This last year, Wonder completely proved me wrong by bringing back an initiative that I thought would never properly return in the form of Final Universe. Major comic book publishers try a lot of different things, and sometimes you just say “that won’t work”, but I’m more than happy to be proven wrong.
I didn’t really think Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe would be a success – until it was. The original Ultimate Universe, starting with 2000 Ultimate Spider-Man #1 by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley, Art Thibert, Steve Buccellato and Richard Starkings, re-imagined the Marvel mythos as if they began in the present moment. For Spidey, this meant Peter Parker was an admittedly nerdy teenager dealing with the teens of the early 2000s. For other books, it meant interacting directly with real politics.
Marvel’s challenge in reviving the line for the mid-2020s would not be replicating this formula, but making it feel contemporary in its own way without leaning too much on the original. Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe, which also began in January 2024 Ultimate Spider-Man #1 by Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto, Matt Wilson and Cory Petit. This time, Peter is reinvented not as a contemporary teenager, but as a husband and father, facing new responsibilities later in life.
Marvel’s new definitive universe surprised me with its great success
But I’m not complaining
The new universe was not perfect at the beginning. Before the debut of the new USMthe initiative began with the miniseries Final Invasion by Hickman, Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Alex Sinclair and Joe Caramagna. While Final Invasion It wasn’t the critical success one might have expected from Hickman, I personally liked it more than most. I desired this universe thrived, but I thought other writers would have difficulty working within Hickman’s framework of a secret dystopia controlled by supervillains.
It’s good to be wrong sometimes.
I also incorrectly assumed that Hickman would take the reins on a new volume of THE Finals and continue Final invasion larger portion. Instead, Hickman was announced as a writer for Ultimate Spider-Man. It’s good to be wrong sometimes, especially given the great success of USM.
How do you make Spider-Man look contemporary in 2024?
By Embracing Character Over Plot
Why 2024 Ultimate Spider-Man to work? Instead of the Ultimate Universe’s original teenage hero, this Peter Parker is a middle-aged father struggling with the feeling that he was meant for greater things, if only he were brave enough to change. That’s the trick, right there. Hickman is still dealing with the meta-plot introduced in Final Invasionbut now it’s just the framework for a character-focused story above all else. Sure, the book is banking on fan excitement about a version of Spider-Man who’s still married to Mary Jane, but that premise isn’t just lazy fan service.
The other half of the book’s success is how it plays with expectations and isn’t afraid to keep fans on their toes. No one in comics is better at manipulating fans’ emotions than Hickmanand that is a huge compliment. I could offer predictions, like: Surely this show is going to kill off Uncle Ben, or maybe J. Jonah Jameson, or one of Peter’s kids! Harry Osborn is certainly following a villainous path, just like Doc Ock and Venom from this universe! But only Hickman and his collaborators know for sure, and they don’t say. I guess we’ll have to keep reading with bated breath.
Marvel’s Ultimate New Universe Debuts the Weirdest Teens Ever
I’m talking about the X-Men, of course
Two more books followed in this initial wave of Ultimate with the difficult task of following Spider-Man – including Last X-Menwhich became my favorite book in the entire line. Directed by writer and artist Peach Momoko, and featuring an adaptation of the screenplay by Zack Davisson and letters by Travis Lanham, I’ve seen readers describe the book as inspired by manga or “young adult” comics, but these labels seem reductive when we look at the all. Focusing on a group of young heroines in this world’s Japan, this book has a tone unlike any other Marvel comic and has the potential to bring in the mythical “new Marvel reader” like few other comics.
On the Ultimate Universe release schedule for 2024, Ultimate Black Panther came next, and while I don’t have much to say about it, that doesn’t detract from its quality. By Byran Edward Hill, Stefano Caselli, David Curiel, and Cory Petit, the first collected volume of Ultimate Black Panther is now available from Marvel Comics.
In a way, Momoko pulls the same trick as Hickman. There are a lot of familiar X-Men elements here, but presented in an entirely new context. The big difference is that Momoko herself stated that she was not very familiar with the X-Men before taking on the project. This lack of familiarity benefits the book. Momoko still looks for references from across the franchise, but does so without internal or external expectations. Someone who knew the X-Men inside and out wouldn’t be able to write this book as it stands now, and we’d be all the poorer for it.
This world’s biggest problems require Ultimate Team
The latest It has become one of the most acclaimed current titles in comics
Then there is the new version of THE Finals by Deniz Camp and Juan Figeri. The original 2002 Finals by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch was a huge success, directly influencing the MCU’s Avengers, so there were high expectations for this book, especially since it was released later than the other titles. The original Finals was emblematic of early 2000s comicswith bold political comments that weren’t as clever as they thought, eventually turning into a near-parody of itself as the original Ultimate Universe progressed.
A new Ultimates book was always going to have political commentary, especially after Final Invasionbut it needed an intelligent writer. Fortunately, Camp was available. With Frigeri, Camp was based on the alternative history that Final Invasion just hinted to create a team whose struggles are informed by a distorted version of real-world injustices.
In The latestShe-Hulk’s story mimics the horror of real-life nuclear testing, and Hawkeye is a Native American who fights a new generation of colonizers who pollute his homeland. Art reflects life and the new Finals the title is a scathing condemnation of our own world, while also showing heroes striving to solve problems in a way we can only hope.
The Ultimate Line is a huge success and in large part thanks to the art
Artists at the top of their game grace these pages
Part of the line’s success is that your books have consistently excellent arta quality that’s surprisingly easy to underestimate in comics. Last Spider-Man lead artist Checchetto broke out working alongside writer Chip Zdarksy on Reckless. Now, Checchetto brings a realistic style and killer design sensibilities to Spidey. Momoko’s watercolor in Last X-Men It’s spectacular and does justice to the great emotions of its young protagonists. There is at least one moment per issue where I sit and mumble words that I cannot repeat here because of the skill demonstrated.
About that, Ultimate Black Pantherof Artist Stefano Casilli has never received the critical praise he deserves, especially for the physicality of his figure. Caselli also designed many of the Ultimates for the one-shot Final Universe #1. Frigeri takes the reins The latest and has been consistently improving since I first encountered your work in Invincible Iron Man (Not that he was a slouch either). Not to mention the host of other great artists involved, from Phil Noto to David Messina to Dike Ruan and more.
The Ultimate Universe Proves Creators Need Freedom
Big swings make for great Marvel reading
The common thread in all of these titles is that their creators have enormous creative freedom, which can often feel like a rare commodity in Big 2 comics. There are a lot of “Elseworld” style comics that feel like the creators are just 5 degrees away from distance from the conventional canon, whether thanks to its own intention or editorial limitations. You need to take risks at all levels, and fortunately this line is only based on big risky swings. Like the new Final Universe enters year two with new books arriving – including Supreme Wolverine – I can’t wait to see what comes next Marvel best new initiative.
The latest editions of Final Universe line is now available from Marvel Comics.