BY MATT TUCK
The Ultimate Universe is returning, and that is breathing new life into Ultimate Spider-Man #1.
For the first time in years, I am legitimately excited for a Marvel title. That’s not to say the content has been bad; I happen to hold a grudge for what happened to the X-Men.
When Jonathan Hickman took over writing duties for the X-Men titles with House of X, he breathed new life into what had once been Marvel’s premiere series. Then Hickman was taken off the title, and the X-Men have fallen flat eversince, and I’ve been steering clear of Marvel. With the latest announcement, they certainly have my attention.
The big news in the comic circles has been the resurrection of the Ultimate Universe. This time around, Hickman will be leading the charge, and that could be great. It’s leading collectors on a hunt for Ultimate keys, and we’ve got three for you to watch.
![](https://comicbooknews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Ultimate-Spider-Man-1.webp)
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1
This one has been gaining traction as of late. USM #1 was the first Ultimate title, which is surely the reason for the comic’s uptick. With the universe’s return, we will likely see Ultimate Peter Parker once again, and that could be another factor. It doesn’t hurt that we’ve got the third animated Spider-Verse flick on the way and a live-action Spider-Miles movie in development. It all adds up to good reasons to focus your Ultimate collecting lens on Ultimate Spider-Man keys.
![](https://comicbooknews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Ultimate-X-Men-1.webp)
ULTIMATE X-MEN #1
Following Ultimate Spider-Man, the X-Men were the next to be reimagined for Earth 6160. While this issue isn’t a massive seller, it could be worth the modest investment to own a graded 9.8. When Marvel brings the X-Men to life, basing them on the Ultimate Universe could be the way to go. Here, Magneto was a terrorist waging a bloody war against humanity. While the X-Men fought against him, the United States government mistakenly labeled them as his followers, thus setting up a great battle between the X-Men and Earth 6160’s Avengers, The Ultimates. If you haven’t read that story arc, I highly recommend it.
![](https://comicbooknews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Ultimate-Comics-the-Ultimates-2-675x1024.webp)
ULTIMATE COMICS: THE ULTIMATES #2
Speaking of Ultimate characters, here’s one that would be a boon to Marvel Studios (granted, the brain trust doesn’t turn him into a gag): The Maker. This is the Ultimate Reed Richards who became a supervillain, and he’s possibly the most interesting of all the interdimensional Mr. Fantastics. We still know virtually nothing about the MCU FF movie, and adding The Maker would give fans a villain they’ve never seen on the big screen who ties in perfectly with The Multiverse Saga.
EXCITING TIMES AHEAD
After seeing what Hickman did with 2015’s Secret Wars and his take on the X-Men during the House of X/Powers of X run, he is a great choice to reimagine the Ultimate Universe. The best part about stories set within Earth 6160, if it doesn’t work, Marvel can always implode it and pretend it never happened.