Ultimate End #1 Coming From Bendis And Bagley In May

Now this is the kind of thing that would normally set off a flurry of rumors and speculation. Except for one very important thing: we’ve already been told that Marvel’s Ultimate Universe is coming to an end.

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In truth, the fact that it’s survived this long is a testament to the work done by several prominent creators, and for longevity, no one even comes close to Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. Their ridiculously long, successful run (particularly by modern standards) on Ultimate Spider-Man was really the foundation on which an entire imprint was built, so it’s fitting that the two men are reuniting to give it an Ultimate send-off.

Marvel’s press release was pretty sparse on details:

"Bendis. Bagley. The death of the Ultimate Universe. Secret Wars! ‘Nuff said.The wheels are spinning, and the Ultimate Universe is on a collision course with Secret Wars. The gut-wrenching end begins this May as Brian Michael Bendis & Mark Bagley reteam for ULTIMATE END #1!"

One of my favorite things about the build-up to Secret Wars is how things usually said for effect are literal. Like “on a collision course,” which in this case refers to the final Incursion that will smash the Marvel Universe and Ultimate Universe into each other with their Earths as the impact point — and the heroes of both worlds aren’t going to be able to stop it.

Ultimate End is also one of the Battleworld titles during Secret Wars, which are supposed to tell us more about the patchwork planet that arises when the event begins. There’s also this interesting variant cover by David Marquez. Take a look and you’ll see someone I thought was dead.

Hey Ultimate Captain America! Welcome back to the living. Or perhaps not, as Bendis spoke with Comic Book Resources this week and wouldn’t say if Cap is back or not. What he did state is that Ultimate End will give real, actual closure to the saga of the Ultimate Universe, so if you are or ever were a fan, you’ll want to look for issue #1 when it drops on May.

Next: More on the Secret Wars Battleworld titles

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