Ultimate Universe (2023) #1

by Jonathan Hickman

THE SPOILS OF VICTORY! After the worlds-shaking conclusion of ULTIMATE INVASION, a new team of heroes bands together to save the future! From mastermind Jonathan Hickman and superstar artist Stefano Caselli, don't miss out on this foundational issue for the new line of Ultimate Comics!

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Superheroes, Fiction, Fantasy, Comics Manga, Graphic Novels

40 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2023

About the author

Jonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for creating the Image Comics series The Nightly News, The Manhattan Projects and East of West, as well as working on Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, FF, and S.H.I.E.L.D. titles. In 2012, Hickman ended his run on the Fantastic Four titles to write The Avengers and The New Avengers, as part the "Marvel NOW!" relaunch. In 2013, Hickman wrote a six-part miniseries, Infinity, plus Avengers tie-ins for Marvel Comics. In 2015, he wrote the crossover event Secret Wars. - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Joey Amorim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ended up enjoying this a lot more than most of Ultimate Invasion. While this issue is still mainly concerned with setting up this new Ultimate universe, it was cool to finally see all the pieces fall into place. By the time Ultimate Spider-Man starts in January, it’ll be about 9 months since I’ve pulled a Peter Parker Spider-Man comic, so with the stage finally set, all that’s left to do is keep my fingers crossed and hope it’s gonna be a banger!

[zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

alright; I’m hooked now

[carolina ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was incredible. and thor looked hot af in that one specific panel with iron lad 😏

[Raymond Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting and adventurous. Where will this world go next?

[Rylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great follow up to ultimate invasion i’m really excited to see where they go next with this universe

[Jannes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the gaps of my understanding are finally closing up a bit. This one shot cleared up a lot of things that were left open or only briefly mentioned. I think this event/universe is a great comparison to what is wrong with our real world. The power and money hungry rich that can’t get enough, who don’t care about those „beneath“ them and treat the world as their sandbox. I’m so excited how this continues, I originally planned to only read ultimate x-men but now my interest for the entire universe was piqued!

[Logan Irrelevant · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Has it been so long that Asgard has forgotten?..’

After finishing the four “Ultimate Invasion” comics, I took some time to look into how exactly we were supposed to go about reading all these new comics, and I found out that, before beginning each of the new runs for each character or team in this universe, they released a single and final follow-up story to kick everything else off, and from there, you’re pretty much free to read it however you’d like.

Once I figured that out, and realized I could be pretty much up to date on things, I was like “hell yeah,” and wanted to jump into things right away, which I had to put off for a little while, but once I found the time, I got some David Bowie playing to accompany the read, and the rest is history.

Finally, I’m well aware of how this story came to be, and all that’s left is to dive head-first into each subsequent run. Of course, since I started this whole binge with the Spider-Man book, that's the first thing I’m gonna catch up on, but after that, there’s a whole bunch of other comics still left for me to get into like Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Black Panther, Ultimate Wolverine, and of course, The Ultimates. From there, though, I’ll be pretty ,u h caught up before they start bringing things to a close; or at least, around the time they end the Spider-Man run.

But before I get back into all of that, I first just wanted to mention how f^*%!^g much this comic ruled. I don’t know what it is but now that we’re more or less allowed to just completely hone-in on how these characters are going about things, rather than focusing on the large-scale threat and situation as a whole, this story is allowed to really shine, and it’s exactly what I’ve been wanting from these stories.

For one, seeing how much care they put into adapting Thor and making sure there is more than enough weight to all that goes on, that made this comic for me due. He’s such a brilliant character, and in this book, you can really feel that this man, this God, had his life stolen from him, and when he finds it time to start again, it just feels like watching a f*^%!^g god just kick a$$ with your own two eyes. It’s so cool, man, and the heart he has when facing everything he does, and the willingness for him to accept the new knowledge he’s given, I don’t know why, but they sell you on it big time, and it’s a huge draw for me.

I also love how he was the perfect call, pretty much allowing them to walk into Latveria like it’s nobody’s business, and get close enough to pretty much hold the fate of at least a hundred heroes in the palm of their hand, only for that to be literally cut short, and then ACTUALLY F*^%!^G NUKED, it shows how even when the cards seem pretty much in their favor, it’s never gonna be that easy, and I loove that! It’s exactly the kinda stuff you wanna see in a story like this, and it just feels so right to see it all go down.

This is such a high-stakes story, and you love to see it feel that way.

I am completely immersed in the story they’re trying to tell, all-in and ready to figure this all out, book by book, and every little through one they’re setting up has just got me geeking out at the mere fact that “I don’t know where this is going!” I mean, I’ve got an idea of where it is going considering I’ve read a dozen of the Spider-Man books now, actually adding a lot of weight to the story now that I’ve read all the setup, but I still don’t know how they’re gonna wrap this all up, especially when The Maker is freed from Latveria. There’s just so much they can do, and they’ve got me under their thumb dude, this is exactly my type of s#!t…

“Can he hear us?..”

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extension to Hickman's Ultimate Invasion, this one-shot acts as both epilogue to the miniseries as well as jump starting the story that follows into Hickman's own Ultimate Spider-Man ongoing series and presumably the other Ultimate imprint stories as well. We follow Iron Lad (a teenaged Tony Stark) and Doctor Doom (a weary, recently enslaved version of Reed Richards) who work to spring Thor from an Asgardian prison and return him to his rightful power. The trio have access to The Maker's files that indicate which heroes have been neutralized and prevented from attaining their destiny, and thus decide to ensure their universe gets back on track. But The Maker's cronies haven't given up and they put up a fierce fight. A solid issue that probably should have just been called Ultimate Invasion #5, but it's no big deal. Not fully required reading before jumping into Ultimate Spider-Man though it does flesh out a major plot beat shown in the first issue.

[Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Acting as a connector between Ultimate Invasion and the various Ultimate comics that came out immediately afterward, this issue feels awkward in its role in this story. It needs to recap the previous mini-series to ensure those who didn't read it aren't lost but establish new exposition to push the story forward. It establishes a team that, for the time being, doesn't have its own ongoing series (that's only established after 4 or 5 months of the other series being released). Primarily, it acts as a teaser for the 3 tentpole series of this world, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and X-Men. While there are some important scene-setting that play out here, this issue feels fairly tertiary in the grand scheme of things.

[Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ultimate Universe was something of a mixed bag as far as quality went. Most will agree that Ultimate Spider-Man was a great series, but outside of that things were a bit lacking in terms of quality. Ultimate Fantastic Four had some good moments, and there were a few minis and one-off stories that were good, but for the most part the universe was dark, nasty, and mean-spirited in the worst ways; Captain America being a bit racist for example. As such, it was not surprise that the universe ended and that Marvel moved on. What was more surprising is that they're having another go at it.


Rather than simply recreate the old Ultimate Universe, with hundreds of issues of continuity and baggage that comes with that, the new Ultimate Universe is a new universe; something that Marvel hasn't quite made fully clear in their marketing and advertisements, and it's been the fans and influencers online that have been trying to spread that information.
After the events of Ultimate Invasion, a pretty not-great series, we have a new Ultimate Universe, 6160, a world where the Maker, the 1610 version of Reed Richards who survived the end of the original Ultimate Universe, has messed with the flow of time and shaped the universe more to his liking. During Ultimate Invasion we were introduced to several new versions of familiar characters, and were introduced to this new setting. Whilst that series ended in a way that left many readers either bored or confused, or uncaring, this new one-shot seems to at least be somewhat interesting in moving things forward.

The issue opens with Iron Lad, a young Tony Stark, and Doom, the new Reed Richards, breaking into Asgard to rescue Thor, who's been imprisoned by his brother Loki. The two of them convince the God of Thunder to come with them and help them in their mission, and set out to find his hammer. This leads them into a small confrontation with his jailer, Lady Sif, who ends up being transported out of Asgard with them when they leave.

Back on Earth, the group discuss how the Maker changed the world by taking away its heroes, stopping their creations at important points. Captain America is one of these heroes that the world should have, and Iron Lad and Doom are still trying to find a way to safely unfreeze him. Hearing that their destinies have been stolen from them, and that the world has been changed, Thor and Sif agree to help them, though Sif somewhat reluctantly.


The group then travels to Latveria, where they hope to steal the Makers cache of items and equipment that should have been used to help create the worlds heroes. They find several containers, each containing hundreds of items. Before they can get them all out, however, they come under attack from Captain Britain, who stabs Thor through the chest. The wounded god is able to get them out of there, though, taking just one of the containers with them. In retaliation, the shadowy world government arm a Stark satellite and fire it at the heroes position, apparently wiping them out.
Compared to Ultimate Invasion, this issue keeps things fairly simple. It has a clear story, 'the Maker messed things up and we need to set it right', and sticks to it. There are still things that aren't exactly clear, such as if the Maker is able to come back, and if so when, and the machinations of the worlds leaders is kind of dull and the least interesting part of the issue. But, compared to the woefully poor mini-series we just had, this is a much better launching point for the new universe. Especially as Marvel were taking the piss with the prices of that series, with four issues costing you $30.

Things work well here, and whilst we're still left with a ton of questions that need answering you at least come away with a good sense of what the new universe is going to be like, and a clear goal for a lot of things going forward; create the heroes needed to stop the Maker if he returns. Hickman seems to have plans in place for future stuff, and whilst after this he's taking control of the new Ultimate Spider-Man he's definitely going to be working on stuff in the background for the universe as a whole if this is anything to go by,


The art on the book is really nice too, with Stefano Caselli and David Curiel giving the book a really nice feel. The characters look great, with Doom and Iron Lad both looking similar to things we've seen in other versions of their characters before, but unique enough that you can tell that these are the Ultimate versions. Just putting Doom in blue is a really easy change that sets him apart, and Iron Lad has these cool little pieces to his armour around his hips that almost gives him coat-tails. Thor is perhaps the best looking in the book though. Even before he powers up he's a big, beefy looking dude, taller and wider than anyone else on the page. When he grans Mjolnir and gains his costume, however, he looks great. It's very similar to the old Ultimate Thor, but has its own details and design work that makes this its own thing. It's a really nice look, and I'm looking forward to seeing it more.
The issue also gives us a couple of pages of Peach Momoko's work for the upcoming Ultimate X-Men series, which she'll be writing and doing art for, that looks to be an interesting and unique take on mutants in this new universe.

As I've said, this is a decent introduction to the new Ultimate Universe for those who missed out on Ultimate Invasion and are looking to see what things are about before the new ongoings start up next year. Yes, it relies on knowing some stuff already, but it's a lot more coherent and tighter than what we've had before.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sí que Ultimate Invasion pudo haberse sentido más precipitado de lo que debía para el ambicioso plan de Hickman de reevaluar esta oportunidad del inicio de siglo de la editorial de rebootear Universo y Personajes clásicos con una visión más fría de la realidad y conflictos del S. XXI. El autor tenía mucho que mostrar de esta realidad reconfigurada por orden y deseo del Hacedor. Conocidos héroes se convierten en curiosos regentes y líderes de territorios geopolíticos o incluso religiosos bastante complicados de presentar en apenas 4 números de aquel evento que presentaba un protagonismo inesperado con un Howard Stark actuando como el Iron Man original de ese Universo.

Pero ahora que sabemos que este movimiento está totalmente planteado con varios títulos a mayores con otros equipos creativos para afianzar mejor todo esto. Este Ultimate Universe ya se disfruta mejor. El tono se rebaja un poco más de cara a una aventura más "clásica" con ese dúo en contra del dominio del Hacedor que empieza por querer reclutar reconocidos héroes cuya leyenda resuena por el Multiverso, como aquel Dios del Trueno. Jonathan Hickman tiene más conciencia de cómo narrar un cómic de superhéroes por mucho que quieras "elevar" el conjunto con amenazas y dinámicas más políticas. Siempre es genial contemplar como un martillo Asgardiano invoca una tormenta por mucho atentado orquestado por una cábala que controla el mundo en nombre de un sociópata multiversal, se muestre.

[Machiavelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Ultimate Universe #1* by Jonathan Hickman is a strong, promising start to what feels like the beginning of something big. Hickman wastes no time laying down a dense, intriguing foundation—world-shifting stakes, high-concept ideas, and a tone that feels both fresh and true to the spirit of the original Ultimate line.

The pacing is deliberate (as you’d expect from Hickman), but it never drags. There’s a sense of tension simmering beneath every page, like you’re being set up for a major payoff just over the horizon. The dialogue is tight, the character dynamics are compelling, and the whole issue crackles with potential.

The art complements the story well—clean, dynamic, and cinematic, helping ground the more abstract elements of the plot.

It’s not explosive out of the gate, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s smart, layered, and fun—a 4-star start that has me genuinely excited to see where this new Ultimate Universe goes. Hickman’s clearly playing the long game, and I’m all in.

[Saad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great tie-in issue and bridge between the Ultimate Invasion mini-series and what’ll become the Ultimates main book. I really like 6160-Thor, especially how he interacts with Tony and Steve, but I didn’t expect Lady Sif to be a main player in these books. Excellent stuff! I’m curious how many catalyst pods they were able to retrieve because Thor seemed confident that he’d take more before being stabbed by Captain Britain, but we only see one pod in the Triskellion. But the issue ends with a bang (literally) with the Cabal pinning a terrorist attack on Tony Stark and the Ultimates. What a great idea for this series: since the Ultimates are fighting against the world order, they would be seen as terrorists by the public, and this issue is just doubling down on that. I’m giving this one another perfect score for creating a perfect status quo!

[Papasmurfiiiviii · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan Hickman hits it out of the park again. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Hickman’s attention to detail and knowledge of characters make him the comic equivalent of George R.R. Martin, who is another favorite of mine.

MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!:
This “restarts” the Ultimate universe, or more accurately, starts a new Ultimate universe. Doctor Doom is a good guy, Iron Man (who isn’t Tony) recscues the “traitor” Thor Odinson, Peter Parker was never bitten by the spider, Magik, Omega Red, and Colossus are Putin-lite comic characters - i.e. Russian nationalists with antagonism towards the West, and the Hulk is less angry and more zen.
I’m excited y’all. Will be checking out Ultimate Spider-Man!

[Fahad Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

With how overstuffed Ultimate Invasion was, this one shot is absolutely key to getting the full context on the story that'll be the backbone of this new comic line.

In the wake of Hickman's miniseries, we find Iron Lad (Tony Stark) and Dr Doom (Reed Richards) on a quest to basically bring about the Avengers in this universe. Yes, it's Flashpoint but better. This issue focuses on Thor, how he was put away by the Maker and how the gang brings him back into action. We also get to see how the ruling powers of this world are trying to jockey for power in the Maker's absence and how our heroes might be getting in the way.

From the writing to the art, this book is solid. Even if Ultimate Invasion left you cold on Hickman's latest concept, this might just sell you on it.

[Saharhat Gritsadanuruk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good introduction to the Ultimate Universe!!!

It's a great introduction to the Marvel landscape!
As for older readers, it also brings something new to the plate! (The older readers as in the era of the original Ultimate Universe 1610, not classic readers from 1960s.)
If you want a jumping on point in reading Marvel comics, This is a perfect place to start!
If you are an OG fan of the original Ultimate Universe line, it's indecisive. (Personally I love it!)
Overall it's a 10/10

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A crucial comic for the new Ultimate universe that has so far been uncollected. (I suspect it'll be in The Ultimates, but it should have been an epilogue to Ultimate Invasion since it comes before all the other TPBs.)

This nicely sets the groundwork and the feel of the new Ultimate universe, as a young Stark attmpts to form his own team of Ultimates. Though it's got a few dramatic events, this is mainly placesetting for what comes next ...

[Kayra Kaan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a much better introduction to the new Ultimate Universe compared to Ultimate Invasion. It ends a little abruptly and I don't know what it means but hopefully it will be explained in the upcoming comics.

This is the essential start to the Ultimate Universe and I wish Ultimate Invasion never existed. That was pretty boring. This is at least a little fun.

[Gab Andrade · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 estrellas.

Me gustó el concepto de reliquias, el como los destinos de miles de héroes que todos conocemos de cierta forma fueron arrebatados, y como ahora se intentan recuperar, las cosas cambian, el destino también, y ahora como están luchando para mejorar y crecer y restaurar lo que se cambió.

[Juan Francisco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Número entretenido que sirve de antesala para todo lo que vendrá en este nuevo Universo. Me parece una lectura obligatoria para dar contexto a todo. Me veo obligado a seguir con la serie principal. Pd: debo decir que los cambios en los Héroes Marvel no me parecen tan drásticos. De momento, es lo que esperaba.

[nn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing wasn’t as masterful as it could have been but I loved the characterization of Thor. But then again I’m biased because I love Thor. And LOL I also thought Iron Lad was hot until I reached the page where he’s called a teenager. Like OK big nevermind I thought he was my age or in his twenties at least…

[Gabriel Calderón · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a reboot and opening to a new set of possibilities and a completely new and different Marvel universe this does a great job.

Seeing the reveal of Reed Richards turning into a version of Doctor Doom after decades of torture and imprisonment by the Maker’s hands was super fucked up! What happened to the rest of the FF family???

Ironlad was cool! I can’t wait to start the Ultimates!

[John Shaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the ULTIMATE comic line from Marvel
was damned clever and had some of the best
stories from Marvel setting the high water mark
very high.

This run comes off as little more than a cash grab.
Whatever magic was there just is not now.

[Kyler Polson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost missed this issue. I started Ultimate Spider-Man and realized I had missed something rather important so I hopped back to this issue. It got me so hyped I ran out the same day and bought Black Panther and X-Men. I'm all in on this universe. What cool concepts are working with

[Emiliano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool ass intro!

I like the introduction of the characters so far and bascially explaining the entire mission of saving the heroes that could’ve been. The art is amazing and I am very intrigued with what follows.

[Vyshakh Aravindan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvel Ultimate Universe #1 delivers a smart and intriguing reboot, focusing on a darker, more grounded world. With strong writing from Hickman and striking art by Checchetto, it sets up a fresh mystery around power, control, and a new Tony Stark. A solid, suspenseful start.

[J A D A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultimate invasion was okay but did set up some good world building, this is more enjoyable though. Could be because I really like Thor but I’m starting to see the story unfold more so that’s definitely apart of it!

[Max Libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan Hickman es el escritor mas bacan que tiene Marvel y el nuevo universo ultimate es lo mas emocionado que he estado por comics de Marvel en mucho rato, gracias por tanto Jonathan Hickman

[Justin Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hickman is about to flip everything!!

[Jamie Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5