Ultimate Invasion: Every Marvel Hero Killed and Changed by The Maker

Last month when Marvel published Ultimate Invasion #1, the evil version of Reed Richards made a major change to Spider-Man’s origin. The Maker was able to break out of his prison that the 616 version of Reed Richards had constructed, while also leaving the main Marvel universe behind and heading off to a different reality, one of his own making. Though The Ultimate Universe, Marvel’s reboot universe from the early 2000s, had previously been destroyed, The Maker appeared to completely remake that world in his own Universe, given the number designation Earth-6160 (an inverse of the Ultimate Universe’s Earth-1610). Now Ultimate Invasion #2 has revealed even more differences in the universes, including who else has been killed.

Ultimate Invasion #1 revealed that while Peter Parker was still alive, The Maker had prevented him from gaining super powers at all. With the publication of Ultimate Invasion #2 however, this new universe itself has been defined to a bigger degree, revealing even more heroes that didn’t get their powers and plenty of others that died. In the opening pages, we see that in this new universe Loki is the ruler of Asgard and keeps Thor under his thumb, that the Fantastic Four took off late and never got their cosmic ray powers, and the Captain America was nowhere to be found in the ice of Antarctica. After that comes a page with a host of dead Marvel heroes.

After confirming that the likes of Steve Rogers are “undefined” in this universe, Earth-6160 confirms dead heroes including: Jim Hammond (the original Human Torch), James Buchanan Barnes aka Bucky/The Winter Soldier, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm. A few other Marvel heroes are listed as “inactive,” including a reason why, such as: Robert Grayson (Marvel Boy), Jack Monroe (Nomad), Hank Pym (Ant-Man), and Janet Van Dyne (The Wasp). 

As for the surviving heroes, Ultimate Invasion #2 reveals the characters that fans know are all very different. Iron Man for example is Tony Stark’s father, Howard, who is not only alive and a hero, but whose company isactually Stark Stane, partnering with Obadiah rather than fighting against him. To add another layer, Obadiah Stane is this universe’s War Machine. The Hulk is also present, and though still a green behemoth, is actually a spiritual leader that has his own following. Some new alliances are revealed, including that Silver Samurai and Sunfire have formed an alliance that seemingly rules Japan; and Colossus, Magik, and Omega Red are in charge of the Russian territories.

The latest issue concludes with a team of Avengers clones from the future, including Ultimate Captain America, Thor, Vision, and Wasp, as they try to apprehend and destroy The Maker; dispatched by the evil Reed Richards by eliminating the people in the present that they had been cloned from. Ultimate Invasion #2 concludes with The Maker revealed “The Immortus Engine” to Howard Stark, a time machine that will allow him to completely reshape the universe, and leaving us with the potential for even more major changes in the future.

ULTIMATE INVASION #3 (of 4)
(W) Jonathan Hickman (A/CA) Bryan Hitch
After KANG descends upon the City of Tomorrow, the Illuminati must regroup! IRON MAN has a heart-to-heart with Tony Stark! DOCTOR DOOM – the anti-Maker – prepares his own plans to deal with this evil Reed Richards… and the Ultimate Universe that the Maker thought he had rebuilt frays at the edges as they prepare for cosmic war!
Rated T+
In Shops: Aug 30, 2023
SRP: $5.99