The Marvel Rundown: The ULTIMATE UNIVERSE: ONE YEAR IN #1 Roundtable

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Welcome, True Believers, to this week’s edition of the Marvel Rundown, The Beat’s weekly look at Marvel’s releases. This week we assemble the full Rundown team and look back on the first year of the Ultimate Universe. It’s a Rundown Roundtable discussion on Ultimate Universe: One-Year In by writer Deniz Camp, artist Jonas Scharf, colorist Mattia Iacono, and letterer Travis Lanham. Read on to see what our elite Beat team of contributors, D. Morris, George Carmona, Jordan Jennings, and Tim Rooney, thought of the issue and present the State of the Universe.

The Beat wants to hear from you, True Believers! Tell us what you think of this week’s Marvel Comics! Shout us out in the comment section below or over on social media @comicsbeat, or @comicsbeat.bsky.social, and let us know what’s good and what’s not so good!

The Beat: Starting off with first impressions—What did we think of this milestone issue?

Jordan Jennings: I thought it was a pretty good look into the law enforcement in the twisted world that the Maker has set up. The twisted amalgamation of SHIELD and the HAND is something I didn’t expect. It does answer how Maker manages to suppress new heroes from popping up all the time. Most importantly, free Howard the Duck!

George Carmona 3rd: It was a solid break in the overall storyline to give folks a chance to jump on and catch up with events in the Ultimate line. And yes let’s have a Howard the Duck Ultimate breakout oneshot.

Tim Rooney: Those first few pages really set the stage for the dark places this issue decided to go. Of all the reinventions we’ve seen in this Ultimate Universe this Nick Fury is one of the boldest and most twisted for sure. There was a good mix of recapping all the moving parts across the different books while setting up the sinister future. The last few pages of the main story gave a genuinely surprising and chilling twist I thought.

D. Morris: This really was the perfect capper to this first year of this new iteration of Ultimate Marvel. Deniz Camp’s script really does a solid job recapping what’s happened in the Ultimate universe but also making this an intriguing introduction for potential new readers. There were a few genuine surprises here. Like all of us, I really was not expecting Ultimate Howard the Duck and that finale. That finale was such a perfect update of the kind of spy-fi that made Fury such an iconic character.

TR: Jonathan Hickman might have kicked off this Ultimate Universe but it really feels to me like this is Camp’s story now. His depiction of the geopolitics is compelling without reading like a textbook. Using Fury as our entry point into the relationship dynamics between the council and the Maker’s larger plots was a brilliant move. And Camp has such a strong voice for the council of villains.

JJ: I want to echo your thoughts, Tim. Ultimate Universe as a whole feels much more like Camp’s world to play with as he sees fit. The world building we get with each of the council members was presented very organically with it being presented as Fury’s strike file. I am still a big fan of our French Captain Britain. He is such a jerk to everyone on the council. Camp does a great jump with their dynamics as a whole.

GC3: As much as Captain Britain is a jerk, I thought DeCosta was a much more heinous villain, leeching off of his son. Seeing the evil dynamic of the Council is amazing.

JJ: Oh yeah DeCosta literally draining Bobby dry is totally inline with the main universe character but taken to the extreme. Poor Bobby just watching in horror was a sight.

DM: That was such a horrifying visual. Seeing the normally bombastic Bobby look so drained. Also the fact he’s not the only one of his father’s blood boys.

I will third that Camp really has the strongest voice currently in the Ultimate Universe, which speaks to the role Ultimates plays as a flagship book. Additionally this is the first time we’ve seen the villains gathered since Ultimate Invasion and it’s great seeing them bicker. Camp clearly has a lot of fun indulging in the classic Marvel tradition of bickering. Fury talks about The Maker keeping them in balance but this issue sets up that even without his influence, they’re capable of evil on their own.It also sets up a potentially explosive conflict between this group and their former leader when The Maker finally leaves his bubble.

Something I want to point out is how I appreciate how Camp writes these monsters as people who push and pull against each other. As powerful as some members compare to others, their varieties of evil balance each other out. The Maker may not control them but he’s set them up in such a way there’s no way any of them will outdo the other thanks to their personalities.

TR: Jonas Scharf’s art was a great fit for this issue. His use of light and shadow made Fury’s inner turmoil part of the visual storytelling and the way he took classic Steranko visual homages and twisted them made Fury’s morally questionable choices all the more unsettling. It wa familiar but ominous. That’s how you should use those kinds of references—not just for people to notice but to make a point.

JJ: Scharf’s art was very expressive for this issue which helps considering it is a mostly spy intrigue issue.

GC3: I agree that The Ultimates has become the flagship of the line, which leads to my hot take of the Ultimate line is Hickman’s version of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World, with The Ultimates being the New Gods, Spider-Man is Mister Miracle, and the X-Men as stand-ins for the Forever People.

JJ: I have to admit I am not as well versed in the Fourth World as most comic fans, but I can definitely see the X-men being the Forever People.

TR: That kind of blew my mind, George…this is definitely a similarly large, diverse, but connected tapestry they are building across all the distinct books.

The Beat: That’s a great segway to talk about the first year of the Ultimate line as a whole. With this officially setting the stage for year two, what has worked for you in the first year? Any standout books or ideas?

DM: As our Best of 2024 will likely reflect, I think these are the most exciting books Marvel puts out on a regular basis. I think that this is such a cohesive line but the books each have such unique voices. Do I have to buy every book in this line? No but reading them together each month is such a satisfying read. As for the stand out, it’s honestly a tie between Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimates for me. Hickman on Spider-Man has been such a surprise since him working on Spider-Man was never something I even considered. It’s the best Spider-Man book in years. The fight between Shocker and Spider-Man was one of the funniest things I’ve read in a superhero comic in quite awhile. That said, given the political climate that we currently live in, reading Ultimates feels relevant and essential on a monthly basis. Reading issue #6 on election night with the Hulk explaining the uphill battle they’re in for, that really hit home.

JJ: I will admit, I was very skeptical of revisiting the Ultimate Universe considering how it all ended the first time. I have been blown away by the overall quality of the line. I have been re-reading the line in anticipation of this round table and it’s safe to say that they are the best comics Marvel is putting out. Ultimate Spider-Man has been the standout series for me. Marvel has finally figured out the Spider-Man problem and it turns out it’s to have Pete and MJ be married with children! Also, it’s the first time in a while that they have updated J. Jonah Jameson into something that isn’t an Alex Jones- parody. The origin of this universe’ Doom in Ultimates #4 may have been my favorite issue of the line so far. The way Camp played with the concept of time throughout the issue was novel. It was a rare breathtaking moment in comics for me.

TR: Reading through all these titles in the last couple weeks again I’m struck by how much the line has been able to strike a consistent thematic tone across the very different books. There’s a sense of these isolated individuals up against not just supervillains but structural cruelties that stand in the way of heroism in this world. Even in the most isolated book, X-Men, Peach Momoko is exploring how a ragtag group of teens is being used by this ominous cult that is experimenting on mutants. I have my favorites and some are better than others but I can’t say there is a really bad Ultimate book so far. But The Ultimates is a contender for my number one comic of the year. Which is probably why I liked this One Year issue by Camp so much. On second read, I’ve really come to appreciate what Momoko is doing with Ultimate X-men and that exploration of finding your place in a world that feels cold and ominous.

GC3: I’ve loved the reimaging of the entire line, which is right up Hickman’s alley as he is a comic book DJ finding ways to remix or mash up old characters with new ideas yet still finding a way to make them familiar to the characters’ core. His Peter Parker makes me care, and Camps Hawkeye is someone I’d follow before 616 – Clint, his introductory issue in The Ultimates is my favorite single issue of the line after Spider-Man #1.

TR: I also like how the titles reflect the creators’ sensibilities even as they play with the idea of “something missing” in the world, or corrupt power, they have such different focuses and styles. Camp’s Ultimates is fiercely political on a grand scale. Hickman’s Spider-Man is this intimate story of midlife crises and individual aimlessness as well as this side drama around the importance of combative, honest, and independent journalism.

JJ: Yeah, that “something missing” notion to this Ultimate Universe is what really stuck with me. It felt fresher than the tried-and-tired “What if the heroes in the real world?” that the original Ultimate universe started with. Novel for the time, sure, but not anymore. As someone in his thirties with three kids and working as a teacher, Peter feeling like he was destined for something more HIT HARD. That end page stinger sold me on the line immediately.

The Beat: Looking ahead to year two of the Ultimate Universe, what would you hope to see develop, or perhaps improved?

GC3: With the ticking clock sitting over the Ultimate line, I would love to see more interaction between the Panther and Wakanda with the rest of the Ultimate line before the Maker pops out. And again it wasn’t on my bingo card but an Ultimate Howard the Duck vs. the H.A.N.D. would be a cool one-shot, maybe even an Ultimate MAX mini.

DM: George, to speak to that concern, I really want them to connect the X-Men into this as well. We get hints of this in this issue so I’m hoping that year two will see this bring the book more into the line. Biggest concern is that I really hope they continue keeping this line small. This addition of Ultimate Wolverine next year seems organic especially since we haven’t explored Eurasia. That’s the kind of expansion, if it has to happen, that I would like. This is such a rich world worth exploring even it’s just a mini-series or two.

JJ: I hope they can keep the line small. 4-6 books at most, would be great. That way someone could easily afford to keep up with the entire line. I just know Marvel loves to overdo it and push the books on an 18 issues/ year schedule or make sister titles like Ultimates and Ultimate Avengers or something.

TR: My biggest critique is that the month-by-month countdown seems like a bit of a failed experiment. It’s a decent idea in theory to follow these characters with a doomsday clock counting down over their heads but the drawbacks outweigh the positives for me. It’s just hard to really dig into these characters and their individual journeys when we are only seeing the tiniest glimpses of them. How much more could we invest in Peter Parker and what makes him distinct from the 616 if we had time to track his growth (or lack thereof) gradually instead of just dropping him on on him month to month while also servicing that sprawling supporting cast? That could be purely preferential but I think it makes it harder to invest in characters and the books are very plot-forward, like they want you to focus on the ideas more than the people.

DM: I think I said this back when we did a roundtable on the first issue of Ultimate Spider man but I worry about what happens once the Maker shows back up. That seems like a natural endpoint for this line and stories stretching past their endpoints rarely work out. However, this issue hints at potential stories once the Maker returns to the fold.

GC3: I can understand the hesitancy but when it comes to countdowns Hickman delivers the goods, ie Secret Wars. Here’s hoping that Marvel doesn’t try to stretch things out messing with his plan.

JJ: I actually liked the countdown to the stories. It is rare to see Marvel attempt to have comics print in real time, but I am with you, Tim, about it hindering character growth. It is like Marvel wanted to emulate DC’s 52 without being a weekly series that affords the cast time to breathe. Also, feel like the countdown was Marvel building a natural out if they feel like the Ultimate Universe flopped. I know Ultimate Invasion wasn’t that popular of a lead in given the price point and Hickman’s other big Post-X book, G.O.D.S., being a disappointment, I could see that making Marvel nervous and feeling that they had to have a baked-in endpoint.

DM: It’s honestly impressive how this line just being as good as it is has been a better sell for the line than the event that the Ultimate Invasion mini-series was. That said, I’m really intrigued how the creatives will bring us back to the time travel mysteries set up in Ultimate Invasion.

JJ: I flipped through Ultimate Invasion today and I forgot about the whole Time Travel plotpoint.

TR: I’m not super worried about what happens after the Maker in part because of what we see in this issue: even without him, there are powerful forces out to squash the very idea of heroes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Ultimates get the most Pyrrhic victory of all time where they defeat the Maker and end up even more hated than before.

GC3: I’m guessing either the Maker doesn’t come out, and leaves them to their own devices or he comes out and burns it all down in a Hulk-like rage.

JJ: Hell hath no fury like a vengeful God. It would be hilarious if the Maker no-shows his own return.

DM: Time travel is involved and he just resets the timeline again. Ultimate Marvel 3.0 baby!

JJ: You know, given how Fury’s “heroic act” unfolds in this issue, I wouldn’t be shocked if this turns out to be the 5th time someone tried to overthrow the Maker’s vision and he resets it every time.

DM: The Maker has just been building another universe the whole time he’s been locked in that bubble and forcing Howard Stark to play the Doom role this time. I will say all of this wild speculation aside, I think it speaks to the strengths of this line that we have an actual investment in what happens here. That there are actual stakes in these stories which right now most of the other books Marvel publishes don’t seem to have. Even if the build up won’t live up to what we have in our heads, this current Ultimate line engages readers in ways that feel fresh, relevant, and most importantly, exciting.

JJ: Agreed. The Ultimate Universe has the juice that Marvel’s main line is seriously lacking right now.

TR: Couldn’t sum it up better!

The Beat: So what is the final verdict on Ultimate Universe: One Year In?

TR: This rewards people who have been following the line but also gives a good intro to the concept and it does both well. An easy BUY.

JJ: These are consistently the best comics Marvel has put out each week. I was reluctant about the line when it was announced but, dang it, Marvel has me hooked. An easy BUY from me as well.

GC3: I loved the original Ultimate line and was very hesitant about the revamp, and I am happy to say that I’ve been made a true beliver in most of this line. BUY

DM: I wasn’t a big reader of the original Ultimate line but I’ve been roped in on these books hook, line and sinker thanks to the hard sci-fi vibe and unique flavors of each book. This issue functions as both a victory lap and a great way to introduce new readers to the flavor of those books. This is a hard BUY and then if you’ve missed the first arcs of these books, go out and buy those!