This week marks the release of Ultimate Universe: One Year In, a one-shot that celebrates the first year of Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe (Earth 6160) while giving us a tease of things to come.
Looking back on the past year, it’s fair to say the Ultimate relaunch has been a resounding success. Series such as Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men and The Ultimates have been met with critical acclaim and excellent sales. The current Ultimate Universe has provided a bold spin on beloved characters, attracting plenty of attention from fans. Personally, it’s exciting to see the twists and turns that come with reimagining classic characters for a new universe. And with Ultimate Wolverine on the way, the Ultimate renaissance has only just begun. Overall, the success of Earth-6160 demonstrates the enduring importance of Ultimate Marvel as a concept.
At its core, Ultimate Marvel has always been about providing a space for exciting, nontraditional takes on classic characters. Being outside of mainline continuity, Ultimate Marvel has the freedom to take bigger risks, with bolder adaptations of iconic characters like Spider-Man and the Avengers. That said, the original Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610) was very different from the current one.
Debuting in September 2000 with Ultimate Spider-Man #1, the Ultimate Marvel imprint was originally intended to attract new readers after other unsuccessful attempts like “Heroes Reborn” and Spider-Man: Chapter One in the mid- to late ’90s. Unlike these previous attempts at a relaunch, Ultimate Marvel kept things simple, retelling the origins of Marvel’s most popular characters for the 21st century. The imprint was initially a huge success, bringing Marvel into the modern age of comics. Ultimate Spider-Man, by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, is my go-to recommendation for anyone looking to break into Spider-Man comics. The Ultimates, by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch, was also groundbreaking, setting the foundation for the Avengers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The original Ultimate X-Men lasted 100 issues, and Ultimate Fantastic Four helped introduce the world to Marvel Zombies. For years, the Ultimate Universe remained successful, creating a space to modernize Marvel’s heroes.
Even so, there are several ideas and moments in the original Ultimate Universe that have not aged so well. The Ultimates, for example, are significantly worse people than their Earth-616 counterparts. Hank Pym is an insecure, abusive partner, Hulk is a murderous cannibal and Captain America is best remembered by the infamous “You think this A on my head stands for France?!” moment. It’s true that these troubling characterizations come with the territory of deconstructing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in a post-9/11 era. Everything is edgier, more cynical and filled with morally questionable characters, reflecting the time in which these comics were published. This is true for almost all of the original Ultimate imprint, with the very notable exception of Ultimate Spider-Man. While it’s understandable that Ultimate Marvel would reflect early 2000s sensibilities, it still makes most of these comics a bit of a time capsule. Additionally, after the infamous event Ultimatum gratuitously killed off many major Marvel characters, Ultimate Marvel slowly fizzled out.
Yet Ultimate Marvel triumphantly returned (albeit as a brand new universe), almost 10 years after its demise, demonstrating its necessity to the publisher’s continued success. In contrast to the original Ultimate Universe, the current Ultimate Universe is mainly about adding unexplored twists and complications to the storylines of well-established characters. For example, what if Peter Parker didn’t become Spider-Man until he was already a husband and a father? Who would Reed Richards be if the rest of the Fantastic Four died on their fateful interstellar trip? Who would Captain America be if he woke up and America didn’t exist anymore? All of these questions are posed and explored due to the manipulations of The Maker, an evil Reed Richards from the original Ultimate Universe. The Maker has created this new Ultimate Universe, altering history so none of Marvel’s heroes can interfere with his schemes. Overall, this premise isn’t the most accessible for new readers. It requires at least a basic knowledge of who The Maker is and who most of Marvel’s biggest heroes are in their classic iterations. Still, the core idea behind Ultimate Marvel remains the same: to provide a fresh, new take on classic characters without being restricted by decades of continuity.
Marvel uses the Ultimate imprint as an avenue for creative freedom. There are a plethora of ideas in Ultimate Marvel that would be almost impossible to successfully accomplish in mainline Marvel Comics. Characters like the X-Men or Fantastic Four are beloved icons who have been around for decades. Any creative team that takes the helm of these characters and their comics is going to have rules, specifically related to continuity. These creators will also be subject to expectations from fans as to what the mainline comics should be about. There are only so many big changes that creators can make to major Marvel heroes before everything returns to the status quo.
What makes the Ultimate imprint so exciting, on the other hand, is that creators are virtually starting from scratch. Since Ultimate Marvel is outside of Earth-616, there is more freedom to take bigger risks. The original Ultimates, for example, could be depicted as a paramilitary force working for SHIELD, as a political commentary on heroes in the 21st century. The new Ultimates, by contrast, can be transformed into a group of underdogs fighting to take the world back from The Maker’s nefarious council of world leaders. These two depictions are wildly different, but they’re both very compelling. Without the Ultimate imprint as a backdrop, these ideas could not be explored as thoroughly. The original Ultimate Universe was also able to give us a radical environmentalist Thor, a more rebellious teen punk version of Gwen Stacy and a Nick Fury modeled after Samuel L. Jackson. This final example even led to the casting of Samuel L. Jackson as Fury in the MCU.
Probably the biggest risk that Ultimate Marvel took was killing off Peter Parker. It’s true that death in superhero comics has lost much of its meaning, but still, “The Death of Spider-Man” is a greatly impactful and compelling story. This tale was followed up by a choice that was just as bold, if not bolder: the introduction of Miles Morales. Legacy heroes are difficult to tackle in Marvel and DC Comics, especially with the attachment that fans have to characters like Peter Parker. Yet with Ultimate Marvel, creators were able to kill off their most popular hero and introduce his replacement. And that decision paid off in spades. As a Black and Latinx character, Miles Morales made headlines when he was introduced as the new Spider-Man in 2011. Miles became so popular, he was brought over to Earth-616 once the original Ultimate Universe was brought to an end in 2015’s Secret Wars. Since then, Miles has featured in major media such as the monumentally successful Spider-Verse films and the Spider-Man video games, starring in his own game as well. Killing Earth-1610 Peter Parker gave the character a complete story (even after he returned from the dead), and introduced one of the most successful legacy heroes and a cultural icon in Miles Morales. None of this would have been possible without the creative freedom of Ultimate Marvel.
The new Ultimate imprint has taken many of the same bold risks as its predecessor. Ultimate X-Men, for example, is a radically different take on the Children of the Atom. Peach Momoko’s manga art style is so wildly different from most American comics, especially superhero comics. The cast also consists of minor mutants or entirely new characters. The premise is largely different from the traditional idea of the X-Men, replacing the superheroes from Westchester with Japanese middle schoolers. At its core, however, the series sticks to the idea of being marginalized and feeling like an outsider. The new Ultimate Universe has also introduced a nonbinary Hawkeye in The Ultimates, reimagined Storm as a freedom fighter in Ultimate Black Panther and made Peter Parker a family man.
All of these changes remain true to the idea of Ultimate Marvel, to provide a novel take on iconic characters. And just like the early days of Ultimate Marvel in the early 2000s, this new Ultimate Universe has gained a lot of attention and popularity. Everything feels shiny and fresh, without the need to keep track of too many titles at once. The overarching story of Ultimate Marvel’s heroes preparing to battle The Maker and his council also makes the imprint feel more cohesive. The beauty of it all is that, if longtime fans don’t enjoy any of Ultimate Marvel’s major changes, they can simply read the mainline comics instead. With Ultimate Marvel, bigger swings mean less risk and more reward.
The success of Ultimate Marvel is clear, especially given its emulation by the Distinguished Competition. DC’s recent Absolute line of comics is very similar to the current Ultimate Marvel imprint. Much like Ultimate Marvel, Absolute DC brings interesting new twists to the stories of cultural icons like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The Absolute Universe has been shaped by Darkseid, much like how the new Ultimate Universe was shaped by The Maker. Darkseid has molded this new Earth based on challenge and turmoil, which makes for some fascinating versions of iconic characters. Superman never grew up on the Kent farm, Batman was raised in a working-class family and Wonder Woman grew up in Hell with Circe. Just like Ultimate Marvel, Absolute DC examines classic characters under drastically different circumstances, showing us the impact of these changes on the heroes and their world. Just like Ultimate Marvel, Absolute DC is made with love for established heroes while breathing new life into their stories for readers new and old. With Jonathan Hickman spearheading Ultimate Marvel and Scott Snyder leading the charge for Absolute DC, each imprint is assembling some of the biggest creative talents in superhero comics. This includes a mix of established names and rising stars, such as Nick Dragotta, Jason Aaron, Kelly Thompson, Deniz Camp, Peach Momoko and Stefano Caselli. And it’s clear that all of these creatives are bringing their A-game to these exciting new universes.
At the end of the day, both Ultimate Marvel and Absolute DC have great potential. Both imprints are just getting started, with Ultimate Wolverine yet to be released at Marvel, along with Absolute Green Lantern, Absolute Flash and Absolute Martian Manhunter at DC. It’s true that Ultimate Marvel is only one year in, and Absolute DC has only just begun, so it’s unclear how successful both will be in the long term. It’s entirely possible that these comics could fizzle out like the original Ultimate Universe, or encounter an Ultimatum situation (hopefully not). Even so, just looking at the original Ultimate Universe, there are ideas that have stuck in the cultural zeitgeist to this day. Ideas such as Miles Morales, Ultimate Nick Fury and making the Avengers a component of SHIELD, among others, have resonated in everything from the comics to superhero films.
Overall, concepts such as Ultimate Marvel or Absolute DC will always be necessary at the Big Two. Both companies have decades of history, with countless stories told about major characters like Spider-Man, Batman and the Avengers. At a certain point, it becomes virtually impossible to come up with fresh ideas for characters who have been through it all. New universes with unique interpretations of iconic characters make everything feel exciting and unpredictable.
Moreover, imprints like Ultimate Marvel and Absolute DC give readers a sense that their beloved heroes have truly become part of the modern mythology. Every retelling of Spider-Man’s story or Batman’s origin adds intriguing layers to the ever-expanding mythos of the characters and their world. The genesis of imprints like Ultimate Marvel also evokes a feeling of Marvel in the 1960s, when there were fewer titles and the world felt smaller and more cohesive. Readers can keep track of the greater universe, because there isn’t an overwhelming number of series or major events to follow (whether this remains the case has yet to be determined). Whatever happens to this new Ultimate Universe, the idea behind Ultimate Marvel remains necessary for big publishers to thrive creatively.
Buy Ultimate Universe: One Year In #1 here. (Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, ComicsXF may earn from qualifying purchases.)
Nabeel Gaber
Nabeel Gaber is a writer and longtime comic book fan based in Boston. He graduated from Emerson College with a master's degree in publishing and writing. When he's not busy trying to make rent, he is the host of The Ultimate Comics Podcast with his longtime frenemy, Josh Kang.
