10 Biggest Year Two Teases from Marvel’s Ultimate Universe

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Marvel’s first year of the Ultimate Universe delivered some of the best titles of 2024, with the momentum of the line speeding its way into 2025 as one of the most anticipated series at the publisher. Ending its first year spectacularly, Year Two will surely bring even more shocking revelations and epic battles as the world’s heroes prepare for The Makers’ return.

The Ultimate Universe is a massive success, and the culminating one-shot issue, The Ultimates Universe: One Year In, gives readers a glimpse into Marvel’s big plans for its new toys going into the new year. With so many plot points being balanced across the current four titles, Ultimate’s Year Two will not only continue to expand the universe but also start bringing it together.

10

Will The Ultimate Falcon Take Flight?

On your left

One of the biggest looks into Marvel’s plans for the Ultimate Year Two is the one-shot, The Ultimate Universe: One Year In. The issue centers around the Ultimate Universe, Nick Fury, and his past working for The Maker, ultimately rebelling against The Maker’s Council before being killed and revealed to be a clone. The issue serves as a tragic reminder of The Maker’s cruelty and gives readers some teases for what’s to come.

While Fury walks through the H.A.N.D facility, eagle-eyed fans may have noticed that the stealth suit recovered from Tony Stark bears a striking resemblance to the wings worn by Sam Wilson as both Falcon and Captain America. While there is no mention of Sam, he or another unnamed hero will undoubtedly take the wings and become a major addition to the Ultimates.

Roberto Da Costa may have already entered the fight

To keep Earth-6160 under his complete control, The Maker allowed some heroes and villains of the world to keep their abilities and enlist them into his council that secretly runs the world. One of the members of this council is Emmanual Da Costa, leader of the Society of South America and King of the Hellfire Club. Da Costa may be a name Marvel fans are familiar with, as mutant hero Sunspot is Roberto Da Costa, Emmanual’s son.

In the main Marvel Universe, Sunspot is a mutant with the power to absorb solar energy and channel it through his body. However, in the Ultimates Universe, Roberto is a prisoner to his father and bound to him with constant blood transfusions to keep the Da Costa monarch young and give him Roberto’s mutant abilities. While currently only appearing in The Ultimate Universe: One Year In, the issue heavily implies Da Costa and his abilities will have an important role moving forward and an essential piece in the Ultimates infiltrating the council.

8

Omega The Unknown Is a Mystery

A Marvel deep cut could have major potential

Omega The Unknown, or James Michael Starling, is a deep cut of the Marvel Universe and a character even hard-core fans may not be familiar with. James is the last model of alien humanoids created by a race of mechanical beings facing extinction. He gained his powers to absorb planet biospheres from his previous humanoid model, Model X3Z. James and Model X3Z were linked until X3Z’s death, which resulted in James’s power overloading and trapping him in Chthon’s Other-Realm.

While currently having a short history in the main Marvel Universe, Omega-The Unknown could have his opportunity to shine in this new world. In The Ultimate Universe: One Year In, Omega is briefly seen as a prisoner of H.A.N.D, along with an unidentified skeleton accompanying him in his cell. Given the few issues Omega has been involved with, the Ultimate Universe has an opportunity to have the lesser-known hero make a huge impact.

7

Magic Awakens In The Ultimate Universe

The new Sorceress Supreme expands the world exponentially

In Bryan Edward Hill’s Ultimate Black Panther, readers had their first introduction to the Sorceress Supreme of the Ultimate Universe. This opened the doors to the mystical side of the world. While playing a pivotal role in T’Challa’s fight against Khonshu in Ultimate Black Panther #12, her role in the greater Ultimate Universe remains a mystery.

As the world’s magic continues to reveal itself, this new Sourceress Supreme has already established herself as a major player, having been locked away by The Maker for her potential and killing all the guards to make her escape. Readers who have been following along will remember that Stephen Strange is in the Ultimate Universe but has been imprisoned by The Maker. Whoever this new Sorceress turns out to be, it’s clear that her role in the coming events in Wakanda and beyond will have massive effects on the world.

6

Ultimate Spider-Man Ends Year One With A Shocking Reveal

Peter Parker embraces his dark side

One of the first victims readers saw of The Maker’s new universe was Peter Parker, who he prevented from being bitten by the radioactive spider and becoming one of the greatest heroes ever known. Peter was one of the only people to reclaim his powers from Iron Lad’s Origin Boxes, granting him his abilities and a Picotech suit, which could manipulate its matter to respond and take shape to Peter’s thoughts.

After teaming up with Harry Osborn, Otto Octavius unlocked the suit’s AI capabilities, and Peter used his personality as the model, giving the suit sentience. Leaving the suit for fear of being tracked by Tony Stark, Ultimate Spider-Man #12 gave readers the shocking reveal of the suit disguising itself as Peter during the Parker family’s Christmas party. Originally all black, the suit shares many similarities to the infamous Venom symbiote, with its full potential only just revealing itself in Year Two.

5

A Powerful Hero Has Already Been Revealed In The Ultimate Universe

Who is Captain Marvel?

Captain Marvel is one of the strongest characters in the entire Marvel universe. Currently leading the Avengers in the main Earth-616, Carol Danvers has been involved in nearly every major Marvel event and goes toe-to-toe with the universe’s biggest and baddest villains. Given her immense power, it’s no surprise that The Maker wanted to prevent her from getting her powers.

In The Ultimates #1, Tony Stark and Reed Richard send orbs called Origin Boxes to the would-be heroes of the world to allow them to reclaim their destinies stolen by The Maker. Only two end up taking the orbs, one being Peter Parker and the other an unknown woman shown to be wearing the Captain Marvel suit. It’s unclear whether this was Carol Danvers or an unknown new member of the Marvel family, but the cosmic avenger undoubtedly still has a role to play in stopping The Maker.

4

The True Villain of the Ultimates

The Ultimates’ leader could be their greatest enemy

In the broken world that The Maker has created, nearly no one is as they seem, including our heroes. As the Ultimates fight The Makers Council, the evil multiversal Reed’s plans are constantly in motion, and the Ultimates may be more involved in his grand design than they think. It has been heavily implied that there could be a mole within the Ultimates, and Ultimates #8 sheds more light on who among them may be their downfall.

When encountering The Guardians of the Galaxy from the 61st century, Ultimate Star-Lord tells Doom, “The man in the iron mask and the man in the iron lung. One of you will be responsible for untold suffering and the deaths of trillions, and the other could save everything.” Doom and Tony began this journey together and have been the central characters in The Ultimates thus far, making this prophecy a major plot point for the Ultimates Year Two.

3

Miles Morales is the Key To Everything

The last of a destroyed universe

In Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 Secret Wars, the original Ultimate Universe collided with Earth-616 and resulted in the destruction of Earth-1610, leaving only two survivors, The Maker and Miles Morales. In Ultimate Invasion #1, The Maker comes to Miles to invite him to his new universe, saying that the pull of their dead universe connects them. Miles declines the offer, but The Maker leaves him a card if he were to change his mind.

Miles Morales has been integrated into Earth-616 so seamlessly that it’s easy to forget that he is not from the main universe. This connection that Miles shares with The Maker could be the secret to defeating him or could also be the key to his victory. Whether with or against The Maker, Miles has a crucial role to play in the future of the Ultimate Universe.

2

The Ultimate Incursion is Coming

When universes collide

In Marvel’s 2024 one-shot, Timeslide #1 (by Steve Foxe and Ivan Fiorelli), Bishop and Cable go on a time-traveling adventure to stop a future villain from preventing the X-Gene from evolving. During their adventure, Marvel teases multiple upcoming events, including Strange of Asgard, Ms. Marvel: Second Genesis, and Ultimate Incursion. With so much going on in the new universe, some fans may forget this all began as a mission for Maker to bring his original universe back and get revenge on Earth-616 Reed Richards, making it inevitable for the two universes to meet.

The last thing Earth-616 Reed said to The Maker before creating Earth-6160 was that if he could, he would go back and erase The Maker from existence, a fact he promised to keep in mind. Coming back to take revenge on Earth-616 for overtaking his universe has always been the end game for The Maker, and it seems Marvel is ready to deliver on that.

1

The Maker Will Win

The future of the Ultimates is bleak

Year One of the Ultimate Universe has come with many twists, turns, wins, and defeats, culminating in its first year with one of its darkest revelations yet. In Ultimates #8, the team encounters the Guardians of the Galaxy from the 61st century. They tell them of The Maker’s inevitable victory and that their future is nothing but impossible choices and tragic outcomes. While the future in comics is never fully set in stone, this sets a somber tone as we begin Year Two.

The Ultimate Universe is, by design, one devoid of hope, and entering into its second year with this grim prophecy only heightens the tension felt throughout the entire line. Nearly every character across the Ultimate line has been left in defeat, beginning Year Two with its foot on the gas as readers start to uncover how it all fits together. The stage has been set, and while there are many things Marvel intends to deliver in Year Two of the Ultimates, it will most certainly bring just as many questions as it does answers.

“}]] Marvel’s new Ultimates Universe ended its first year with a bang and gave fans plenty of things to look forward to in their sophomore season.  Read More