The Ultimate Universe was introduced in the early 2000s and put a contemporary spin on characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, and The Avengers (who were renamed The Ultimates). Much of what we saw in those comics inspired the MCU, but the line eventually fell apart.
That can largely be blamed on Jeph Loeb's disastrous input, though later stories at least gave us Miles Morales!
Now, Marvel Comics has announced that a new Ultimate Universe will spin out of the pages of this month's Ultimate Invasion series. It's said that writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Bryan Hitch's new universe "will revolutionize the world outside your window."
After the Maker's desperate attempt to restore the Ultimate Universe unleashes massive, unintended consequences, a group of Marvel's heroes are caught in a war between timelines. As universes collide, the foundation of a new line of Ultimate Comics will be built.
It all begins with November's Ultimate Universe #1, a one-shot written by Hickman and illustrated by Stefano Caselli with a cover by Hitch. The comic promises to introduce readers to a new line that will be home to an array of brand-new hard-hitting series. A fresh start for a new generation, it's said that we'll see our favourite characters redefined for today's world.
"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 says. "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 superheroes 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 adds. "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."
You can check out some brand new cover art below, but it's looking like the regular Marvel Universe's X-Men will be a big part of what's to come in Ultimate Invasion. It's going to be an exciting year, that's for sure...