarters in the original continuity is the , a fortified high-tech complex operated by S.H.I.E.L.D. that functions as the team's central base for operations, training, and strategic planning. This facility integrates advanced surveillance systems, containment units for superhuman assets, and rapid-response infrastructure, reflecting the team's dependence on institutional backing rather than independent strongholds. Quinjets, vertical takeoff aircraft equipped for high-speed global deployment, serve as key transport assets, supported by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s logistical network. Core technologies emphasize individual member innovations with practical limitations grounded in physics-based constraints, such as finite power sources and material stresses. Tony Stark's suits provide powered exoskeletons with flight, weaponry, and armor plating derived from arc reactor prototypes, while Hank Pym's Pym particles enable size alteration for himself and Janet van Dyne, though overuse risks physiological instability without unlimited replication. These assets lack perpetual energy mechanisms, requiring maintenance, resupply, and vulnerability to countermeasures like electromagnetic disruption or resource scarcity. Support structure centers on S.H.I.E.L.D. oversight, initially under General Thaddeus Ross and later as director, integrating the team with U.S. military resources including conventional forces, black ops units, and intelligence feeds for mission coordination. This government tether introduces causal dependencies, where budgetary or political shifts can constrain operations, as seen in internal conflicts escalating to team fractures and temporary disbandments tied to S.H.I.E.L.D. directives. In the 2024 relaunched Ultimate Universe, the team's structure shifts to decentralized, covert operations without a fixed headquarters, enabling mobility against the Maker's regime across sites like hidden labs and contested zones. Technology draws from scavenged or reverse-engineered sources, including stealth suits for infiltration and Pym particles supplied by a young Tony Stark (Iron Lad) to restore size-shifting capabilities for Giant-Man and Wasp, often repurposing Maker-influenced designs to bypass suppression protocols. Support relies on ad-hoc leadership from Iron Lad and allies like Doctor Doom, prioritizing self-reliant tech hacks over institutional frameworks, though S.H.I.E.L.D. remnants provide intermittent intel in a world where superhuman development was historically curtailed.

Key antagonists and conflicts

The primary antagonists in The Ultimates series embody grounded, ideologically driven threats rather than abstract cosmic forces prevalent in mainline Marvel continuity, emphasizing realistic motivations such as imperialism, national resentment, and preemptive control over potential chaos. The , a shape-shifting alien race, launched an invasion of Earth motivated by territorial expansion and resource acquisition, infiltrating human society decades in advance through figures like Herr Kleiser, who posed as a Nazi officer to exploit wartime vulnerabilities. Their campaign highlighted extraterrestrial as a survival imperative, distinct from mainline deceptions by focusing on overt military conquest without multiversal scheming. Internal conflicts arose from domestic experiments yielding uncontrollable forces, exemplified by Bruce Banner's transformation into the , a rampaging entity born from U.S. military gamma research intended to create super-soldiers but resulting in primal destruction driven by unchecked rage rather than villainous intent. This pattern recurred with ideological extremists like Magneto, whose mutant supremacy agenda stemmed from survival trauma and perceived human oppression, fueling Brotherhood attacks that pitted mutant separatism against human institutions in proxy conflicts with the Ultimates. Geopolitical adversaries, such as the Liberators—a multinational force led by Colonel Abdul Al-Rahman and backed by Russian and Chinese interests—invaded the on August 12, 2006, driven by anti-hegemonic grievances against American global dominance rather than personal vendettas. In the 2024 relaunch within the new Ultimate Universe, the Maker—an alternate Reed Richards from the original Ultimate timeline—serves as the central antagonist, having time-traveled to avert superhero emergence after witnessing multiversal collapse, enforcing a regime that suppresses anomalies through utilitarian calculus to prevent greater catastrophes. His conflicts manifest through proxies like a reimagined Hulk, whom the Maker deploys as a bio-engineered weapon before it spirals into autonomous devastation, and geopolitical actors such as Henri Dugarry (Captain Britain), a French monarchist wielding the Sword of Might to challenge the regime's order on absolutist grounds. Corporate entities like Roxxon Corporation and figures such as Midas represent economic imperialism, seeking to exploit or undermine the Maker's controlled world for profit and power consolidation. These foes underscore recurring patterns of antagonists rationalizing aggression through ideology, survival, or realpolitik, avoiding cartoonish malevolence in favor of causal drivers like resentment toward perceived superhuman risks or imperial ambitions.

Storylines and plot arcs

Early missions and internal dynamics (Volume 1)

Following the formation of the Ultimates by S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury in early 2002, the team—comprising Captain America (Steve Rogers), Iron Man (Tony Stark), the Wasp (Janet van Dyne), Ant-Man (Hank Pym), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), and the reluctant Thor—underwent initial training at the Triskelion headquarters to prepare for superhuman threats. This assembly occurred amid rising concerns over uncontrolled superhumans, with Rogers recently revived from 1945 cryogenic stasis via the Super Soldier Serum. The team's inaugural field operation, detailed in issues #4–6 (published April–August 2002), targeted Bruce Banner's uncontrolled transformation into the following a failed serum experiment co-developed with Stark, resulting in widespread destruction across . The battle, involving coordinated assaults from aerial strikes by and Wasp to ground engagements by and Thor, tested the roster's capabilities but underscored operational inexperience, with the Hulk's rampage causing extensive civilian casualties and property damage estimated in the billions. Interpersonal frictions emerged prominently during these early phases, particularly between Rogers' disciplined, principle-driven leadership—rooted in World War II-era patriotism—and Stark's sardonic, efficiency-focused cynicism, leading to heated debates over mission protocols and resource allocation. Creator Mark Millar described Rogers as the "moral centre" whom the team admired yet resisted, while Stark's personal excesses, including alcoholism and infidelity, exacerbated distrust. Pym's emotional volatility and van Dyne's frustrations with their strained marriage added layers of domestic discord, manifesting in arguments that disrupted briefings and nearly compromised the Hulk containment. The Triskelion's debut team meeting crystallized these divisions, as ideological clashes and revelations of members' flaws—such as Banner's suppressed rage and Stark's ethical shortcuts—revealed a group more akin to a dysfunctional military unit than an idealized alliance, establishing the series' emphasis on realistic interpersonal strain over heroic unity.

Global threats and team fractures (Volume 2)

In The Ultimates 2 (issues #1–13, published 2005–2007), the narrative escalates from domestic skirmishes to a full-scale foreign invasion, with the Liberators arc depicting a multinational coalition exploiting U.S. overextension and internal discord. Comprising superhuman agents from nations such as China, Russia, and Iran, the Liberators—framed as a retaliatory force against the Ultimates' preemptive strikes and perceived American hegemony—launch a coordinated assault on American soil, overrunning defenses amid the team's vulnerabilities. This global threat underscores realpolitik dynamics, where state-sponsored superhumans serve as weapons in international power struggles, directly challenging the Ultimates' role as enforcers of U.S. interests. The invasion's success hinges on profound team fractures, primarily the betrayal by Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), a Russian operative embedded in the Ultimates. Disillusioned with American imperialism, she systematically undermines the group by murdering Hawkeye's family in issue #7 to destabilize him personally, framing and Thor for unrelated crimes to sow suspicion, and assassinating Iron Man's butler in a deliberate display of defection, all to furnish intelligence enabling the Liberators' advance. These acts capture most Ultimates, including and , amplifying causal breakdowns from the team's prior unchecked aggression—such as 's Washington rampage in Volume 1—which eroded domestic support and invited foreign opportunism. Internal rifts extend beyond espionage to personal erosions, with romances fracturing under betrayal's weight; Iron Man's engagement to Black Widow shatters, leaving him heartbroken as her duplicity reveals superficial alliances within the team. Hawkeye's grief manifests in vengeance, as he executes Black Widow post-capture, while broader distrust from the traitor hunt—initially misdirected at —exposes moral fissures in a group wielding godlike power without sufficient accountability. These dynamics reflect how the Ultimates' interventions, lacking restraint, precipitate retaliatory coalitions and self-inflicted weaknesses. Captain America embodies resistance to the invaders' rationalizations, maintaining an absolutist defense of national sovereignty against claims of liberating oppressed peoples from U.S. "tyranny." Framed and imprisoned early in the arc, he rejects moral equivocation, prioritizing empirical threats over geopolitical grievances, as evidenced by his leadership in the counteroffensive after the Wasp's liberation of him. This stance critiques inherent in the Liberators' , portraying Cap's adherence to principle as a bulwark amid the narrative's exploration of power imbalances and blowback from unilateral actions.

Post-civil war era and new threats (Volumes 3–4)

Following the catastrophic events of Ultimatum in 2009, which resulted in over three million deaths worldwide due to Magneto's induced tsunamis and superhuman clashes, the Ultimate Universe grappled with widespread societal collapse, including flooded coastal cities and dismantled superhero teams. The Ultimates, decimated by losses such as the Wasp's death and Thor's temporary exile, faced a power vacuum exploited by opportunistic threats. In Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates (2010), a reformed roster comprising Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and later War Machine, operated from a rebuilt Triskelion under SHIELD oversight, prioritizing national security amid rebuilding efforts. The initial incursion involved the Defenders, a group of amateur vigilantes who acquired genuine superpowers via stolen experimental tech from a Latverian facility, launching attacks on SHIELD assets eight months post-Ultimatum. This assault on Iron Man and Hawkeye at the Triskelion highlighted reduced team cohesion, with internal distrust exacerbated by Captain America's skepticism toward SHIELD's post-event secrecy and Iron Man's reliance on corporate resources. The conflict escalated when the Defenders' empowered state—granting abilities like energy blasts and enhanced durability—forced a full team mobilization, revealing broader vulnerabilities from Ultimatum's chaos, including unsecured superhuman tech proliferation. Subsequent threats tied directly to lingering Hulk-related perils, as remnants of Bruce Banner's gamma-irradiated biology were weaponized. A rogue Hulk construct, engineered using salvaged Hulk tissue and DNA samples from prior incidents, was deployed against the team, embodying unresolved fallout from earlier Hulk rampages that predated but were amplified by Ultimatum's instability. This bio-engineered entity, linked to clandestine government experiments, demonstrated heightened aggression and regenerative capabilities, necessitating coordinated strikes that strained the roster's dynamics further, with Thor's raw power clashing against Iron Man's tactical precision. The causal link to prior events was evident: Ultimatum's hero casualties left oversight gaps, enabling such hybrid threats to emerge from black-market gamma research. Foreign incursions compounded these domestic crises, as nations like capitalized on America's weakened defenses to export destabilizing technologies, including the power-granting devices seized by the Defenders. Corporate espionage intertwined with these, as entities akin to ' rivals funneled resources into superhuman arms races, probing U.S. vulnerabilities post-floods. Teases of broader existential dangers, such as containment breaches from the zombie-like virus originally isolated in Reed Richards' labs, loomed in intelligence briefings, though not fully manifesting; these stemmed from pre-Ultimatum experiments whose safeguards eroded amid the event's anarchy. By the transition to expanded operations in subsequent arcs, the Ultimates' mandate shifted toward preemptive global stabilization, but persistent fractures—evident in sales data showing declining readership amid perceived narrative fatigue from repeated cataclysms—mirrored in-universe exhaustion, with empirical metrics indicating a 20-30% drop in Ultimate line circulation post-2009 relative to peak years. This era underscored a team operating at diminished capacity, confronting threats born of causal cascades from Ultimatum's unchecked destruction rather than unified idealism.

Revivals and crossovers (2011–2013)

Following the catastrophic events of and the subsequent relaunch of the Ultimate line, Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates debuted in September 2011 as a monthly series aimed at rebuilding the team amid a fractured America. Written initially by Sam Humphries with art by various contributors including Lee Garbett, the series depicted , , and Thor reuniting to address domestic instability, including anti-government militias and secessionist movements threatening national unity. The narrative introduced fresh antagonists to sustain interest, such as the Red Wasp (Petra Laskov), a bio-engineered insectoid villain with terrorist ties who clashed with the team in arcs emphasizing internal divisions and covert threats. These efforts reflected Marvel's strategy to integrate the Ultimates into broader Ultimate titles during the line's contraction, focusing on grounded geopolitical conflicts rather than cosmic spectacles. A key resurgence came through the 2012–2013 crossover event Divided We Fall, United We Stand, spanning Ultimate Comics: Ultimates #13–18 alongside tie-ins in Ultimate Comics: X-Men and Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man. This line-wide storyline portrayed a U.S. government crisis triggered by Hydra infiltration, SHIELD's collapse, and escalating mutant-human tensions, with Texas declaring independence and Washington, D.C., facing destruction from coordinated attacks. The Ultimates collaborated with Spider-Man (Miles Morales) against Savage Land threats and supported X-Men efforts against Nimrod Sentinels, highlighting team fractures and the need for uneasy alliances across Ultimate heroes to avert civil war. The event underscored causal links to larger multiversal instability, as covert manipulations hinted at interdimensional incursions eroding barriers between realities. In 2013, the miniseries (#1–4, written by Joshua Hale Fialkov) marked a pivotal crossover escalation, introducing from the prime into the as a repercussion of the Age of Ultron event. The Ultimates, including and Thor, mobilized against the planet-devouring entity, whose arrival exacerbated resource strains and forced tactical retreats, directly tying into Cataclysm: The Ultimates' Last Stand. This arc empirically demonstrated attempts to revitalize the series via high-stakes external invasions, though it accelerated the Ultimate line's convergence with multiversal collapse narratives.

Maker's world and the 2024 incarnation

In the Ultimate Universe (Earth-6160), the Maker—an alternate version of Reed Richards who survived the destruction of his original reality—traveled back in time using the Immortus Engine to preemptively eliminate the emergence of superheroes, engineering a world devoid of costumed protectors and subtle authoritarian control through the Maker's Council, a secretive group manipulating global conflicts and alliances to maintain order. This dystopian framework persisted until the events of Ultimate Invasion (2023 miniseries), where incursions from other realities exposed the Maker's alterations and catalyzed the unintended activation of latent superhuman potentials, sparking the revival of heroic elements despite his designs. The 2024 Ultimates series, written by Deniz Camp and illustrated by Juan Frigeri, reintroduces the team as a clandestine network of empowered individuals—including Tony Stark (operating as ), , (reimagined as a Latverian freedom fighter), Thor, and —tasked with covertly dismantling the Maker's lingering infrastructure and countering residual threats to restore autonomy and . Their initial "Fix the " arc (issues #1–6) focuses on targeted operations against council proxies, such as the financier , whose defeat liberates key assets like the Wasp and paves the way for broader reconstruction efforts. Subsequent confrontations highlight the team's role in neutralizing superhuman remnants engineered or unchecked under the Maker's regime, including a gamma-enhanced leading Immortal Weapons in an assault that tests the Ultimates' cohesion, with Doom coordinating defenses from their hidden base while grapples directly with the invaders. This incarnation emphasizes pragmatic interventions over spectacle, prioritizing the eradication of systemic controls to enable organic societal recovery without replicating prior eras' unchecked power dynamics, as the series remains active into 2025 with escalating challenges to the council's remnants.

Themes and analysis

Deconstruction of superhero idealism

The Ultimates series subverts traditional superhero tropes by portraying team members as sources of collateral risk rather than infallible saviors, emphasizing the destructive consequences of their interventions. In Volume 1, Issue 5, the Hulk's rampage through , triggered by internal team conflicts, results in over three hundred civilian deaths amid widespread urban devastation, highlighting how superhuman clashes exacerbate rather than resolve crises. This contrasts sharply with mainstream Marvel narratives, where such events typically incur minimal bystander harm and reinforce heroic triumphs without pragmatic fallout. Mark Millar, the series' writer, applies a lens of causal predictability to power dynamics, positing that superhumans would exhibit dysfunctional behaviors akin to "dicks" under unchecked authority, leading to predictable corruptions like arrogance and interpersonal violence. Characters such as , whose abusive tendencies escalate team fractures, and a more jaded stripped of unalloyed , illustrate how absolute power fosters moral lapses rather than noble resolve, undermining the genre's assumption of inherent heroism. This approach deconstructs team-up by revealing alpha personalities clashing in ways that amplify mission failures, as seen in early recruitment and operational dysfunctions. While the narrative's emphasis on empirical costs—such as quantified civilian losses and operational inefficiencies—earns commendation for injecting maturity into dynamics, it draws critique for veering into that diminishes the inspirational core of heroism. Mainline Avengers stories uphold an optimistic framework where collective power yields net societal benefits, whereas The Ultimates prioritizes realism in failures, suggesting superheroes as net liabilities in high-stakes scenarios without redemptive gloss. This subversion prioritizes causal chains of error over triumphant arcs, forcing examination of heroism's unintended pragmatics.

Realism, violence, and moral ambiguity

The Ultimates emphasizes violence with mechanics rooted in observable physical limits, where superhuman physiology does not confer absolute invincibility against conventional armaments. In volume 1, issue #5, the Hulk endures volleys of gunfire from military units during his rampage, with bullets causing penetration and visible trauma despite his regenerative capabilities, contrasting the near-impervious depictions in other Marvel continuities. This treatment extends to broader combat scenes, incorporating ballistic impacts, structural collapses under realistic stress, and physiological strain from exertion, as writer Mark Millar sought to portray superhero clashes as extensions of human warfare rather than fantastical immunity. Moral ambiguity permeates the team's engagements, eschewing binary heroism for scenarios where defensive imperatives intersect with proactive force. Preemptive operations against emerging threats, such as incursions by foreign-backed insurgents in volume 2, are framed through causal chains of anticipated harm, prompting internal debates that highlight the ethical costs of unilateral action without unambiguous villainy. Thor's challenges to the group's methods underscore this tension, positioning interventions as pragmatic necessities amid uncertain futures rather than unalloyed justice. This framework generates narrative stakes through verifiable perils—characters face maiming, psychological fallout, and operational failures—but incurs critique for graphic excess that borders on gratuitous. Sequences of dismemberment and mass casualties, rendered in detail by artist , have been faulted for leveraging gore to evoke unease over advancing causal analysis, with some analyses attributing the intensity to amid post-9/11 cultural currents. Nonetheless, proponents argue the approach compels reckoning with violence's indiscriminate toll, elevating tension beyond escapist tropes.

Political undertones and national identity

The Ultimates series embeds geopolitical realism in its narrative, portraying as an archetype of who prioritizes national defense against existential threats, rejecting moral equivalency in conflicts. In the Liberators arc (Ultimates 2 #7–13, 2005–2006), a of foreign super-soldiers led by Russia's and China's Colonel Yang launches an invasion of the , framing it as retribution for perceived U.S. and interventions; however, their campaign devolves into atrocities, including mass executions, which counters with unyielding resolve, executing key leaders to repel the assault and affirm the causal necessity of decisive force over diplomatic restraint. This storyline, influenced by post-9/11 blowback fears, debunks invaders' relativist justifications by depicting their aggression as opportunistic rather than proportionate, aligning with empirical patterns of state-on-state predation absent multilateral deterrence. Captain America's dialogue reinforces pro-U.S. , as he rebukes European allies like Thor for ingratitude, citing America's role in liberating twice from tyranny and dismissing continent-wide as enfeebling in the face of . , writing amid the early War on Terror, infused the series with hawkish undertones, including SHIELD's unilateral super-soldier deployments that sidestep UN oversight and treaty obligations, critiquing bureaucratic inertia as a exploited by adversaries—evident in preemptive operations against Middle Eastern threats mirroring real U.S. policy pivots toward proactive . Such elements portray right-leaning not as but as pragmatic strength, with the team's victories validating exceptionalist resolve; left-leaning analyses, conversely, interpret these as endorsements of , though the plot's causal logic—where hesitation invites invasion—prioritizes efficacy over equity critiques. In the 2024 Ultimates relaunch, these motifs evolve within the Maker's altered reality, where the has dissolved into supranational entities like the Global Defense Force, prompting heroes to pursue nation-state reconstruction as a bulwark against totalitarian overreach and fragmented . Captain America's retention of the codename "America" symbolizes enduring amid geopolitical reconfiguration, emphasizing causal imperatives for sovereign revival to counter engineered globalism's instabilities, distinct from prior volumes' defenses yet rooted in analogous realism. This continuity underscores the franchise's toward supranational bureaucracies, favoring empirically grounded by reconstituted polities over diffused .

Reception and controversies

Commercial performance and sales data

The first volume of The Ultimates, launched in March 2002, recorded robust initial sales, with issue #1 amassing 160,244 ordered copies via Diamond Comic Distributors in early reporting periods, elevated by reorders to claim the top-selling comic overall for 2002. Later issues in the run sustained high demand, including #7 at 109,656 copies and #10 at 104,996 copies. Volume 2, released in 2005, maintained momentum with its debut issue securing the second-highest position among the top 300 comics in sales rankings. Sales for subsequent iterations waned over time. By 2010–2011, Ultimate Comics: Ultimates under averaged below 40,000 copies per issue, reflecting a broader decline in the Ultimate imprint's direct market performance amid reduced reader interest post-major events. The 2024 relaunch within Hickman's framework reversed this trend, with Ultimates #1 selling out at retail and achieving top-20 rankings in monthly charts, driven by anticipation for the creative team and line-wide hype. Subsequent issues through 2025, such as #15 in August, held positions like #21, outperforming the mainline Avengers flagship, which dropped outside the top 50 amid its own sales contraction. The series benefited from synergies with crossovers and strong trade paperback sales, sustaining viability until the imprint's announced conclusion in April 2026.

Critical praise for innovation versus criticism for excess

The initial run of The Ultimates by writer and artist , published from 2002 to 2004, received widespread acclaim for its innovative approach to storytelling, emphasizing gritty realism, moral ambiguity, and cinematic visuals that deconstructed traditional heroic tropes. Critics praised its for new readers, portraying the Avengers as flawed operatives rather than idealistic , which injected political and interpersonal tension into the narrative. Hitch's detailed, widescreen paneling was highlighted for evoking blockbuster film aesthetics, influencing subsequent comic and media depictions of team dynamics and tactical uniforms in ensembles. This praise extended to formal recognition, with Millar nominated for the 2002 and 2004 Wizard Fan Awards for Favorite Writer based on the series, and Hitch nominated for the 2003 Eisner Award for Best /Inker or /Ink Artist for his work on The Ultimates. Review aggregates reflected this enthusiasm, with early issues averaging 7.5–8.5/10 on platforms compiling critic scores, underscoring the series' role in revitalizing Marvel's line through grounded characterizations and large-scale threats. However, later volumes faced criticism for descending into excess, marked by gratuitous violence, convoluted plotting, and diminishing returns on the initial edginess, particularly in Jeph Loeb's (2008–2009), which triggered widespread character deaths and narrative resets. Critics lambasted for prioritizing over coherent storytelling, with an aggregate critic score of 4.0/10 on ComicBook Roundup and individual reviews decrying its pacing and underdeveloped , such as IGN's 3.8/10 for the finale citing "terrible" execution despite brief action highs. Retrospectives have noted how this shift from innovative realism to "aimless" brutality alienated readers, with fan discussions and aggregates showing scores dropping to 5/10 or below for post-Millar , contrasting sharply with preferences for Volume 1 in informal polls. While the series achieved breakthroughs in reader entry points, its later bloat—expanding into redundant threats without sustaining thematic depth—highlighted a failure to maintain disciplined innovation.

Specific controversies: Graphic content, character portrayals, and narrative choices

The Ultimates series drew significant for its , particularly in issue #5 (August 2002), where the rampages through , murdering civilians and consuming human flesh in a cannibalistic frenzy, later confirmed when the team extracts an alien parasite from his excrement after he devours the infiltrator Herr Kleiser. This portrayal stemmed from writer Mark Millar's intent to invert Bruce Banner's repressed into the 's primal savagery, emphasizing causal consequences of unchecked rage rather than heroic restraint, though detractors labeled it gratuitous emblematic of early 2000s edginess divorced from narrative purpose. Proponents countered that such unvarnished realism mirrored war's horrors, avoiding sanitized tropes where superhuman threats lack tangible fallout, a stance supported by the series' sales holding steady at over 100,000 copies per issue during its initial run despite backlash. Character portrayals amplified debates, with Captain America's revival as a staunchly patriotic soldier from World War II clashing against modern sensibilities; his dismissal of Thor's pacifism as "hippie nonsense" and advocacy for decisive American intervention were decried by some as jingoistic excess rejecting multiculturalism, yet rooted in first-principles defense of national sovereignty amid post-9/11 threats. Tony Stark's amplified alcoholism, infidelity, and ego—culminating in a sex tape scandal—faced accusations of anti-heroic caricature, interpreted by critics as glorifying dysfunction over accountability, though Millar framed it as exposing elite flaws without redemptive gloss. The Ultimate universe's handling of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver's implied incestuous relationship, revealed in Ultimates 3 (2008), provoked outrage for sensationalizing familial taboos without psychological depth, contrasting mainline Marvel's platonic sibling dynamic and highlighting the line's willingness to provoke over conventional morality. Narrative choices in crossovers like (January 2009) intensified scrutiny, as Magneto's tidal wave drowned New York, killing thousands including heroes like Beast, Wasp, and Daredevil in a wave of mass casualties dismissed by reviewers as lazy shock tactics lacking causal buildup or emotional weight. This event, written by , correlated with a sharp sales decline across the Ultimate line—dropping by margins exceeding 20% in subsequent titles—attributed by analysts to fan fatigue with contrived deicide over plot , though defenders argued it enforced realism by imposing permanent stakes absent in reversible mainstream deaths. In the 2024 Ultimates relaunch by Deniz Camp, narrative shifts toward revolutionary heroism and non-linear storytelling elicited mixed responses, with some fans critiquing Hulk's "culturally appropriating" motifs and slow pacing as gimmicky detours from grounded threats, yet early issues maintained strong sales without precipitating line-wide backlash. Such controversies often reflected broader media aversion to depictions prioritizing empirical brutality over aspirational heroism, with left-leaning critiques in outlets like CBR emphasizing "toxic masculinity" while overlooking the series' causal emphasis on power's corrupting immediacy.

Fan debates and long-term reevaluation

Fan discussions of The Ultimates initially centered on its bold reinvention of superhero tropes in the early 2000s, generating significant hype for its cinematic style and mature themes, but by the 2010s, sentiment shifted toward fatigue, with widespread criticism of its perceived emphasis on shock value over substance. Online forums and Reddit threads frequently highlighted complaints that the series prioritized "edgy for edginess' sake" elements, such as gratuitous violence and cynical character arcs, which some fans argued undermined narrative depth. This backlash intensified around the 2009 Ultimatum event, scripted by Jeph Loeb, which fans derided as a nadir of poor storytelling, featuring unceremonious deaths of major characters like Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne, and numerous others in a flood catastrophe triggered by Magneto, leading to claims it devolved the Ultimate Universe into parody through bleakness without payoff. Long-term reevaluations in fan communities have balanced persistent disdain for —often labeled Marvel's worst event—with selective nostalgia for Mark Millar's original run, particularly its influence on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's team dynamics and grounded tone. Discussions on platforms like note that while the series' realism and moral ambiguity appealed to some for challenging , others view its anti-relativist undertones—such as pro-American and toward international bodies—as prescient, defending it against charges of mere cynicism. Conversely, critiques from left-leaning voices in fan spaces decry elements like Hank Pym's abusive portrayal and graphic content as toxically indulgent, contributing to a divide where forums report majority preferences for classic characterizations over Ultimate counterparts. The 2024 relaunch of the , including new Ultimates titles, sparked a brief resurgence in interest, with titles achieving strong sales figures topping Marvel's charts and drawing praise for fresh takes amid MCU fatigue. However, Marvel's October 2025 announcement to conclude the line by April 2026—via like Ultimate Endgame—signals potential market saturation, as creators expressed clashes over the abrupt wind-down despite initial fan excitement, underscoring limits to sustained demand for alternate-universe revivals. This decision has fueled debates on whether the Ultimate imprint's format inherently faces viability constraints, with some fans attributing the end to editorial overreach rather than waning readership.

Adaptations and cultural impact

Direct adaptations in animation and games

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie, released on February 21, 2006, represents the most direct animated adaptation of The Ultimates, loosely following the comic's Volume 1 arc where S.H.I.E.L.D. assembles superhumans including , , Thor, , Wasp, and to repel a alien invasion. The film retains core team dynamics and Nick Fury's leadership but significantly tones down the source material's explicit violence, profanity, and interpersonal cynicism—such as Banner's deliberate Hulk transformation and team infighting—to achieve a PG-13 rating suitable for wider distribution. Its sequel, Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther, released on August 22, 2006, continues in the by introducing and focusing on Vibranium-related threats in , incorporating Ultimates roster elements like and but shifting emphasis to exploratory missions rather than the comic's gritty geopolitical tensions. These changes prioritize heroic unity and adventure over the original series' realism and moral gray areas, reflecting ' aim for family-oriented releases amid the era's budget constraints. No full or additional films have directly adapted subsequent Ultimates volumes, leaving the franchise's deeper narrative arcs unadapted in this medium. Video games have not featured comprehensive plot adaptations of The Ultimates, but Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006) integrates aesthetics and selectable characters, including variants of , , and a Sam Jackson-voiced , allowing crossover team-building that echoes the comic's ensemble without replicating its storylines. Later titles like (2013) include playable Ultimate-specific models, such as Ultimate , enabling lighthearted reinterpretations of altered character designs amid multiversal chaos, though these prioritize gameplay variety over fidelity to Ultimates themes of military realism and ethical . Such inclusions highlight selective borrowing for roster expansion rather than causal narrative fidelity, with no dedicated Ultimates game emerging despite the comic's influence on team-based gaming.

Influence on the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Ultimates provided a foundational blueprint for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) Avengers films, particularly in structuring the team as a quasi-military unit under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s oversight. In the 2002-2007 comic series, Nick Fury assembles superhumans including Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Black Widow into the Ultimates as a black-ops response to threats like rogue experiments and international incursions, mirroring the 2012 film The Avengers where Fury activates the Avengers Initiative to counter Loki's invasion. This government-integrated dynamic, absent in the original Earth-616 Avengers comics, emphasized bureaucratic tensions and strategic deployment over independent heroism, influencing the MCU's portrayal of inter-hero friction during assembly on the Helicarrier. Mark Millar, writer of The Ultimates, has publicly attributed the MCU's realistic banter and high-stakes team interactions—such as Tony Stark's sarcasm clashing with Steve Rogers' idealism—to his series' grounded tone, which treated superheroes as flawed professionals rather than mythic icons. The comic's cinematic scale, with wide-panel action sequences and collateral damage focus, prefigured the films' spectacle, including the Battle of New York where heroes coordinate against overwhelming odds. Parallels extend to plot elements like 's alliance with extraterrestrial forces; while The Ultimates featured as shapeshifting invaders akin to in the , the MCU's 2012 depiction of commanding hordes via a portal adapts this for a streamlined threat, though without crediting the Ultimate origins of the race. However, the MCU diverged by attenuating The Ultimates' edgier elements, such as , sexual dynamics, and moral cynicism—e.g., the comic's depiction of heroes as celebrity soldiers prone to scandals versus the films' earnest ensemble unity—to suit PG-13 mass appeal and avoid alienating audiences. This sanitization preserved causal links to blockbuster success but diluted the series' unflinching realism, prioritizing heroic redemption arcs over the ' portrayal of power's corrupting toll. Following The Avengers' release on May 4, 2012, which grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide, Marvel's overall comic sales surged due to crossover interest, indirectly elevating Ultimate titles like reprints of The Ultimates through renewed franchise visibility, though specific sales data for the series post-film remains tied to broader MCU-driven boosts rather than direct attribution.

Legacy in comics and broader media

The Ultimates contributed to the establishment of Marvel's Ultimate imprint as a commercial powerhouse in the early 2000s, with titles like and frequently outselling mainline Marvel series by leveraging modernized narratives and cinematic artwork. This success model shifted industry practices toward event-driven crossovers and reboots, paving the way for deconstructive stories that emphasized moral ambiguity and real-world consequences, influencing later works like ' Invincible in its blend of high-stakes action with character flaws. However, critics argue this approach fostered an excess of high-concept events without sufficient narrative resolution, contributing to reader fatigue and a reliance on shock value over sustained innovation. In broader media, The Ultimates' portrayal of superheroes as flawed government assets echoed in subsequent grounded depictions, such as the cynical power dynamics and institutional corruption in Amazon's The Boys, which amplified deconstructive tropes of heroism as celebrity and control. While praised for challenging idealistic tropes with empirical realism—such as depicting team dysfunction and public skepticism toward powered individuals—the series' normalization of unrelenting cynicism has drawn criticism for eroding aspirational elements without offering redemptive arcs, potentially desensitizing audiences to unresolved ethical dilemmas. By 2025, Marvel's relaunched , including a new Ultimates series by Deniz Camp, demonstrated initial sales viability amid market saturation, yet announcements of concluding arcs at signaled ongoing tests of the format's endurance against superhero genre fatigue. This revival underscores the line's enduring influence on evolutionary pressures within , balancing innovation against the risks of over-cynical storytelling.

Other iterations

Earth-616 (main Marvel Universe) versions

In Earth-616, the primary analogue to the Ultimates concept is the Avengers, a team formed in 1963 to defend Earth from major threats, emphasizing heroic independence over militarized government oversight. Unlike the Earth-1610 Ultimates, which operate as a SHIELD-directed super-soldier unit with a focus on national security and preemptive strikes, the Avengers in maintain a less hierarchical structure, often reacting to crises rather than proactively engineering solutions, and include a broader roster without mandatory enlistment. Teams like the , launched in 2010 by writer , introduce covert operations elements but remain tied to Avengers oversight for deniable missions, lacking the Ultimates' overt military integration. The Ultimates title reemerged in with the 2015 series by , featuring Captain Marvel () proposing a proactive to address existential and cosmic threats before escalation, recruiting members including , (), and . This iteration prioritizes philosophical and interdimensional problem-solving—such as containing the Anti-Man entity or negotiating with cosmic abstracts—over Earth-bound geopolitics, diverging from the version's gritty, post-9/11-inspired realism and primacy in hero origins. Membership later expanded to include and others, focusing on infinite-scale challenges like the Eternity War, but the team disbanded amid internal conflicts by 2017. Crossovers between Earth-616 and Earth-1610 remain rare outside multiversal events; the 2015 Secret Wars storyline destroyed the Ultimate Universe via incursion, integrating select characters like Miles Morales into Earth-616 with retroactively adjusted backstories, but without transplanting the Ultimates team structure. Causal divergences persist, such as SHIELD's origins in Earth-616 tracing to 1950s Cold War espionage under Howard Stark and Peggy Carter, rather than the Ultimate timeline's Super-Soldier program lineage. Thematic parallels appear in Earth-616's Civil War (2006–2007), where superhuman registration debates echoed Ultimate patriotism and oversight tensions, though driven by independent hero actions rather than state mandates.

Variations within the Ultimate Universe

The original Ultimates series in the imprint (Earth-1610) spawned successor teams and spin-offs that expanded the core concept of a U.S. government-backed unit. Following the events of Ultimates 2 (2005), which concluded with the team's internal fractures and Captain America's disillusionment, Ultimate Comics: Avengers (2009–2011) served as a partial successor, reconfiguring remnants of the Ultimates alongside new recruits like and Nova to address escalating global crises, including incursions with other realities. This 20-issue run, written by , shifted focus from overt militarism to clandestine operations, running parallel to New Ultimates (2010–2011), a six-issue series by depicting a splinter faction led by Thor and Hawkeye rebelling against S.H.I.E.L.D. oversight after a perceived . Alternate "What If?"-style narratives within the Ultimate Universe introduced horror-infused variants, notably through crossovers with the Marvel Zombies continuity. In Ultimate Fantastic Four #21–23 (2005), written by Mark Millar, Ultimate Reed Richards and his team inadvertently opened a portal to Earth-2149, encountering zombie versions of Marvel heroes, including infected counterparts to Ultimates members like Captain America and Iron Man, who attempted to consume the living heroes; this arc established causal links to broader multiversal threats without fully zombifying the Ultimate roster. Such variants emphasized the fragility of superhuman alliances under existential pressures, diverging from the mainline team's geopolitical focus. Minor solo publications provided character-specific offshoots, as in Ultimate Vision #1–5 (2007), a miniseries by Mike Carey featuring an android Vision dispatched as a herald to warn worlds of the cosmic entity Gah Lak Tus (Ultimate Galactus), exploring themes of isolation and duty absent from team dynamics. While the core Ultimates lineup—, , , Thor, , and Black Widow—remained consistent across primary runs, these variations introduced roster flux and speculative scenarios tied to the Ultimate Universe's incursion-ravaged cosmology. The 2023 relaunch of the Ultimate Universe (Earth-6160), precipitated by The Maker (an antagonistic Reed Richards from Earth-1610) altering history via Ultimate Invasion #1–4 to suppress heroic origins, yielded a new iteration of the Ultimates debuting in The Ultimates #1 (June 2024), written by Deniz Camp. This team, comprising Iron Lad (a youthful Tony Stark), a non-villainous Reed Richards, Captain America (recruited from the past), and others like Hawkeye and Wasp, operates as an underground network explicitly formed to dismantle The Maker's ruling Council, which enforces a dystopian order since the timeline's divergence around 2006. All contemporary Ultimate variations trace causal roots to The Maker's interventions, preventing traditional Avengers formation until 2025 events in Ultimate Endgame, where zombie elements from alternate realms resurface as threats, reinforcing the line's multiversal interconnections without replicating original Earth-1610 structures.

References

  1. https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/664/ultimates_2002_2003
  2. https://americancomicbooks.info/MarvelUltimate/Ultimates_2002.htm
  3. https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2019/05/13/the-ultimates-look-back.html
  4. https://nickthemoviecritic.com/2025/07/29/comics-review-the-ultimates/
  5. https://www.vulture.com/2017/04/on-the-uncomfortable-brilliance-of-marvels-the-ultimates.html
  6. https://comicbook.com/comics/news/ultimates-changed-avengers-forever-marvel-comics/
  7. https://slate.com/culture/2015/05/the-secret-history-of-ultimate-marvel-the-experiment-that-changed-superheroes-forever.html
  8. https://www.thepopverse.com/marvel-comics-ultimate-universe-reading-guide
  9. https://www.cbr.com/mark-millar-ultimately/
  10. https://boingboing.net/2022/09/23/exploring-the-military-industrial-complex-of-the-ultimate-post-9-11-avengers-comic.html
  11. https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/15292/ultimates_2002_1
  12. https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Ultimates_Vol_1
  13. https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2003/2003-03.html
  14. https://atomicjunkshop.com/comics-you-should-own-the-ultimates-volume-1/
  15. https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2003/2003-01.html
  16. https://sequart.org/continuity-pages/ultimate-marvel/the-ultimates/mark-millar-the-ultimates/
  17. https://ultimatepopculture.fandom.com/wiki/The_Ultimates_2
  18. https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?q=The%2520Ultimates%25202
  19. https://www.amazon.com/Ultimates-2-Ultimate-Collection/dp/0785149163
  20. https://ultimatepopculture.fandom.com/wiki/Ultimate_Power
  21. https://www.amazon.com/Ultimates-Annual-1-2-ebook/dp/B00ZMRORH8
  22. https://www.ebay.com/p/27056892325?iid=196003946857
  23. https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/3188/ultimates_3_2007_2008
  24. https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=13400651
  25. https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/22977/ultimatum_2008_3
  26. https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/30600/ultimate_comics_new_ultimates_2010_1
  27. https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/30604/ultimate_comics_new_ultimates_2010_4
  28. https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Comics-Ultimates-Jeph-Loeb-ebook/dp/B00ZMZL1Z6
  29. https://borg.com/2012/04/02/review-loeb-and-chos-hugely-entertaining-new-ultimates-thor-reborn/
  30. https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Marvel-cancel-the-Ultimate-Universe
  31. https://www.tedagame.com/zak-site/Great-American-Novel/comic_sales.html
  32. https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/02/08/jeph-loeb-renews-the-ultimates
  33. https://www.crushingkrisis.com/crushing-comics-guide-collecting-marvel-comic-books/marvel-ultimate-universe-definitive-collecting-guide/
  34. https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/13936/ultimate_comics_ultimates_2011_2013
  35. https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/38692/ultimate_comics_ultimates_2011_11
  36. https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/40769/ultimate_comics_ultimates_2011_18
  37. http://sequart.org/continuity-pages/ultimate-marvel/the-ultimates/second-reboot/
  38. https://www.comicbookherald.com/the-complete-marvel-reading-order-guide/ultimate-marvel-universe-reading-order/
  39. https://michelfiffe.com/?p=5152
  40. https://www.amazon.com/All-New-Ultimates-1-Power/dp/0785154272
  41. https://michelfiffe.com/?page_id=5067
  42. https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/18/33-marvel-comics-will-be-cancelled-for-secret-wars
  43. https://www.comicbookherald.com/the-complete-marvel-reading-order-guide/secret-wars-reading-order/
  44. https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/113211/ultimates_2024_1
  45. https://www.amazon.com/ULTIMATE-INVASION-Jonathan-Hickman/dp/0785194738
  46. https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/ultimate-universe-2024-recap-what-you-need-to-know
  47. https://www.reddit.com/r/Marvel/comments/1njj4s9/deniz_camp_just_gets_it_man_ultimates_16_by_deniz/
  48. https://www.reddit.com/r/UltimateUniverse/comments/1eiqgze/does_anyone_here_know_how_well_the_sales_of_the/
  49. https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/marvel-comics-announces-the-end-of-the-ultimate-universe-nycc-2025
  50. https://www.ign.com/articles/marvel-seems-serious-about-ending-the-ultimate-universe-in-2026-nycc-2025
  51. http://sequart.org/continuity-pages/ultimate-marvel/the-ultimates/mark-millar-the-ultimates/
  52. https://www.gamesradar.com/captain-america-civil-war-comic/
  53. https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/33281/ultimate_invasion_2023_-_present
  54. https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/meet-the-ultimates-the-heroes-of-the-new-ultimate-universe
  55. https://www.resetera.com/threads/jonathan-hickman-and-bryan-hitch-reveal-the-full-scope-of-ultimate-invasion-and-the-new-ultimate-universe.728262/
  56. https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/ultimates-2024-deniz-camp-juan-frigeri
  57. https://www.comicbookherald.com/the-complete-marvel-reading-order-guide/ultimate-marvel-universe-reading-order/new-marvel-ultimate-universe-2/
  58. https://www.vox.com/2016/5/16/11661702/widescreen-comics-superhero-movies-civil-war-authority
  59. https://chasemagnett.wordpress.com/tag/bryan-hitch/
  60. https://www.youdontreadcomics.com/articles/2020/5/6/we-need-to-talk-about-the-ultimates-the-ultimate-universe-at-20
  61. https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2002.html
  62. https://www.amazon.com/Ultimates-Super-human-Mark-Millar-Paperback/dp/B00IIB4DBA
  63. https://www.comicbookrevolution.com/comic-book-review-ulimates-3-1/
  64. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1BP-27jpyw
  65. https://comic-watch.com/comic-book-reviews/the-ultimates-1-how-far-theyve-come
  66. https://www.thecomiccrush.com/marvels-ultimate-universe/the-ultimates-2024-vol-1-fix-the-world
  67. https://www.marvel.com/teams-and-groups/ultimates-ultimate
  68. https://www.marvel.com/characters/hulk-ultimate-bruce-banner
  69. https://www.thecomicboard.com/threads/the-ultimates-2-12-issues-or-13.3015/
  70. https://www.cbr.com/marvel-best-villains-ultimate-universe/
  71. https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Hulk_%28New_Ultimate_Universe%29
  72. https://www.cbr.com/the-ultimates-vs-roxxon-comic-preview/
  73. http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/mar02/millar2.shtml
  74. https://insidepulse.com/2012/02/14/overratedunderrated-the-ultimates-vol-1-super-human/
  75. https://comicvine.gamespot.com/profile/veshark/blog/ultimate-fight-night-1-the-ultimates-vs-the-hulk/95295/
  76. https://www.cbr.com/the-reread-reviews-the-ultimates-2/
  77. https://www.cbr.com/avengers-black-widow-ultimate-marvel-traitor/
  78. https://screenrant.com/black-widow-killed-tony-starks-butler/
  79. https://uncannyxmen.net/comics/issue/ultimates-2-13
  80. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicBook/TheUltimates2
  81. https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Comics-Divided-United-Stand/dp/0785184163
  82. https://comicvine.gamespot.com/divided-we-fall/4045-56847/
  83. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/08/01/hunger-comic-book-series/2609133/
  84. https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/the-state-of-the-ultimate-universe-one-year-in
  85. https://www.cbr.com/marvel-ultimate-hulk-major-changes-revealed/
  86. https://comicbook.com/comics/news/marvel-the-ultimates-6-hulk-immortal-weapons-she-hulk/
  87. https://comicvine.gamespot.com/articles/off-my-mind-are-civilian-deaths-necessary-for-real/1100-143507/
  88. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicBook/TheUltimates
  89. https://them0vieblog.com/2012/04/27/ultimate-comics-avengers-by-mark-millar-omnibus-reviewretrospective/
  90. http://daveslongbox.blogspot.com/2006/12/ultimates-5-marvel-comics-2002.html
  91. http://sequart.org/magazine/24544/why-opposing-dark-realism-is-a-straw-man-argument/
  92. https://americanpopularculture.com/journal/articles/spring_2016/lund.htm
  93. http://www.publishersweekly.com/9780785110781
  94. https://comiczine-fa.com/features/captain-america-sentinel-of-liberalism
  95. https://screenrant.com/captain-america-codename-ultimate-marvel-united-states-disbanded/
  96. https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2002/2002-01.html
  97. https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2002/2002-07.html
  98. https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2002/2002-11.html
  99. https://joshlink.substack.com/p/the-enduring-legacy-of-the-ultimates-17f
  100. https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2010.html
  101. https://www.facebook.com/groups/avengersforevergroup/posts/10161447343521128/
  102. https://www.thepopverse.com/comics-live-marvel-ultimate-universe-2026-april-nycc-2025-end
  103. https://them0vieblog.com/2009/08/19/mark-millars-the-ultimates-omnibus/
  104. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/160852.The_Ultimates
  105. https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/1giknnj/the_influence_of_the_ultimate_universe_to_the_mcu/
  106. https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/marvel-comics/ultimates/4
  107. https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/marvel-comics/ultimatum
  108. https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/07/30/ultimatum-5-review
  109. https://comicsalliance.com/worst-of-the-worst-ultimatum/
  110. https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/xibgja/comics_ultimatum_youve_ruined_a_perfectly_good/
  111. https://www.cbr.com/ultimate-marvel-16-controversial-moments/
  112. https://www.cbr.com/incredible-hulk-cannibal-history/
  113. https://www.freedomreborn.net/forums/index.php?topic=58905.0
  114. https://www.quora.com/Why-do-so-many-fans-dislike-the-Marvel-Ultimatum-storyline
  115. https://www.cbr.com/marvel-ultimatum-event-explained/
  116. https://www.letstalkabout-blog.com/2020/12/marvels-ultimate-comics-downfall.html
  117. https://comicbookclublive.com/2024/11/07/the-ultimates-6-review-the-incredible-culturally-appropriating-hulk/
  118. https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/1c4q7mw/ultimate_marvel_2024_thoughts/
  119. https://www.cbr.com/ultimate-marvel-comics-universe-aged-poorly/
  120. https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/16fm1k2/ultimate_comics_avengers_is_way_too_obsessed_with/
  121. https://community.cbr.com/threads/the-ultimates-a-retrospective-review.151417/
  122. https://www.reddit.com/r/Marvel/comments/1gz279z/what_are_your_thoughts_on_mark_millars_the/
  123. https://www.reddit.com/r/MarvelUnlimited/comments/16z8unk/ultimatum_was_the_most_depressing_thing_ive_ever/
  124. https://www.cbr.com/ultimatum-best-marvel-stories/
  125. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQvCXSHwBzA
  126. https://www.cbr.com/ultimate-avengers-pros-cons/
  127. https://www.reddit.com/r/Marvel/comments/5j6u6t/how_big_of_a_difference_is_it_between_ultimate/
  128. https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/ultimate-endgame-final-issue-of-ultimate-spider-man-revealed-san-diego-comic-con
  129. https://bleedingcool.com/comics/marvel-announces-their-ultimate-universe-will-end-in-april-2026/
  130. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/marvel-officially-ends-ultimate-universe-231302692.html
  131. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491703/
  132. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/UltimateAvengers
  133. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814207/
  134. https://lego-marvelsuperheroes.fandom.com/wiki/Characters
  135. https://www.cbr.com/mcu-avengers-took-from-ultimate-marvel-616/
  136. https://www.comicbook.com/comics/news/ultimates-changed-avengers-forever-marvel-comics/
  137. https://comicbookmovie.com/comics/marvel-comics/mark-millar-on-the-ultimates-influence-in-marvel-movies-a18812
  138. https://www.cbr.com/avengers-mcu-aliens-chirauri-comics/
  139. https://lrmonline.com/news/mark-millar-looks-back-on-his-lasting-influence-on-the-avengers-and-the-mcu/
  140. https://nerdist.com/article/marvel-comics-ultimate-universe-inspired-25-years-of-marvel-movies/
  141. https://www.quora.com/Has-Marvel-seen-a-substantial-increase-in-comic-book-sales-since-the-introduction-of-the-MCU-and-if-so-has-newer-comic-content-taken-a-different-route-for-this-new-audience
  142. https://thepopculturestudio.com/2020/10/04/ultimate-marvel-didnt-just-change-comics-forever-it-changed-the-entire-pop-culture-landscape-too/
  143. https://www.cbr.com/marvel-ultimates-aged-well-badly/
  144. https://comicsxf.com/2024/06/05/ultimates-1/
  145. https://www.amazon.com/Ultimates-Deniz-Camp-Vol-World/dp/1302957511
  146. https://comicsxf.com/2024/12/22/ultimate-universe-one-year-in/
  147. https://www.comicbookherald.com/marvel-then-secret-avengers-the-symbolic-value-of-superhero-iconography-in-relation-to-the-world/
  148. https://www.comicbookherald.com/the-marvel-universe-of-al-ewing-reading-order/
  149. https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/secret-wars-official-marvel-guide
  150. https://extremelyuncanny.com/2022/10/the-rise-of-the-marvel-zombies-ultimate-fantastic-four/
  151. https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/3255/ultimate_vision_2007
  152. https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/ultimate-endgame-1-preview-ultimate-universe-final-chapter-begins
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.