What separates a hero from a villain? Is it timing, a stroke of luck, or fate? The answer is choice. Heroes choose to protect the innocent, to stand against seemingly endless tides of evil so that others can live their lives. Villains often choose to shape the world in the way they want it, and cause untold amounts of suffering along the way. The Ultimates #22 highlights this divide as Captain America comes face-to-face with his old friend Bucky Barnes, now the Grand Skull of the Red Skull cult.
Deniz Camp even opens the issue by flashing back to Steve and Bucky’s childhoods, showcasing how close they truly were: their mothers had them around the same time, they fought together in World War II, and they even lived in the same building. It makes Bucky’s descent into becoming the Grand Skull all the more tragic; unlike his Earth-616 counterpart, who was brainwashed into becoming the Winter Soldier, he chose to embrace the Maker’s rule simply because he was tired of losing everything. It’s a sharp contrast to Steve, who woke up in a world that passed him by yet continues to do the right thing.
I can’t help but admire how Camp is managing to balance the earth-shattering stakes of Ultimate Endgame with these more personal stories in Ultimates. It can’t be as easy as it looks, and yet he writes both titles in a way that makes them play off each other while remaining their own separate stories. Camp also continues to build on past issues of the Ultimates, with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver now helping Cap during his raid on the Red Skull’s fortress. Add in Hawkeye, and you have the Ultimate version of “Cap’s Kooky Quartet” – once again showing Camp’s deep knowledge of Marvel canon and his willingness to flip it on its head.
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Juan Frigeri turns in some of his best work yet with The Ultimates #22. The way he draws Cap in motion is incredible; Cap moves with the grace of an Olympic athlete, yet delivers blows that shatter steel and bone. That’s saying nothing of how he throws his shield. Under Frigeri’s pencils, it becomes a multitude of shields, ricocheting off of foes and surfaces until it lands back in Cap’s hand. That same sense of movement is extended to other characters, particularly Quicksilver, who turns into a blue-and-white blur whenever he uses his super speed. Finally, Bucky’s guise as the Grand Skull transforms from a helmet-clad figure to a massive mech capable of fighting Cap, yet the same bitter old man still resides within.
Federico Blee also brings a unique color scheme to the table, particularly in the past sections with Steve and Bucky. Those sections carry a warmer, more sepia-toned hue that grows darker and darker as you follow Bucky’s descent into the Grand Skull. Eventually, it matches the same dark skies and fiery red battlegrounds as the present day. Color often sets mood, and Blee understands this is a story that calls for a somber tone.
The Ultimates #22 delivers a somber standalone story focused on Captain America, and is a sharp reminder that heroism and villainy are defined by the choices we make. Now more than ever, that’s a lesson that needs reinforcement.
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