The Ultimates #1 (2024) Review

Background – The revolution begins.

Writing – Lets take this hero by hero:

Iron Lad: Tony Stark is a very headstrong young man who has everything figured out. Until he doesn’t. This is a Tony Stark who is gung-ho about saving the world, even if he doesn’t have a real clue how to. This Tony is WAY more human than 616 Tony. His plans fail and he has to adapt quickly. Tony is also a lot less forgiving than ours. In the letter to his father on the last page, he outright condemns his father for not fighting back against the Maker earlier. As readers we are trained read about a much more forgiving Tony Stark (after all, who has made more mistakes than him in life?) So seeing this very resolute stance from Tony is a nice change of pace.

Doctor Doom – Doom is second in command and is tolerating helping Iron Lad, if only because they actually have a plan to defeat The Maker and the opposing countries. We keep seeing pictures of the Fantastic Four and what they could have been, and in the FCD issue, we saw Doom pretty much go speechless when he saw Jim Hammond version of the Torch light up for the first time. I think it’s safe to say that Doom went a little nuts while held captive by the Maker. Doom only has one goal: remake the Fantastic Four and reclaim what was stolen from him. The fact that he is on a team doesn’t matter to him as much as what the end goal is.

Thor – There’s not much to say about Thor. He’s the team’s heavy hitter as usual except this Thor is more used for his teleporting abilities. Ever since he was stabbed by Captain Britain, it has been taking him a very long time to heal. He may be strong, but being locked in a cell for centuries by his brother has robbed him of a lot of power. Tony insists on keeping him as a last resort, so they always have an escape plan.

Sif – There isn’t a lot to say about Sif at the moment. She thought for centuries Thor was a villain and now that she realizes she’s been deceived, she will stop at nothing to protect her true king.

The Wasp – In any reality, Janet Van Dyne is all about being a superhero. She gladly takes up her costume and the mantle of the Wasp with an energy that borders on whimsy. After getting hit for the first time, she’s thrilled. It’s a really cute moment, as if she has awakened some long dormant part of her that the Maker couldn’t destroy.

Captain America: Cap isn’t a soldier for this team, he’s more of a general. The man has years of battle experience even after being stuck in the ice and carted around time. He’s the one on the team that really sees the good in people, considering he managed to talk Hank into becoming Giant Man.

Hank Pym: This is the best rendition of Hank Pym we’ve received since the Mighty Avengers “Dark Reign” storyline of 2009. Hank Pym wants to become a hero… but he doesn’t want to become Hank Pym. If that sounds confusing, let’s dissect this. In almost every world, Hank Pym is a heroic but mentally strained individual who is considered brilliant, but is still looked down upon for numerous acts, such as creating Ultron and backhanding his wife during a mental breakdown.

The Hank we have here loves Janet more than anything else in the world. He loves her so much that he’s willing to sacrifice his “supposed to lived” life, endure countless hours of nightmares of ants pleading with him not to kill them, and being screamed t everyday by angry clients, just so that he can protect Janet. After Cap’s speech, he realizes that the best way to protect Janet is to accept his destiny. After all, there has to have been a reason that he kept the sphere for 6 months. I have a feeling we’ve just met the most heroic Hank Pym of them all.

Artwork – The artwork is VERY reminiscent of the original Ultimates comic. Expressions are well rendered and the action flows nicely. The two standout panels / pages would have to be:

1. The arrival of Captain Britain and his Black Crusade. They have trolls! Huge trolls!
2. The final page shows the now assembled team taking up the name The Ultimates. I’d definitely buy a poster of that.

Final Thoughts – While not perfect, it’s. heck of an opening issue. With a team of heroes that have real world problems and goals, great artwork, and infinite storytelling potential, I’m more than excited to grab the next issue!

            18 months until Opening Day.