The Ultimates 2is a 2005-2007 thirteen-issuecomic booklimited serieswritten byMark Millarwith art byBryan Hitch,the sequel toThe Ultimates.The series features the superhero team theUltimatesand was published by theUltimate Marvelimprint ofMarvel Comics.
| The Ultimates 2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | February2005- February2007 |
| No.of issues | 15 (including 2 annuals) |
| Main character(s) | Ultimates Ultimate Nick Fury Liberators |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Mark Millar |
| Artist(s) | Bryan Hitch |
| Inker(s) | Paul Neary |
| Letterer(s) | Chris Eliopoulos |
| Colorist(s) | Laura Martin |
| Collected editions | |
| The Ultimates 2 Vol. 1: Gods And Monsters | ISBN0-7851-1093-3 |
| The Ultimates 2 Vol. 2: Grand Theft America | ISBN0-7851-1790-3 |
| The Ultimates 2 | ISBN9780785121381 |
Publication history
editThe series debuted in December2004and was completed in May2007.
Millar stated in Pop Culture Shock that this arc reflected contemporary issues, ranging from hyper-powered countries like the US,preemptive strikes,the rising world-wideanti-Americansentiment in the wake of the Neo-ConservativeBush 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 theMiddle Eastwill be occupied by drafted teenagers from your home town.... I hope I'm completely and utterly wrong. "[1]
Bryan Hitch has described completing the final issue ofUltimates 2by saying, "The bane of my life for the last five years is gone from my day to day routine." He describes the job as difficult, but stated that no prior job in his then-twenty years in the business was "so creatively rewarding, so time-consuming and so fulfilling".[2]
Plot synopsis
editOne year after the end ofThe Ultimates,public opinion has turned against the team, after they’re deployed to fight in the middle eastern nation of Iraq. They’re seen by the public as a government strike force. made to silence international dissent. Opinion is turned further against them after it is leaked by a mole in the team, thatBruce Banneris the Hulk, is responsible for hundreds of deaths, and thatS.H.I.E.L.D.was trying to cover up his involvement.Betty Ross,the Ultimates PR specialist, and Bruce’s girlfriend, although reluctant, chooses her position, and the team, over Bruce, ultimately choosing to let Banner die. Bruce Banner is given the death penalty and executed.Janet Van DyneandSteve Rogersare dating after the events of the previous book. Janet quickly grows tired of Steve, and the way that they only ever visit old folks, and starts secretly seeingHank Pym,her ex-husband again.Tony Stark,Iron Man, is datingNatasha Romanov,the Black Widow. He builds an Iron Man-like suit for her, and later proposes.
The Ultimates, in a meeting with european heroes, learn from Norwegian member,Gunnar Golmen,thatThoris actually Thorlief, an escaped mental patient who stole advanced technology from the Norwegian government. This further undermines the team. Thor confides in his friendVolstagg,who wasn’t actually there, making everyone think he is insane, and bringing credibility to Golmen’s claims. The Ultimates attempt to take Thor into custody, fighting and defeating him. Thor is incarcerated into a mental hospital. Thor believes Golmen to be his brother Loki, and tries to explain this, but nobody believes him.
Hank Pym, estranged from the team, attempts to convince S.H.I.E.L.D. Director GeneralNick Furyto let him rejoin, under the alias Ant-Man, who refuses. Pym tries to pitch hisUltronproject to Fury, who once again shuts him down. Pym, as Ant-Man, joins a street-level superhero team, known asThe Defenders,who are mostly miserable jokes, who lie about knowingDoctor Strange.They’re led byValkyrie,a blonde girl, who likes Thor, snores loudly and lies about being a kung-fu expert, despite really only being an orange belt. The other members areNighthawk,Son of Satan,Black Knight,Hellcat,Power Man,and Whiz Kid, all of whom are similarly jokes and failures. Pym is mad at himself for being a part of this. The Defenders attempt to stop teenagers from stealing cigarettes and make fools of themselves, failing miserably, with Nighthawk nearly dying, and being thrown in the ICU. A dejected Hank gets a promising call from an unknown group, and immediately gets to work.
The group is revealed to beThe Liberators,a team of anti-American multinationals, led byColonel Abdul Al-Rahman,an Iraqi super soldier, furious at the Ultimates mission in Iraq, he was turned into a super-soldier by Russian scientists, and wields a lightsaber-like weapon. The remaining liberators consist ofthe Abomination,a hulk-like creature,Crimson Dynamo,a Chinese Iron Man, with an legion of robots,Schizoid Man,who can duplicate himself,Perun,who is a Russian Thor,Swarm,who can control insects, andHurricanewho has super speed, alongside an army.Hawkeye’s family is killed in a home invasion. The Liberators attack and take over the United States. Fury is captured and is planned to be executed Natasha is revealed to be the mole, secretly aiding the liberators, claiming it to be retribution for how the US was responsible for the fall of the USSR, after she kills Tony’s butler,Jarvis.She attempts to kill Tony too, but is knocked out by Tony’s nanites.
Hank Pym is revealed to have aided the liberators, using his Ultron robots for crowd control. Banner is revealed to be alive, and returns as the Hulk. He quickly kills the Abomination. Dynamo is killed by Stark, Swarm by Wasp, and Hurricane byQuicksilver.Captain America and the Colonel have an intense battle, with Captain America ultimately killing the Colonel. Seeing that the Liberators are losing, the Ultron robots suggest to Pym that they might be able to turn the tide of the battle, Pym refuses and changes his story, claiming that he was secretly “infiltrating” the Liberators all along, and commands his Ultron robots to aid the Ultimates.
Gunnar Goleman is revealed to be Loki, and was lying about everything. Loki summons an army ofice giants.Thor, revealed to be an actual god, summons anAsgardianarmy, and defeats Loki. Perun, the last surviving Liberator, surrenders. Hank is placed under probation. Hawkeye finds Natasha in a hospital and kills her as revenge for the death of his family. Stark, dejected after Natasha was outed as a spy, nearly falls into a depression, before immediately laying his eyes on a random woman, and getting over it. Seeing as how the US, via the Ultimates, policing the world would produce similar results to their battle against the Liberators, Captain America lets Fury know that The Ultimates will separate themselves from S.H.I.E.L.D. and continue to work as an independent team, separate from any government, and operating outside the law, instead.
Reception
editLance Eaton from curledup.com reviewed the first story arcGods and Monsters.He praises Millar's writing of the classic heroes and states that the "inclusion of current-day politics" improves the storyline.[3]
Kevin Powers from comicsbulletin.com reviewed the final issue #13 but found it anticlimactic with the issue degenerating to a "slug fest". Powers praised with art, however, stating that Bryan Hitch's "artwork has definitely been one of the main elements that will make this series memorable."[4]Similarly Robert Mclaughlin from denofgeek.com praised the artwork, with "Bryan Hitch doing some of the best work of his career". He was critical of the Millar's writing stating it had "no substance".[5]
Collected editions
edit| The Ultimates 2 | (ISBN9780785121381) | collectsUltimates 2#1-13,Ultimates Annual#1, andUltimates 2 #1 Variant Sketch Edition |
| The Ultimates 2 Ultimate Collection | (ISBN978-0-7851-4916-3) | collectsUltimates 2#1-13, andUltimates 2 #1 Variant Sketch Edition |
| The Ultimates 2 Vol. 1: Gods And Monsters | (ISBN0-7851-1093-3) | collectsUltimates 2#1-6 |
| The Ultimates 2 Vol. 2: Grand Theft America | (ISBN0-7851-1790-3) | collectsUltimates 2#7-13 |
| The Ultimate Annuals Vol. 1 | (ISBN0-7851-2035-1) | includesUltimates 2 Annual#1 |
| The Ultimate Annuals Vol. 2 | (ISBN0-7851-2371-7) | includesUltimates 2 Annual#2 |
| The Ultimates Omnibus | (ISBN0-7851-3780-7) | collectsUltimates#1-13,Ultimates 2#1-13,Ultimates Annual#1, andUltimates 2#1 Variant Sketch Edition |
Sequels
editThe series was followed byThe Ultimates 3.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Estrella, Ernie."Mark Millar Interview".popcultureshock.com. Archived from the original on 2008-01-11.Retrieved2008-03-20.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^Ong Pang Kean, Benjamin (November 12, 2006)."HITCH: DONE WITH ULTIMATES 2 #13".Newsarama.Archived fromthe originalon 2006-12-13.RetrievedApril 8,2008.
- ^Eaton, Lance."Ultimates 2, Volume 1: Gods & Monsters".curledup.com.Retrieved2008-03-20.
- ^Powers, Kevin (May 18, 2007)."Ultimates 2 #13".Comics Bulletin.Archived fromthe originalon March 3, 2016.RetrievedMarch 20,2008.
- ^Mclaughlin, Robert."Ultimates 13: Review".Den of Geek. Archived fromthe originalon October 20, 2020.RetrievedMarch 20,2008.
External links
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