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Ultimatum (Ultimate Marvel comics)
Encyclopedia
Ultimatum is a five-issue comic book
limited series published by Marvel Comics
under its Ultimate Marvel
imprint from November 2008 to July 2009. The series, which was written by Jeph Loeb
and illustrated by David Finch, tied in with all other Ultimate titles, and dealt with Magneto's attempts to destroy the world following the apparent deaths of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in Ultimates 3. The first issue was the best-selling comic of November 2008, selling over 100 thousand copies; however, sales dropped with the second issue, which sold more than 25 thousand fewer copies. Over the course of its nine-month run, Ultimatum lost an estimated 27,482 readers. Despite relatively strong sales, the series received almost universally negative reviews upon its conclusion.
#8 featured a banner on its cover reading, "March on Ultimatum". The following summer, a teaser advertisement for Ultimatum ran in all Marvel titles. It depicted a broken tombstone reading 2000-2008, with the 2008 piece broken from its place, indicating that the Ultimate Universe would be ending that year. In an interview on YouTube
, artist David Finch said that Loeb would be bringing much to all of the Ultimate Universe to a close.
Loeb said in an interview with Comic Book Resources
that the storyline would "hopscotch back and forth between the two books [Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men] and conclude what I would like to say is the first chapter of the Ultimate Universe. What that means and how that's explored is the basis of our story and we're not letting any cats out of the bag."
During the Marvel Ultimate Universe panel at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con, Jeph Loeb said that Aron Coleite's run on Ultimate X-Men would tie-in to Ultimatum, but did not indicate that this series would end. While it was first reported in Wizard magazine that only one Ultimate Marvel title would be ending following the series, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Ultimate Fantastic Four were all canceled following the events of Ultimatum.
The Ultimates continued under the title Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates
after Ultimatum, and is written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by artist Frank Cho
. Mark Millar, writer and creator of The Ultimates, Ultimate Fantastic Four
, and Ultimate X-Men
, is the writer for a new series entitled Ultimate Comics: Avengers
, which features a rotating team of artists such as Carlos Pacheco
, Leinil Francis Yu
and Steve Dillon
. Ultimate Spider-Man was relaunched after the end of Ultimatum as Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man
, written by Brian Michael Bendis
and drawn by artist David Lafuente
, who provided the art for the third Ultimate Spider-Man Annual. Jeph Loeb is also currently writing a second series entitled Ultimate Comics: X
, which deals with mutants struggling under the new laws passed in the Ultimate Universe after the events of Ultimatum.
, and Ultimate Origins
miniseries, all of which featured a banner reading "March on Ultimatum" on their covers. During Ultimatum, the three Ultimate Marvel titles (Ultimate X-Men
, Ultimate Spider-Man
, and Ultimate Fantastic Four
), featured tie-in stories about various characters and events that occur throughout Ultimatum. The series mainly builds on the events of Ultimates 3, in which Ultron shoots and kills the Scarlet Witch. Ultron's rebellion and Wanda's death lead to a series of events which end with the apparent death of Wanda's brother, Quicksilver - mistakenly shot by Hawkeye. Magneto vows revenge on the Ultimates, declaring, "For what they have done, they must pay the ultimate price." Before escaping the Ultimates, Magneto is able to steal Thor's
hammer. It is further revealed that Doctor Doom was manipulating the situation.
and a tsunami
hits Manhattan
. Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman attempt to make it back into the Baxter Building, while the Thing attempts to hold off a whale that has just crashed through a window. Giant Man breaks out of Tony Stark's mansion looking for the Wasp. In the flooded streets of New York City, Bruce Banner appears to have drowned only to turn into the Hulk. Spider-Man attempts to help in rescue efforts. Angel rescues an unconscious Dazzler, whom he believes is dead. Iron Man
rescues Captain America
, reporting that many people have died and that he does not know where the rest of the Ultimates are. The Invisible Woman uses a massive force field to push all the water back out of the city without affecting civilians or buildings, but this puts her in a coma
. In Latveria, Doctor Doom
leaves his castle and discovers that everyone except him has been frozen. Professor X states that millions have died, and telepathically informs many of the world's superheroes that Magneto
is responsible for the destruction. Magneto is then revealed to be in a floating citadel with Thor
's hammer, Mjolnir.
In the aftermath, the Human Torch
is missing. Mister Fantastic searches for Namor, whom he believes to be responsible for the widespread destruction. Dazzler, Beast
and Nightcrawler
are dead, and the rest of the X-Men
begin searching for survivors. Hulk suddenly arrives and peacefully assists Spider-Man in rescue efforts. At the Triskelion, Iron Man arrives with an unconscious Captain America, who is put on life support. Hawkeye
helps Hank Pym search for the Wasp
, but they discover the Blob eating her corpse. Enraged and distraught, the giant-sized Pym bites off The Blob's head. Back at the Baxter Building, the Thing watches over a comatose Invisible Woman, whose powers lash out at him. Meanwhile, Doctor Doom and Zarda confront Reed Richards, and forge a plan to retrieve Nick Fury
from the Supreme Power
universe. Thor, upon finding Valkyrie
's lifeless body, enters Valhalla
to reclaim her soul. He is then confronted by Hela, who forces Thor to battle Hela's army of fallen warriors to reach Valkyrie. Captain America suddenly appears in Valhalla, implying that he has died. Meanwhile at Xavier's Institute for Gifted Children, Magneto confronts Professor X, and tells him that the deaths of Quicksilver
and Scarlet Witch
have spurred him to exterminate the entire human race. He then kills Xavier and leaves.
As the X-Men mourn their dead, Jean Grey
telepathically learns of Professor X's death and informs the others. At Magneto's citadel, a Jamie Madrox
clone arrives with a bomb strapped to his chest, accusing Magneto of turning on his own kind, but Magneto is not dissuaded from his genocidal path. In Valhalla, Thor sacrifices himself to save Valkyrie and Captain America from Hela. Captain America then wakes up, now healed, and announces that Thor is dead. A horde of Jamie Madrox's duplicates, acting as suicide bombers, attack the Triskeleon just as Hank arrives. He instructs Iron Man to take Wasp's body and find a file titled "The Jocasta Project". He then carries all the Madrox clones out to sea, where he allows himself to be blown up with them. Captain America orders the Ultimates to gather all the remaining heroes, and lead them in an assault on Magneto's citadel.
Kitty Pryde leaves to search for Spider-Man, who was caught in an explosion inside the Sanctum Sanctorum
, the home of Doctor Strange
. She and Spider-Woman find his mask, and assume he is dead. Strange's home is destroyed by an explosion, and when Dormammu appears, Strange confronts him. Dormammu, who is channeling The Human Torch's flame, kills Doctor Strange. Meanwhile, in the Supreme Power universe, Richards, Doom, Zarda, and Arcanna approach the exiled Nick Fury. Fury reveals that he knew of Magneto's plan, and forces Doctor Doom to reveal that he is responsible for the Scarlet Witch's death. Doom explains that he killed her in an attempt to overthrow humanity himself, but never expected Magneto to seek vengeance upon the world. Zarda is then outraged that Doom instigated Magneto's mass murder.
Back in the Ultimate Universe, the Ultimates and Wolverine confront Magneto at his citadel. Angel also arrives, but is immediately killed by Sabretooth
. Hawkeye blinds Sabretooth by shooting him through the eye. Magneto's arm is then cut off by Valkyrie, who is trying to reclaim Thor's hammer. Magneto then slashes Valkyrie's throat, but this does not kill her. Captain America attacks Magneto, and in response, Magneto collapses the ceiling on them, trapping them in the rubble. He flees and cauterizes
his arm with his magnetic abilities. He is then confronted by Cyclops, Phoenix, Wolverine, Storm, Hawkeye, and Iron Man. Magneto kills Wolverine by ripping the adamantium from his bones. Nick Fury arrives with Mister Fantastic, Doctor Doom, and Zarda, and implements his contingency plan. Using Jean's telepathy, Fury transmits his memories to Magneto, showing him that the existence of mutants was in fact the result of a misguided genetic super soldier experiment. Disillusioned, Magneto immediately reverses the damage he had done to the Earth's magnetic poles. Despite insisting that Charles Xavier would have forgiven him, Cyclops disintegrates Magneto's head with his optic blast. The heroes destroy the citadel and leave.
Eight days later, the world has begun to recover from the devastation. Cyclops gives a speech in Washington D.C. before a crowd of anti-mutant protesters. He acknowledges Magneto's crimes, but pleads for peace between humans and mutants. He also announces that Congress
is currently voting on a bill that will require all mutants to turn themselves into the U.S. government or be shot on sight. However, Cyclops is fatally shot in the head by an unknown assassin. In Latveria, the Thing kills Dr. Doom. In Wundagore, Quicksilver is revealed to be alive, and reveals that he was the one who assassinated Cyclops. He then takes Magneto's helmet and swears to carry on his father's dream, all while in the presence of an unknown woman whose face is not shown, although it is very likely that it is the Scarlet Witch.
Beast - Drowned in the Ultimatum Wave. ( Ultimatum #1)
Blob - Head bitten off by Hank Pym. ( Ultimatum #3)
Cannonball - Blown up by Madrox. ( Ultimatum #3)
Captain Britain - Blown up by Madrox. ( Ultimate X-Men #100)
Cypher - Presumably blown up by Madrox, shown alongside other casualties. ( Ultimate X-Men: Requiem)
Cyclops - Shot in the head by Quicksilver. ( Ultimatum #5)
Daredevil - Found dead by Spider-Man. Presumably drowned in the Ultimatum Wave. ( Ultimate Spider-Man #131)
Dazzler - Drowned in the Ultimatum Wave. ( Ultimatum #1)
Detonator - Tortured and killed in the Savage Land. ( Ultimatum #3)
Doctor Doom - Head crushed by the Thing. ( Ultimatum #5)
Doctor Strange - Killed by Dormammu
after his body is constricted, causing his head to explode. His body was taken by an unknown person. ( Ultimatum #4)
Emma Frost - Blown up by Madrox. ( Ultimatum #3)
Forge - Tortured and killed in the Savage Land. ( Ultimatum #3)
Franklin Storm - Drowned in the Ultimatum Wave. ( Ultimate Fantastic Four #58)
Hard-Drive - Tortured and killed in the Savage Land. ( Ultimatum #3)
Hank Pym - Blown up by Madrox. ( Ultimatum #3)
Juggernaut - Hit in the eye by a poisonous dart shot by a Sentinel soldier. ( Ultimate X-Men #99)
Longshot - Tortured and killed in the Savage Land. ( Ultimatum #3)
Lorelei - Killed by Wolverine. ( Ultimate X-Men #100)
Madrox - Killed by Wolverine. ( Ultimate X-Men #100)
Magneto - Decapitated by Cyclops. ( Ultimatum #5)
Nightcrawler - Drowned in the Ultimatum Wave. ( Ultimatum #1)
Polaris - Blown up by Madrox. ( Ultimatum #3)
Professor X - Neck broken by Magneto. ( Ultimatum #2)
Psylocke - Listed by Marvel as dead, shown alongside other casualties. ( Ultimate X-Men: Requiem)
Sunspot - Blown up by Madrox. ( Ultimatum #3)
Syndicate - Dead after one of his heads is blown off by William Stryker. ( Ultimate X-Men #99)
Thor
- Surrendered his soul to Valhalla
. ( Ultimatum #3)
Toad - Listed by Marvel as dead, though his death was never shown.
Wasp - Partially eaten by the Blob. ( Ultimatum #2)
Wolverine
- Killed by Magneto after the adamantium is ripped from his skeleton. ( Ultimatum #5)
Spider-Man
- Presumably dead after an explosion in Doctor Strange's
Sanctum Sanctorum
, found alive by Captain America
's Jesse Schedeen gave the series' final issue a scathing review, saying, "Ultimatum is one of the worst comics I have ever read," and called it "the ultimate nightmare." Points of criticism among these reviews included the level of graphic violence, which included cannibalism
, and the notion that the series was sold on the basis of its shock value, with some reviews also singling out Loeb's dialogue, characterization and storytelling, others asserting the story's lack of originality, and others opining that the series would have been better suited to someone who had previously been more involved with the Ultimate Marvel
line, such as Brian Michael Bendis
or Mark Millar
.
Despite negative reviews of the series as a whole, the initial reviews of the series' earlier issues were less negative. David Finch's art was often cited as Ultimatums best aspect. Weekly Comic Book Review's Andrew C. Murphy gave the series' first issue a B+, praising David Finch's art, while Ben Berger gave it a C, opining that there was too much exposition
, but also praising Finch's art.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
under its Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
imprint from November 2008 to July 2009. The series, which was written by Jeph Loeb
Jeph Loeb
Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost, writer for the films Commando and Teen Wolf and was a writer and Co-Executive Producer on the NBC TV show Heroes from its...
and illustrated by David Finch, tied in with all other Ultimate titles, and dealt with Magneto's attempts to destroy the world following the apparent deaths of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in Ultimates 3. The first issue was the best-selling comic of November 2008, selling over 100 thousand copies; however, sales dropped with the second issue, which sold more than 25 thousand fewer copies. Over the course of its nine-month run, Ultimatum lost an estimated 27,482 readers. Despite relatively strong sales, the series received almost universally negative reviews upon its conclusion.
History
The foreshadowing of the Ultimatum event began in late 2007 when Ultimate PowerUltimate Power
Ultimate Power is a nine-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics.The series is a crossover that ties the Supreme Power universe into the Ultimate Marvel universe and is written by Brian Michael Bendis, J...
#8 featured a banner on its cover reading, "March on Ultimatum". The following summer, a teaser advertisement for Ultimatum ran in all Marvel titles. It depicted a broken tombstone reading 2000-2008, with the 2008 piece broken from its place, indicating that the Ultimate Universe would be ending that year. In an interview on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, artist David Finch said that Loeb would be bringing much to all of the Ultimate Universe to a close.
Loeb said in an interview with Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
that the storyline would "hopscotch back and forth between the two books [Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men] and conclude what I would like to say is the first chapter of the Ultimate Universe. What that means and how that's explored is the basis of our story and we're not letting any cats out of the bag."
During the Marvel Ultimate Universe panel at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con, Jeph Loeb said that Aron Coleite's run on Ultimate X-Men would tie-in to Ultimatum, but did not indicate that this series would end. While it was first reported in Wizard magazine that only one Ultimate Marvel title would be ending following the series, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Ultimate Fantastic Four were all canceled following the events of Ultimatum.
The Ultimates continued under the title Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates
Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates
Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates is a comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics that began in March 2010 as part of Marvel's "Ultimate Comics" imprint. The series was written by Jeph Loeb, writer of Ultimates 3 and Ultimatum...
after Ultimatum, and is written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by artist Frank Cho
Frank Cho
Frank Cho, born Duk Hyun Cho, is a Korean-American comic strip and comic book writer and illustrator, known for his series Liberty Meadows, as well as for books such as Shanna the She-Devil, Mighty Avengers and Hulk for Marvel Comics, and Jungle Girl for Dynamite Entertainment...
. Mark Millar, writer and creator of The Ultimates, Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Fantastic Four comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
, and Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
, is the writer for a new series entitled Ultimate Comics: Avengers
Ultimate Comics: Avengers
Ultimate Comics: Avengers is a comic book published by Marvel Comics that began in August 2009 as part of the relaunch of the Ultimate Universe under the "Ultimate Comics" imprint...
, which features a rotating team of artists such as Carlos Pacheco
Carlos Pacheco
Carlos Pacheco is a Spanish comic book artist and penciller. Pacheco was born in San Roque, Cádiz. He is best known in the United States for his work on titles such as Avengers Forever, X-Men and Green Lantern...
, Leinil Francis Yu
Leinil Francis Yu
Leinil Francis Yu is a Filipino comic book artist, who began working for the American market through Wildstorm Productions. In an interview published in Marvel's Daily Bugle newsletter, he described his style as "Dynamic Pseudo-Realism."-Career:Leinil Francis Yu was first recognized after winning...
and Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon is a British comic book artist, from Luton, Bedfordshire, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on Hellblazer, Preacher and The Punisher.-Biography:...
. Ultimate Spider-Man was relaunched after the end of Ultimatum as Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man
Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man
Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in August 2009 as part of the relaunch of Ultimate Marvel under the new "Ultimate Comics" imprint. It serves as a continuation of Ultimate Spider-Man, as well as an all-new series...
, written by Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
and drawn by artist David Lafuente
David Lafuente
David Lafuente is a Spanish-born comic book artist. As of 2009 he works for Marvel Comics as the artist for Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man. He currently resides in London.-Career:Lafuente was discovered by Marvel Editor C.B...
, who provided the art for the third Ultimate Spider-Man Annual. Jeph Loeb is also currently writing a second series entitled Ultimate Comics: X
Ultimate Comics: X
Ultimate Comics: X is a limited series from Marvel Comics written by Jeph Loeb with pencils by Art Adams, originally planned as an ongoing bi-monthly series....
, which deals with mutants struggling under the new laws passed in the Ultimate Universe after the events of Ultimatum.
Background
Elements of Ultimatums story were established in the Ultimates 3, Ultimate PowerUltimate Power
Ultimate Power is a nine-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics.The series is a crossover that ties the Supreme Power universe into the Ultimate Marvel universe and is written by Brian Michael Bendis, J...
, and Ultimate Origins
Ultimate Origins
Ultimate Origins is a comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics, released in June 2008. It falls under Marvel's Ultimate Marvel imprint. It was written by Brian Bendis and illustrated by Butch Guice...
miniseries, all of which featured a banner reading "March on Ultimatum" on their covers. During Ultimatum, the three Ultimate Marvel titles (Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
, Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man was a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
, and Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Fantastic Four comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
), featured tie-in stories about various characters and events that occur throughout Ultimatum. The series mainly builds on the events of Ultimates 3, in which Ultron shoots and kills the Scarlet Witch. Ultron's rebellion and Wanda's death lead to a series of events which end with the apparent death of Wanda's brother, Quicksilver - mistakenly shot by Hawkeye. Magneto vows revenge on the Ultimates, declaring, "For what they have done, they must pay the ultimate price." Before escaping the Ultimates, Magneto is able to steal Thor's
Ultimate Thor
Ultimate Thor is a superhero in the Ultimate Marvel Universe based on the Marvel Universe version of Thor who is in turn based on the god of the same name of Norse mythology....
hammer. It is further revealed that Doctor Doom was manipulating the situation.
Synopsis
A series of disasters befalls a few major cities: a lightning storm suddenly appears in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and a tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
hits Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman attempt to make it back into the Baxter Building, while the Thing attempts to hold off a whale that has just crashed through a window. Giant Man breaks out of Tony Stark's mansion looking for the Wasp. In the flooded streets of New York City, Bruce Banner appears to have drowned only to turn into the Hulk. Spider-Man attempts to help in rescue efforts. Angel rescues an unconscious Dazzler, whom he believes is dead. Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
rescues Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, reporting that many people have died and that he does not know where the rest of the Ultimates are. The Invisible Woman uses a massive force field to push all the water back out of the city without affecting civilians or buildings, but this puts her in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. In Latveria, Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
leaves his castle and discovers that everyone except him has been frozen. Professor X states that millions have died, and telepathically informs many of the world's superheroes that Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
is responsible for the destruction. Magneto is then revealed to be in a floating citadel with Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
's hammer, Mjolnir.
In the aftermath, the Human Torch
Human Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
is missing. Mister Fantastic searches for Namor, whom he believes to be responsible for the widespread destruction. Dazzler, Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
and Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
are dead, and the rest of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
begin searching for survivors. Hulk suddenly arrives and peacefully assists Spider-Man in rescue efforts. At the Triskelion, Iron Man arrives with an unconscious Captain America, who is put on life support. Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
helps Hank Pym search for the Wasp
Wasp (comics)
The Wasp is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe and founding member of The Avengers. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 ....
, but they discover the Blob eating her corpse. Enraged and distraught, the giant-sized Pym bites off The Blob's head. Back at the Baxter Building, the Thing watches over a comatose Invisible Woman, whose powers lash out at him. Meanwhile, Doctor Doom and Zarda confront Reed Richards, and forge a plan to retrieve Nick Fury
Ultimate Nick Fury
General Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional character published by Marvel Comics. A reinterpretation of the character Nick Fury, one of the most notable differences between the two is that the mainstream Nick Fury is an Italian American colonel with graying brown hair, while this Nick Fury...
from the Supreme Power
Supreme Power
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in publications under the mature-audience MAX imprint by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in Supreme Power #1 and was created by writer J...
universe. Thor, upon finding Valkyrie
Valkyrie (comics)
Valkyrie is a fictional character and Marvel Comics superhero. An Asgardian demi-goddess by birth, her real name is Brunnhilde. Among her other aliases are Barbara Denton-Norriss, Samantha Parrington, and Sian Bowen who all were host bodies to the spirit of Brunnhilde. For much of her history she...
's lifeless body, enters Valhalla
Valhalla
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
to reclaim her soul. He is then confronted by Hela, who forces Thor to battle Hela's army of fallen warriors to reach Valkyrie. Captain America suddenly appears in Valhalla, implying that he has died. Meanwhile at Xavier's Institute for Gifted Children, Magneto confronts Professor X, and tells him that the deaths of Quicksilver
Quicksilver (comics)
Quicksilver is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
and Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
have spurred him to exterminate the entire human race. He then kills Xavier and leaves.
As the X-Men mourn their dead, Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
telepathically learns of Professor X's death and informs the others. At Magneto's citadel, a Jamie Madrox
Jamie Madrox
James Arthur "Jamie" Madrox, also called the Multiple Man, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men...
clone arrives with a bomb strapped to his chest, accusing Magneto of turning on his own kind, but Magneto is not dissuaded from his genocidal path. In Valhalla, Thor sacrifices himself to save Valkyrie and Captain America from Hela. Captain America then wakes up, now healed, and announces that Thor is dead. A horde of Jamie Madrox's duplicates, acting as suicide bombers, attack the Triskeleon just as Hank arrives. He instructs Iron Man to take Wasp's body and find a file titled "The Jocasta Project". He then carries all the Madrox clones out to sea, where he allows himself to be blown up with them. Captain America orders the Ultimates to gather all the remaining heroes, and lead them in an assault on Magneto's citadel.
Kitty Pryde leaves to search for Spider-Man, who was caught in an explosion inside the Sanctum Sanctorum
Sanctum Sanctorum
The Sanctum Sanctorum is a fictional building in the Marvel Universe. It first appeared with Doctor Strange in his debut in Strange Tales #110 .-Location:...
, the home of Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
. She and Spider-Woman find his mask, and assume he is dead. Strange's home is destroyed by an explosion, and when Dormammu appears, Strange confronts him. Dormammu, who is channeling The Human Torch's flame, kills Doctor Strange. Meanwhile, in the Supreme Power universe, Richards, Doom, Zarda, and Arcanna approach the exiled Nick Fury. Fury reveals that he knew of Magneto's plan, and forces Doctor Doom to reveal that he is responsible for the Scarlet Witch's death. Doom explains that he killed her in an attempt to overthrow humanity himself, but never expected Magneto to seek vengeance upon the world. Zarda is then outraged that Doom instigated Magneto's mass murder.
Back in the Ultimate Universe, the Ultimates and Wolverine confront Magneto at his citadel. Angel also arrives, but is immediately killed by Sabretooth
Sabretooth (comics)
Sabretooth is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne. The character first appeared in Iron Fist #14...
. Hawkeye blinds Sabretooth by shooting him through the eye. Magneto's arm is then cut off by Valkyrie, who is trying to reclaim Thor's hammer. Magneto then slashes Valkyrie's throat, but this does not kill her. Captain America attacks Magneto, and in response, Magneto collapses the ceiling on them, trapping them in the rubble. He flees and cauterizes
Cauterization
The medical practice or technique of cauterization is the burning of part of a body to remove or close off a part of it in a process called cautery, which destroys some tissue, in an attempt to mitigate damage, remove an undesired growth, or minimize other potential medical harmful possibilities...
his arm with his magnetic abilities. He is then confronted by Cyclops, Phoenix, Wolverine, Storm, Hawkeye, and Iron Man. Magneto kills Wolverine by ripping the adamantium from his bones. Nick Fury arrives with Mister Fantastic, Doctor Doom, and Zarda, and implements his contingency plan. Using Jean's telepathy, Fury transmits his memories to Magneto, showing him that the existence of mutants was in fact the result of a misguided genetic super soldier experiment. Disillusioned, Magneto immediately reverses the damage he had done to the Earth's magnetic poles. Despite insisting that Charles Xavier would have forgiven him, Cyclops disintegrates Magneto's head with his optic blast. The heroes destroy the citadel and leave.
Eight days later, the world has begun to recover from the devastation. Cyclops gives a speech in Washington D.C. before a crowd of anti-mutant protesters. He acknowledges Magneto's crimes, but pleads for peace between humans and mutants. He also announces that Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
is currently voting on a bill that will require all mutants to turn themselves into the U.S. government or be shot on sight. However, Cyclops is fatally shot in the head by an unknown assassin. In Latveria, the Thing kills Dr. Doom. In Wundagore, Quicksilver is revealed to be alive, and reveals that he was the one who assassinated Cyclops. He then takes Magneto's helmet and swears to carry on his father's dream, all while in the presence of an unknown woman whose face is not shown, although it is very likely that it is the Scarlet Witch.
Aftermath
Following the Ultimatum storyline, each Ultimate title was given a Requiem follow-up series or one-shot, dealing with the status each book's characters in the aftermath of Ultimatum.Deaths
- Angel - Killed and partially eaten by Sabretooth. (
Dormammu
Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a...
after his body is constricted, causing his head to explode. His body was taken by an unknown person. (
Ultimate Thor
Ultimate Thor is a superhero in the Ultimate Marvel Universe based on the Marvel Universe version of Thor who is in turn based on the god of the same name of Norse mythology....
- Surrendered his soul to Valhalla
Valhalla
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
. (
Ultimate Wolverine
Ultimate Wolverine is an alternative version of Wolverine who appears in comics containing stories set in the Ultimate Marvel universe. He first appears in Ultimate X-Men #1 and was created by Mark Millar and Adam Kubert.-Early years:...
- Killed by Magneto after the adamantium is ripped from his skeleton. (
MIA/presumed dead
- Havok - MIA, later revealed to be alive in Ultimate X #5.
- Nightmare - Presumably dead after the Hulk destroys Doctor Strange's Orb of Acmantata. (
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
- Presumably dead after an explosion in Doctor Strange's
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
Sanctum Sanctorum
Sanctum Sanctorum
The Sanctum Sanctorum is a fictional building in the Marvel Universe. It first appeared with Doctor Strange in his debut in Strange Tales #110 .-Location:...
, found alive by Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
Reception
Despite strong sales, Ultimatum received intensely negative reviews since its conclusion. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Jesse Schedeen gave the series' final issue a scathing review, saying, "Ultimatum is one of the worst comics I have ever read," and called it "the ultimate nightmare." Points of criticism among these reviews included the level of graphic violence, which included cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
, and the notion that the series was sold on the basis of its shock value, with some reviews also singling out Loeb's dialogue, characterization and storytelling, others asserting the story's lack of originality, and others opining that the series would have been better suited to someone who had previously been more involved with the Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
line, such as Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
or Mark Millar
Mark Millar
Mark Millar is a Scottish comic book writer, known for his work on books such as The Authority, The Ultimates, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Civil War, Wanted, and Kick-Ass, the latter two of which have been adapted into feature films...
.
Despite negative reviews of the series as a whole, the initial reviews of the series' earlier issues were less negative. David Finch's art was often cited as Ultimatums best aspect. Weekly Comic Book Review's Andrew C. Murphy gave the series' first issue a B+, praising David Finch's art, while Ben Berger gave it a C, opining that there was too much exposition
Exposition (literary technique)
At the beginning of a narrative, the exposition is the author's providing of some background information to the audience about the plot, characters' histories, setting, and theme. Exposition is considered one of four rhetorical modes of discourse, along with argumentation, description, and narration...
, but also praising Finch's art.