Ultimate Endgame is finally here! This is the big Ultimate Universe event that Marvel has been building towards since Jonathan Hickman ended Ultimate Invasion two years ago. Every Ultimate Universe title since then has been acting as one giant countdown for when The Maker would finally make his grand return to the Ultimate Universe he shaped into his own image. How will The Maker’s return begin? Let’s find out with Ultimate Endgame #1.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist: Terry & Rachel Dodson and Jonas Scharf
Colorist: Federico Blee and Edgar Delgado
Letterer: Cory Petit
ULTIMATE ENDGAME #1 SOLICITATION
“ENDGAME HAS ARRIVED! The moment that has been building since the beginning of the new Ultimate Universe! Spinning out of Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri’s ULTIMATES comes the culmination of ULTIMATE INVASION…
Two (thousand) years have passed in the Ultimate Universe, but inside the City, the Maker has had thousands of years to prepare for his return! With the barrier around the City finally gone, heroes all across the Ultimate Universe must mobilize to defeat the Maker before it’s game over. For everyone.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world wages World War III…” – Marvel Comics
HIGHLIGHTS FROM ULTIMATE ENDGAME #1
Weight of Endgame-Level Event
When it comes to getting across the big event nature of Ultimate Endgame the creative team of Deniz Camp, Terry & Rachel Dodson, and Jonas Scharf do just that. This first issue holds nothing back in showing this is the final showdown. The last two years of this Ultimate Universe were built with this event in mind. That at the end of the day is the most important thing to get done with the opening chapter of a big event.
The Ultimates Going all in on Rebellion
The Ultimates ongoing has not been my favorite series due to its varying level issue to issue. But even I can’t deny that seeing The Ultimates and their allies take the fight to The Maker’s Council was great to see. No matter how messy it was to get here the fact we are here now. And The Ultimates are acting as a Rebel Alliance-like group that the world can rally behind.
The Maker’s Council Swift Action
Other than getting over the big event nature of this event Ultimate Endgame was how inexperienced the Ultimate Universe heroes are. Even though they have been fighting The Maker’s forces for two years that is nothing compared to the villains side of things. That was driven home by how things quickly unraveled when The Maker’s Council swiftly destroyed The Ultimates communication network. The completely threw all our heroes plans out the window. It helped the rest of Ultimates Endgame #1 go all in on the unpredictable nature of what happens next.
The Maker Unpredictable Moves
In talking about unpredictability, there may be no more unpredictable force in Marvel’s multiverse than The Maker. That is driven home with how ineffective Iron Lad and Doctor Doom’s weapons were against The Maker’s Children of Tomorrow. This was all part of a bigger build up of the true surprise that The Maker had in store for everyone. That was all revealed by the heavily aged Immortus, Lord of Time. The revelation was none other than The Maker turning himself into The City itself. Getting the visual of The Maker in his new Tree of Life-like form sold this event as something to come back to find out more.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK IN ULTIMATE ENDGAME #1
The Ultimates Hate Mutants
For as much as this is sold as an Ultimate Universe event there was part of this chapter that felt The Ultimates issue. This is because other than Spider-Man we don’t have other Ultimate Universe heroes join The Ultimates rebellion. It would’ve done so much to see how Black Panther, X-Men, and Wolverine and other heroes in this issue. Even if it was part of the montage of The Ultimates fighting across the world it would’ve been something. Its these little things that would help take Ultimate Endgame #1 to another level. It would have most certainly driven home the Endgame side of things as it is not just The Ultimates who are fighting.
Ultimate Tony Stark is a Kid Playing in Adults World
For as much as Ultimate Tony Stark tried to play up his preparation Ultimate Endgame #1 was a reminder he is still a kid. He may have been able to be everywhere at once to start this issue but that was quickly undone. Which is not surprising given how often we saw Ultimate Tony Stark’s plans go south in The Ultimates. Which is a reminder of how poorly developed he has been as a leader. Though it does seem that this is a major sub-plot Camp is playing with given what happens at the end. That said, Ultimate Tony Stark turning becoming tunnel vision about his dad secretly helping did the character no favors.
Artwork Stumbles with Hitting Big Event-Level Consistency
The artwork by Terry & Rachel Dodson and Jonas Scharf is nowhere near the level that is expected from a big level comic book. The fact we have to have multiple artists to tell this story says a lot for the lack of confidence at this. It is especially obvious given that the Dodsons art style is not very similar to Scharfs. Sure, there are moments when the Dodsons and Scharfs respective assignment in Ultimate Endgame looks good. But the way their art styles clash really hurts the pacing to not feel as fast and furious as the plot tries to be.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ultimate Endgame #1 does its job at selling this is the event the Ultimate Universe has been building for the last two years. The Ultimates leading a rebellion and how The Maker and his Council react all drive home the Endgame nature of this event. That said, this opening chapter isn’t without its faults. The lack of other heroes beyond The Ultimates and Spider-Man is notable. That along with a few other things such as the inconsistent art quality hurt what is otherwise a good start to the Ultimate Universe’s big event.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6.5 Night Girls out of 10
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