THREAD! Okay, the End of the Ultimate Universe (from my perspective): It’s true that the original plan was not to “end” the universe. A lot of my run is setting up characters I hoped would go on past me, I think I’ve made that clear and obvious. BUT
John was ending his run at 24, that was always the case. He was done. Peach and Bryan were both ending their stories when the Maker got out as well. That was their decision. (according to what Iv’e been told/my interactions with them)
(And it makes sense. Think about it – Peach is writing and drawing every issue for 24 issues. That’s insane. She works like 20 hours a day on that book, no joke. She’s the hero of the line. She deserves a break, if she wants one).
Wolverine was only meant to be 12; then it got extended to 16. The other creators were offered more issues to run alongside Endgame, but they declined (I saw that happen). The only person who planned on continuing was me.
Initially, still very early, those books were going to end as those creators left, and Ultimates would have continued and new books launched (I was pushing for Hawkeye, Guardians was discussed, etc). This was all very vague.
But then, Wil Moss came to me and said, hey, I think we’re going to end it. End it end it. This was a long time ago, at least a year before now I think, but I’d have to check.
Not because the books are “too woke” (if it were that, they’d interfere with the writing of it, which they haven’t) or because the main line is jealous (this is silly, money is money to them), but because everything seemed to be coming to a natural conclusion.
They felt that they had something special with the universe as it was, consistent creative visions that told their stories and had a clear beginning, middle and end. An accessible, creator-forward reimagination of the Marvel Universe. A version of the neverendingstory that ended.
And that the purity of that vision, they though/think, could pay dividends for a long time after, if it didn’t overstay the welcome, dilute it, or fumble the ending.
Yes, I had plans for stuff coming after, continuing this world, and part of me was bummed about that, but in my heart I think I knew that they’d be “lesser”. Moreover, for me, the Ultimate Universe has been a place for TRYING new things in comics. Radical things.
Whether it’s the real time pacing, or the radical interventions of marvel characters, or the formal play that have characterized my run, that’s what excited me about the Ultimate Universe. Excites me still.
And this – really, truly ending the universe on a high note, having it be this contained thing, giving a story an END – that’s radical for big 2 comics! It’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, has never been done on this scale by Marvel or DC. That is exciting to me.
I hope it is exciting to you! But I don’t mean to tell anyone how to feel about any of this. And I don’t want to speak for anyone. Perhaps I’ve been misinformed, or feelings have changed – I don’t know. But this is how it is from my perspective.
@DenizCamp Its fascinating to hear your perspective on the Ultimate Universes evolution. The delicate balance between leaving an impact and setting up the next generation of characters is key in storytelling. What are some of the themes you hoped would carry on?
@DenizCamp I'm probably in the minority but I'm glad that this Universe ending. Not because I'm not enjoing it, it's one of my favorite things in comics today but because one of the biggest problem in the comics industry is that there is no ending.
@DenizCamp So, it's like Marvel finally having Elseworld graphic novel stories like the ones that have been carrying DC for years like the All-Star books, Dark Knight etc.
@DenizCamp I understand, but I was hoping for an extended epilogue after Endgame, a year max. This is because the next hardest thing is rebuilding after the final fight. Structural change to fix systemic issues sustainably. I want to see more stories tackle this.
@DenizCamp Which is a better experience as a creator, working on Absolute or Ultimate?
@DenizCamp Thank you for this absolute MVP of a character! Hope they get a few juicy moments before we say goodbye!
@DenizCamp Thank you for clarifying what’s been going on behind the scenes, I’ve enjoyed pretty much every issue from the Ult universe, & while I’m sad to see it end as this was my entryway to comics, I’m happy that everyone who got the chance to work on this put their all. Very bittersweet
@DenizCamp I think if the mainline books were as good as the Ultimate books, this wouldn't be as big of a controversial move.
@DenizCamp Makes sense ! And will probably make even more sense once The Maker is out of his box and everything pays off, but I think a lot us feel like a it would be a waste to never have the new ones like Hawkeye and She-Hulk around for more stories
@DenizCamp Thanks for the explanation. I always assumed it was a self-contained two-year story so I'm surprised everyone is so shocked. Though obviously there could have been a "phase two" or some continuation after this conflict was resolved.
@DenizCamp Not entirely awful, IMO. Stories were told & enjoyed. Satisfied to experience this, then be continued to & possibly become a shadow of what it original premise...
@DenizCamp Appreciate this. Glad to see this isn’t another marketing gimmick but the story is actually ending.
@DenizCamp Keep the chin up Deniz. And even tho it hasn't ended yet, I want to thank you for yours and your team work on Ultimates. This book became really important to me and can't wait to read more of your current and future works
@DenizCamp I’m sad the Ultimate Universe really got me into reading comics as they released every month sad to see it go.
@DenizCamp Thank you so much for all this! I trust you and all the other creators a lot and seriously can't wait to see how it all reaches it's end. It has been and I think will stay as my favorite line in comics for a long time and nothing will come close. Really needed the clarification
@DenizCamp I really admire how transparent and honest you've been about the entire process, Deniz. Can't wait to see the final issues of Ultimates and what you've got planned for Endgame!
@DenizCamp Thanks for the clarity🫂
@DenizCamp This sounds awful and person who made this decision is a goddamn moron. Ultimate Spider-Man did so much to build stories for the future but now they are rushing everything and Peter doesn’t even show up and Ultimates made Avengers fun again after a long time. Damn you Marvel!!!
@DenizCamp thanks for the insight, hope you get to write absolute martian manhunter for however long you like
@DenizCamp Thank you very much for clearing up the story. I will look forward to the ending with some regret but also with a lot of anticipation and expectation.
@DenizCamp Thank you for sharing all of this with us!