| The Ultimates | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics (Ultimate Marvel) |
| First appearance | The Ultimates #1 (March2002) |
| Created by | Mark Millar Bryan Hitch (based uponThe Avengers byStan Lee andJack 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 | |
TheUltimates is afictionalsuperhero team appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics and created by writerMark Millar and artistBryan Hitch, which first started publication fromThe Ultimates #1 (cover date March 2002), as part of the company'sUltimate Marvel imprint.[1] The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-runningAvengers 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]
The first volume of theUltimates, 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, soCap [Captain America] was a soldier,Thor is either anut case or amessiah ...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 asUltimates 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 writingCivilWar, 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 theUltimates 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, whereasUltimates 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-lifewar on terror."[2]
This was followed by theone-shotUltimate Saga (Nov. 2007), a condensed retelling, by writersC. B. Cebulski and Mindy Owens and artistTravis Charest, of the events ofUltimates andUltimates 2. A third series,Ultimates 3 (Dec 2007 – Sept 2008) was written byJeph Loeb and illustrated byJoe Madureira.[12]
Mark Millar returned to the Ultimates with a series of shorter miniseries, beginning in 2009 withUltimate Comics: Avengers, which ran from August 2009 until July 2011.[13]
TheEarth-6160 version of the Ultimates began its own comic series on June 5, 2024.[14]
General Nick Fury ofS.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 theWasp); Bruce Banner (theHulk) 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 ofThor. The team then join forces with the mutantsQuicksilver andScarlet Witch and agentsHawkeye andBlack Widow against the alien shape-shifters theChitauri, who are defeated.[15]
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 brotherLoki, 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 ofAsgardian 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]
Hank Pym is under house arrest at Ultimates Mansion. One of Pym'sUltron 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 theSavage Land, where he is confronted by the Ultimates. Pym and Wasp discover the truth about the Ultron robot, which has adopted the identity ofYellowjacket 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.
TheUltimate Defenders, suddenly with superpowers, steal Thor's hammer fromValkyrie.Hela agrees to release Thor in exchange for a son. Loki arrives inCentral Park with an army of monsters.
WriterJonathan Hickman and artistEsad Ribić relaunched the Ultimates with a different lineup consisting of Nick Fury, Iron Man, Thor,Spider-Woman and others.[17][18]
Following the conclusion of the miniseriesCataclysm and under theUltimate Marvel NOW! banner, coinciding with theMarvel UniverseAll-New Marvel NOW! launch, writerMichel Fiffe and artist Amilcar Pinna brought together a new team, includingSpider-Man, the newBlack Widow who was formerly Spider-Woman,Kitty Pryde,Bombshell, andCloak and Dagger.[19] The book ran for 12 issues.
All-New Ultimates has been collected in two trade paperbacks; Volume One is titledPower for Power, collecting issues #1–6; while Volume Two is titledNo Gods, No Masters, collecting issues #7-#12.
When theMaker collaborated with theHigh 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 helpEternity fight the First Firmament.[20] When Earth-616's version of the Ultimates arrived onCounter-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]
As part of theAll-New, All-Different Marvel branding, the Prime earth version of theUltimates make their debut where they deal with cosmic threats before they can affect Earth.
WhenMaker traveled toEarth-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 hiscouncil.[23][24]
Overall, theUltimates 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 originalAvengers 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 classicAvengers 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 ofUltimates #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 praisedMark 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.
ReviewingUltimates 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]
ReviewingUltimates 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 thatUltimates 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'sUltimate Comics: The Ultimates received highly positive reactions upon its debut. Chad Nevett fromComic 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] whileIGN gave the first issue 8/10.[46]
| 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 FourAnnual #1,Ultimate X-MenAnnual #1,Ultimate Spider-ManAnnual #1 | February 2006 | 978-0785120353 |
| The Ultimate Annuals Vol. 2 | The Ultimates Annual #2,Ultimate Fantastic FourAnnual #2,Ultimate X-MenAnnual #2,Ultimate Spider-ManAnnual #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 |
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 |
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