Right after we found out Miles Morales wasn’t staying in the Mainstream Marvel Universe, Marvel has unveiled their plans for the Ultimate Universe titles post Cataclysm. Lets just say, they’re not going away but instead will shift focus to a younger crowd. Marvel will be publishing three titles after Cataclysm, All-New Ultimates, Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man, and Ultimate FF.
The titles will see some changes to what we’re accustomed to as well. All-New Ultimates is essentially the Ultimate Spider-Friends series, consisting of Spider-Man, Cloak, Dagger, Bombshell, Kitty Pryde, and Black Widow (formerly Spider-Woman). This series will be written by Michael Fiffe (who?) and illustrated by Amilcar Pinna (again, who?). This sounds like its focused on the younger crowd, especially with a group of teenagers calling themselves the All-New Ultimates. The cover for this issue has been provided as well and has a curious stamp on it, ULTIMATE MARVEL NOW!. This implies that Marvel is trying to bring all the books under the Marvel NOW! banner, including the new Ultimate universe. I’m unsure on this action as of now, but perhaps it will ensure longevity for the universe.
Second up is the most non-surprising title, Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by David Marquez, this series will follow the life of Miles post-Cataclysm as he deals with the aftermath of the Devourer attacking earth and of course, revealing his identity to his father. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that his entire life will change, according to J. Jonah Jameson.
Lastly, is the most unexpected title of this All-New Ultimate Universe, Ultimate FF. Currently, FF is the title of a series that explores a large group of individuals who call themselves the Future Foundation in the mainstream universe. This is an expansion of the Fantastic Four, but consists of ancillary characters in the Marvel Universe (She-Hulk, Scott Lang/Ant-Man, etc). The Ultimate FF will consist of Tony Stark, Sue Storm, and two other unrevealed, brilliant characters left in the aftermath of Cataclysm. Axel Alonso has confirmed that the team “is missing one, and that happens to be a psychopath.” This would be the Reed Richards reference, so who knows whats going on?
Now that we know the Ultimate Universe isn’t ending, it leaves more questions open than closes. Where are the actual Ultimates? Captain America and Thor don’t appear in any of these titles and this is the first time the Ultimate X-Men haven’t had a series in a while either. Hopefully all of these answers will be answered soon and without a disgusting end of some favorite characters. Are you ready for the All-New Ultimate Marvel NOW!?
UPDATE: New covers and Marvel’s Press release!
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The most popular characters! The most acclaimed creators! The most ambitious stories! This is the energized Ultimate Marvel NOW!.
This April, Marvel’s Ultimate universe undergoes a massive overhaul in an exciting and new direction as the industry’s top creators – Brian Michael Bendis, Michel Fiffe and Joshua Hal Fialkov take everyone’s favorite Ultimate universe characters – Spider-Man, Iron Man, Kitty Pryde, Sue Storm, Black Widow (formally Spider-Woman), Cloak & Dagger and more in an all-new and exciting direction after the devastating events of Cataclysm.
“The Ultimate Universe is relatively young, which yields more opportunities for real change, real dangers, and dramatic avenues left unexplored in superhero comics,” says ALL-NEW ULTIMATES writer Michel Fiffe.
It all starts in April with ALL-NEW ULTIMATES, from the creative team of Michel Fiffe (Copra) and Amilcar Pinna (X-Men: First Class). Spider-Man, Black Widow (formally Spider-Woman), Kitty Pryde, Bombshell, Cloak & Dagger officially unite to tackle the vicious, rampant crime wave overtaking Hell’s Kitchen! But can this new team of Ultimates stand up to the murderous gang known only as the Serpent Skulls?
Ultimate Marvel NOW! continues through the spring of 2014 with the launch of ULTIMATE FF by Joshua Hale Fialkov (Cataclysm: Ultimate X-Men) and upcoming superstar artist, Mario Guevara. The FF – Future Foundation – is all that stands between the Ultimate universe and COMPLETE AND UTTER DOOM! Can Sue Storm, Tony Stark, Machine Man and Sam Wilson face the oncoming devastation directly after the events of Cataclysm?
And finally, Miles Morales is back in his own web-slinging solo-series, MILES MORALES: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN by creator Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, All-New X-Men) and artist Dave Marquez (Cataclysm: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, All-New X-Men). In the wake of earth-shattering events, Miles is back in action with a new status quo and a new outlook on life! But there is no time to sit back and relax. A BIG villain from Peter Parker’s past is alive and well and about to turn New York upside down.
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Source: Associated Press | Marvel
