Prior to Marvel’s Ultimates reboot, let’s examine how The Avengers have been reimagined in the Ultimate Comics over time.
Marvel Comics has officially begun the gradual ramp-up to the next stage of its Ultimate Comics reboot with the debut of the trailer for Ultimates #1. The upcoming Free Comic Book Day will offer fans a glimpse at the new status quo, followed by the release of Ultimate #1 the following month.
After half a year of being in the future, the team is set to make their comeback in June’s Ultimates #1.
The Ultimates: The Ultimate Universe’s Twisted Avengers
In January 2002, The Ultimates #1 was released, bringing a fresh take on The Avengers to readers who were already familiar with the existing titles Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men. The first installment follows the team’s inception and their battles against the Hulk and the Chitauri aliens.
The Ultimates was Marvel’s Ultimate Comics answer to The Avengers.
The Ultimates has not stood the test of time, as many of its elements have not aged gracefully. Several characters have been portrayed with edgier personalities that can now be seen as offensive, such as Cap’s overt racism and the Hulk’s impulsive behavior. Subsequent series only continue down a darker path, with Iron Man’s descent into uncontrollable alcoholism and the incestuous relationship between Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
The original Ultimates eventually reach their conclusion and are succeeded by an updated New Ultimates team. Despite undergoing several reboots and being connected to other Ultimate Comics titles, the series never reached the same levels of popularity and acclaim as its initial release, which heavily influenced the MCU’s introduction of the Avengers.
The Ultimates: Multiversal Problem Solvers
After Secret Wars, a new version of the Ultimates emerged on Earth-616. The team was led by Blue Marvel, a superhero who had been retired since the 1960s. Along with Black Panther, Spectrum, America Chavez, and Captain Marvel, their focus was on addressing larger issues on a cosmic level rather than simply being superheroes.
Marvel’s second iteration of Ultimates were galactic problem solvers.
The Ultimates’ first mission of repairing Galactus proved to be a success in winning over fans. By completely altering his personality, the team transformed him into Galactus the Lifebringer, a transformation that endured for years.
The story of these Ultimates culminates in a thrilling showdown with The Maker, during which they join forces with the original Ultimates. Following this event, the team disbanded.
The new Ultimates are the last hope for a broken world
The Ultimates of Earth-6160 were formed as a result of the conflict with The Maker and Howard Stark from the same world. Despite the destruction of their original universe, The Maker managed to survive by implanting fragments of himself into every alternate universe. In one instance, he reconstructed a parallel timeline and rebuilt his own world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXvLMDSk8LY
Despite The Maker’s manipulation, the world of Earth-6160 lacked heroes. However, when Howard and The Maker met their apparent demise, Tony Stark took on the persona of Iron Lad and managed to acquire the catalysts that were meant to create a new generation of heroes.
The events of Ultimates #1 take place six months after the events of Ultimate Universe #1. In the previous issue, Tony, Thor, Captain America, Doctor Doom, and Sif time-traveled to escape an attack from The Maker’s Council. Now that the team has returned, a small group of heroes must work together to reverse The Maker’s schemes and restore the Ultimate Universe to its original state.
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