Marvel has often pushed superhero comics in new directions, and this has allowed the publisher to stay at the top of the sales charts for decades now. Way back in the year 2000, Marvel did something unprecedented, introducing readers to the Ultimate Marvel Universe, a new Marvel Universe created in contemporary times. The original Ultimate Universe was mega popular at first, but time wasn’t kind to it and 15 years later, it was gone. 2023 would see them try again with an all-new Ultimate Universe, putting their best creators on the books and starting a two-year countdown. We’ve reached the end of that countdown, and learned what it all means: Marvel is letting the new Ultimate Universe end with Ultimate Endgame.
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This is a huge step for Marvel. It’s easy to be cynical about Marvel — they’re part of the Disney corporate umbrella and their editor in chief is a man who pretended to be Japanese so he could collect two paychecks. The company hasn’t felt like the House of Ideas in a long time, instead feeling more like the House of Cha-Ching. However, choosing to end the Ultimate Universe is a massive change for the publisher, and could be a turning point.
The Best Stories Have Endings
The new Ultimate Universe has been fantastic so far. While there are plenty of valid complaints about each book, and it has lost a little steam compared to DC’s copycat Absolute line, most readers agree that the Ultimate books are the best from the publisher. When it was announced that Marvel was going to end the new Ultimate Universe, there was an outcry from readers who were enjoying the books, mourning the eventual loss of their favorite comics.
Now, this is Marvel, the relaunch king. There’s always the chance that this “end” is just going to mean that the current Maker based story is done and that Marvel is going to relaunch the Ultimate books with all-new number ones in a post-Maker Earth-6160. If I’m being honest, I completely expect this to happen. However, I think that the best thing for Marvel is to actually let the Ultimate Universe end gracefully. The best stories have endings and it’s about time Marvel stopped squeezing its characters and concepts for all the profit they can.
Marvel may have been the sales leader for the majority of the last few decades, but saying they’ve been putting out the best comics isn’t true. If you look at lists of the greatest comics of all time, you’re going to find a lot of DC books on those lists. One of the big reasons you’ll find so many DC books there is because they let their stories have endings. Let’s use All-Star Superman as an example. That story is 12 issues of awesome and then it ends. There’s no sequel. No relaunch. It’s a great story and it’s over.
Stories need endings. I love the shared universes of Marvel and DC Comics. I love that I will always have these characters. I love that my kids will have them. That said, looking at the comics that I feel are the best ever, all of them end. They aren’t just parts of a story that has been going on for almost a hundred years now. They have a beginning, middle, and end. The story ends, you reflect on it, and then you start the next one. Marvel, for whatever reason, doesn’t really like “prestige comics”. They put out their ongoings and relaunch the books whenever they need a sales boost. It’s time for that change, and the Ultimate Universe’s end could be that catalyst.
Marvel Should Use the Ultimate Universe as a Blueprint
The old Ultimate Universe was monumentally popular for the first five or six years of its existence, and then it started its downward spiral. It eventually became a laughingstock, and despite things getting slightly better towards the end of it, it definitely overstayed its welcome. The new Ultimate Universe has been better than it had any right to be, and Marvel letting it end gracefully actually makes up for a lot of the weaknesses of the books so far. It’s something they should do more often.
Look, as I said above, there’s a huge chance that all of this is a red herring. At some point in the coming months, we’ll learn that there’s going to be a big relaunch of the books, and Marvel will have tricked us again. Some readers will be happy, and the books will sell for a while. However, it’s about time that Marvel tried something new. Marvel hasn’t been the House of Ideas for a very long time, and it might be time for them to embrace a new idea — stories that end.
What do you think about Marvel ending the Ultimate Universe? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
