The new Ultimate Universe has been a smash hit at Marvel for the past couple of years. With a new initiative set on giving fans what they’ve wanted for a long time with the stories in Ultimate Spider-Man by Jonathan Hickman and Peach Momoko’s brand new take on the X-Men with her manga influenced work on Ultimate X-Men. There’s something for everyone in the new Ultimate Universe and it’s easily one of the best things to come from Marvel Comics in a long, long time. If there would be any fault to it whatsoever it’s that there aren’t enough titles in the line. Sure, we’ve seen different takes on characters in supporting roles but sometimes there are character who need their own full series and that’s what we’re here to talk about now: the Ultimate Universe is good and we want more.
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The following is a list of characters we’d like to see get their own Ultimate stories. Some have been mentioned in the Ultimate Universe or have already appeared and some are just character’s we think would be a good fit. Not everyone is exactly who they are in the 616 universe or even their 1610 counterparts; some of these characters may be a bit of a departure. Time will only tell if some of these happen and there’s a good chance of something bigger for a few of the choices listed here but they all have merit — and we’d love to see these stories come to life.
1) Daredevil
Daredevil is undoubtedly one of Marvel’s best selling characters and it’s a mystery why we haven’t seen Daredevil properly show up in the Ultimate Universe. While we have seen Matt Murdock appear as a priest similar to how he was left at the end of the Chip Zdarsky run, I don’t believe Matt would be the Man Without Fear in the Ultimate Universe but that doesn’t mean the mantle can’t have it’s time. For a spin based on some current ideas in 616, the idea of having Elektra as Daredevil, the Woman Without Fear isn’t a new idea, but having her be the only Daredevil on earth 6160, would be the makings of an excellent Ultimate series.
While having Elektra be in the lead role, I’d imagine Matt would still be present in the pages of the book. Whether he is there as Elektra’s love interest or as a priest to support her spiritual needs, it would be a misstep to not include the two together. If this book would ever happen it could be another huge hit much like Ultimate Spider-Man.
2) Hawkeye
Appearing in the pages of The Ultimates by Deniz Camp, Charli Ramsey is an original character under the mantle of Hawkeye. Charli found the Hawkeye costume in the trash in their debut issue and joined the Ultimates and has been a fan favorite ever since then. At time of writing this article it was announced recently were getting an Ultimate Hawkeye one-shot. While a step in the right direction, Charli has shown so much personality in less than a year and has proven themselves as a worth heir to the name Hawkeye.
Now it may be a bit tricky for any of the Ultimates to go solo now, who’s to say what will happen once The Maker is released from his city, if the Ultimates are successful they may be able to start their own solo adventures. If that is the case, Hawkeye would be the perfect one to strike out solo in a full length or mini series. Hawkeye absolutely deserves it.
3) Fantastic Four
Perhaps the most tricky and yet hoped for book might be a new run on Ultimate Fantastic Four. While the Storm siblings and Ben Grimm are currently confirmed dead due to the Maker’s meddling, Reed Richards still remains with his abilities and intellect just as this universe’s Doom. If the plot to save the rest of them is successful it could lead to Ultimate Fantastic Four, or perhaps a new version of the team could form. It all depends on what happens when the Maker is released.
Now for the hypothetical new team, with Doom being the only surviving member he could still lead a new team. What of the others? I could see some of the other members of the Ultimates joining Doom making a makeshift Fantastic Four. Potentially bring on Jim Hammond’s Human Torch rather than Johnny Storm, you could add Lejori Zakaria’s She-Hulk and perhaps Hank Pym as well — the possibilities are endless and regardless of how any of that goes, Ultimate Fantastic Four would be fantastic to see again in some form.
4) Blade
Next up we have the one and only Blade. A common name among characters who deserve the Ultimate treatment across comic book store chit-chatting. I think one of the biggest possibilities you could do for Blade is to make him a vampire hunting humans similar to that of Ultimate Wolverine currently. You can do that or have him be the origin of all thing supernatural on earth 6160 with Dracula being apart of the Maker’s council.
Another huge opportunity is to finally give Blade his credit where it’s long been overdue. After his last couple of books, it’s a surprise he’s not a bigger character in the 616 universe. Maybe the Ultimate universe could be the stepping stone into making Blade a more prominent character among the most casual or comic readers. Then again a book of Blade hunting down monsters in the Ultimate Universe would be fun regardless of how you position it. Just give us more Blade is really what I’m saying.
5) Gwenpool
Gwendolyn Poole is not actually a character in the Ultimate Universe at the moment, but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t be. The idea here would be to have a miniseries similar to Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion, where Gwenpool jumps to the new Ultimate Universe and is confused about everything as this is something she hasn’t read at all. Given Gwen’s abilities and personality, any title even in the Ultimate Universe with her would be a full-on comedy and could easily find its audience. Throw in Kate Bishop or Jeff the Land Shark and you have a great little adventure. Fans — especially Gwenpool fans — deserve it.
6) The Sentry
In a similar position as Blade, Sentry has not been a hugely active character for Marvel comics in quite a few years. As one of Marvel’s many Superman analogs in the main Marvel universe, Sentry has become a bit lost in the mix and that’s where the Ultimate Universe comes in. There isn’t a Superman analog in the Ultimate universe as it stands and Sentry could become the main one on earth 6160.
As for how to change the Sentry, you could change him up a little bit and split him up from his evil counterpart, The Void. This could be a controversial change to the Sentry but what’s the Ultimate universe without some changes to the source to make it a bit different? The Sentry has a lot of potential to bring in more readers from the movie fanbase as he’s the fan favorite from The Thunderbolts* film but the Ultimate Universe might be a great place to really have some fun with the character.
7) Dr. Strange
While we do have a new Sorcerer Supreme in the pages of Ultimate Black Panther, with the character of Inan, Stephen Strange has not made an appearance in the Ultimate universe proper. Taking a page from DC would be to make Strange akin to that of Absolute Martian Manhunter. Taking a lot of the core concepts but making an almost original character could be something very interesting and Strange would be the perfect fit. Making him a mutant and with a connection to the Ancient One or Dormammu for a twist could be exactly what we need there.
Having Stephen Strange in the Ultimate Universe as a different type of character in a potential ongoing or maxi series could be a huge win for more Ultimate titles as a whole. Despite the argument of quality over quantity, Marvel definitely needs a few more titles in it’s catalogue and you almost can never go wrong with magic.
8) Inhumans
With only a handful of appearances in recent years, the Inhumans have not appeared in a while for Marvel. With their name and reputation tarnished after a failed television show and becoming hated in by comic fans during the Uncanny Inhumans era, they are needing a fresh start. With a large enough cast to fill out their own team book and a rich enough mythology to spare, the Inhumans are ripe for the picking of an Ultimate refresh.
They could keep their base on the moon as well as keeping the cast of characters similar. All you have to do is change some of their dynamics. Having them begin to slowly move to Earth and live amongst the humans, they could become another heavy hitter against the Maker and his council. The possibilities are endless but it’s time for the Inhumans to come back.
9) Ghost Rider
The Spirit of Vengeance is a title passed down from many people over the years. Spanning from an old west phantom to a herald for Galactus, there are many different things you could do with Ghost Rider. With one of the most iconic looks in all of Marvel comics, Ghost Rider should make the jump to the Ultimate Universe as a new potential member of the Ultimates. Having the Spirit of Vengeance help in the fight to take on the Maker and his council could be a massively powerful weapon for Doom and company.
With a ton of different people who could become the Spirit of Vengeance it feels like it might be time for Danny Ketch to return to the mantle. Johnny Blaze could always be the mentor in this reality and the story could always lead to Robbie being a support to the team for a nice little cherry on top. Danny has long been a fan favorite and has been requested to return for a long time. The Ultimate universe could be the right place.
10) Cloak and Dagger
Last but certainly not least we have Cloak and Dagger. One of the best couples in Marvel’s library of character and currently blowing up from Marvel Rivals, this could be the perfect opportunity to throw them in for new readers to discover. The twist with this title would be to make their book a lower stakes romance. With a beautiful love story in 616, it would make sense to keep that going in the Ultimate Unitverse.
The common idea would be to switch Tyrone and Tandy as Cloak and Dagger respectively. It may not be the most original idea but it could always get a lot long term readers to check them out here. Including their origin of fighting drug dealers, they could have a sort of cross country adventure stopping drug lords while finding how they feel about each other. Just something a little different to round out our list here.
Who all do you think deserves their own Ultimate book? Is it time for Marvel to give us Ultimate Moon Knight or Ultimate Heroes for Hire or something new? Let us know in the comments!
