The Ultimates

From Ultimarvel

Created by Mark Millar

First issue: March 2002

Cover to The Ultimates Volume 2 1. Art by Brian Hitch

The Ultimates are a government created and sponsored group of super-humans under the jurisdiction of S.H.I.E.L.D. They were organized in response to Magneto's attack on Washington D.C. in Ultimate X-Men 6. This event of super-human terrorism caused America to address that they had no proper defense against this level of threats to the country and needed to respond accordingly. Nick Fury, newly promoted to be the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. led the project to create the first government sponsored super team to assure that incidents like Magneto's assault would not occur again.

Nick Fury's response was to assemble a team of super-scientists and attempt to push forward the ongoing research of the Super Soldier project to new levels. Assembling Hank Pym, Janet Pym, and Bruce Banner to create new forms of super soldiers, the creation of the Ultimates began. Dr. Hank Pym engineered the Giant Man formula, causing himself to be able to grow to the height of 60 feet. Janet Pym, a mutant (though her origin kept secret from all but her husband) had the ability to reduce her size and to project energy "stings". Anthony Stark, of Stark Industries negotiated contracts to supply S.H.I.E.L.D. with military equipment and to provide his services to the Ultimates with his Iron armor. The formation of the Ultimates began to materialize. Then a massive lucky break would occur. Deep sea divers located the body of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, in the Arctic Ocean. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientists were able to resuscitate him and integrate him into the current world. Retaining all of the abilities, skills, and leadership talents of the original Super Soldier, the Ultimates project had just found their leader.

The Ultimates were formed and introduced to the public. Then the unexpected happened, now that the United States had a force capable of combating Magneto-level threats, none appeared. The Ultimates began to fall into low public opinion as they were the source of billions of tax dollars each month, and were doing absolutely nothing. Then in a moment of low self esteem and jealousy, Dr. Bruce Banner who had been abandoned by his girlfriend and humiliated by his fellow researcher, Hank Pym, injected himself with a combination of Captain America's blood and the Hulk serum that he had been working on. Banner's intent was to give the Ultimates something to fight so that the project would not be terminated. Give them something to fight he did, as Banner metamorphosed into the Hulk, an abomination of boundless rage and strength. During his rampage, the Hulk killed 815 people in New York City before the Ultimates were able to bring him down. They were assisted by Thor, a super-powered madman who claimed to be the son of the Norse God, Odin. Thor would join the Ultimates after this event with the condition that the Ultimates never be used on foreign soil.

S.H.I.E.L.D. silenced the connection that the Hulk was in fact one of their researchers. Banner was placed into a specialized holding cell and the Ultimates were hailed as heroes. Over the next few months, they would receive the funding to bring aboard more members (Black Widow, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch). They would also work to apprehend illegal genetic mutations and keep America safe from super-powered threats. During this time, the Ultimates repelled an alien invasion by the Chitauri (The Ultimates 11-13), attempted to apprehend the X-Men when they suspected of being in league with Magneto (Ultimate War), and captured several illegal genetic enhanced humans led by Norman Osborn and prevented them from assaulting the White House (Ultimate Six).

A year later, new problems would arise when a traitor would be revealed in the Ultimates midst. Within the span of months, this traitor had leaked to the public that the Hulk was in fact S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist Bruce Banner. A public trial was demanded and held were Banner was pronounced guilty and sentenced to execution. Thor would leave the team after they were used to retrieve American prisoners in the Middle East. New intel would come in, showing Thor to be the project of a foreign Super Soldier project, instead of the divine origin he boasted. This would cause the Ultimates to be deployed against their former ally.

After this, Hawkeye's family was attacked by terrorists and killed. Security tapes would show the attacker to be Captain America. S.H.I.E.L.D. then deployed their super-powered reserves and brought down the Super Solider. With everything cascading down around the Ultimates, it made America a prime target for a coalition of foreign countries who sought to cripple America before they used the Ultimates to conquer the world. Using a traitor amongst the Ultimates, they weakened the force intentionally a member at a time. Then, when the moment was right, they unleashed the Liberators, an assault team designed to mirror the Ultimates, to conquer and subdue America. Within hours of the attack, the Ultimates were subdued, and America was in the control of the Liberators hands.

The Ultimates would eventually escape their bonds, defeat the Liberators and take back America. During this time, the names of the wrongly accused were cleared and the Ultimates came to a decision: they could not stay as a government organization unless they wished to be used as a weapon of mass destruction to be used against the enemies of America. With this knowledge, the Ultimates quit to become a self-funded organization to be protectors of humanity.