Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Ultimate Black Panther #13! Marvel Comics There is no shortage of notable villains who never fail to captivate and entertain readers, especially when they make life difficult for their designated heroes. However, it cannot be denied that in the grand scheme of things, Marvel villains simply don’t matter. Sure, they can cause problems (sometimes on a cosmic scale), but they’re never really the focus, especially in death. These villains die, come back, and often without explanation. Marvel villains serve the hero’s story, not the broader story of the Marvel Universe. At least, until now.
When requesting Ultimate Black Panther #13 by Bryan Hill and Stefano Caselli, it is revealed that Black Panther is ultimately victorious over his arch-villain: Moon Knight. In the Ultimate Universe, Moon Knight is the living embodiment of Khonshu, who rules Africa alongside Ra in the name of the Creator. Khonshu and Ra serve on the Council of Creators, which controls the shadow world. Their territory is Africa, but the only nation they could never claim was Wakanda. Now, readers know this never happens, as Black Panther defeats Moon Knight before the events of Ultimate Black Panther #13.
ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER: YEAR TWO STARTS HERE! With MOON KNIGHT defeated and the Creator’s Council forced to regroup, T’Challa must learn the secrets of vibranium – because his very life and soul are at risk! ULTIMATE SORCERY can help understand the truth about the terrifying element that built Wakanda, but its help comes at a price…
Now that Moon Knight has been defeated and Khonshu and Ra’s reign over Africa is no more, the Creator’s Council is stirring. For Black Panther, who is unaware of the existence of the Council of Creators, he only thinks he has rid his nation, and indeed his entire continent, of two incomparable villains. But in the grand scheme of the Ultimate Universe, Black Panther unwittingly disrupted the nature of the Creator’s world order. Eliminating Maker’s Council members is no easy task, and the ramifications of doing so will be felt globally – and that’s pretty cool.
Marvel’s Ultimate New Universe Proves Why Villain-Focused Storytelling Matters
The Ultimate Universe Becomes a Classic Hero/Villain Trope
This preview of Ultimate Black Panther #13 is a perfect example of what the entire Ultimate Universe is doing in general – and why it’s working. The new Ultimate Universe of Earth-6160 isn’t just a random world in the Marvel multiverse, it’s a world that was deliberately shaped by the Creator. This not only means that the Ultimate Universe was literally created by villains, but that the heroes of this world are fighting to make real changes, rather than simply maintaining the status quo.
Typically (in the mainstream Marvel universe), the hero is the one who tries to maintain law and order while taking down any villain who dares to challenge the system, especially on a global or even universal scale. How many times has a random bad guy risen to power to shape reality to his liking, only for the good guy to overthrow him and make things the way they were before? These stories are about the hero’s personal character growth, while the villain only plays the role of a temporary obstacle. The Ultimate Universe changed that.
Now, the heroes are the obstacles that the villains must eliminate before the status quo can be changed. And unlike the episodic nature of the mainstream Marvel Universe, each separate story feeds into the larger narrative of the broader Ultimate Universe. All the villains work together to keep the world the way they want it – just as the Creator did – so that every time one of them is defeated, the rest feel the impact. And since every story contributes to the larger narrative, the deaths these villains suffer are permanent – ​​otherwise none of this works.
Not only did Marvel make its villains matter again, but its heroes too
The stakes have never been higher for Marvel’s heroes
While Black Panther may have taken down two members of the Creators Council, the Ultimates have recently had the opposite experience. In The latest #6, the Ultimate Universe Avengers challenged the Hulk (another member of the Creator’s Council), and they were completely torn to pieces. The same happened to Spider-Man when he fought the Kingpin, who is a mere subordinate of the Creator’s Council. Furthermore, the X-Men are just teenagers who couldn’t understand the full scope of their main villain, the Children of the Atom (a mutant cult created by the Creator to control the mutant population).
Basically, heroes aren’t guaranteed victory in the Ultimate Universe the same way they are in mainstream Marvel continuity – and that’s a good thing. Comics set on Earth-616 have a responsibility to keep these iconic characters alive, which is why heroes and villains can die and come back like it’s nothing, and why – at the end of the day – heroes always win. The Ultimate Universe is not under such pressure. In fact, it’s very possible that the heroes won’t defeat the Creator and that this universe will essentially become the permanent “lair” of the multiversal villain.
The Ultimate Universe created real stakes for both the heroes and villains of Marvel Comics. The death of a villain drives the larger story forward, and the loss of a hero is the norm (in fact, the villains won before the Ultimate Universe even really began). Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe is a masterclass in long-form, cohesive storytelling, and that’s exactly how it is Marvel Comics made its villains (and heroes) matter again.
Final Black Panther #13 from Marvel Comics will be available on February 19, 2025.