The Ultimates 2

The Ultimates 2 is a thirteen-issue comic book limited series written by Mark Millar with art by Bryan Hitch, the sequel to The Ultimates. The series features the superhero team the Ultimates and was published by the Ultimate Marvel imprint of Marvel Comics.

Publication history

The series debuted in December 2004 and was completed in May 2007.

Millar stated in Pop Culture Shock that this arc reflected contemporary issues, ranging from hyper-powered countries like the USA, preemptive strikes, the rising world-wide anti-American sentiment in the wake of the Neo-Conservative Bush Doctrine, and the "rogue nation" classification and the fear of backlash in form of nuclear Armageddon. Millar said: "In the name of oil, this administration is stirring up a hornet's nest . . . . My own belief is that there'll be a couple of nuclear attacks in the States, the multinationals will move elsewhere, the American economy will completely collapse and make the 30s look like the 80s and the Middle East will be occupied by drafted teenagers from your home town. . . . I hope I'm completely and utterly wrong."

The Ultimates 3

The Ultimates 3 was a five-issue, monthly comic book miniseries published in 2008 by Marvel Comics in the Ultimate Marvel imprint. Written by Jeph Loeb, and illustrated by Joe Madureira, it is a sequel to The Ultimates and The Ultimates 2, as well as a prelude to Ultimatum. A sequel entitled Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates was released in 2010 also written by Loeb. The series continues the stories of the Ultimates.

Plot

Hank Pym is under house arrest at Ultimates Mansion. One of Pym's Ultron robots drugs him and leaks a sex tape of Tony Stark and the Black Widow to the Internet. These distract from the robot's fatal shooting of the Scarlet Witch. Magneto abducts Scarlet Witch's corpse and retreats to the Savage Land, where he is confronted by the Ultimates. Pym and Wasp discover the truth about the Ultron robot, which has adopted the identity of Yellowjacket, and uses the Ultimates' DNA to create a series of android duplicates. Although the true Ultimates destroy their android counterparts and Yellowjacket, Quicksilver is apparently killed by Hawkeye. The Wasp then invites Pym to return to the Ultimates, and he accepts. The mastermind behind the robot's plot is revealed to be Doctor Doom.

Ultimates

The Ultimates is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team was created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, and first appeared in The Ultimates #1 (March 2002), as part of the company's Ultimate Marvel imprint. The team is a modern reimagining of the superhero team the Avengers.

Publication history

The first volume of the Ultimates, written by Millar and illustrated by Hitch, was published in limited series format and ran for thirteen issues with production delays from March 2002 until April 2004. Hitch described the alternative-reality reimagining as one where, "You have to approach it as though nothing has happened before and tell the story fresh from the start.... We had to get to the core of who these people were and build outwards, so Cap [Captain America] was a soldier, Thor is either a nut case or a messiah ... Banner [the Hulk] an insecure genius, and [superspy Nick] Fury the king of cool".

A second series, also by Millar and Hitch and with similar production delays, was released as Ultimates 2 and ran 13 issues (Dec. 2004 - May 2007).