With only a few months until the end of the Ultimate Universe, Marvel is setting up the pieces for an epic final conflict between The Maker and the heroes of the Ultimate Universe. Across various titles, such as Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Black Panther, and Ultimate X-Men, we have seen the ripple effects of a universe drastically reshaped by The Maker, a villain who is an alternate version of Reed Richards, also known as Mister Fantastic. Unlike his 616 counterpart, who is compassionate, empathetic, and virtuous, The Maker is self-serving, egotistical, and maniacal. The series Ultimate Invasion by Jonathan Hickman details how the Maker manipulated events in his favor on Earth-61610 by altering events that delayed or averted entirely the origins of many heroes, therefore preventing them from interfering with the Maker’s plans.
In Ultimate Universe #4, Howard Stark succeeds in sealing The Maker within The City, thus trapping him for two years, at which point The City will reopen and The Maker will be free. During this two-year window, the heroes of the Ultimate Universe have worked to repair the damage done to Earth-61610 by the actions of The Maker. In Deniz Camp’s The Ultimates, an Avengers-esque team led by Tony Stark, aka Iron Lad, is one such group that fights injustices and protects those who cannot defend themselves from evildoers while simultaneously preparing for The Maker’s inevitable return.
The Ultimates #18 is the penultimate issue before the title concludes with issue #20 on January 14th, 2026, and it’s plain to see while reading the issue that Camp is building to a finale for both the book and the Ultimate Universe as a whole as well. The issue opens with Tony Stark preparing to make a transmission to the entire world. In this public address, Tony gives a motivating speech to rally support for The Ultimates and their cause of opposing The Maker and his Council. In his speech, Tony also encourages civilians to resist in any way that is feasible for them.
Tony Stark addresses the world, encouraging the people to rise up in defiance of The Maker. Credit: Marvel Comics
While there is not a whole lot of action driving the plot of this issue, Tony’s speech is inspiring and succeeds in building up momentum leading up to what we can assume will be a climactic showdown with The Maker upon his imminent return once free from his imprisonment within The City. Tony’s speech not only calls out the nefarious actions of The Maker, but also calls out by name those in his council who have benefited from a corrupt system which has robbed the people of their autonomy, their freedom, and their prosperity. As Tony says in the issue, “The reality is…We have no say in the course of our lives. We are not people, but cogs in a vast, unfeeling machine that slowly grinds us into painful nothing”. Tony also goes on to state that freedom of the people is a threat to those in power, and that every action on their part is a deliberate effort to squash their freedom. “Freedom is dangerous to them and the system they’ve built. We are a threat to any system designed to suppress or interfere with human flourishing”.
In The Ultimates #18, Tony Stark is amassing something bigger than a team of superheroes; he is building a resistance movement to defy The Maker and his council at every turn and on every level. This is a fascinating development for the Tony Stark character, and one that Deniz Camp has been exploring and shaping throughout the run of this book. It’s an interesting dimension of the character that we haven’t seen before, and it gives readers new reasons to love and appreciate the character. Tony’s hopeful and inspiring message resonates with those who have grown weary and frustrated with oppressive and unjust systems in which average, everyday people are exploited for the benefit of the rich and powerful.
While we do not yet know the outcome of The Ultimates taking the fight to The Maker in Ultimate Endgame, Tony’s rallying cry encouraging the people to rise up against The Maker and his council strikes an optimistic tone and makes you believe in his cause, and confident that Earth 616-10 can succeed in deposing The Maker if they all stand united against his authoritarian regime. Not only will Earth 616-10 be liberated from The Maker’s corrupt rule, but she will be avenged as well.
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