10 Things Everybody Forgot About The Maker

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The Maker is an alternate version of Reed Richards, who lost his mind and has become one of the most twisted and ruthless villains in Marvel Comics. After the original Ultimate universe was destroyed in the 2015 Secret Wars event, The Maker has been quietly plotting his revenge on Reed and the entire Marvel 616 Universe.

In Ultimate Invasion, The Maker uses technology stolen from across the world to create a portal to a new universe that he can shape as he wishes. With the creation of the new Earth-6160, in which The Maker prevented the creation of superheroes, his goals for this new universe and its heroes are largely unknown. However, many moments in The Maker’s history could shed light on what readers could see upon his return.

10

The Origin of Ultimate Reed Richards

Earth-1610 Reed had a tough upbringing

Reed Richards of Earth-1610 had a harsh upbringing compared to his 616 counterpart. Ultimate Reed grew up in a broken home with an abusive father who would belittle and punish his intellect. At age ten, Reed developed schematics for a mission able to transmit matter across the dimensional plane. His presentation of the transmitter got the government’s attention, and Reed was enrolled into a think tank program run by Dr. Franklin Storm, where he met Suzan and Johnny Storm as well as Victor Van Damme.

Reed’s early home life and the abuse by his father drastically influenced him into becoming the menacing villain he would one day be. Using his father’s disdain as a driving force for his inventions and as a means of escape created a fundamental difference in how The Maker views the world compared to 616 Reed, whose genius was encouraged by his father.

9

Reed Richards Became The Maker

Reed’s fractured sense of self-worth destroyed his life

Once The Fantastic Four reached celebrity hero status, Reed craved the public’s attention and admiration. After Magneto unleashed the Ultimate Wave that killed thousands, Sue rejected Reed’s marriage proposal, and the team disbanded, sending Richards into a downward spiral. During this time, Reed learned from Kang of the incoming incursion that would destroy Earth-1610, and he blows up his family home with his parents still inside to fake his death.

In the 2010 Ultimate Doom #1 (by Brian Michael Bendis, Bryan Hitch, and Rafa Sandoval), Reed attacked the Fantastic Four and the Ultimates, almost killing Sue Storm and solidifying Reed’s turn to evil. Ultimate Reed could have had a very different life without the desperate need for approval and recognition that he didn’t get from his father. After failing to keep his family together, Reed’s discovery of the impending destruction of their universe drove him to conclude that he is the only person who can save everyone, no matter the cost.

8

The Children of Tomorrow Are Strikingly Familiar

The Maker’s First Council appeared much earlier

In Ultimate Fallout #4 (by Brian Michael Bendi, Jonathan Hickman, Nick Spencer, Billy Tan, Clayton Crain, Mark Bagley, Salvador Larroca, and Sara Pichelli), Reed Richards escaped the Negative Zone and took on the identity of The Maker, acquiring a cult of followers he named The Children of Tomorrow. To save their universe, The Maker invented The Dome as their base of operations. Inside The Dome, time passed at an accelerated rate, and The Maker spent 900 years perfecting the Children into perfect superhumans.

The Children Of Tomorrow are strikingly similar to The Maker’s Council in the new Ultimate Universe, with its top members even referred to as The First Council. Readers will also recognize that this first iteration of The Dome is the same technology he used to create The City in Latveria on Earth-6160. This is where he currently resides while he recovers from his defeat in 2023’s Ultimate Invasion #4 (Jonathan Hickman, Donny Cates, Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Alex Sinclair, and Joe Caramagna).

7

The Maker Saw The Life He Could Have Had

The Maker was nearly reformed

After his plane to prevent the incursion with the Children of Tomorrow failed, Reed escaped imprisonment when Galactus of Earth-616 came to devour their planet. In Cataclysm: The Ultimates’ Last Stand #3 (by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley), Richards convinced the Ultimates to let him go on a mission with Miles Morales to Earth-616 to access the alternate Reed Richards files and learn how to stop Galactus. On their mission, The Maker discovered that 616 Reed had a happy life with Sue and two children, Franklin and Valeria. Upon returning with the information on Galactus, Reed apologizes to Sue for all the terrible things he has done and says there is still hope for them.

The Maker’s first trip to Earth-616 may have led him to regret his past actions for a time, but it also solidified his deep-rooted hatred and jealousy of Earth-616 Reed Richards. Seeing the future he could have had if not for his selfish need to be seen as the universe’s savior broke him even further. This mission of vengeance directly led to his creation of Earth-6160 and to prove himself as the superior Reed Richards of the multiverse.

6

Secret Wars Split The Maker Across the Multiverse

The Maker’s greatest defeat was the best thing that could have happened to him

In the 2015 Secret Wars event (by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Rubić), The Maker seemingly joined Earth-616 Reed Richards to take down God Emporer Doom. Once the two Reeds discovered that Molecule Man was the source of Doom’s power, The Maker betrayed Reed to claim the power for himself. However, Molecule Man sided with Earth-616 Reed and split The Maker across reality. In 2016’s New Avengers #17 (by Al Ewing and Paco Medina), it’s revealed that this event caused The Maker’s presence to spread across the newly created Multiverse, with every universe containing a Maker that shares a single mind.

While most see the conclusion of Secret Wars as a defeat for The Maker, it could have been his greatest victory. This rebirth of the villain gave him the power to execute his plan in Ultimate Invasion by transferring his consciousness into one of his bodies that was locked away in the Blaakguard containment facility. The Maker’s ability to transfer his mind into other bodies was an essential development as one of the universe’s greatest threats. It will certainly play a role in his current plans for Earth-6160.

5

W.H.I.S.P.E.R. Established The Maker on Earth-616

The Maker takes his first steps towards creating Earth-6160

Reborn in the newly created Multiverse, The Maker put his plans into motion to merge the Multiverse back together and became the leader of a terrorist organization called W.H.I.S.P.E.R. Using self-replicating nano-cameras, Maker launched an attack on A.I.M. and the New Avengers to acquire their resources in a plot to awaken Eternity and re-merge the Multiverse. The Maker was eventually defeated by A.I.M. leader Roberto Da Costa in New Avengers #17 (by Al Ewing and Paco Medina) and sent to a black site prison.

Like many of The Maker’s defeats, his imprisonment by Da Costa only put him in a better position to execute his plan for Earth-6160 later. This version of The Maker is the same one that would later be released by W.H.I.S.P.E.R agents in Ultimate Invasion #1 who created Earth-6160. This critical moment in Maker’s journey further shows how the Ultimate Reed Richards is always one step ahead and that his plans for Earth-6160 have been long in the making.

4

The Maker Recovered The Scattered Pieces of Molecule Man

The Ultimate Reed Richards has the powers of one of the universe’s most powerful beings locked away

In the 2019 Future Foundation series (by Jeremy Whitley, Will Robson, Daniele Orlandini, Greg Menzie, and Joe Caramagna), the team of young heroes encounter The Maker on the prison planet of L’ar Gath Five while on their mission to collect the scattered atoms of Molecule Man across the Multiverse. With the team mistaking him for the real Mister Fantastic, Maker took over their ship and stole the piece of Molecule Man for himself. While the team is able to kill The Maker, another version of him comes to secure the piece of Molecule Man and blow up their ship.

Molecule Man’s powers created the entire Multiverse and the same powers that split The Maker into every universe. Having this power in his possession, there’s no telling what he has planned for it or how it could enhance his own abilities. While readers have yet to see the outcome of this victory, it would be reasonable to assume it has something to do with his newly created universe.

3

Project Oversight Shed’s Light on The Maker’s Plans

The Maker isn’t working alone

The Maker eventually resurfaced in the pages of Donny Cates’s 2018 Venom series on a mission to create an interdimensional portal and use the Venom symbiote to return to Earth-1610. In Venom #20 (by Donny Cates, Iban Coello, Ze Carlos, Rain Beredo, and Clayton Cowles), it is revealed that The Maker recovered the Ultimate Venom symbiote and was given the task of restoring Earth-1610 by The Council of Reeds to be welcomed back into the group.

The revelation that The Council of Reeds is backing the Maker brings everything we know about his plans into question. The Council of Reeds is a group that can solve anything and further the progress of all the universes of the multiverse. Knowing they are complicit in The Maker’s mission and supporting him changes everything. This revelation could even implicate Reed Richards, who leads the Ultimates alongside Iron Lad on Earth-6160.

2

The Maker Invited Miles to Join Him on Earth-6160

Miles Morales is the key

When The Maker escaped imprisonment to execute his plans for Earth-6160, one of his first stops was meeting with Miles Morales, the only other survivor of his home universe. The Maker explained that he and Miles were connected by the lingering energies of their dead universe and that he wanted to bring him back home with him. Miles rejected his offer, but The Maker left him a blank card and told him to call if he ever changed his mind.

While it is a brief moment in a story containing many moving parts, it may be the most critical piece in solving The Maker’s puzzle. While Miles doesn’t take his invitation, the scene heavily implies that Miles relates to the Maker’s feeling of being pulled to the nothingness left by their universe’s destruction. Miles being the only other survivor of Earth-1610 is no mere coincidence, and could very well be the person who brings The Maker his victory.

1

A Variant of The Maker With a Symbiote Is Currently on Earth-1610

The Maker on Earth-6160 isn’t the only one who is plotting

Through all the Maker’s travels, none may be more important than his time with Eddie Brock and the Symbiotes. In Venom #26 (by Donny Cates, Iban Coello, Juan Gedeon Jesus Aburtov, and Clayton Cowles ), after a fight with Brock and his son Dylan, The Maker uses the symbiote from his original universe to successfully cross through an interdimensional portal to Earth-1610. The Maker arrives to find Earth-1610 in ruins and says it’s perfect.

Ever since The Maker first became aware of the incursion that threatened his universe, his singular goal has always been to save Earth-1610 and its inhabitants by any means necessary. Having a version of The Maker in Earth-1610 with a symbiote is a massively overlooked part of Maker’s history and the true beginning of the new Ultimate Universe. Even with his own universe to mold as he pleases, The Maker’s ultimate goal to restore his universe and prove himself as the superior Reed Richards has never changed, making this moment and Project Oversight the driving force behind everything unfolding in the new Ultimates Universe.

“}]] As readers await The Maker’s return in The Ultimates, his past as the Ultimate Reed Richards may shed some light on what his plans are for Earth-6160.  Read More