Ultimate Comics: Marvel's New Ultimate Universe, Explained

In 2000, Ultimate Spider-Man launched the Ultimate Universe: Marvel's comics imprint updating its classic superheroes for the new millennium. A 15-year-old Peter Parker, teen X-Men, and The Ultimates — modernized versions of Avengers Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk — assembled in what became known as Earth-1610, a reality without ties to decades of comics continuity. And now, in the way that Ultimate Spider-Man of the '00s birthed Ultimate Marvel, the debut title of the new line of Ultimate Comics is this week's Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) #1 by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Marco Checchetto.

Here's everything you need to know about the new Ultimate Spider-Man comic and how to get in at the ground level of the reborn Ultimate Universe.

Ultimate Marvel (2000—2015): The End of Earth-1610

After 15 years, the original Ultimate Marvel Universe — spanning such titles as Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Fantastic Four, and The Ultimates — became bogged down by its own canon. The five-issue Ultimatum killed off many of this universe's heroes and put into motion events that would ultimately lead to Ultimate Reed Richards becoming the supervillain The Maker. 

A 16-year-old Peter Parker died battling the Green Goblin in 2011's Ultimate Spider-Man #160; a spider-bitten Miles Morales adopted the identity in the relaunched Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man. During Hickman's Secret Wars crossover in 2015, the mainstream Marvel Universe (Earth-616) collided with the Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610) to bring the Miles Morales Spider-Man into the prime universe. The Ultimate Comics line concluded with the five-issue limited series Ultimate End in 2015.

Ultimate Invasion (2023): The Beginning of Earth-6160

Hickman's Ultimate Invasion #1-#4 sees The Maker set out to remake reality with the only other survivor from his dead universe: Ultimate Miles Morales, who migrated into the prime Marvel Universe of Earth-616. Instead of reviving Earth-1610, Ultimate Invasion #1 birthed Earth-6160: a reality where The Maker interfered to prevent many of Earth's mightiest heroes from gaining their powers.

The Fantastic Four: dead. Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America: MIA. Thor Odinson and Stephen Strange: captive. Peter Parker: inactive. The technocrat Howard Stark — not his teenage son, Tony — is Iron Man, and the grey-skinned Hulk is the highest holy man of the pacifistic cult the Children of Eternal Light. 

The world is ruled by several sovereign bodies: the North American Union (Obadiah Stane), the Society of South America (Emmanuel Da Costa), the European Coalition (Captain Britain), the Upper and Lower Kingdoms (Lord Khonshu), the Eurasian Republic (Illyana Rasputina, Piotr Rasputin, Arkady Rossovich), the Children of Eternal Light and the Shadows of the Immortal Hand (Hulk), Hi No Kuni / "Land of Fire" (Viper), and The City and its Latverian territories (The Maker). It's inside The City where Howard Stark meets the metal-masked Reed Richards of Earth-6160: Doctor Doom.

As The Maker went to war with the Kang of the far future who wore a suit of Iron Man-like armor, Howard Stark died defeating The Maker and Kang. Doom then helped the teenage Tony Stark build his suit of armor to become a silver centurion called Iron Lad, and together, they found a long-lost warrior frozen in ice: the Super-Soldier Captain America.

Ultimate Universe #1 (2023): The New Ultimate Universe

Ultimate Universe #1 is a one-shot foundational issue setting the stage for the new continuity. Set two weeks after The Maker was trapped inside The City, a quiet war breaks out across the planet to shape what will become of his kingdom. Doom and Iron Lad free Thor from his prison on Asgard, and then explain to the warden — Lady Sif — that the world is not as it is supposed to be. Their imperator is from a different universe and arrived to Earth-6160 to systematically erase its heroes from existence, which The Maker has done by denying them the circumstances and events that would have transformed them into what they were supposed to be. Doom stole The Maker's files, so now the new Ultimates are on a mission to set things right: Doctor Doom, Iron Lad, Thor, and Lady Sif.

The Maker's council then conspired to take command of a Stane/Stark satellite and used it to destroy Stark Tower in Manhattan, blaming Tony Stark for the terrorist attack that killed thousands caught in the blast radius. Among the dead are Emily and Norman Osborn, as well as May Parker — the elderly aunt of an adult Peter Parker — and the young Tony Stark himself is believed dead to the public. In other news, it's reported that there is an outbreak of global infighting and an insurgence in several dynastic strongholds of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms — including the isolated nation of Wakanda, kingdom of the Black Panther.

Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (2024): Meet the Parkers

The new Ultimate Spider-Man for the new Ultimate Universe is a middle-aged Peter Parker who is married to Mary Jane Watson-Parker. They have two children: a son, Richard, and a daughter, May. Because The Maker interfered to stop a radioactive spider from biting a teenage Peter Parker (in Ultimate Invasion #1), Peter is an adult when he becomes Spider-Man. This reality is also home to New York City's newest superhero — not Spider-Man, but the Green Goblin. 

Ultimate Universe Reading Order

• Ultimate Invasion #1—#4 (2023)
• Ultimate Universe #1 (2023)
• Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (January 2024)
• Ultimate Spider-Man #2 (February 2024)
• Ultimate Black Panther #1 (February 2024)
• Ultimate X-Men #1 (March 2024)
• Ultimate Spider-Man #3 (March 2024)
• The Ultimates (2024) (TBA 2024)