Marvel’s Ultimate Universe is the brightest jewel in Marvel’s publishing schedule. Readers have loved the world-building of the new Ultimate titles, revealing what kind of world that the villainous Maker would create. The Maker saw what happened to his world because of the heroes, so he wanted to make a world where none of them could have any kind of power. However, the heroes have stepped up, and are fighting the Maker on every front. The heroes of the Ultimate Universe are very different from their 616 counterparts, something that has become even more obvious in Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion, a book that brings Miles Morales — looking for his sister Billie who accidentally used teleportation tech left for Miles by the Maker — to Earth-6160.
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Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #2 continues his quest, and he’s been joined by two members of the Ultimates — Ant-Man and the Wasp. The relationship between Ant-Man and Wasp has always been one of Marvel’s most complex couples. Making them the touchstone of Miles Morales’s crossover with the Ultimate Universe was an idea that no one would have expected. Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #2 digs into Ant-Man’s head as he and the Wasp help Miles get into Wakanda to find his sister, revealing that as different as this Ultimate Universe is from Earth-616, there is one thing that is the same — the Wasp is better than Ant-Man.
The Wasp Has Always Been Much Better than Ant-Man
After a misunderstanding with the Dora Milaje, Miles, Wasp, and Ant-Man are brought before the Black Panther, Shuri, Storm, and Killmonger. The Wasp takes the lead while speaking with the monarch and his court, and Ant-Man is struck by how good at this sort of thing that the Wasp is. He then starts to think about his time with her, how the coma he was put in took away the potential he had to be something more than an exterminator. The Wasp was there with him the whole time, helping him get his mind back. She stayed with him despite all of the changes in Ant-Man’s life, and he knows that she is so much better than he is. She’s at home with the Ultimates and someone like Black Panther in a way that he just isn’t. The Ultimates have a big challenge in front of them, and one gets the feeling that Ant-Man knows he’s a detriment to her and the team alike. In fact, he thinks about the fact that he’s wanted to leave her several times — he truly believes that her life would be better without him — but can’t bring himself to leave because he loves her so much.
What makes these developments so interesting is that this actually isn’t much different from Wasp and Ant-Man in the 616 Universe. Hank Pym is one of Marvel’s foremost superhero scientists, not only creating Pym Particles, but also the technology behind his helmet, which lets him communicate with ants, and the tech that gives Wasp’s suit the ability to fly and fire wasp stings. Marvel in the ’60s was very sexist (seriously, go back and read some Stan Lee from that time), and so at first, it always seemed like Ant-Man was the better of the two bug-themed heroes. However, as time went on, Wasp would prove herself. She became chairwoman of the Avengers long before Ant-Man became an Avengers leader, as his mental issues would make it even harder for the Avengers to trust him. The Wasp gained the esteem of the rest of the team, and even helped the Avengers defeat the Masters of Evil in the Avengers classic “Under Siege”. The Wasp grew as a hero, while Ant-Man just stayed still. In fact, the only time Ant-Man was able to show he great a hero he was took place during the time when he used the Wasp. The Wasp has always been superior, and that’s before we get into how bad Earth-1610 Ant-Man was.
The Wasp Is Always Better Off Without Ant-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #2 is a very basic crossover story, but the parts with Ant-Men give it that little bit of extra oomph it needed. Ant-Man having an inferiority complex is nothing new — Pym’s most famous moment, when he slapped the Wasp, came because of this and 1610 Pym’s attack on the Wasp was spurred on by the same thing — but what is new is the way he’s dealing with it on Earth-6160. Instead of being angry or feeling like Wasp being better makes him some how less than her, he accepts that. You get the impression that he would do anything for her, including sacrifice himself.
For a lot of fans, the Wasp being better than Ant-Man isn’t exactly surprising. The Wasp has starred in way more amazing Avengers stories than Ant-Man has — for example, she was part of the cast of Uncanny Avengers (Vol. 1), a highlight of 21st century Avengers books (and that’s just the tip of the iceberg) — and is an all-around more interesting character than Ant-Man has ever been. The relationship between Earth-6160’s Wasp and Ant-Man prove that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #2 is on sale now.
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