Marvel's Ultimate Invasion Is Setting Up a Major Multiverse War

Marvel's new event series Ultimate Invasion has brought fans back to the Marvel Ultimate Universe, where acclaimed writer Jonathan Hickman has taken the character of The Maker (Reed Richards' nefarious Ultimate Universe variant) on a reboot of reality, where The Maker got to reshape the creation of Marvel superheroes, picking and pruning where he saw fit. 

In Ultimate Invasion #3, Howard Stark/Iron Man attends the funeral of Obidiah Stane, and afterward he's brought in by the Maker's forces for a debrief about the attack against the Maker by variant Avengers in issue #2. During that meeting, Howard recognizes all the world powers in the room – many of whom are supposed to be enemies. That's when Hulk, The Maker, and others have to let Howard Stark in on a big worldly secret that Stane had to shoulder for years: how The Maker achieved the perfect society.  

As it turns out, the world powers of The Maker's territories of Earth –  from Japan's Emperor and his guards (Silver Samurai, Sunfire, Lady Viper) to The Hulk, to the Mutant coalition (Omega Red, Magik, Colossus) – have all been complicit in an unthinkable game. For years these leaders of nations and people have selectively rotated which of them will serve as the "bad guy" for the world's ire, while the others stoke the world to fear and hate that foe. After a generation, the roles are rotated, and the "evil" nation becomes one of reform, while the most riled nation becomes the new unstable "rogue" state. 

While the world has been distracted by this geopolitical game of war and peace, The Maker reveals he has been working with Reed Richards (now a variant in a Doctor Doom suit) to build something an "Immortus Engine" – i.e., the time machine The Maker already told Howard he would build – the one that caused the variant Avengers to attack, and brought the Maker to the 6160 reality. 

Marvel's Ultimate Invasion Multiversal War Revealed

An epilogue to Ultimate Invasion #3 reveals who the mastermind enemy is striking at The Maker and his new Earth-6160 reality – and it is  Kang The Conqueror. The epilogue shows the legions of Avengers variants all talking in time-speaking about how they have refined their stock over generations of evolution, and are ready for war. Kang (in some Iron Man-style armor), who has been keeping careful watch over The Maker's machinations, agrees that the time for war has come! 

Ultimate Invasion #4 will bring an epic showdown between The Maker's world and Kang's forces. Marvel fans will have to wait and see if Kang's presence in the story is an easy way to prune the 6160 reality as a one-off, or if this is the start of a larger story that's about to unfold beyond this series. Kang has had several event series of his own over the last few years, with the tease of some culminating event to come. 

We'll find out more when Ulitmate Invasion #4 is released.