Marvel Confirms Ultimate Universe Will Return Despite Previous Finale Announcement

For several months now, Marvel has been teasing the final goodbye for its Ultimate Universe. Now that the finale issue has finally arrived, it seems the publisher is ready to backtrack by teasing fans that an inevitable continuation is on the way.

Ultimate Universe: Finale #1 went on sale June 24, following the events of Ultimate Endgame #5, and saw Marvel's creative teams of all the Ultimate books coming together "one last time" to say farewell. Except, at the very end, the final page of the issue teases, in true Marvel Cinematic Universe style, 'The Ultimate Universe Will Return.' For now, it remains unclear what Marvel meant by the issue's final page, especially considering how the publisher repeatedly framed this one-shot as a true end to the Ultimate Universe.

The Ultimate Universe Will Return According to Finale One-Shot

The Ultimate Universe imprint began back in 2023, reimagining several of Marvel's most iconic characters in a new continuity, inspired by Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch's Ultimate Invasion limited series. In the Ultimate Universe, The Maker (a.k.a. Reed Richards of Earth-1610) shaped a new world in his own image, giving fans a glimpse into a new Earth that had its own alternate history.

Over the last three years, the Ultimate Universe has seen several ongoing series, from Hickman's own Ultimate Spider-Man to Peach Momoko's Ultimate X-Men and more. It also saw Marvel releasing three limited series, with the most recent being Ultimate Endgame, which acted as a precursor to the grand 'finale' one-shot. In Ultimate Endgame, the heroes of the alternate universe mobilize together to defeat the Maker, while the rest of the world deals with its own World War III.

Back in January, Marvel teased that the Ultimate Universe Finale #1 would see the universe closing its doors 'forever,' though that seems to no longer be the case. "With an epic can’t-miss conclusion this April, it’ll be able to be enjoyed from beginning to end as a complete, interconnected, and deeply rewarding saga," Marvel said when the solicits for June were released.

It didn't take too long for it to be revealed that Marvel still had plans to highlight the Ultimate Universe's overall impact, however. The Avengers: Armageddon storyline, which features the mainline Earth-616, will see the Ultimate Universe characters asking Miles Morales to take dangerous Origin Boxes back to his own Earth for safekeeping, allowing one of the universe's plot lines to continue on. Still, Marvel's last page of Ultimate Universe: Finale seems to hint that there are bigger plans on the horizon.

Marvel Might Not Be Rebooting the Ultimate Universe Anytime Soon

While news that the Ultimate Universe will return certainly leaves the finale issue rather open-ended, fans should also take it with a relative grain of salt. In true comic book fashion, characters rarely stay dead, and universes always have a way of coming back into the spotlight given enough time and attention. For now, there are no concrete plans to continue the Ultimate Universe — at least none that have been formally announced.

The 2023 Ultimate Universe is also, in its own sense, an indirect reboot. From 2000 to 2015, Marvel ran its own 'Ultimate Marvel' imprint, which updated its characters' origins into a modern Earth-1610. Hickman's run radically changed things thanks to The Maker, but theoretically, Marvel's Ultimate Universe: Finale tease could just be some light foreshadowing that years down the line, they might one day give a fresh take to the Ultimate Universe once more.

Marvel's Ultimate Universe: Finale one-shot is on sale now.