Summary

• Ultimates #1 reveals a dark turn for Captain Marvel in the new Ultimate Universe, showing unexpected consequences for the powerful hero.
• The issue highlights the struggles of alternate Avengers as they face challenges in adjusting to a new reality and fighting against the Maker's Council.
• The death of Captain Marvel signifies a fundamental shift in the moral arc of the universe, leaving the Ultimates in dire straits and in need of backup.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Ultimates #1Be it as Ms. Marvel, Warbird, or most famously, Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers is one of Marvel Comics’ strongest heroes. A staple among the Avengers and the current leader of the team, Captain Marvel is considered by many to be Earth’s Mightiest Hero. Unfortunately, it seems that moniker applies only to the character’s Earth-616 iteration, as Captain Marvel has already left the new Ultimate Universe with a bang.

Ultimates #1 by Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri, Federico Blee, and VC’s Travis Lanham features Iron Lad and his fellow freedom fighters sending customized origin-machines six months into the past to grow their ranks. Things don’t go as planned, with many of the heroes outright rejecting their destiny and others failing to adjust to their newfound powers – including Captain Marvel.

Viewing Captain Marvel and his other failed recipients through time, Tony says, “It looks like only one or two took. The rest…all rejected, intercepted or deceased. A – a lot of accidental suicide by superpower.” But it seems Carol didn’t go alone.

Ultimate Captain Marvel Wasn’t Meant To Be

Carol’s Death Represents A Fundamental Change

Captain Marvel is far from the first iconic powerhouse taken off the board in this new Ultimate Universe. Readers have already seen that powerful Marvel heroes like the Sentry or Black Bolt have been killed in this new world, but the idea that Captain Marvel could fall so easily is entirely unexpected. Carol Danvers is one of Marvel’s most disciplined heroes, having served as a pilot and spy years before she even got her powers well into adulthood. If even Ultimate Captain Marvel is warped by the Maker’s machinations, then it’s clear that these aren’t the heroes fans know and love.

Captain Marvel is one of the greatest heroes on Earth-616 and one of Marvel Comics’ strongest-willed characters.

Later in this very issue, Tony Stark’s ending message to his missing father argues that the Maker hasn’t only changed time, but he’s literally warped the moral arc of the universe at a fundamental level. And Carol’s death as well as the deaths or rejections of so many other iconic heroes certainly backs up this argument. After all, if even Earth’s Mightiest Hero isn’t equipped to ascend to her rightful place in this new continuity – even accidentally taking innocents with her in an uncontrollable burst of energy – then the odds are stacked against the Ultimates higher than anyone realized.

These Alternate Avengers Need To Assemble Some Backup

The Ultimates Are In Dire Straits

Captain Marvel is one of the greatest heroes on Earth-616 and one of Marvel Comics’ strongest-willed characters. If even her variant is incapable of adjusting to the new reality of Earth-1610, then Iron Lad, Captain America, and the rest of the team are going to have their work cut out for them if they want to take down the villainous Maker’s Council once and for all. Whether the Ultimates can ever become heroes rivaling the stature of Marvel’s Avengers remains to be seen, but either way, they’ll have to assemble without Captain Marvel.

Ultimates #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.