The Ultimate Universe is on the verge of adding one of Marvel’s elite franchises. We’re already in the second year of the Ultimate Universe, and so far only one title (Ultimate Wolverine) has been added to the line. However, we do have the first crossover, the five-issue Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion, and several exciting storylines taking place in other comics. Ultimates serve as the stand-in for the Avengers, and we’ve also seen the Ultimate Guardians of the Galaxy. Thanks to The Maker, we’re missing one big, established Marvel superhero team, but it looks like they are on the cusp of officially debuting.
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Marvel released the covers and solicits for October’s Ultimate Universe titles, which include Ultimates #17 by Denis Camp and Juan Frigeri. The cover by Dike Ruan features Doom, aka Reed Richards, walking through a dust-filled background. One notable addition to Doom’s costume is the Fantastic Four logo on his chest, alluding to a possible reunion of the Fantastic Four. Ultimates #17’s solicitation also teases the Ultimate Fantastic Four.
“Now that the Ultimates are using the Immortus Engine to its full capacity, Doom’s dream of the Ultimate Fantastic Four may finally be realized…,” the solicitation reads.
ULTIMATES #17
- Written by DENIZ CAMP
- Art by JUAN FRIGERI
- Cover by DIKE RUAN
- On Sale 10/22
- THE ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR?
- Now that the Ultimates are using the Immortus Engine to its full capacity, Doom’s dream of the Ultimate Fantastic Four may finally be realized…
September 2024’s Ultimates #4 revealed what happened to the rest of the Fantastic Four in the Ultimate Universe. The story is told from four different perspectives, slowly peeling back the curtain on how the Maker manipulated events to ruin the Fantastic Four before they could become the heroes they were destined to be. Doom uses the Immortus Engine to look back into the past, showing how the Ultimate FF were snuffed out of existence.
Maker manipulated the space launch that should have granted the Fantastic Four their powers. Thanks to Maker messing with Reed’s calculations, the Fantastic Four missed their window for the cosmic storm. Then their cockpit was bombarded with fire, killing Johnny. The remaining three are blamed and put on trial, with Ben committing suicide in an abandoned rock quarry. It’s unknown if he really killed himself or if Maker is also responsible for his death. Meanwhile, Sue Storm slowly died from radiation poisoning.
With Reed Richards as the last remaining member of the Fantastic Four alive, Maker kidnapped and tortured him, brainwashing Reed to believe that his name is Doom, complete with placing Doctor Doom’s trademark mask on his head. Later, Doom begins experimenting on rats to recreate the cosmic accident that should have created the Fantastic Four. For now, the mice keep dying, and the experiments are a failure.
But since Doom has access to the Immortus Engine, he could theoretically use it to travel into the past and rescue the Fantastic Four. Whether or not that’s a good idea remains up for debate.
Ultimates #17 goes on sale October 22nd. Let us know your thoughts on the Ultimate Fantastic Four in the comments below!
