10 Things About Marvel’s Ultimate Universe That Make No Sense

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Marvel‘s brand-new Ultimate Universe has been a major success, and the quality of the books being released every month under the new universe’s banner is arguably higher than that of the original Ultimate Universe from the early 2000s. With major titles like Ultimate Spider-Man, The Ultimates, Ultimate Black Panther, and Ultimate X-Men kicking off the universe, and later additions like Ultimate Wolverine continuing to show the high quality, fans are thrilled to see where the universe is heading.

Though the current Ultimate titles are arguably better than anything else Marvel Comics is currently publishing, there are still issues that readers have with the new books, mainly concerning confusion with certain aspects of how and why the stories are being told how they are. Regardless of the minor issues, there’s no doubt that the new Ultimate Universe is a huge hit, and fans are clamoring for more.

10

Ultimate X-Men Doesn’t Focus on Classic X-Men Characters

The Bold New Vision for Mutants In the Ultimate Universe Is Full of All-New Faces

Writer and artist Peach Momoko’s bold new take on the X-Men in the pages of Ultimate X-Men has been hailed by critics and fans alike for its incredible artwork, terrifying storytelling, and exciting new lore building. The series is excellent, and the characters are all well fleshed-out, but some fans are confused why the series doesn’t feature any of the most recognizable mutant heroes.

Characters like Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Beast, and Jean Grey are all missing from this series, and it doesn’t seem like they’re going to be showing up in the book any time soon. Momoko’s brand-new take on Marvel’s mutants is wonderful, and it is a welcome addition to the Ultimate Universe, but many fans are disappointed by the lack of inclusion of some of the other iconic X-Men heroes.

9

Vibranium Is Apparently a Sentient Material

Ultimate Black Panther Explores the Bizarre Lore Behind the Mystical Metal

Ultimate Black Panther has been one of the slightly more inconsistent additions to the brand-new Ultimate Universe, and its lore and continuity have become somewhat difficult for readers to keep track of. The war between Wakanda and the forces of Moon Knight was a highlight for readers, but that has recently taken a backseat.

The idea of giving more context to the mysterious Vibranium isn’t in and of itself a bad idea, but the way Ultimate Black Panther has complicated the material and taken away the mystifying aspects of it has disappointed fans. Ultimate Black Panther has the chance to be one of the best books currently releasing, but it needs to re-find its footing and shift away from bizarre storylines like this one.

8

The Maker Allowing Reed Richards to Live Is Incredibly Risky

The Evil Version of Reed Should Know How Dangerous He Can Be

One of the most underrated villains currently appearing in Marvel Comics, The Maker is an evil alternate version of The Fantastic Four’s leader, Reed Richards. Having created the new Ultimate Universe so he can control and manipulate it, The Maker stopped a number of characters from ever becoming superheroes, The Fantastic Four included.

Despite this new version of Reed Richards not having powers, he is still just as scientifically brilliant as the Maker himself, and keeping him alive is a major threat to everything that the evil Reed has built. The pages of The Ultimates have proven how effective the Ultimate Reed can be, as he has become this universe’s Doom, and he will seemingly stop at nothing to defeat the Maker and restore the world to what it should have been.

7

Peter Parker Is Okay With His Son Putting Himself In Danger

Spider-Man’s Son Richard Has Been Using His High-Tech Suit to Fight Alongside His Father

The new Ultimate Spider-Man series is perhaps the best book Marvel is currently releasing, and that is in large part due to writer Jonathan Hickman’s incredible focus on character building and emotional depth. Though the events of Ultimate Spider-Man are often shocking, they are never specifically designed only to shock. Character is the most important thing, and that makes Peter Parker’s familial drama all the more effective.

Peter’s son, Richard, was revealed to have taken his father’s high-tech suit for himself in his father’s absence, and, using it to give him powers similar to Peter’s, filled in as Spider-Man. Despite being around the same age that Peter Parker of the original Marvel Universe was when he first became Spider-Man, it seems a bit absurd that this version of Peter Parker would allow his son to put himself in danger to this degree, even if he does have the suit to protect him.

6

America Chavez Apparently Exists In the Ultimate Universe

The Multiversal Hero Was Previously Thought to Be a Singular Multiversal Entity

America Chavez, one of the best Marvel characters to be introduced in the last twenty years, first showed up in the Ultimate Universe in the final moments of The Ultimates #2, where it was revealed she was being used as a kind of battery to power the White House and the surrounding area. After being rescued, America joined the Ultimates, but fans were confused about one major aspect of her character.

Originally, America was created as a character who existed outside of the multiverse, and therefore, she had no counterparts on any other Earths. There has been some shifting of this aspect of her character since, but it is unclear whether or not this version of America is officially a variant from the 6160 Earth, or if she’s something else.

5

The Maker’s Council Allows Nick Fury to Believe He Is Betraying Them

The Highly-Skilled Secret Agent Is a Plaything for The Maker’s Underlings

The pages of Ultimate Universe: One Year In revealed a sickening reality for the Ultimate Universe’s version of Nick Fury, the iconic mainline universe’s director of S.H.I.E.L.D. In Ultimate Universe: One Year In, Nick Fury believes he is secretly plotting against The Maker’s council in an attempt to overthrow them and save the world, but a more terrifying truth is revealed.

It is revealed that Nick Fury is an LMD, or life model decoy, and that the Maker’s council has known all along about his plot to overthrow them. In fact, they have been doing this over and over with new life model decoys as a sort of game. The only thing that doesn’t make sense about this is the risk involved for the council. Nick Fury is an incredibly skilled spy, and there’s a chance he could genuinely concoct a plan without the council’s knowledge, leading to their downfall. It’s a risk that the council probably shouldn’t be taking, and their arrogance might be their downfall.

4

Nightcrawler and Mystique Were Both Killed Off Unceremoniously

The Ultimate Versions of the Two Iconic Mutants Had Their Times Cut Short By Wolverine

Ultimate Wolverine is the newest addition to the Ultimate Universe‘s lineup of series, and it is, so far, the most violent book in the bunch. Featuring intense action sequences, bloody violence, and intense emotional turmoil, Ultimate Wolverine is shaping up to be one of the most compelling books in Marvel’s entire Ultimate line-up.

In the pages of Ultimate Wolverine #3, Logan, aka the Ultimate Universe’s Winter Soldier, is tasked with hunting down and killing members of “the Opposition”, a force of mutants opposing the Maker’s council. Upon arriving at their base, Wolverine butchers both Mystique and Nightcrawler, two characters that could’ve very easily had long and interesting adaptations in the Ultimate Universe.

3

Bucky Barnes Is Apparently the Newest Red Skull

Captain America’s Former Partner Is Now His Greatest Enemy

With Logan being the Ultimate Universe’s Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes’ place in the new universe is less clear. Since The Maker’s control over the world only began after a certain point, heroes that had appeared before he began his twisting of the world were mostly spared. Captain America and Bucky’s time during World War II, for example, remains mostly the same as the mainline universe.

With this in mind, it becomes even more terrifying and upsetting to discover that this universe’s Bucky Barnes has apparently become the very thing that he and Cap were fighting against in WWII. During The Ultimates #10, Captain America leads the team against a group of neo-Nazis led by a mysterious leader wearing a red helmet. When it is uncovered that this is Bucky Barnes, the readers, and Captain America himself, were equally shocked and confused.

2

The Maker’s Control Stretches Even to Asgard andtThe Other Realms

The Gods of Asgard Were Apparently Not Enough to Stop The Maker

With the help of The Maker, the villainous trickster god, Loki, rose to the highest seat of power in the nine realms, the throne of Asgard. Despite the Maker’s incredible power and intellect, it surprised fans that such an impressive pantheon of gods and goddesses were able to be overtaken and enveloped by the Maker’s will.

Time and time again, Asgard and the other realms have proven to be capable of feats far greater than any human can comprehend, regardless of who Asgard’s ruler is. Keeping that in mind, the fact that The Maker was able to so handily strip the realms of their beauty and independence was a hard pill for some readers to swallow.

1

So Many Marvel Characters Declined the Chance to Be Heroes

The Ultimate Universe Proved That Not Everyone Has What It Takes to Be a Hero

One of the major facets of the new Ultimate Universe is the idea that The Maker stole the futures from so many people. Characters that would have potentially gone on to become heroes were left feeling unfulfilled, like something was missing. When Tony Stark, with the help of a time-travel device, was able to offer these people a second chance at being heroes, countless numbers of them declined.

With major outliers like Peter Parker and Luke Cage not included, the vast majority of the Ultimate Universe turned down the chance to fulfill their heroic potential, and that was something that shocked readers. Fan-favorite characters like Clint Barton were shown to be unfit for their roles, and that was a disappointment for fans. The Ultimate Universe is obviously very different from the mainline Earth-616, but the sting of some of these characters’ decisions to turn away from heroism is difficult for readers.

“}]] Marvel’s brand-new Ultimate Universe has been a major success with fans, but there are still a few aspects that have left readers confused.  Read More