The Ultimates #2 (2024)

Background – Steve tries to take back America, but gets something very special instead.

Writing – Lets take this hero by hero:

Iron Lad: Tony is VERY unhappy to see that Midas is wearing his fathers armor. I have a feeling that this isn’t going to be the only time we see other Stark tech not in Harry Osborn’s possession show up in villains hands. He’s going to retake his family’s name and technology piece by piece.

Hank Pym: While he is used just for muscle in this issue, Hank Pym once again shows just how valuable he is to the team. Taking out most of the White House’s security single handedly is no small feat (no pun intended.)

The Wasp: Like Hank, The Wasp is used primarily as a foot soldier in Steve’s attack on the White House, but she comes in a clutch just like Hank did: she has the honor of freeing America from her power generator.

America: I’m assuming this is not the 616 version of America Chavez who punched through reality (and in this America’s case, time), but an America Chavez who is from the future and fell backwards into the Maker’s clutches. Her power has been used to fuel society for quite a while, so it’s going to be interesting to see how the country is affected by her freedom.

Captain America: This issue is all about Steve. Watching him see America’s history and eventual downfall is genuinely affecting. His face as he sees how World War II ended (courtesy of the Maker) says it all. He thinks he failed. I think his growing anger is going to backfire on Tony sooner rather than later. The amount of images we see of Tony and his dad fighting other super powered individuals and Stane / Stark bombs being dropped just shows how much Morgan Stark did nothing to stop this all from happening.

Speaking of the images we see of the worlds history and current state, here’s a quick rundown:

1. The famous image of the soldiers planting the flag on D-Day being overtaken by a nuclear bomb.
2. The Maker’s citadel sitting on Latveria.
3. The Maker being the first to “land” on the moon.
4. The Maker meeting with Kennedy which then leads into Kennedy’s murder by Midas.
5. The Maker facing down Galactus (who I have to assume is dead in this reality).
6. Mutants rallying in protest for equal rights. This is the most interesting one for me, because it shows that mutants still existed in this reality. What happened to them though is still unknown.
7. Morgan Stark and War Machine (maybe Stane) fighting Omega Red,
8. The Savage Land being turned into an industrial zone, with a dead T-rex seen in the foreground.
9. What looks like Frank Castle killing people indiscriminately.
10. Nick Fury (the Sam Jackson version) shooting a bunch of Skrulls in the head. This is also very intriguing. Is Nick Fury still alive? Is he in league with The Maker? Can he be turned to the side of angels?
11. Stark and Stane aerial craft blowing stuff up.
12. A militia that has seemingly adopted the Punisher symbol. This makes me think that the earlier picture of Frank might not have been Frank at all. Maybe The Maker turned the symbol into something to be feared by the innocent.

The villain: Midas – One thing this book is very good at doing is using villains you would never think of. There have been 2 Midas’s (or maybe 3?). The first one was pretty much Marvel’s version of Maxie Zeus until he turned into a giant gold monster. The second one was a drug dealer. This Midas was shown to be a ruthless businessman who rose to power by assassinating John F. Kennedy. His only concerns are money and power and even tries to make a deal with Cap and Iron Lad before being forced to fight. He also is obsessed with the captured America, to a height that reaches stalker levels. What makes it even worse is that Midas doesn’t even know her name (no one did until the end of the issue.)

Artwork – While the super heroics are fun to look at, it’s the smaller, less heroic moments that stand out. Whether it’s Midas wearing what we know as The Model 2 Iron Man suit sitting at the desk in the Oval office, a nuclear bomb falling on D-Day, Midas assassinating Kennedy, or the Savage Land being turned into an industrial wasteland by the Maker, these images are what really stands out.

Final Thoughts – America has officially and surprisingly joined the cast. With a growing team, Camp seems to be using the Justice League Unlimited model of team-ups, using a smaller strike team compared to the larger roster. This makes for easier storytelling and it shows. I haven’t been affected by Steve Rogers like this in a long time. Great artwork, a very involved and well choreographed action sequence, and a very promising cliffhanger make this into a strong second issue. Grab this!

16 months until Opening Day.

Publisher:  Marvel

Writer:  Deniz Camp

Artist: Juan Frigeri

Colorist artist: Federico Blee

Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon

Genre:  Superhero

Format: Monthly

Release Date: 07/10/2024