Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Ultimates #7! THE Avengers and the Justice League they have always been technically comparable, but it is fair to say that this has not been the case. The Justice League is a collection of the world's most powerful heroes who operate from a base with access to every corner of the planet – and beyond. Meanwhile, the Avengers originated as a team of heroes who (let's face it) weren't popular enough to stand on their own in their respective solo books. Now, however, things have changed dramatically, as the Avengers finally feel equal to the Justice League.
In The latest #7 by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri, the Ultimates are bouncing back after their crushing defeat to Hulk. In the previous issue, the Ultimates traveled to K'un-Lun, trying to rescue super-powered prisoners from the Creator. Hulk is the Iron Fist of the new Ultimate Universe, so the Ultimates unwittingly enter his domain. As Hulk is a prominent member of the the Creator's Councilhe wanted nothing more than to see the Ultimates dead. Although he was unable to kill them before they escaped, the Ultimates are certainly feeling the loss and have decided to go their separate ways.
However, this shouldn't mean that Ultimates are disbanding – far from it. Their defeat by the Hulk made the Ultimates realize that everything wrong with their world is tied to the Creator, so it makes more sense to fight separate battles to weaken the Creator's control over their reality, as opposed to concentrated attacks on clearly superior enemies. In this effort, Hawkeye has returned to being a solo vigilante targeting corrupt companies, Thor and Sif have returned to Asgard to fight Loki (as the Creator helped make Loki King), and America Chavez is inspiring people around the world.
The Avengers finally feel like they're collectively saving the world (like the Justice League)
The Ultimate Universe's Avengers team looks bigger than ever
In the DC Universe, each superhero has their own corner of the world that they protect. Superman has Metropolis, Batman has Gotham and Flash has Central City, just to name a few. Each of them protects their unique corner of the DC Universe until a threat arises that demands their collective attention, at which point they band together as the Justice League. In the Marvel Universe, however, this is not exactly the case.
Virtually every major hero operates out of New York City except for special missions, which means there's no real reason why there shouldn't be a major team in basically every Marvel comic. Even the Avengers originally operated out of Avengers Mansion in New York, fighting bad guys that pretty much any of them could easily handle alone (like the Swordsman or the Masters of Evil). The Avengers haven't always felt like a collection of superheroes saving the world, but rather a team of B-Listers with nowhere else to go.
Obviously, that changed even before the launch of Marvel's new Ultimate Universe, but for most of the Avengers' run in Marvel Comics, that's how it seemed. The Justice League was the premier superhero team in a universe that seemed vaster than Marvel, while the Avengers seemed like little more than a clever way to not waste intellectual property. But now, the Ultimates have established their own corners of the Marvel Universe, just like the DC heroes, and each of them is working to save their entire reality – and that's truly fantastic to see.
Even the Ultimates' new headquarters resembles the Justice League
The Ultimates' Spy Satellite is Marvel's own watchtower
One of the main reasons the Justice League has always felt more international than the Avengers is its headquarters: the Watchtower. The Watchtower is an orbital base of operations from which the Justice League can send heroes anywhere in the world incredibly quickly. This, unlike the Avengers' base of operations, which has been very earth-bound over the years (Avengers Mansion, Avengers Tower, Avengers Mountain, etc.). But now, the Ultimate Universe Avengers have their own Watchtower-like headquarters, and it serves an identical purpose.
The Ultimates operate from a Stane/Stark spy satellite, which hides their location from the Maker-controlled world, while also giving them access to anywhere in the world. The Spy Satellite is certainly a huge upgrade for this version of the Avengers, as it helps put them on the same proverbial playing field as the Justice League in terms of international reach.
While their thirst definitely helped get them to this level, the main reason why the Ultimate Universe Avengers now look more like the Justice League is because of how Marvel's heroes are operating now. Each is fighting in their own corner of the Marvel Universe, collectively saving the entire world, rather than being a group of B-Listers focused on one city fighting fairly lackluster threats. THE Avengers feel international in a way they never felt before, and in a way that Justice League has been making sense for years, and this is an incredibly exciting development.
The Ultimates #7 from Marvel Comics is now available.