It's the beginning of the end for the new Ultimate Universe this Wednesday when Ultimate Endgame #1 finally goes on sale. After being trapped for 2000 years, The Maker–the original Ultimate Universe's Reed Richards—is finally set to return, but have the world's heroes done enough over the past two years to put an end to his machinations?
In this extended preview of the issue, we see what happened when The Maker first arrived on his twisted version of the Marvel Universe and laid waste to the Eternals. The stakes are going to be incredibly high, something that's evident from The Maker's promise to destroy this world and start over if his plan fails.
In the present, we find Peter Parker being forced to say goodbye to his family, though he does have Richard Parker's "Picotech" suit on hand to help him in the battle to come. Given The Maker's role in the King in Black storyline, we can't help but wonder whether that's going to come into play during this event.
Marvel Comics has decided to end the Ultimate Universe after only two years, meaning we'll likely be saying a permanent farewell to these characters soon.
Whether some will carry over to the main Marvel Universe isn't clear. It's also possible that this will be the end of the line for The Maker, a big bad who has factored into several big stories—including Secret Wars—since the previous Ultimate Universe was destroyed in an Incursion with Earth-616.
"It was a shock," Ultimate Endgame writer Deniz Camp previously said of being tasked with writing this event. "You know, it was a shock that I got picked to do Ultimates, to play in the Ultimate Universe period. And I told Wil Moss, the editor, 'This is a big risk and a big mistake, probably, on your part, but I appreciate you taking a chance.'"
"And I said the same thing when they gave me Endgame: 'You might regret this, but I'm gonna do my best.' And yeah, it's crazy. It really is. I've been reading comics forever, and so I read these events as a fan forever. I read them all, from both companies. I feel like I know what they need. But in another way, this is a completely different kind of event than anyone that's ever been done."
"Every other event is like, 'Oh, it's the culmination of something, but it leads into something else.' This is really the culmination of something—and the culmination of a bunch of things we’ve been doing together," he continued. "It's doubly remarkable. Not only is it an event, but it's not an event like anyone's ever done before."
Check out this new look at Ultimate Endgame below, and check back here later this week for a full breakdown of the issue's biggest reveals.
ENDGAME HAS ARRIVED! The moment that has been building since the beginning of the new Ultimate Universe! Spinning out of Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri's ULTIMATES comes the culmination of ULTIMATE INVASION... Two (thousand) years have passed in the Ultimate Universe, but inside the City, the Maker has had thousands of years to prepare for his return! With the barrier around the City finally gone, heroes all across the Ultimate Universe must mobilize to defeat the Maker before it's game over. For everyone. Meanwhile, the rest of the world wages World War III...
ULTIMATE ENDGAME #1
Written by DENIZ CAMP
Art by TERRY DODSON, JONAS SCHARF
Cover by MARK BROOKS
On Sale 31/12