I've been on an Ultimate Universe kick here lately. I just finished all of Ultimate Spider-man from issue 1 with Peter Parker to the most current issue with Miles Morales. I'm getting ready to start on the Ultimates next but with Cataclysm starting up I may be reading from the beginning to the end literally. A lot of people have come to the conclusion that with the 616 Galactus on his way to Earth and with the name of the book that the Ultimate Universe will be coming to an end with this event. Bendis and Bagley are teaming up once again. This is the creative duo that launched the Ultimate Universe with Ultimate Spider-man 13 years ago and hold the record of longest consistent creative team on a Marvel title. Bagley came back for the Death of Spider-man in 2011. Bagley's presence alone seems like a bad omen for the Ultimate Universe.

There may be some hints that the universe will continue though. 2012's Spider-men mini-series where we saw the first crossover of the Ultimate Universe and the 616 Universe has had a sequel already confirmed by Bendis (Inferiorego says that Cataclysm will be that sequel). Then there are the plot points that Bendis has set up in the latest issue of Ultimate Comics Spider-man where we find out that Miles' father has had some dealings with Roxxon in the past. How are we to learn this secret if the Universe comes to an end? Some are speculating that Miles and possibly some other Ultimate Universe characters are going to be making a permanent move the main Marvel Universe to escape Galactus. We do know that at least some of that is true the solicitation for Cataclysm #3 says "MILES MORALES travels to the MARVEL UNIVERSE in search of clues to how to defeat GALACTUS." and we haven't seen any indication that he'll be making the return trip yet.

So what do you think? Will the Ultimate Universe end? Will Galactus finally have enough to eat? Will Miles save the day? Will Miles become a permanent fixture in the 616 Universe?

I think the UU is actually done

I think Marvel is headed for a full on New 52.

I hope neither of these happen

At least one person will die

@danhimself: Didn't say I wanted it to happen, just that it probably will. Tho I personally wouldn't mind if everything after the half way point of World War Hulk didn't happen.

well I would hope that you don't lol....I don't think it is...they're getting ready to launch new number 1's for Captain Marvel and Fantastic Four...plus if anything like that ever happens I imagine that it would start and end in the 616 not in the UU

bump

Whatever happens, it better be good. The people working on Huger ruined Galactus for me. Galactus is my favorite Marvel villain and I was excited when I found out he would have his own series with Hunger. Shortly after it was released, my excitement dropped.

I read the first issue of Cataclysm and it was pretty good, slow, but I liked it better so far than anything Hunger has put out yet.

how did it ruin Galactus?

Something Cataclysmic ha, ha, but I hope it does/doesnt end. I plan on reading every single Ultimate title once i go to college.

I wasn't digging the story. I tried to get stoked about it, but found it hard to. I felt like they focused a lot more on Rick Jones than on Galactus. Maybe that's where the stories supposed to go, but yeah, I wanted more Galactus.

Plus, they made him purple.

I agree....I feel like that if he gets moved to the 616 permanently then it's only a matter of time before he disappears into Limbo...I'd give it a few years tops before he's gone

Prepare for...a lot of headdesking.

I've read it all before....I still haven't decided if I'm going to reread anything after Ultimates 2 though....none of the Ultimates books have been good since Millar left

I agree. The UU might be a cluster mess at times but it's one of the best things going in Marvel right now, in my opinion. I think this event is just going to be Ultimatum part 2, they'll either use this event to kill off more heroes or they'll use it revive some.

I know some people are speculating that this will reboot the UU and to be honest, I'm not 100% opposed to this idea.

but Galactus's outfit has always been purple

I see so many people say that the UU has been...well as you put it...a "cluster mess" but I don't see it....I've never needed to check online for reading order or anything like that....the books NEVER crossover...sure they had the Ultimatum banner at one point but you didn't need to read Ultimatum to understand what was going on in Ultimate Spider-man

the biggest problem has been new writers who haven't done their research and did whatever they wanted...Loeb has been the worst...but it happened a lot in the Ultimates books after Millar left....Spider-man has been the most consistent because it's had only one writer the entire time...but again for the most part the Ultimate Universe is still cake to get into....I mean you're looking at..I believe...less than 1000 books total to get every single Ultimate Universe book...actually.. I just checked wikipedia for a guesstimation and it's way less than 1000 books...probably somewhere between 600-700

@danhimself: I meant his skin color

@eric8a92: I guess that there is a little purple tone to his skin now but it's not full blown purple....either way with him absorbing the Gah Lak Tus Swarm he's now a heck of a lot stronger than before

@danhimself said:

The bolded part is exactly what I meant when I said "cluster mess." But other people usually mean that because they can't handle how ultimately different the UU is from the MU, which is what makes it so fantastic. Originally it was a condensed, updated, retelling of the MU but then it evolved into so much more. I have the entire USM series, most of UXM and am currently updating that and getting UF4. All pretty great reads. Then there's stuff like The Ultimates vol 1 and 2 which is great, though Millers take on them is sometimes creepy and uncomfortable (ie: Hulk's perversion and Cap being a dick), and their various mini series like the Gah Lak Tus Trilogy, Doomsday, Human, Armor Wars. There's just a lot of interesting stuff. I could reread Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men (from what I have so far) numerous times and not get sick of it. For those reasons, I hope it doesn't go away.

I'm not a big fan if Miles comes to the MU permanently because we will have four spiderman running around but I am interested to see who else makes the jump. As for what happens to the rest of the UU my best guess is that the UU stays in tact but there will be some short of reboot maybe something in the lines of a marvel Flashpoint? Reset everything just for the UU and start over again. I wouldn't mind that at all.

I don't care for Fiaklov's writing, and I find Galactus in the UU to be a stupid idea. Just end the entire universe mercifully, please.

Well we know so far that somebody is gonna die, and seeing how it's the UU, they'll stay dead indefinitely. Ending the UU now would stupid seeing as how there are still questions we don't the answer to: what connection Miles' father has to Roxxon, who the hell is Mothervine, and what Apocalpyse has been up to since we last saw him

@danhimself: So Galactus absorbed the Gah Lak Tus swarm huh? Damn. One lose end tied up.

@veshark: Traitor.

"A traitor is someone who betrays something they believe in. America isn't a country I believe in anymore." - Ultimate Black Widow

Speaks to my feelings on the UU ;)

Something will be devoured. Probably a planet or two.

Miles goes to 616 with his supporting cast.

Everything else goes away, please.

@innervenom123: I generally like you. Not in this thread. You're as bad as this guy.

@veshark: Just because she quit believing doesn't make her less of a traitor. She still did betray her country and her team. She also got shot in the face for her efforts.

I don't know who you are. But I'm pretty sure I didn't make an entire thread to say what I just said. Which is worse.

If it makes you feel any better, I've liked what I've seen of the latest Ultimates before Hunger started. Kang and all that.

BLAH BLAH BLAH I can't hear your logic over the sound of Millar's Ultimates!

In all seriousness, I've said it before: the UU has long since outlived its purpose. It was originally designed to be a streamlined, updated, and modern take on the 616 verse. Now that time has passed, and it's basically become an experimental testbed for crazy ideas. There was a spark of hope with the third relaunch (Hickman's Ultimates, Miles Morales), but sadly that's faded. At this stage, this once-great universe has been bombarded with so much mediocrity that I'd rather much just euthanize the entire line.

Ultimate Marvel will always mean a great deal to me, but all good things come to an end.

@veshark: You know what? I agree on some levels. I like stories with a beginning, a middle and an end. Something I sadly do not get in comics. If Marvel were to pretty much tie up lose ends, end the series with the heroes beating the bad guys and then closing shop, I could deal with it. If done with enough respect I may not even drop Marvel entirely.

I agree with your assessment, but also I don't. While it may have outlived being a ground floor Marvel line, it's still much easier to get up to speed with the Ultimate stuff. I need to buy what, a hundred trades or less and boom. I own everything. Main 616 stuff from 1962 is getting referenced. Also, I like the varied status quo's. I prefer 60's high school pete in the 616. I got that with the Ultimate U. before Bendis lost his damn mind. I like the fact that things in the status quo can change in ways they can't in the 616. Truly anything can happen. 616 has to be neat and tidy.

Ultimate stuff was top of the hill at one point. If Marvel put the right resources in it instead of treating it like a bastard stepchild, it could get up there again. Good story is good story whatever universe it is in.

@innervenom123: You don't recognize the handle? Ouch. There goes my ego. Well good to finally speak with you then, InnerVenom. This is worse in my opinion. They may actually end the Ultimate U terribly. And the Ultimates stuff was what brought me back to comics after it had let me down one time too many. I won't have the Kang trade until Feb, so no clue. Also as others have said, your boy, Miles will end up getting lost in the shuffle in the 616.

Here's my take on it: You are right, it's still a lot easier to get into. There are easy-to-read trades, and it's continuity is less complex, having only been about a decade old. But as I said, in recent years, the line has just suffered so much mediocrity that detracts from all the great stories that came before.

When I look back at Bendis' USM, or Millar's UXM and Ultimates runs...or even awesome crossovers like the Galactus Trilogy, or Ultimate War and Ultimate Six. I mean, how awesome were these stories? At one point in time, UXM was selling better than the regular X-Men book. The Ultimate comics were setting the bar for the industry, revitalizing Marvel - I think Marvel even ran a series of advertisements entitled 'Ultimate Marvel - The Gold Standard'. These books introduced many superstar writers into the mainstream, and the UU will always remain the greatest alternate universe, period.

But then Loeb came with Ultimates 3 and Ultimatum and New Ultimates. And then Millar's return produced subpar books like Ultimate Avengers. And then there was all this nonsense going on with the FF and X-Men that made them even more convoluted.

I agree with you that it's great that anything can happen in the UU. When Bendis decided to kill Peter off, I was stunned but also happy in a sad way. Because really, that's the only way a teenage untrained hero can end in a 'realer' world like the UU. And when Hickman's relaunched Ultimates hit the scene, I was blown away by the levels of change that he was introducing. Nations were being destroyed and replaced with new societies, they were fighting evil Reed and children from the future. It was awesome.

But then Hickman left, and the terrible, terrible Humphries run took its place. Then Fiaklov's. Ultimate X-Men has similarly lost its way. Bendis' USM is alright, I guess, but still. The world has become so confusing in it's goal to be different. Now I wouldn't mind the changes so much if they were done right - like Death of Spider-Man or Hickman's Ultimates. But all of these substandard stories that simply complicate matters more, alienating both new and old readers, and serving only to make the universe all the more incoherent...I don't know.

At this point in time, I feel like enough is enough. All things come to an end, and this great experiment has succeeded. Maybe one day we can revisit the Ultimate U, but for now, I'll just go reread my old Ultimate trades and reminisce on better days.

*drops mic, leaves a tearful and cheering crowd*

@veshark: It's too bad the threads don't have a like button for posts. That was awesome. Inspired. And I can agree with you. Marvel can make the Ultimate U. great if they want. They can end it. They can just sit on it awhile.

All have good and bad aspects. But I can tell you I can deal with the middle of the road runs, I can not buy the ones I outright dislike. I think that if Marvel wanted to spend some time tying the books up and ending them as they needed to, then I'd be ok with it.

But I think you and I and anybody who cares enough to read this thread agrees that it needs to be done respectfully. I don't know if I have faith in them to do it that way if it ends in some big shocker event.

@risingbean

Aw thanks, man. I don't know, I guess it was a venting of frustration. Felt cathartic.

I don't really have any more faith that Cataclysm (if it is the end of the UU) will be a fitting end, but who knows.

@frozenedge: I would still like an explanation for why Jean Grey went butt nuts crazy in Wood's Ultimate X-men run

I dislike how some people say stuff that pretty much amounts to "I don't like it so it should end" just like the guy saying he doesn't like Superman so they should stop making Superman comics

@danhimself: I attribute that to her staying on Tian with Xorn and Zorn and something happening while she stayed there. Assuming the UU doesn't get destroyed during Cataclysm, it may be addressed considering she's currently at Utopia now

also found this where they say that Miles will be meeting Norman Osborn in issue 200 of Ultimate Spider-man

http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/comics/sdcc-galactus-invade-ultimate-marvel-universe-spider-men-sequel-announced-more/64026

and this where he hints at an Ultimate Clone Saga sequel also starting in issue 200

http://brianmichaelbendis.tumblr.com/post/44039493258/any-change-of-a-ultimate-scarlet-spider-maybe-a-second

just goes to show that we are definitely getting a 200th issue of Ultimate Spider-man

THIS NEWS IS EXCITING.

But wait:

1. ISN'T OSBORN DEAD!?
2. Ultimate Clone Saga 2 sounds awesome...perhaps we'll see real versions of UU Ben or UU Kaine?
3. I still love the Ultimate Universe.

he's been dead before

remember when he got shot in the head at the end of the Death of a Goblin arc?

@danhimself: Yeah, but...he died with Peter...it was the perfect ending to their story. I guess, I'm just shocked because in my head, that was closure. Two stories ending with the same chapter. Hero vs Villain.

I like that but at the same time I think that Miles needs to face Norman at some point...it just has to happen

What if Norman Osborn IS clone saga part 2? Clone Norman!

hmmmm....I'm intrigued.....but why would someone clone Norman?

That's what we'll have to find out! (Or Norman cloned himself in case he ever died)

I just think they're going to do a rebrand sort of thing to the UU similar to marvel NOW maybe it'll be All New Marvel Now Ultimate Universe?