Ultimates
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The Ultimates are a group of fictional characters, a government-sponsored team of superheroes in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, appearing primarily in their self-titled comic book limited series Ultimates and Ultimates 2, published by Marvel Comics, written by Mark Millar and drawn by Bryan Hitch. The series started out as a monthly publication in 2001, but due to the greater amount of time required by Millar and Hitch to complete each issue, new issues are released as they are completed. Each twelve-issue miniseries is regarded as a "season" of the same title. The team is a re-imagining of the Marvel Universe superhero team, the Avengers.
Their first series, simply titled Ultimates, ended in April 2004. The current series, Ultimates 2, began in December 2004 and has published ten of an expected thirteen issues as of March 2006. A third series, Ultimates 3, is planned after the conclusion of Ultimates 2, and will feature a new creative team in the form of Jeph Loeb and Joe Madureira. It has recently been confirmed that Ultimates 4 is also currently in the works, with a creative team of Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada has even stated there is a creative team in mind for an eventual Ultimates 5.
The tone of the story is widely considered to be darker, more cynical, and more cinematic than most traditional comic books. A prominent theme is the scope and legitimacy of state power, with superheroes - or "persons of mass destruction" as they are described in the series - acting as metaphors for the immense resources of a modern superpower. In this respect, it resembles The Authority, a comic book series that both Hitch and Millar have each worked on, though at different times.
Characters
The Ultimates
Notable members of the Ultimates, former or current, include Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, The Wasp, Giant-Man, General Nick Fury, The Black Widow, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.
- Captain America is Steve Rogers - patriotic, nationalistic, jingoistic and reactionary. He has more of a stereotypical 1940s attitude than the original version did (even in the 1940s). Rogers underwent six months of surgery and steroid treatment during World War II to become America's first Super-Soldier. At the end of the war in 1945, he led a mission to sabotage a prototype hydrogen bomb developed by the Nazis with extraterrestrial technology, and was thrown into the North Atlantic Ocean, where he was frozen. He remained in suspended animation until his body was rediscovered in the present day and revived, just in time to take the field leadership of the new government-sponsored superhuman force known as The Ultimates.
- Nick Fury is the Ultimates' government liaison and head of S.H.I.E.L.D., the branch of the U.S. military currently devoted to meta-human threats (although Hawkeye has stated its original purpose was to bring down the Soviet Union). General Fury is an African-American in this re-imagining -- the original Fury was Caucasian -- but retains other features of his mainstream counterpart. For example, he wears an eye patch due to an injury in the Persian Gulf War. While Fury usually leads the team via a comm-link from their home base, he has occasionally joined the team on field missions, employing advanced spy technology (e.g. invisibility) to stay alive. He also makes various cameos throughout the Ultimate Marvel Universe, more so than the other Ultimates. Reportedly, Millar and Hutch have both indicated that his characterization and image are loosely based on Samuel L. Jackson.
- Iron Man is Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist, playboy and inventive genius who created the Iron Man powered armor. Stark has an inoperable brain tumor: doctors estimate he has between six months and five years to live. As a result, Stark decides to do something of worth before he dies. He is portrayed as an alcoholic, as he was for a time in the original comics. During the second series, Stark becomes engaged to Black Widow, giving her a suit of armor as an engagement present. It has been suggested that the third series of the Ultimates will involve Stark's brain tumor as an important plot point.
- Thor is a man who claims to be the exiled Son of Odin. He has built a cult of personality around himself with his preachings of a political conspiracy orchestrated by the New World Order. According to his dossier, he is Thorleif Golman, an ex-nurse who suffered a nervous breakdown and spent 18 months in a mental institution. He appears to have super-powers which include flight, the ability to manipulate the weather, super-strength and also exhibits a degree of omniscience. He also wields the allegedly magical hammer Mjolnir, which can teleport objects into other dimensions. One of the mysteries behind Thor is whether or not he really is the Thor of Norse mythology. The later appearance of Loki, who mysteriously appears to taunt Thor and subsequently appears with an opposing supervillain team, appears to give credence to Thor's claims. He refuses to be an official member of the team, which he considers pawns of the military-industrial complex, but offers to be on call anytime there is an emergency that requires his help. Mark Millar claims to have based the character loosely on conspiracy theorist David Icke.
- The Hulk is Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, a scientist who attempted to rediscover the Super-Soldier Formula that created Captain America. Insecure and neurotic, he used an experimental version of the formula on himself and was transformed into the mindless Hulk. In addition to being childlike and violent, the Hulk is shown not only as a sexual being (in contrast to the Marvel Universe version, which does not emphasize this aspect) with no morality or restraint, but also a cannibal. In the Ultimate War issue of the Ultimate X-Men, he escapes and eats his six-person nursing staff, and eats the extraterrestrial Chitauri leader in the climax of the first Ultimates miniseries. As the Hulk, he is also virtually unstoppable, but easily manipulated. Banner was thought cured of his adverse condition, but recreated the Hulk because he was resentful about being surrounded by people with super-powers who treated him as a milquetoast, and for being cuckolded by his girlfriend, Betty. Although not technically a member of the team, the Hulk was kept in isolation for safety reasons and was called on as a living weapon only as a last resort. In fact he seems to be more of a hindrance than a help, though in the latest arc he has returned to fight beside his "team mates" instead of against them.
- Giant-Man and The Wasp are Henry and Janet Pym, a married couple as they were in the original comics. In this re-imagining, their strained relationship includes emotional, verbal, and physical abuse on Henry's part toward Janet. Janet subsequently began a relationship with Captain America, which itself has become strained, in part due to their generational differences, and in part due to Janet's attempts to re-establish a friendship with Henry. As in the mainstream comics, Henry Pym is a world-famous scientist with tremendous powers of growth; but whereas the mainstream Wasp is a normal human altered by chemical and technological means, the Ultimate Wasp is secretly a mutant with a wasp-like physiology, including, for example, insect-like appetite and laying eggs. Janet is also Asian in the Ultimate line.
- The Black Widow and Hawkeye are Natasha Romanova, a former KGB spy and expert assassin, and Clint Barton, an archer with almost superhuman accuracy. They were originally part of the Ultimates' covert operations ("black ops") team, but were subsequently moved to public status after their backgrounds were falsified for public consumption.
- Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, are Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, a pair of mutant siblings. Pietro has the power of super speed, and Wanda can affect probabilities with her powers. Unlike the original mainstream versions of these characters, they have not abandoned their ties to Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants; they still believe in mutant supremacy. Because of their mutant status, they remain a part of the black ops section. They are often depicted touching and relating to each other intimately, which has led to fan speculation that the two share an incestuous relationship.
- Falcon is Samuel Wilson, an explorer/adventurer and scientist who utilizes a high-tech backpack with folding wings to fly. The wingtips are also usable as razor-like weapons. Sam Wilson has been seen interacting with the Ultimate Vision, and has demonstrated high level understanding of technology, suggesting that the wing-pack is something of his own design.
The Reserves
- Rocketmen, who wear customized suits based on early Iron Man designs. 4 of them are members of the Ultimate Reserves, while the others serve actively as general super-soldiers.
- Giant-Men, seven men who use a modified version of Hank Pym's "Giant Man" Formula.
- The Four Seasons, four marines who derive their powers from their uniforms. Their costume designs and abilities follow the season motif. They are part of the Reserves.
- Lieberman (deceased), the only Reserve member (besides the Giant Men) whose powers were not costume-based. He was injected with the Super-Soldier serum and, as a result, exhibited enhanced speed and strength, as well as nearly indestructible skin. He also possessed an innate connection to the S.H.I.E.L.D. supercomputer. However, his central nervous system collapsed after he saved several (57) people from a fire in New York City; the strain of the super-soldier serum killed him. It is suggested that there have been several other soldiers like him who died the same way.
- The Human Sentinels, Sixty of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents in a Sentinel battle armor that has enough hardware to take on a fleet of the old Sentinel models. Special polychrome coatings prevent magnetic fields from harming them in any way. They also have helmets to deter telepathy.
Enemies
Aside from the Hulk, the Ultimates have fought and encountered several super powered foes, including Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy, the Ultimate Six, and the product of an abandoned Russian supersoldier program. They have also fought the X-Men twice, though it was not until recently that Fury declared the X-Men enemies of the state. They also tangled with the villain Deathlok, whom they defeated with the assistance of Spider-man.The Chitauri and their leader, Captain America's wartime nemesis, Herr Kleiser, have proven to be formidable enemies of the Ultimates. A reptilian alien race based on the mainstream Marvel Skrulls, the Chitauri also appear to be partly based on the shape-shifting reptiles of the conspiracy theories of David Icke.
The Ultimates have over the years defeated or killed a number of super-villains; most are detained in the Triskelion. A list of other past enemies include:
- Magneto (escaped)
- Longshot (escaped)
- Mystique (posing as Magneto)
- Herr Kleiser (dead, but remains could be trapped in the Hulk's excrement)
- Sinister
- Deathstrike (status unknown: neck snapped by Longshot although she possesses a healing factor)
- Ultimate Six
- *Green Goblin
- *Dr Octopus
- *Electro
- *Kraven
- *Sandman
- The Colonel
- Abomination
- Crimson Dynamo
- The Schizoid Man
- Perun
- Swarm
- Hurricane
- Loki
- Black Widow
- Ant-Man
Bibliography
- Main article: Ultimates (story arcs)
- Ultimates #1-13
- *"Super-Human" (#1-6)
- *"Homeland Security" (#7-13)
- Ultimates 2 #1-present
- *"Gods And Monsters" (#1-6)
- *Ultimates 2 Annual #1
- *"Grand Theft America" (#7-13) (Ongoing)
- Ultimates 3 (Upcoming)
- Ultimates 4 (Upcoming)
Relationship to other Ultimate Marvel characters
In the Ultimate Marvel universe the team is connected to other heroes, including Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. The link between these teams is mostly Nick Fury, the President's right hand in meta-human affairs. Most of, if not all, these characters will be appearing in the finale of 'Ultimates 2'.Spider-Man
Fury knows Spider-Man's secret identity and watches over him, a fact that Peter has experienced as a mixed blessing. On one hand Fury protects him. In one instance, he sent the Wasp to heal his shoulder after Spider-Man was shot, as well as helping him conceal his secret identity. On the other hand Fury has made it clear that Peter will have to join the Ultimates when he is an adult, whether he likes it or not, or will be seen as a threat to national security.Fury has often shown a soft spot for Peter, partially because he thinks that he will be a valuable asset for the Ultimates, also because Peter is single-handedly tying up most of the New York rogues' gallery, in addition to his desire to attain the technology and genetic codes of Peter's enemies, especially the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus, contained in the Ultimate Six story arc, and lastly - and maybe most importantly - because, on some level, he likes Peter.
For a long time, Peter - although scared of Fury - tolerated his patronizing. However, after the Hobgoblin debacle, in which Peter's friend Harry Osborn was transformed into a monster, Peter grew extremely angry with Fury, punching him in a fit of rage.
In light of the Hobgoblin incident, Nick Fury believes that it is time for Peter to give up his spider-powers.
Most of the other Ultimates have taken a neutral stance toward Spider-Man; only Hawkeye has been mildly hostile towards him ("I hate kids," he explains off-handedly). Upon his introduction to the Ultimates during "Ultimate Six," however, Fury points out Spider-Man's track record to the team, which at the time, is impressive compared to what the Ultimates had accomplished themselves.
Recently, in Ultimate Spider-Man issue 89, Spider-Man was captured by Silver Sable and her Wild Pack, at the request of Donald Roxxon, head of Roxxon industries, to figure out why Spidey had been saving the company, inadvertantly, several times. To verify his identity, they ran his prints through an international database, which was intercepted by S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury authorized a recon team to find out what was going on.
They discovered that the mercenaries and Spider-Man were under attack by a costumed super-thug named Vulture, a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Blackie Drago. Iron-Man volunteered to assist Peter, but Fury decided to see if Peter could defeat Vulture on his own. After discovering the location of the person who created Vulture, Fury discovered it was a scientist named Elijah Stone, who had been attacking his former employer, Roxxon. Fury offered him a choice: work for S.H.I.E.L.D. or die. Stone agreed to assist Fury. Of interesting note is his Slayer robot, possibly a leadup to the Spider-Slayers, as Fury has stated that whether or not Spider-Man is willing, he WILL become part of the Ultimates at the age of 18.
X-Men
The X-Men have tangled with the Ultimates several times. Wolverine plays a key role in this relationship. He saved Nick Fury's life in Operation Desert Storm, and fought alongside Captain America in World War Two.In the Ultimate War storyline, Nick Fury discovered that Professor X had not killed Magneto, but had hidden him away, hoping to rehabilitate him, instead of handing him over to the authorities. This plan backfired when the Brotherhood discovered Magneto and removed the Professor's psychic blocks. In the aftermath, several thousand people died through Magneto's terrorist attacks. As a result, the government was furious with Xavier, who appeared to be aiding a known mass murderer, and Fury authorized the Ultimates to take the X-men down. The Ultimates fought the X-Men and defeated them in direct combat, but were thwarted when Professor X used his powers to temporarily freeze the Ultimates' minds and allow his students to escape. On the climax of mutant-human tension, the Ultimates also imprisoned rogue mutants in Camp X-Factor, where the prisoners have no legal rights, an allusion to Camp X-Ray.
Soon the X-Men captured Magneto and turned him- and themselves- over to S.H.I.E.L.D. (at the end of the "Return of the King" storyline). Nick Fury sheltered them, possibly because he (to an extent) supports Professor X's vision of mutant-human coexistence, seeing the other option as all-out war, which normal humans probably could not win. While other government officials tried to come up with more punitive solutions to the mutant issue, Fury brought in Tony Stark (Iron Man) to the talks. Stark suggested that the X-Men, and all of Xavier's school, be incorporated into S.H.I.E.L.D. This suggestion was adopted, and the storyline ended with the X-Men and the Ultimates enjoying a friendly buffet dinner at the newly rebuilt X-Mansion. Thor particularly was interested in Jean Gray's emerging Phoenix powers, warning her that it might not be wise to dismiss them as merely an expansion of her telekinetic abilities.
In the "New Mutants" storyline, it is revealed that there are forces in the military possibly higher up than Fury, forces with serious dislike for mutants. Fury also secretly assigned Wolverine to mercy-kill a mutant boy whose aura literally killed everyone around him.
In the limited series "Ultimate Nightmare," a portion of the Ultimates and the X-Men squared off in an abandoned Russian laboratory in Siberia. This battle ended with the Ultimates firmly holding the upper hand, though the X-Men escaped capture at its climax. As in the first battle, Captain America used Wolverine's partial memories to distract him in the fight. Wolverine was very annoyed with his team-mates at the end of the battle, asserting that the Ultimates nearly killed them due to their own poor planning.
Recently, the Ultimates and the X-Men squared off a third time, when the X-Men tried to prevent rogue mutants from the Academy of Tomorrow entering the Triskelion. Again, the fight ended in a draw. After Magneto's Brotherhood used the confusion to attack the Triskelion, Fury threatened drastic consequences, but was cut short when Wolverine blackmailed him by threatening to tell the world about the mercy kill assignment (see above). Angry, Fury cut his ties to the X-Men, warning them that if they ever meet again, the X-Men would be considered enemies.
Recently, however, Fury seems to have gone back on this statement a little. He again tapped Wolverine for yet another covert assignment--tracking down and executing Bruce Banner, aka The Hulk. Wolverine gladly accepted the challenge, since Hulk "sounded tough." It remains unclear whether or not this mission (contained in the Limited Series "Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk") occurs before or after the events in Ultimate X-Men (in the story entitled "Magnetic North"). In "Date Night", Fury sends a captured mutant to Xavier for therapy rather than keeping him sedated in a SHIELD prison cell, despite the broken allegiance between Fury and Xavier.
Daredevil
Matt Murdock served as Bruce Banner's defense lawyer when Banner was on trial for murdering 852 people as the Hulk.Fantastic Four
Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four has stated ambition to join the Ultimates. During the "President Thor" arc, Johnny was seen talking to Thor about an "audition.", and both groups show a great deal of respect for each other. The Fantastic Four itself is run and funded by a different department of the government (run by former S.H.I.E.L.D. boss, General Ross). The Fantastic Four first met The Ultimates in the Ultimate Secret storyline when they had to work together on a space mission, and again when they turned over a group of time-travelling terrorists to S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.Hawk-Owl
In addition, the Ultimates made a short appearance in the mini-series Ultimate Adventures, which starred a Batman analogue called Hawk-Owl. They invaded his secret headquarters and tried to persuade him to stop his vigilante activities. He held his own against Captain America in hand-to-hand combat and used his avian allies to overcome Giant-Man before Thor overcame him with a small electrical discharge.Awards & Recognition
The "Super-Human" storyline running through the first six issues of the first series won the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Story for 2003.Trivia
In Ultimates #4, a discussion occurs where the characters talk about which actors should play them. The results are:
- Nick Fury: Samuel L. Jackson
- Captain America: Brad Pitt
- Iron Man: Johnny Depp
- Giant-Man: Matthew McConaughey
- The Wasp: Lucy Liu (The Wasp scorned this suggestion, saying that Ms. Liu had only been suggested because she was the only Asian actress known to most of her teammates)
- Dr. Bruce Banner: Steve Buscemi
- Soldier: equivalent to Captain America; leader of the Maximums. A "super-soldier."
- Skyscraper: (deceased) equivalent to Giant-Man, and lover of Hornet. Killed in Superman/Batman #20 by "Superman" (though the true identity of the killer is suspect).
- Hornet: An alien-human hybrid, equivalent to The Wasp.
- Monster: equivalent to Hulk, large, blue-skinned, and sharp-toothed. Alter ego is a small African-American girl named Becky.
- Viking: equivalent to Thor, a Norse god and claimed son of "ice giants" whose axe is imbued with magical properties. This character has much more literal Viking influence (red hair, clan markings, etc.)
- Robot: equivalent to Iron Man. Is an actual robot rather than a man in armour.
- Bowman: (deceased) equivalent to Hawkeye. In spirit form, is responsible for helping the Maximums reach Superman and Batman's universe; is also in league with the post-Crisis "Mockingbird" Lex Luthor.
- Bug: equivalent to Spider-Man; has four arms, is able to stick to walls, and has blue skin. Also has a possibly part-Asian girlfriend named Kristen, who may be a subtle nod to actress Kirsten Dunst, who portrayed Spider-Man's love interest Mary Jane in the Spider-Man movies.
- Wolfen: equivalent to Wolverine. Part animal, part human.
- Ultimates 2 has become noted for trailing behind its original monthly publishing scheme, issue #10 being three months late.
- At the launch party for the Ultimates in issue 3 of the first series, it is possible to see two characters who bear a resemblance to Clark Kent (Superman's alter ego) and Jimmy Olsen in the background when a female reporter (Lois Lane?) comes to interview Tony Stark.
- During the above mentioned launch party, Jarvis is talking to Bruce Banner when he states "Cheer up, Master Bruce. You're not the only man who's ever been alone in a crowd, you know." This quote (particularly the 'Master Bruce' part) is a reference to Batman's butler, Alfred, who would always refer to his employer as Master Bruce.
The Ultimates Movies
On July 20, 2004, Marvel Entertainment and Lion's Gate Family Home Entertainment announced that they would be producing a 66-minute animated movie titled Ultimate Avengers, based on The Ultimates, which was released on DVD February 21, 2006. It does not include the member Hawkeye.A sequel, Ultimate Avengers 2 is scheduled for release in August of 2006.
- Further information: Ultimate Avengers
Collected editions
Trade paperbacks
| The Ultimates Vol. 1: Super-Human | (ISBN 0785109609) | collects The Ultimates #1-6 |
| The Ultimates Vol. 2: Homeland Security | (ISBN 078511078X) | collects The Ultimates #7-13 |
| The Ultimates 2 Vol. 1: Gods And Monsters | (ISBN 0785110933) | collects The Ultimates 2 #1-6 |
Hardcover
| The Ultimates Vol. 1 | (ISBN 0785110828) | collects The Ultimates #1-13 |
External links
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