Writer Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler Mark Bagley
Inker Scott Hanna
Colorist Justin Ponsor
Letterer VC’s Cory Petit
The Ultimate Universe comes to an end, and it goes out with a whimper.
The big hero on hero fight that began at the end of last issue, is halted when Miles Morales shows up.
Bombshell shouts his real name, most other heroes stop fighting to see what this young kid has to say.
Spider-Man vouches for Miles. Luke Cage believes he should, as Miles looks to be the president of the Spider-Man fan club. Which is pretty funny.
Ultimate Shadowcat wants to hear what her friend and former teammate has to say. I really like Storm’s comment about letting him talk as they can go back to halfheartedly fighting each other. I imagine, in all of those previous hero matchups, that they don’t go all out on each other. Unless there is a grudge to be settle.
Ultimate Fury declares a cease fire.
Ultimate Cloak also says Miles’ real name and he has to finally ask people to stop saying it. Miles starts to hint at what has happened. Teen Jean starts the psychic invasion (because she is the worst) that Emma and Rachel rapidly join in. Emma opens everyone’s mind to what Miles has in his.
We begin the sequence of a couple pages of beautifully drawn pages by Bagley. The first page features Bagley drawing everyone from the Proper Marvel Universe – The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Avengers (Beast, Captain America, Iron Man, Wasp, Thor and Warbird). Goliath, Vision, Scarlet Witch and the worst – Wonder Man. Even the X-Men make it – John Proudstar, Cyclops, Angel, Jean Grey, Xavier, Colossus, Wolverine, Iceman (gayness, questionable), Storm and Nightcrawler.
Miles states that the Proper Marvel Universe, is the way the universe should have been. He hints that the current New York has been created by one person.
We get the Ultimate Universe pin up page. The Ultimates – Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk and Hawkeye. Nick Fury. The Fantastic Four. The All New Ultimates – Bombshell, Spider-Woman, Cloak & Dagger. I wish Ultimate Shadowcat was inbetween this team and the X-Men, it would have been a nice transition. The X-Men are – Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine and Nightcrawler.
Miles really goes on about how horrible this current state of the world is.
Two amazing pages and then we get a double page spread of God Doom’s face. Not quite the victory lap I would have liked but it is okay. Miles really rips into God Doom. Miles recalls the way it use to be, as he was in the Life Raft. He knows Doom as the super villain and king of his own kingdom – not the over ruler of an entire world. Doom created this region of New York so that he can punish those fools that have annoyed him over the years.
See the page above? Be prepared to see it two more times (three more, if you own the issue). Which is a shame, as I’m sure this issue was mainly delayed due to issues seven, eight and nine being reworked of Secret Wars 2015. They added issue nine, took pages away from seven and eight as well as moved pages around to make the flow better. But having a two page spread, repeated but less art, seems like a cost cutting measure. So that makes eight pages of the comic super easy to do. Then there is the issue of the pinup art, with narration boxes, so this issue feels lack luster. It looks amazing but it is a fast read. Plus, the way it ends – just like Old Man Logan’s fifth issue – there are two completely white pages and Miles wakes up in the All New All Different Marvel Universe. I wish Marvel had the courage to just put a giant “Buy Issue Nine of Secret Wars 2015” box on the one page. Maybe I’ll end up buying issue nine, if it really is a giant all heroes fighting issue.
Let’s get to the positives. Ultimate Shadowcat is between Ultimate Iron Man and Proper Iceman. Magik is between Storm and Rogue.
The heroes are having, pretty much, the same reaction to hearing that their God Doom is really just a regular dude. Or at least, that he started life as a regular dude. He is all powerful here, on Battleworld.
Miles continues to describe that others were on the Life Raft. The gathered heroes are having to deal with the fact that they are not the original character but a duplicate or alternate universe. Ultimate Dagger is worried that she isn’t real – which is what I’m always writing about, that if you went to an alternate universe, it will lower the stakes for everybody. Nothing really matters, and you might as well live your life as you wish. Miles explains that they are all real, they are from different places. Miles get help from Spider-Man, who we now know isn’t the same one from the Life Raft.
Ultimate Hulk loses his mind and starts attacking Miles. Old Man Logan gets Hulk to calm down. It is almost as if this issue is serving the only purpose of getting Miles to the All New All Different Marvel Universe, the other storypoints of the Iron Men tries to figure out the secrets of this world or where Proper Bruce Banner is, are completely dropped. I guess the Iron Men story doesn’t really matter, now that the heroes know that this region was created.
Old Man Logan confirms Miles story, as Old Man Logan has climbed the walls of Battleworld and has seen the various regions, that don’t add up or mix well with the other ones. The X-Men freak out, seeing an older Wolverine. So this issue takes place before Old Man Logan 5, I suppose. Or in a super awkward way, at the same time of it?
The Thors show up, as Miles is clearly making rules being there – as is Old Man Logan.
Cyclops asks Magik to teleport them to safely. So yay for Magik being used in an important way!
Whichever Punisher survived the fight with the other, starts firing on the Thors. He doesn’t last long.
Magik has a penthouse safehouse, of course she does!
The Iron Men are not sure what should happen next. If the united heroes do fight Doom, and win (somehow) what happens then? FalCap says they will deal with that, once they get there. Other heroes start losing confidence, as the stakes are too high.
Ultimate Captain America simplifies the situation. He says, “A truly bad man did something horrendous. He needs to be stopped. The end.” Which is pretty awesome!
Actually Doc Green is Proper Hulk, so with Ultimate Hulk, I guess all subplots are addresssed but the issue really took a hard turn to deal with this issue’s story.
The heroes are worried that things may be too broken.
Everyone wants to go their separate ways, to get their affairs in order. Doom will be stopped.
The Home of Peter Parker, Queens. Peter calls his Aunt May, of the Ultimate Universe.
The Home of Miles Morales, Brooklyn. Miles checks in on his father and his best friend, Granke.
Stark Tower, New York City. Tony leaves a voicemail for Pepper Potts.
So for the rest of the issue, we get these three character’s message or conversations, as they say goodbye. Makes sense that Bendis picked these three characters. He is going to be writing the main Iron Man title, that has already come out – so he has one last big chance to show his take on the character. Bendis has amazing runs with both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, both being major parts of the Ultimate Universe.
We do get to see the heroes going to God Doom. A Fire Galactus (who I believe is Franklin Richards, maybe?) and the Thors are there.
I looked and looked and didn’t see Magik nor Ultimate Shadowcat in the attacking heroes – so that’s a shame as Bagley has been able to put them into the previous shots.
At least Magik and Ultimate Shadowcat make it to this page! Iceman is gone, to Ultimate Shadowcat’s right and Rogue is gone to Magik’s right.
The goodbyes continue, I can’t really say the messages are all that touching. At least, Tony’s is nice in that he keeps giving Pepper a hard time for how she is of course missing out on this important moment in the world.
I’m not really sure if these heroes are dying, and that’s why they are not present, anymore.
So we turn the page, and get the exact same image – except with less characters’ faces! See how lame that is? It looks like a fun visual but it doesn’t read that well.
Ultimate Shadowcat is now gone from Tony’s right. Magik starts to fade away.
Turn the page again, and only the Spider-Men and the Iron Men are present. They are fading away though.
Turn the page and we get treated to two completely blank pages!
Miles wakes up, to his mother saying his name. Earlier in the issue, he talked about how he lost his mother to his superhero life style – so that’s nice that she made it to the All New All Different Marvel Universe. His friends also made it to the New Marvel Universe. His three friends don’t get name checked, one of them is Ganke.
Issue ends with Miles, in his Spider-Man costume, webslinging along the city. In the background, is the Ultimates’ home base, so I’m not sure how that survived, or how that will effect things.
So a lousy way to end the Ultimate Universe, hopefully Miles’ series will deal with some closure to that once proud universe.
This series started out well but ooof, what a way to end!
Shadow and Flame with Magik 