Marvel Ultimate Universe Ending Date Confirmed

The door on the Ultimate Universe is about to close forever. Marvel Comics will officially bring its Ultimate Universe imprint to an end beginning this Spring with a brand-new one-shot that officially concludes its popular two-year project.

April 29 marks the release of Ultimate Universe Finale #1, a new one-shot that will officially end the Ultimate Universe imprint. The one-shot takes place after the events of the five-part limited series Ultimate Endgame, and brings together the creative teams from all ongoing Ultimate Universe books, including Jonathan Hickman, Chris Condon, Deniz Camp, Bryan Hill, and Peach Momoko, as well as their respective creative teams.

Leading up to Ultimate Universe Finale #1, Marvel fans can also catch the final issues of several ongoing books. Ultimates #24 releases on April 1, which will include a terrifying confrontation with the Hulk on Gamma Island. Ultimate Wolverine #16 hits shelves on April 15, as Wolverine and Phoenix engage in one final battle with Magik in Limbo. Finally, Ultimate Endgame #5 concludes the final storyline in the Ultimate Universe imprint on April 22, paving the way for Ultimate Universe Finale #1 on April 29.

This is the second iteration of the Ultimate Universe, otherwise known as Earth-1610, in Marvel Comics. The first began in 2000 and ran until 2015, concluding with the now-iconic Secret Wars event by Jonathan Hickman. This new iteration, while not a direct reboot of the original Ultimate Universe, similarly features a reimagined version of Marvel's most famous characters and storylines. This time, the story is told in real-time, taking place over two years. The story began with 2023's Ultimate Invasion, which depicted the rebirth of the Ultimate Universe at the hands of the Maker (Reed Richards's villainous doppelgänger from the original Ultimate Universe) and concludes with Ultimate Endgame, which began in December.

Ultimate Universe Finale #1 is a bittersweet moment for fans of Marvel Comics, as it most likely marks the last time that readers will see certain characters. Among these is the Ultimate Universe's Peter Parker, who only gets his spider-powers as an adult, after becoming a husband and father. Also, popular with readers is a new iteration of Wolverine, who served as this universe's Winter Soldier during the Cold War, taking the place of Bucky Barnes in the regular Marvel timeline.

The end of the ongoing Ultimate Universe imprint perfectly lines up with the live-action side of Marvel, as the MCU prepares to release the first in a two-part finale to its ongoing Multiverse Saga. Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, and will be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. Both films are expected to draw inspiration from Jonathan Hickman's "Time Runs Out" and Secret Wars storylines. The end of the Ultimate Universe imprint is no doubt another way to generate hype for these upcoming blockbuster movies.

Is This Really the End of Marvel's Ultimate Universe?

Most of the time, when a comic book company announces the "end" of anything, it is met with understandable incredulous reactions from fans. Death and extinction are rarely permanent in a world of superheroes and metahumans, and that even extends to entire universes. The Ultimate Universe was supposed to have ended once before, yet returned for more storylines at a later point. The same could be true of the current Ultimate Universe.

The original Marvel Ultimate imprint came to a permanent end in 2015 with Jonathan Hickman's Secret Wars. The storyline seemingly ends with the destruction of Earth-1610, though certain characters like Miles Morales carried over to an altered Earth-616 timeline thereafter. Later storylines hinted that the Ultimate Universe still existed in some form, and the imprint was later fully rebooted with Ultimate Invasion.

Thus, Marvel fans remain understandably unconvinced that this really marks the permanent end of the Ultimate Universe in comics. It is possible that certain characters from this latest imprint could find their way into the mainline Marvel Universe in time. Marvel may even choose to reboot the Ultimate Universe yet again in ten years' time. Nevertheless, it seems safe to conclude that this will at least be the final chapter in this version of Earth-1610, even if there are more "Ultimate" stories to be told somewhere down the line.

For now, Ultimate Endgame and Ultimate Universe Finale remain exciting issues for Marvel Comics readers, promising an emotional end to a project two years in the making.

Ultimate Universe Finale #1 will be released on April 29, 2026.