The Hulk rules with an iron fist. Ultimate Invasion by Jonathan Hickman (Ultimate Spider-Man) and Bryan Hitch (2002’s The Ultimates) introduced the grey-skinned Hulk as the “legendary and immortal” leader of the enlightened Children of Eternal Light, the highest holy man of his pacifistic cult. While he’s still Dr. Bruce Banner, Ultimate Hulk isn’t as zen as he claims: the man-monster sits on the Maker’s Council of supervillains that rules the world from the shadows, which framed the teenage Tony Stark’s team of superhero freedom fighters — the Ultimates 2.0 — as terrorists.
“Their basic mission is to overthrow the Council and prepare the world for whatever is going to emerge from the Maker’s time-accelerated City in 18 months. To do that, they plan to form an Ultimates resistance network,” The Ultimates writer Deniz Camp told ComicBook ahead of the relaunched series. Following this month’s Ultimates #3, there are just 15 months remaining until the Maker is freed from his prison in Latveria.
The Ultimates — Iron Lad (Tony Stark), Doctor Doom (Reed Richards), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Thunder God Thor, warrior goddess Sif, Giant-Man (Hank Pym), Wasp (Janet van Dyne), and newest recruit America Chavez — will assemble against the Hulk in November’s Ultimates #6. The conclusion of Camp and Juan Frigeri’s first arc also pits the heroes against Hulk’s army: The Immortal Weapons.
Unlike their Earth-616 counterparts — Chi-wielding warriors and champions of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven who debuted in the pages of the Ed Brubaker-Matt Fraction run of The Immortal Iron Fist — the Ultimate Immortal Weapons appear to be gamma-mutated versions of characters like Fat Cobra and Tiger’s Beautiful Daughter.
Ultimates #3 introduced Lejori Joena Zakaria, the Ultimate She-Hulk, one of 459 people exposed to 80 million tons of radioactive fallout when the Banner-Ulam Gamma Bomb detonated at the Pacific Coasting Grounds: the birthplace of the Hulk. The contamination made Lejori’s island the most gamma-concentrated area on Earth — mutating the human population, the flora, and fauna to create what the military dubbed Monster Island.
(Photo: The Ultimates #6 variant cover by Leinil Francis Yu. – Marvel Comics)
Hulk’s temple looks to be the site of a showdown between the Ultimates and the Immortal Weapons, pictured on artist Leinil Francis Yu’s (Wolverine) wraparound variant cover for Ultimates #6 (above).
Below, see Dike Ruan’s standard cover with the solicitations for upcoming issues, which tease Ultimate Doctor Doom’s origin story and the fates of the Fantastic Four in The Ultimates #4 (September 4th), the introduction of Ultimate Hawkeye in The Ultimates #5 (October 9th), and the clash with the Hulk cult in The Ultimates #6 (November 6th).
The Ultimates #4
THE FATE OF THE ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR! Doom’s years of torture at the hands of the Maker finally catch up to him in this secret history of the real Reed Richards! And tensions rise among the Ultimates when Doom might be more fixated on re-creating the life he should have had than the life he’s got…
On sale: September 4th, 2024
The Ultimates #5
ULTIMATE HAWKEYE TARGETS CAPTAIN AMERICA! Hawkeye No More? Not for long! A new challenger approaches when an unknown civilian picks up a discarded bow and arrow – and refuses to let the Ultimates reclaim the stolen Stark Tech! Captain America tries to settle the dispute, leading to an action-packed brawl of arrows versus shields! Meanwhile, the Ultimate Hellfire Club is up to something…
On sale: October 9th, 2024
The Ultimates #6
ULTIMATES ASSEMBLE TO TAKE DOWN THE HULK! The entire roster of THE ULTIMATES unites for the first time in this high octane, climactic conclusion of the first arc! Iron Lad has a plan to defeat the Hulk, the most powerful and imposing member of the Maker’s Council – but has he gotten his team in over their heads?
On sale: November 6th, 2024
