Marvel to Relaunch Ultimate Universe With Jonathan Hickman and Stefano Caselli

Marvel Comics is reviving the Ultimate Universe. An experiment at the start of the 21st century by the publisher to reboot their characters with fresh #1s and a new continuity, the Ultimate Universe is making a comeback after previously being pushed away at the end of 2015’s Secret Wars. The publisher confirmed the news today, revealing that the upcoming Ultimate Invasion event from writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Bryan Hitch will kickstart the Ultimate line of comics once again, “Something that has been forged in fire, and shaped by design…”

“What made the Ultimate Universe originally really interesting was that it was a reflection of the world outside your window, in the moment that you were living in. What does it look like in the world we’re living in now?” Hickman said in a press release. “It’s kind of shocking how much the world has changed in that period of time. The idea of what it would be like to see the genesis of super heroes in a brand-new world is a really fascinating exercise.”

“You don’t ever have to have read any of the Ultimate Universe to enjoy this,” Hitch added. “There’s some great comics in there, but this doesn’t need you to be familiar with that stuff. You just need to get in on page one and enjoy this because the story takes you where you need to go.”  

It’s unclear exactly what this new Ultimate Comics line will look like, but the events of Ultimate Invasion will give way to Ultimate Universe #1. This one-shot is scheduled to be published later this year, written by Hickman and drawn by Stefano Caselli with a cover by Bryan Hitch; but the first clues about what its contents will be can be found in Ultimate Invasion, which kicks off in June.

According to Marvel, Ultimate Universe #1 will “introduce readers to this new line” which will kick off with “an array of brand-new hard-hitting series” and serve once again as a fresh starting point for a new generation of readers. “Prepare to see your favorite characters redefined for today’s world,” the press release teases. “Stay tuned in the coming months for more information about this exciting new universe crafted by some of today’s greatest comic book visionaries.”

As readers may recall, the Ultimate Comics line largely continued throughout the 2000s, but eventually saw some of its most popular characters move to the “main” Marvel-616 universe as a result of Secret Wars. This was mostly for the benefit of Miles Morales, but the Ultimate version of Reed Richards, the evil “The Maker,” is still running around as well.