Yes, Marvel Is Setting Up a New Civil War, And It Will Test the X-Men Like Never Before

[[{“value”:”

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Ultimate Universe: One Year In #1! Civil War is one of the most iconic events in Marvel Comics history, as it pitted superheroes against each other while also blurring the line between hero and villain. Not only that, but the visual spectacle of these superhumans engaged in brutal combat alone makes Civil War well worth the read. The action is epic, the impact is widespread, and the event itself is one of the most memorable and beloved in Marvel Comics. And now, Marvel is on the precipice of another Civil War – only this time, with the X-Men.

In Ultimate Universe: One Year In #1 “Ultimate Wolverine Prologue” by Chris Condon and Alessandro Cappuccio, readers get a peek into the Maker’s plan for mutantkind in Earth-6160. This comic serves as a milestone for Marvel Comics’ new Ultimate Universe, a moment to reflect on the greatest threats that face this world while also teasing new elements that will be introduced in upcoming Ultimate Universe books. One of those elements is Ultimate Wolverine aka the Winter Soldier, as well as the promise of an explanation behind Earth-6160’s mutants.

“Ultimate Wolverine Prologue” reveals that the Maker made a deal with the Rasputin family (Colossus, Magik, and Omega Red). In this deal, the Maker defined the Rasputins’ territory as the Eurasian Republic, which consisted of all of Russia as well as some surrounding countries. This solidified the Rasputins’ seats on the Maker’s Council, taking their places among the other secret rulers of the world. Fans already knew this from previous Ultimate Universe comics, but what they didn’t know is that the Maker decided that the Eurasian Republic would be the centralized home of mutantkind.

The Ultimate Universe Establishes Budding Conflict on the Maker’s Council Regarding Mutants

If the Rasputins were Put in Charge of Mutants, Why Does Sunfire Have His Own Mutant Cult?

The Maker’s Council consists of a number of villains who control their own territories, and all of them collectively rule the world. But, when it comes to mutants, the only two seats on the Maker’s Council of note are the ones occupied by the Rasputins and Shiro Yoshida aka Sunfire. Ultimate Universe: One Year In confirms that the Rasputins’ territory is where mutantkind has been relegated, and where the Rapsutins are free to control the population of mutants as they see fit. However, that’s not what fans have been seeing in the Ultimate Universe so far.

Ultimate X-Men is set in Japan, which is firmly under the control of Sunfire and his second in command, Viper. In Ultimate X-Men, a group of young students begin to realize that they are mutants, given the natural development of superhuman abilities. As they investigate who they are and how they exist, they learn that there’s an entire mutant cult in their community called The Children of the Atom. Little do these young mutants know, The Children of the Atom is actually controlled by Sunfire, meaning it’s an organization sanctioned by the Maker.

The Children of the Atom has synthesized an elixir that activates a mutant’s powers, and the organization itself is set up like an established religion in an effort to control the mutants it is effectively creating. It’s a well-orchestrated method of mutant creation and control, but its existence is in direct contrast with what readers learn from Ultimate Universe: One Year In. The Rasputins are supposed to be the only ones controlling mutants, but Sunfire is doing exactly the same thing. In other words, a mutant civil war is seemingly on the horizon in the Ultimate Universe.

A Mutant Civil War Would Be the Perfect Next Ultimate Universe Event

The Ultimate Universe Would Benefit Greatly from a Mutant Civil War

Based on everything that’s been established in the Ultimate Universe thus far regarding mutants, it seems clear how a potential mutant civil war would start. The Rasputins would accuse Sunfire of overstepping, using the fact that the Maker designated the Eurasian Republic as the world’s centralized location for mutants as justification for their anger. Sunfire would then defend his claim on mutants, given the fact that The Children of the Atom is an organization that the Maker sanctioned himself.

Unfortunately, the Maker isn’t here to settle any disputes (he’s locked in a temporal prison of his own making), so both the Rasputins and Sunfire will question the other’s claim on mutants. On top of that, both parties might see this as the perfect opportunity to grow their respective territories. The Maker is gone, and there is legitimate justification for conflict between two territories that are right next to each other. Now is the perfect time for either the Rasputins or Sunfire to gain more power before the Maker’s return, and they’ll use their mutants to do it.

A mutant civil war would mean conflict within the Maker’s Council, something that’s especially significant given the rise of the Ultimates, which is working to destroy the Maker’s Council before the Maker’s return. As it stands, the Ultimates don’t stand a chance against the Maker’s Council. But, if there were to be a mutant civil war, that weakness within the Council could be just what the Ultimates need to get a leg up. This level of interconnected storytelling is what has defined the new Ultimate Universe, and a mutant civil war would add to its wider lore greatly.

Civil War was an Impactful Event, but It Would Be Nothing Compared to a Mutant Civil War

A potential civil war that would include good and evil superhumans on both sides is reminiscent of Marvel’s original Civil War event, making it impossible not to draw comparisons between the two. However, if the Ultimate Universe moved forward with a mutant civil war such as this, it would outshine the original Civil War on every level. Not only would the impact of a mutant civil war have lasting effects on the entire universe (rather than a brief upset before an ultimate canon-reset), but it would also pave the way for a more cohesive Ultimate X-Men continuity.

Mutants are all over the place in the Ultimate Universe, and it’s unclear which characters are getting their own variants or complete reimaginings. For example, Storm is a freedom fighter in Ultimate Black Panther and Wolverine is acting as Colossus and Magik’s living weapon, making all of them clear variants of their original counterparts. Meanwhile, the Shadow King is an entirely new character with no ties to Amahl Farouk, and Cyclops has seemingly been reimagined as a young girl named Natsu. Everything seems a little disjointed in Ultimate X-Men canon, but a mutant civil war could fix that.

Every mutant – variant or reimagining – would finally be under one Ultimate Universe title, allowing fans to take an account of who the main players of Ultimate X-Men will be moving forward and how they will be portrayed. Plus, it would be a great way to put mutants on the Ultimate Universe’s international stage, and could spark global mutant prejudice that would fuel countless Ultimate X-Men story arcs moving forward.

Between Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Universe: One Year In, the in-world catalyst for a mutant civil war in the Ultimate Universe is there, and the desire to have conflict for the purpose of gaining more territory makes sense for the members of the Maker’s Council. And, in the meta sense, having a mutant civil war would benefit the entire Ultimate Universe as a whole, including The Ultimates and the entire future of Ultimate X-Men, making it more significant than Marvel’s original Civil War.

Ultimate Universe: One Year In #1 by Marvel Comics is available now.

“}]] Marvel is teasing an X-Men ‘Civil War’.  Read More