The New Ultimate Universe Had the Fantastic Four Murdered. Continuousity
Marvel's new Ultimate Universe is a bold new line of comics set in its own reality, where the Maker has purposefully changed Marvel history so the villains win. Through a gang of criminals known as the Maker's Council, the Maker regulates the world; yet, he was recently imprisoned in his lab thanks to the efforts of "Doom" and Tony Stark's father Howard, the Iron Man of this reality. The Maker's lab will reopen in 18 months, allowing the Ultimates—a group of heroes headed by Tony and Doom—that long to demolish the Maker's power base in his absence.
The Maker made the Fantastic Four a target even as he spun the Ultimate Universe's chronology. Ultimates #4 will unveil their terrible destiny, and it appears to have had a long-lasting effect on the chronology of the Ultimate Universe. One that will be investigated more will be a quite different kind of the Fantastic Four.
The New Origin of The Fantastic Four Is a Groundbreaking Reword of Marvel Lore
Marvel is formally restarting the Fantastic Four's history with a dark beginning that completely changes their most famous enemy. Often referred to as Marvel's First Family, the Fantastic Four started Marvel's contemporary shared universe and changed the media's definition of what superheroes might look like. But Marvel's new Ultimate Universe continuity reflects a sinister mirror of that tale.
Marvel has revealed that the forthcoming Ultimates #4 will show the Fantastic Four's birthplace in their fresh Ultimate Universe continuity. Launched in 2023, this new canon was produced by the Maker, a villain who turned an other reality quite similar to Marvel's mainstream universe into his personal playground by means of time travel, effectively changing the chronology of that universe. Wanting to run free without Marvel's heroes interfering, the Maker made sure they lacked their powers; but, he went extra far for the Fantastic Four, enslaving this planet's Reed Richards and killing most of the team.
Doom is a hero in this world, but will he stay that way?
Marvel's Ultimates books are adopting a bold approach, setting a strict limit on the Maker's return and handling every issue as a self-contained narrative reflecting a single mission in the Ultimates' struggle to eradicate the Maker's Council. Fans discovered in 2023's Ultimate Invasion (Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch) that the Maker had imprisoned the Reed Richards of this planet and made them work on advanced technologies while donning an iron mask and traveling under 'Doom'. Maker's intervention effectively transformed Reed Richards into the Doctor Doom of this universe: a genius who has so far been heroic but who fans still find to be a mystery.
Another variation of Reed Richards from yet another other world is The Maker, who turned evil and betrayed his heroic family. Originally from the 2000s, Marvel's initial Ultimate Universe line introduced him, and he progressively lost his heroic impulses until he became a reality-hopping evil. This probably explains why he eliminated the Fantastic Four from this new reality while letting heroes like Spider-Man and Captain Marvel lead regular lives.
Fourth Ultimates
The ultimate fantastic four's future! Years of agony at the hands of the Maker eventually catch up to Doom in this secret history of the real Reed Richards! And when Doom could be more focused on recreating the life he should have had than the life he has gained, tensions among the Ultimates grow. Including work by guest artist Phil Noto!
Ultimates #4 will finally expose exactly what happened to the Fantastic Four of the Ultimate Universe and the terrible events this planet's Reed Richards went through, hence transforming him into the being now known as 'Doom' (not to be confused with the Doctor Doom of Marvel's regular timeline.)
With Captain America & Tony Stark on the Attack, the Ultimate Universe's Latest Revelation brings a Criminally Underrated Villain to the White House.
The Fantastic Four's beginnings in Marvel's mainstream chronology set off an era of heroism; while, in the Ultimate Universe, their deaths secured the ascent of a malevolent government. Although the name "Doom" is a byword for villainy in Marvel continuity, thus far the Doom of the Ultimate Universe is a real hero. Marvel's summary for the issue, however, suggests that the horrific reality about what precisely the Maker did to him during his several decades imprisoned inside his lab will show flaws in his loyalty as well.
While the Fantastic Four's beginnings set an era of heroism in Marvel's mainstream chronology, their deaths sealed the rise of a malevolent government in the Ultimate Universe, with the aftershocks of that change now determining the fate of an entire world.
