Ultimate Universe: Finale #1 (Marvel, 6/24/26): The collective of Ultimate title writers and artists gather to say goodbye to their characters with a series of epilogues set one month after the Maker’s defeat. The art is as consistent as ever, and the writing is as inconsistent as ever, so the imprint ends the way it began. Verdict: For completionists only.
Credits:
- Writer: Peach Momoko, Bryan Hill, Chris Condon, Deniz Camp, Jonathan Hickman
- Artist: Alessandro Cappuccio, Juan Frigeri, Marco Checchetto, Stefano Caselli, Peach Momoko
- Colorist: Marcio Menyz, David Curiel, Bryan Valenza, Federico Blee, Peach Momoko
- Letterer: Travis Lanham
- Cover Artist: Phil Noto (cover A)
- Publisher: Marvel Comics
- Release Date: June 24, 2026
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $7.99
- Page Count: 62
- Format: 5-Part Anthology
Covers:
Analysis of Ultimate Universe: Finale #1:
First Impressions:
I didn’t read the solicitation going into this issue, so I had no idea what to expect. That said, expecting absolutely nothing helps, because this anthology is a lot of fluff that isn’t worth the cover price.
Plot Analysis (SPOILERS):
[Reviewers Note: The events of Ultimate Universe: Finale #1 take place one month after Ultimate Endgame #5]
Ultimate Spider-Man
Peter is late to a parent/teacher conference due to an unforeseen fight with the Ultimate Ringer. When he gets to school, the teacher explains May has an absentee and disappearance-from-class problem. When MJ and Peter arrive home, they find Richard is entranced with a video game, and May has been swinging around town in the pico-tech symbiote suit.
The short looks great, thanks to Marco Checchetto and Marcio Menyz, and there’s a certain charm to the Parker family’s dynamic, thanks to Hickman’s characterization. However, what’s the point? It’s a moment in time that has no purpose and resolves nothing. At best, it’s a mildly amusing coda.
Ultimate Black Panther
T’Challa summons Storm to his secret lab in the palace for a favor. He explains that the Dark Vibranium in his blood is conscious and killing him. After a dialogue exchange about hope for the future, T’Challa takes a jet out to the plains and asks Storm to frighten the Dark Vibranium into dormancy by zapping him with lightning while they kiss. The gambit works, putting T’Challa into remission for whatever the future holds.
Overly serious and silly. That sums up this short story and Bryan Hill’s series as a whole. The Dark Vibranium storyline turned out to have no connection to the final battle with the Maker, and Storm’s method for “scaring” the Dark Vibranium is just plain silly when T’Challa is struck by lightning while kissing Storm. She can generate lightning, but that doesn’t make her immune to damage. Oof!
Ultimate Runaways X-Men
Japan’s Mutant Restraint Force (MRF) has issued power-dampening net guns to the city’s population to aid in the capture of mutants… for their own protection. One day, a young mutant is found “attacking” a human, and the local folks converge on the spot. Before the girl is captured, the Ultimate X-Men intervene and spirit the girl away for refuge.
Shockingly, Peach Momoko’s epilogue feels the most like a setup to the future of the Ultimate Universe. The long-standing criticisms of disconnected art and characters still remain, but at least you get a sense that the series could continue in a particular direction.
Ultimate Wolverine
Victor Creed chops wood outside an isolated cabin with younger mutants nearby. Suddenly, a Sentinel lands, but instead of starting a fight, it turns out the Sentinel is an ally piloted by Phoenix and Logan. The Wolverine decides to stay at the cabin for a while to get his head straight, while Phoenix flies off with the Sentinel to help wayward mutants.
Chris Condon’s farewell is a sedate albeit pleasant end that gives Logan a much-deserved bit of R&R, and that’s about all it does.
The Ultimates
Tony Stark, aka Iron Lad, tours the Earth, delivering a message of hope and vaguely hippie-ish/commie-ish encouragement for a communal society. Destroyed cities are rebuilt, and the oppressive forces of A.I.M surrender. Leaders assemble to create a new North America with a new Constitution. Emma Frost makes a bid to take over the remnants of the Maker’s Council. She-Hulk’s island receives some much-needed decontamination help. Hawkeye goes right on killing people. And the Fantastics search for molecular remnants of the Maker. The issue ends with a green-hooded Latverian finding one of the Maker’s remnants, with plans for some unsavory purpose.
Deniz Camp’s epilogue to the Ultimates is possibly the longest short in the issue, and it sets up a multitude of threads for future exploration. Some have potential. Many do not, based on Camp’s past performance. Will the end signal an Ultimate Doctor Doom to coincide with the forthcoming Doomsday film? Time will tell.
How is the story in Ultimate Universe: Finale #1?
Ultimately (Oy!) it’s a mostly fine but forgettable issue. You could pick it up as a curiosity, just to be a completionist, but there’s nothing of real meaning or value in the oversized page count or overpriced cover. This anthology is simply an opportunity for the creative teams to say goodbye.
How is the art in Ultimate Universe: Finale #1?
Likewise, the art is fine but forgettable. There isn’t enough time or opportunity for big action set pieces, so what you get is a series of smaller, quieter moments, punctuated by the occasional action.
Originality & Concept Execution
But for the last short starring The Ultimates, the concept is a series of vignettes presented in “where are they now” style. If that’s what you want out of a so-called finale issue, that’s what you get. Admittedly, the concept is self-indulgent because it presumes that the Ultimates imprint was successful enough to warrant a maxi-issue goodbye. Whether or not it does will depend on your PoV.
Pros and Cons
Art Samples:
The Scorecard:
Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): 2/4
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): 3/4
Value (Originality & Entertainment): 0.5/2
Final Thoughts:
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Ultimate Universe: Finale #1 delivers an anthology that gives each Ultimate creative team a chance to say goodbye with a final epilogue. The art teams deliver the same level of quality as they did in the series, but the writing is all over the map, much like the imprint as a whole. Ironically, Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man is the weakest of the bunch.
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