Ultimate X-Men

Last updated
Ultimate X-Men
X-Men (Ultimate Marvel characters).jpg
Cover art for Ultimate X-Men #65, by Stuart Immonen.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
ScheduleMonthly
Publication dateFebruary 2001 – February 2009 (original)
March 2024 – present (relaunch)
No. of issues101
Main character(s)
Creative team
Created by
Written by
List
Penciller(s)
List

Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series, which was published by Marvel Comics, from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of the Ultimate Marvel imprint. [1] The Ultimate X-Men exist alongside other revamped Marvel characters in Ultimate Marvel titles including Ultimate Spider-Man , Ultimate Fantastic Four and The Ultimates .

Contents

The protagonists are the X-Men, a group of teen-aged mutants: a subspecies of the human race, who possess latent super-human abilities from birth, due to the presence of the mysterious "X-Gene" within their genetic codes. It sets them apart from the rest of humanity and despite being feared and distrusted by the general public and authorities, they use their super-powers to prevent and stop unnatural threats to both the human and mutant race, while being mentored by Professor Charles Xavier, The X-Men's founder and a world-renowned expert on genetics and the world's most powerful telepath. The series features many characters and storylines similar to those of the original X-Men series. Ultimate X-Men almost completely ignores supernatural or mystical elements as plot devices, and the X-Men have no secret identities, and mutants are distrusted and hunted down.

The series began in 2001 under writer Mark Millar and artists Adam Kubert and Andy Kubert, while the final issues of the series were written by Aron Coleite and penciled by Mark Brooks. Ultimate X-Men was met with considerable commercial success, even outselling most of the other X-Men comic titles and received a generally positive response from critics and readers, who praised the art-work by various artists, the writing runs of Millar, Bendis, Vaughan, Kirkman and Coleite, the character development and progression of the titular superheroes throughout the series and the unique and interesting twists on conventional X-Men themes and concepts, along with the fresh and distinctively modernized re-imagining of the classic X-Men mythos, while the uneven quality of the writing, the somewhat edgy and unnecessarily adult-oriented tone and direction of the comics and some of the changes and deviations from the original X-Men comics were singled out for criticism.

A quasi-sequel/spinoff titled Ultimate Comics: X began in February 2010, but only lasted for 5 issues. The series focused on Wolverine's secret son Jimmy Hudson, Jean Grey, and several other mutants dealing with the aftermath of Ultimatum .

Ultimate X-Men was later relaunched by Nick Spencer and Paco Medina, with the title now called Ultimate Comics: X-Men .

Publishing history

First issue of Ultimate X-Men. Cover by Adam Kubert. Ultimate X-Men 1-vol.1 (Feb. 2001).jpg
First issue of Ultimate X-Men. Cover by Adam Kubert.

Upon its debut in February 2001, Ultimate X-Men was the second comic of the Ultimate Marvel line, preceded a few months by its sister title Ultimate Spider-Man . The heads of the Ultimate Universe line, Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada, originally tried to hire Brian Michael Bendis to write the title, but he declined. [2] Marvel hired Scottish writer Mark Millar, who was best known at the time for his run on The Authority and was largely ignorant of the X-Men franchise. With the 2000 X-Men film as his only reference, Millar reinvented the X-Men. [3] As a result, Millar's original X-Men consisted of telepath Professor X, Cyclops, whose eyes shoot concussive beams, telepathic and telekinetic Jean Grey, weather-manipulating Storm, simian genius Beast, metal-skinned Colossus, and cryokinetic Iceman. Millar's roster soon expanded to include teleporting Nightcrawler, intangible Kitty Pryde and power absorbing Rogue.

Common to the Millar period was an edgy tone, featuring quick action-driven plots and less moral X-Men. For instance, Wolverine tries to kill Cyclops in "Return of the King" because he is envious of Jean's love. In an interview with Sequential Tart, Millar commented, "You're not competing with Cartoon Network on these books; you're competing with 'Buffy'...Superhero comics aren't adult, but they shouldn't be written for five-year-olds either." [3] Millar shaped Ultimate X-Men into a commercial hit, consistently outselling its sister titles, X-Treme X-Men and Uncanny X-Men . [4]

After Mark Millar's run, Ultimate Spider-Man writer Brian Michael Bendis took over for a year. Bendis stated that his run on the book would be more character-driven, especially concerning Wolverine, who had previously tried to kill his teammate Cyclops. [5] Bendis' run was marked by the introductions of Angel and Dazzler to the team, relative absence of major villains and was also notorious for killing Beast, who was killed when a Sentinel attacked the White House. This made Beast the first dead Ultimate X-Man. As a side note, Ultimate X-Men #40 features what Marvel claims to be the first marriage proposal in a comic book letters column, which is answered in Ultimate X-Men #44 with a positive response.

The third Ultimate X-Men writer was Brian K. Vaughan, best known at the time for his work on Y: The Last Man . His run was marked by the relative absence of Wolverine as the main character and the re-imagining of second-string X-Men characters. He introduced Mr. Sinister as a mutant-killing scientist with hypnosis and stealth powers in "The Tempest" (#46–49), German twins Fenris as mutant corporate criminals in "Cry Wolf" (#50–53), as well as Mojo and Longshot as a corrupt TV producer and a mutant felon, respectively in "The Most Dangerous Game" (#54–57). Both are of non-alien origin in this world and have the civilian names "Arthur Centino" and "Mojo Adams", a play on the names of their creators, writer Ann Nocenti and artist Art Adams. Further arcs were centered on Professor X (#58) and Deathstrike in "Shock and Awe" (#59–60). Lady Deathstrike possesses adamantium claws and regenerative powers. Vaughan also reintroduced Magneto, [6] and established Ultimate Colossus to be homosexual. [6]

Vaughn's run was followed by Robert Kirkman, author of The Walking Dead and Invincible comic books. Kirkman's run was noted for adapting several major storyarcs from the regular X-Men series. These included Jean Grey's transformation into Phoenix, the arrival of Cable and Bishop, and the appearance of Apocalypse. Kirkman reintroduced Wolverine as an important character, and played with issues of team loyalty. Under his authorship, major characters such as Nightcrawler and Colossus left the team. His tenure also featured Cyclops' decision to turn Xavier's into a more traditional school and consequently disband the X-Men. When this was done an alternate team of X-Men was formed by Bishop as part of the upcoming fight against Apocalypse. After the Ultimatum storyline, nearly all of the X-Men were killed, and the team disbanded.

After the events in Ultimatum the book, along with Ultimate Fantastic Four , was canceled after its 100th issue. [7] A follow-up one-shot, called Requiem , was released and concluded the series' story. A new series, Ultimate Comics: X , debuted in early 2010 and featured Kitty Pryde, Wolverine's son, Jimmy Hudson and Jean Grey.

Ultimate X-Men was then relaunched as Ultimate Comics: X-Men with writer Nick Spencer and artist Paco Medina. The series stars Jimmy Hudson, Kitty Pryde, Johnny Storm, Bobby Drake and Rogue. [8] [9]

2024 Relaunch

In October 2023 at New York Comic Con Marvel revealed that, following the conclusion of Ultimate Invasion and the creation of a brand new Ultimate Universe, a new volume of Ultimate X-Men would launch in March 2024 written and illustrated by Peach Momoko. [10]

Commercial success

Ultimate X-Men quickly established itself as a hit comic, lauded by critics and popular with the fans. The following table shows the development of comic sales in comparison to the mainstream titles. [11]

DateUltimate X-MenUncanny X-MenNew X-MenX-Treme X-Men
March 200197,98596,271n/an/a
November 2001100,688125,044 (400th issue)116,78284,326
March 200296,15095,386104,13872,892
November 200289,39083,58197,02355,043
March 200386,79583,62692,61858,322
November 2003105,73790,764102,59161,574
March 200497,00286,431117,25353,207
November 200492,13392,051(ended)(ended)
March 200583,83586,365(ended)(ended)
November 200574,26482,825(ended)(ended)
March 200672,76579,789(ended)(ended)

Characters

X-Men

Villains and supporting cast

Writer Mark Millar signing a copy of the first issue during an appearance at Midtown Comics in Manhattan. 4.25.13MarkMillarByLuigiNovi50.jpg
Writer Mark Millar signing a copy of the first issue during an appearance at Midtown Comics in Manhattan.

Ultimate X-Men introduced revised versions of classic X-Men villains, such as mutant supremacist, would-be world conqueror, and evil genius mastermind Magneto. He heads the anti-human and genetic terrorist group Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy. The series also features the amoral, Mengele-like mutant super-weapon project Weapon X, the shady Hellfire Club and many more.

In addition, the Academy of Tomorrow is the Ultimate Marvel version of a spin-off X-Men team called the New Mutants. In this world, the group consists of: headmistress Emma Frost, who can turn her skin into organic diamond; Cyclops' older brother Havok (Alex Summers), who shoots concussive blasts from his hands; airborne Sam Guthrie, or Cannonball; mutant genius Doug Ramsey, also known as Cypher; Canadian speedster Jean-Paul Beaubier, or Northstar; Havok's girlfriend, Lorna Dane, the magnekinetic Polaris; Roberto da Costa, the Brazilian solar-powered Sunspot; and recently Angel. The Shi'ar are a religious movement, led by "Majestrix Lilandra". They worship the "Phoenix God", which they think is reincarnated in the X-Man Marvel Girl (Jean Grey).

The Ultimate version of Cable is revealed to be a future version of Wolverine, who kidnaps Charles Xavier in an attempt to prevent the coming of Apocalypse.

"Syndicate" is the name of two mutants, psi-resistant conjoined twins named Luke and Matthew. They try to rob a bank to help their terminally ill sister, but are stopped by Professor X. Realizing their plight, he gives them a chance to redeem themselves by working as his private agents. Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Steve Dillon, they first appeared in Ultimate X-Men #58. The characters have an unusual heart which pumps out electromagnetic pulses with each beat; this disables almost any electrical system. Their interlinked brain matter also makes them immune to telepathic control, although they are still susceptible to mind readings.

In the shared universe of Ultimate Marvel, the X-Men have more than once crossed the paths of other superheroes: Peter Parker is a good friend of the X-Men and is Shadowcat's ex-boyfriend. The X-Men share a wary truce with Nick Fury and the Ultimates, who have been both their best benefactors ("New Mutants" arc) and as adversaries ( Ultimate War ) in the past. The Ultimate Fantastic Four have met the X-Men in Ultimate X4 and the teams are generally on positive terms.

Settings

In other media

The two incarnations of Wolverine, from X-Men: Evolution. On the left his look in seasons 1 and 2, inspired by his look at the beginning of the traditional X-Men comics, on the right his look in seasons 3 and 4, inspired by his later look in the Ultimate X-Men comic. Wolverinevo.PNG
The two incarnations of Wolverine, from X-Men: Evolution. On the left his look in seasons 1 and 2, inspired by his look at the beginning of the traditional X-Men comics, on the right his look in seasons 3 and 4, inspired by his later look in the Ultimate X-Men comic.

Collected editions

Omnibus collections of Ultimate X-Men
TitleMaterial collectedPublication dateISBN
Ultimate X-Men Omnibus, Volume 1Ultimate X-Men (2001) #1–33 and #1/2 and Ultimate War #1–4July 2022 978-1302946357
Ultimate X-Men Omnibus, Volume 2Ultimate X-Men (2001) #34–74, Ultimate X-Men Annual #1–2, Ultimate X-Men/Fantastic Four and Ultimate Fantastic Four/X-MenFebruary 13, 2024 978-1302946357


Ultimate X-Men has been collected in the following trade paperbacks:

TitleMaterial collectedISBN
Volume 1: The Tomorrow PeopleUltimate X-Men #1–6 ISBN   0-7851-0788-6
Volume 2: Return To Weapon XUltimate X-Men #7–12 ISBN   0-7851-0868-8
Volume 3: World TourUltimate X-Men #13–20 ISBN   0-7851-0961-7
Volume 4: Hellfire & BrimstoneUltimate X-Men #21–25 ISBN   0-7851-1089-5
Volume 5: Ultimate War Ultimate War #1–4 ISBN   0-7851-1129-8
Volume 6: Return Of The KingUltimate X-Men #26–33 ISBN   0-7851-1091-7
Volume 7: BlockbusterUltimate X-Men #34–39 ISBN   0-7851-1219-7
Volume 8: New MutantsUltimate X-Men #40–45 ISBN   0-7851-1161-1
Volume 9: The TempestUltimate X-Men #46–49 ISBN   0-7851-1404-1
Volume 10: Cry WolfUltimate X-Men #50–53 ISBN   0-7851-1405-X
Volume 11: The Most Dangerous GameUltimate X-Men #54–57 ISBN   0-7851-1659-1
Volume 12: Hard LessonsUltimate X-Men #58–60;
Ultimate X-Men Annual #1
ISBN   0-7851-1801-2
Volume 13: Magnetic NorthUltimate X-Men #61–65 ISBN   0-7851-1906-X
Volume 14: Phoenix?Ultimate X-Men #66–71 ISBN   0-7851-2019-X
Volume 15: MagicalUltimate X-Men #72–74;
Ultimate X-Men Annual #2
ISBN   0-7851-2020-3
Volume 16: CableUltimate X-Men #75–80 ISBN   0-7851-2548-5
Volume 17: SentinelsUltimate X-Men #81–88 ISBN   0-7851-2549-3
Volume 18: ApocalypseUltimate X-Men #89–93 ISBN   978-0-7851-2550-1
Volume 19: Absolute PowerUltimate X-Men #94–97 ISBN   978-0-7851-2944-8
Ultimatum: X-Men/Fantastic FourUltimate X-Men #98–100;
Ultimate Fantastic Four #58–60
ISBN   0-7851-3433-6

Ultimate X-Men has also been collected in the following Ultimate Collections:

Vol. #Material collectedPagesPublication DateISBN
1Ultimate X-Men #1–12 &1/2336April 2002 ISBN   0-7851-2187-0
2Ultimate X-Men #13–25336August 2007 ISBN   0-7851-2856-5
3Ultimate War #1–4;
Ultimate X-Men #26–33
304September 2009 ISBN   0-7851-4187-1
4Ultimate X-Men #34–45304October 2010 ISBN   0-7851-4923-6
5Ultimate X-Men #46–57312March 2015 ISBN   0-7851-9292-1

Ultimate X-Men also has been collected in the following hardcovers:

Volume #Material collectedISBN
1Ultimate X-Men #1–12
ISBN   0-7851-1008-9
2Ultimate X-Men #13–25 ISBN   0-7851-1130-1
3Ultimate X-Men #26–33;
Ultimate War #1–4
ISBN   0-7851-1131-X
4Ultimate X-Men #34–45 ISBN   0-7851-1251-0
5Ultimate X-Men #46–57 ISBN   0-7851-2103-X
6Ultimate X-Men #58–65;
Ultimate X-Men Annual #1;
Ultimate X-Men #1/2
ISBN   0-7851-2104-8
7Ultimate X-Men #66–74;
Ultimate X-Men Annual #2
ISBN   0-7851-2605-8
8Ultimate X-Men #75–88 ISBN   0-7851-3080-2
9Ultimate X-Men #89–97 ISBN   0-7851-3779-3
Ultimatum: X-Men/Fantastic FourUltimate X-Men #98–100;
Ultimate Fantastic Four #58–60
ISBN   0-7851-3432-8

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X-Men</span> Comic book superhero team

The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in The X-Men #1. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to low sales, following its 1975 revival and subsequent direction under writer Chris Claremont, it became one of Marvel's most recognizable and successful franchises. They have appeared in numerous books, television shows, 20th Century Fox's X-Men films, and video games. The X-Men title may refer to the superhero team itself, the eponymous comic series, or the broader franchise, which includes various solo titles and team books, such as the New Mutants, Excalibur, and X-Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclops (Marvel Comics)</span> Fictional character published by Marvel Comics

Cyclops is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and is a founding member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the comic book The X-Men. Cyclops is a member of a subspecies of humans known as mutants, born with superhuman abilities. Cyclops emits powerful beams of energy from his eyes and can only control the beams with the aid of special eyewear, which he must always wear. He is typically considered the first of the X-Men, a team of mutant heroes who fight for peace and equality between mutants and humans, and one of the team's primary leaders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rogue (Marvel Comics)</span> Character appearing in Marvel Comics

Rogue is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Created by Chris Claremont and Michael Golden, she first appeared in Avengers Annual #10 (1981). In her comic book appearances, Rogue is depicted as a mutant, a subspecies of humans born with an "X-gene" that grants superhuman abilities. She is capable of absorbing the life force, attributes, memories, and superpowers of anyone through physical touch. She may then use these powers, abilities, and knowledge as her own for a period of time after releasing her target. Rogue is initially portrayed as a reluctant supervillain, but she soon joins the X-Men as a superhero and has since endured as one of its most prominent members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colossus (character)</span> Fictional character

Colossus is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1.

<i>X-Men: Evolution</i> Television series

X-Men: Evolution is an American animated television series based on the superhero series X-Men published by Marvel Comics. Taking inspiration from the early issues of the original comics, the series portrays the X-Men as teenagers rather than adults, following their struggle to control their mutant powers as they face various threats. X-Men: Evolution ran for a total of four seasons, comprising 52 episodes in total, from November 4, 2000, to October 25, 2003, on Kids' WB, making it the third longest-running Marvel Comics animated series at the time, behind Fox Kids' X-Men: The Animated Series and Spider-Man. The series later aired on Disney XD from June 15, 2009, to December 30, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nightcrawler (character)</span> Fictional comic book character

Nightcrawler is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in the comic book Giant-Size X-Men #1. By the time of his creation, there was already another Marvel character with the same name, but with a hyphen (Night-Crawler), which was later changed to Dark-Crawler to avoid confusion.

"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comics universe when the original timeline was restored. It was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitty Pryde</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. The character first appeared in The Uncanny X-Men #129 and was co-created by writer-artist John Byrne and writer Chris Claremont. A mutant, Pryde possesses a "phasing" ability that allows her to pass through objects, hence she is intangible while using this ability. This power also disrupts any electrical field she passes through, and lets her simulate levitation.

<i>X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men</i> Television pilot

X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men is an animated television pilot originally broadcast in 1989 on the Marvel Action Universe television block, featuring Marvel Comics' mutant superheroes of the X-Men. The pilot aired infrequently in syndication and was later released on video. It later served as the basis for Konami's X-Men arcade game.

<i>Uncanny X-Men</i> Marvel comic book series

Uncanny X-Men, originally published as The X-Men, is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the X-Men, a group of mutants with superhuman abilities led and taught by Professor X.

<i>X-Men: The End</i> 2004-2006 trilogy of miniseries

X-Men: The End is a 2004-2006 trilogy of miniseries published by Marvel Comics, detailing the last days of the X-Men and their adventures in an alternative future. The series, which was part of Marvel's The End line of books, was written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Sean Chen, with cover art by Greg Land and Gene Ha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X-Men: Eve of Destruction</span>

"Eve of Destruction" is an X-Men crossover storyline in the fictional Marvel Comics Universe. The storyline was written by Scott Lobdell and features artwork from Leinil Francis Yu, Salvador Larroca, and Tom Raney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolverine (Ultimate Marvel character)</span> Superhero appearing in Marvel Comics

Wolverine is a fictional character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is an alternative version of Wolverine that appears in the Ultimate Marvel imprint, in stories separate from the original character. Created by writer Mark Millar and artist Adam Kubert, Ultimate Wolverine first appeared in Ultimate X-Men #1.

Cerebro's X-Men are a team of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are a nanotechnology version of the X-Men created by Cerebro when the supercomputer briefly goes rogue.

<i>Ultimatum</i> (comics) Ultimate Marvel storyline, 2009

"Ultimatum" is a 2009 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics under its Ultimate Marvel imprint. It consists of a core five-issue eponymous miniseries written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by David Finch that was published from January to September 2009, and a number of tie-in books. The storyline deals with Magneto's attempts to destroy the world following the apparent deaths of his children, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in The Ultimates 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X-Men in other media</span> Overview of X-Men in other media

The X-Men are a fictional superhero team created by Marvel Comics that appear in comic books and other forms of media.

<i>All-New X-Men</i> Marvel comic book series

All-New X-Men was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in November 2012, with the launch of Marvel NOW! The series centers on the five original X-Men, brought from the past to the present to confront their future counterparts. The series replaces Uncanny X-Men vol. 2 as the flagship book of the X-Men franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Hudson</span> Comics character

Jimmy Hudson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character appears in the Ultimate Marvel universe and is the son of Ultimate Wolverine. After the Secret Wars, he is now a resident in the Marvel Prime Universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Atom</span>

"Battle of the Atom" is a 10-part comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics that debuted in September and October 2013 and ran through multiple X-Men books.

References

  1. Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 304. ISBN   978-1465455505.
  2. "Bendis_UXM". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 2005-11-01.
  3. 1 2 "Sequential Tart: Mark Millar – Ultimate Writer (vol V/iss 3/March 2002)". Archived from the original on 2004-02-18. Retrieved 2004-12-24.
  4. "ICv2News: ICv2's Top 300 Comics & Top 100 GN's Index". Archived from the original on 2014-07-03. Retrieved 2006-01-18.
  5. Untitled Document Archived November 1, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  6. 1 2 "Magnetic North" (Ultimate X-Men #61–65)
  7. "Mark Millar Summons The Ultimate Avengers". Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
  8. "Marvel Announces Jonathan Hickman on Ultimate Comics: Ultimates in August!" Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine , Hypergeek, May 2, 2011
  9. Manning, Shaun. "Marvel's '-Men'" Archived 2011-05-26 at the Wayback Machine , Comic Book Resources, May 3, 2011
  10. "NYCC 2023: Marvel Comics Reveals a New Ultimate Universe". www.marvel.com. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  11. "ICv2's Top 300 Comics & Top 300 GN's Index" Archived 2014-07-03 at the Wayback Machine , ICv2, November 18, 2008
  12. Ultimate X-Men #5

Interviews