Ultimate Universe #1 Review: The Ultimates Return… Kind Of

Jonathan Hickman has made a name for himself with some of the best Marvel Comics’ runs in the publisher’s history, focusing on the likes of the Fantastic Four, Avengers, and X-Men. With the arrival of Ultimate Invasion this year, a new Ultimate universe has been born that gives Hickman carte blanche to create a new take on some classic comic book characters. While the new “‘verse” might share the same name as the one that gave us Miles Morales, this universe is far different from what preceded it.

To get potential new readers up to speed, the Ultimate universe was first introduced in the year 2000 with writers like Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar initially offering fresh takes on classic heroes. The original Ultimate universe worked as a way to “modernize” Marvel’s heroes, while also giving creative teams a level of freedom in making permanent changes to many characters. Hickman was also a part of this initial universe and has returned to create a very different universe this time. The Reed Richards of the original Ultimate universe, now known as The Maker, attempted to halt the creation of the Marvel heroes in this new locale, and the protagonists are aiming to turn things around and make an environment that would be far more productive for superheroes.

Jonathan Hickman as a writer has always excelled at world-building, setting the stage for grandiose stories where each chapter works as an effective gear in a series’ “machinery” as a whole. While this new Ultimate universe might not be taking a more “modern” approach than what we’re seeing in the core Marvel Comics’ line, it is presenting plenty of unique takes to keep fans guessing in terms of the future of this universe. Hickman and Caselli are able to present quite a few interesting new takes on classic characters, laying the groundwork for a very different team of Avengers to lead the charge.

With this new Ultimate Universe, there are a lot of moving pieces that readers will need to familiarize themselves with when it comes to hopping on board Hickman’s latest foray. The Reed Richards of this world drops an exposition dump, though it’s one that doesn’t take into account a number of elements that might be needed as an introduction to any newcomers. Reading the Ultimate Invasion mini-series is an absolute must when it comes to not only learning more about why there’s a Reed wearing Doctor Doom’s armor, Tony Stark wielding the title of “Iron Lad” versus “Iron Man,” who the new villains secretly ruling the world are, and so on. It’s both a strength and a weakness of Hickman’s skills in that the moving pieces fit together perfectly, but if you miss a beat, you might find yourself scratching your head. There are some significantly big reveals in this issue’s pages that will hit much harder if you have an understanding of what came before in The Maker’s journey.

In Ultimate Universe #1, readers are given something of a breakneck pace as a new team comprised of Tony Stark (Iron Lad), Reed Richards, and Thor, joined by his jailer, Sif, is attempting to right the wrongs committed by The Maker. It’s at this pace that we lose some much-needed characterization for these new takes on classic heroes, Hickman takes some big swings in terms of setting the stage for how dangerous the new rulers of this new Ultimate Earth are and what’s at stake for the ragtag group of “Avengers” leading the charge.

One thing that I might have changed is the need for this new universe to be labeled “Ultimate” at all, as it doesn’t have the same modus operandi as its predecessor and feels like a far different approach than what came before it. There’s room for confusion when it comes to old fans of the original Ultimate universe hoping for the same but getting a far different dish on their dinner table. This isn’t to say that one shouldn’t check out Hickman’s new Marvel universe, it’s just that readers should not go in thinking this will be any sort of continuation of or homage to the original comic line. 

Ultimately, Ultimate Universe #1 does a solid enough job of introducing Hickman’s brave new world, but this feels like a first issue that might be better read as a collection than a single issue. I’m excited to see what comes next for this new Marvel Comic universe, but that’s thanks to what we saw in Ultimate Invasion and what’s been hinted at with other series on the way. Ultimate Universe #1 is a squeaky wheel that gets the car past the finish line but definitely could have used more grease. The future seems bright for Hickman’s new universe, but this isn’t a roaring success.

Published by Marvel Comics

On November 1, 2023

Written by Jonathan Hickman

Art by Stefano Caselli

Colors by David Curiel

Letters by Joe Caramagna

Cover by Bryan Hitch and Alex Sinclair