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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Ultimates #9!Luke Cage has gone through a number of changes over the years in Marvel Comics canon, especially as it relates to the Avengers. Not only was he made an official member of the Avengers during the New Avengers storyline, but Luke Cage more recently became the mayor of New York City, giving him political influence on top of his physical power. But now, Luke Cage is being reinvented like never before, with a vital new purpose in the new Ultimate Universe.
In Marvel Comics’ solicitation for The Ultimates #9 by Deniz Camp and Chris Allen, it’s revealed that Luke Cage will be making his official debut in Earth-6160. The cover art that’s offered (by artist Dike Ruan) features Power Man standing behind prison bars, handcuffs attached to one hand and a familiar orb being held in the other, all while Tony Stark’s Iron Lad looms over him.
LUKE CAGE AND THE ULTIMATE PRISON BREAK! Chris Allen joins Deniz Camp to bring us the history and the future of Luke Cage! Spider-Man isn’t the only success story of Ultimates 1.0… meet the man who has been quietly sabotaging the Maker’s Council from behind bars!
As revealed in the official synopsis for the issue, Luke Cage is in prison, though that’s not stopping him from fighting back against the Maker. Just like Spider-Man before him, Luke Cage was given an orb containing the source of his superhuman powers by Tony Stark, which Stark and the Ultimates obtained after raiding the Maker’s storage facilities. Ultimates #9 promises to detail Luke Cage getting his powers, followed by how he’s using them to “sabotage the Maker’s Council from behind bars”.
How the Ultimates are Undoing the Maker’s Efforts to Neutralize Luke Cage
The Maker Used the History of Earth-616 Luke Cage to ‘Eliminate’ the Earth-6160 Version
When the Maker traveled to Earth-6160 with the intention of molding it to his liking, he used the time travel capabilities of the Immortus Engine to travel across the timeline and neutralize every major hero and villain that threatened his vision. After the events of Ultimate Invasion, the Maker became trapped in a temporal prison, one that will open two years after it closed. During that window, the Ultimates have stolen all the sources of superpowers from the Maker and delivered them to different heroes the Maker stole them from – including Luke Cage.
In Earth-616, Luke Cage was wrongly imprisoned and illegally experimented on by an organization that was an extension of the Weapon Plus Program. This resulted in Luke Cage developing unbreakable skin and super strength. So, when the Maker came to the nearly identical Earth-6160, he knew that he just had to keep Luke Cage from being experimented on, and keep the variant ‘super soldier serum’ for himself. That’s why Luke Cage is still a prisoner in the Ultimate Universe. But, once Tony Stark gives him the stolen ‘serum’, Luke Cage will reclaim the powers he was robbed of.
What Will Luke Cage’s Future in the Ultimate Universe Look Like?
The solicitation for The Ultimates #9 reveals that Luke Cage (after he gets his powers) will be busy undermining the Maker’s Council from behind bars. But, how? At this moment, that detail is totally unclear, with very little room for speculation. The Maker’s Council runs the world from the shadows, with satellite operations controlling certain major territories (including the Kingpin’s reign in New York as an extension of the Maker’s Council). So, how will Luke Cage disrupt that global operation from inside a prison? Only time will tell, but that prospect is extremely exciting.
10 Most Powerful Heroes from Marvel’s New Ultimate Universe (AKA Earth-6160)
Marvel Comics recently launched a new Ultimate Universe with diabolical ties to the original. Here are the 10 most powerful heroes in this new world!
Eventually, of course, Luke Cage will be released from prison – either by breaking out himself or with the help of a third-party ally – and assuredly join the Ultimates just as he joined the Avengers in Earth-616. In fact, Luke Cage might even become a political leader in the Ultimate Universe just like he is in Earth-616 as well, perhaps after the Kingpin is ultimately defeated. Whatever the Ultimate Universe has in store for this reinvented Luke Cage, it’s already clear from this preview alone that he will be vital to the ‘Avengers’’ victory over the Maker.
The Ultimates #9 by Marvel Comics is available February 5, 2025.
“}]] Luke Cage gets new purpose in Avengers lore. Read More