Merge:Ultimate X-Men

Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book published by Marvel Comics. Ultimate X-Men is a modernized reimagining of the long-running marvel comic X-Men. This title is set outside of the Marvel Universe continuity in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, and started from scratch with new versions of each character.

The protagonists are the X-Men, a group of mutants, whose unusual genetic makeup grant them super powers and set them apart from the rest of humanity. They are led by Professor Charles Xavier, the world's most powerful telepath. Although the series has an action-oriented slant, the series also includes topics related to minorities, such as racism, intolerance and prejudice. Readers familiar with the original X-Men recognise many familiar characters and storylines. However, Ultimate X-Men almost completely ignores supernatural or mystical elements such as space opera, alternate dimensions or magic as plot devices, the X-Men have no secret identity, and mutants are a recognised minority, rather mistrusted than hunted down.

The series began in 2001 under writer Mark Millar and artist Adam Kubert. As of August 2006, it is currently written by Robert Kirkman and pencilled by Tom Raney and Ben Oliver, who alternate with every story arc.

Mark Millar (February 2001 - July 2003)
Upon its release in February 2001, Ultimate X-Men was the second comic of the Ultimate Marvel line, predated a few months by its sister title Ultimate Spider-Man. The heads of the Ultimate Universe, Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada, originally tried to hire Brian Michael Bendis to write the title, but he declined.. Marvel hired Scottish writer Mark Millar, best then known for his run on The Authority for his ignorance of the X-Men franchise. With the first X-Men movie as his only reference, Millar reinvented the X-Men.

Millar's first arc was "The Tomorrow People" (#1-6), in which the X-Men square off against a reimagined Brotherhood of Mutants, led by Magneto, and a hostile US government's Sentinel robots. "Return to Weapon X" (#7-12) sees the X-Men kidnapped and forced to serve Weapon X, a government-run concentration camp that turns mutants into mindless killers, and Nick Fury tries to save them. Millar suffered from a serious kidney infection during this arc and admitted transferring his pain onto his characters.

The third arc "You Always Remember Your First Love" (#13-14), introduces Gambit, was conceived by Chuck Austen. Millar then wrote "World Tour" (#15-20), in which the X-Men fight a reimagined Proteus, in this universe the son of Dr. Moira MacTaggert and Professor X. Notable about this arc was Colossus' rescue of a capsized submarine crew, a possible allusion to the real-life Kursk submarine disaster.

"Hellfire and Brimstone" (#21-25) introduces a rebooted version of the Hellfire Club, and finally "Return of the King" (#26-33), in which the X-Men fight the Brotherhood again. Millar wrote Part 7 of "Return of the King" as his version of the conversation Professor X and Magneto led in the famous "plastic jail cell" in the first X-Men movie. It was also the swansong of the Millar / Kubert run and features two security officers who are called Millar and Kubert.

Common to the Millar period was an edgy tone, featuring quick action-driven plots and less moral X-Men. For instance, Wolverine tries to kill Cyclops in "Return of the King" because he is envious of Jean's love. In an interview with Sequential Tart, Millar commented: "You're not competing with Cartoon Network on these books; you're competing with Buffy. (...) Superhero comics aren't adult, but they shouldn't be written for five year olds either". As a side note, Millar also hinted at Colossus' possible homosexuality. Millar shaped Ultimate X-Men into a commercial hit, consistently outselling its sister titles X-Treme X-Men and Uncanny X-Men and staying just behind Grant Morrison's experimental and popular New X-Men run.

Brian Michael Bendis (August 2003 - July 2004)
After Mark Millar's run, Ultimate Spider-Man writer Brian Michael Bendis took over for a year. Bendis stated that he was going to interpret his run in a more character-driven way, especially concerning Wolverine, who had previously tried to kill his teammate Cyclops.

His first arc, "Blockbuster" (#34-39), was a crossover between Wolverine and Spider-Man, and featured another character Bendis was contemporaneously writing, Daredevil. The arc concentrates on Wolverine being hunted by Weapon X and his willingness to atone for past wrongdoing. Bendis' next arc "New Mutants" (#40-45) continued in character development, featuring a great influx of new characters, such as Angel, Havok, Karma, Emma Frost and Dazzler. Bendis' run was marked by the relative absence of major villains and was also notorious for killing Beast, making the character the first dead Ultimate X-Man.

Brian K. Vaughan (August 2004 - February 2006)
The third Ultimate X-Men writer was Brian K. Vaughan, then more known then for his indie work on Y: The Last Man. His run was marked by the relative absence of Wolverine as the main character and the reimagination of second-string X-Men characters who he felt were underused or "shoehorned", namely Mr. Sinister in "The Tempest" (#46-49), Fenris in "Cry Wolf" (#50-53), and Mojo and Longshot in "The Most Dangerous Game" (#54-57), who are of non-alien origin in this world and have the civilan names "Mojo Adams" and "Arthur Centino", a play on their creators, namely writer Ann Nocenti and artist Arthur Adams. Further arcs were centered on Professor X (#58) and Deathstrike in "Shock and Awe" (#59-60). Vaughan also reintroduced Emma Frost's mutant team and Magneto in "Magnetic North" (#61-65). As a side note, his run finally confirmed Ultimate Colossus' homosexuality.

Robert Kirkman (March 2006 - )
As of July 2006, Robert Kirkman became the writer of Ultimate X-Men. He has completed two arcs, namely "Date Night" (#66-68), introducing Lilandra and the Shi'ar, and "Phoenix?" (#69-71), which concentrates on his new character, Elliott Boggs, The Magician. Kirkman has promised to stay true to the differences between Ultimate Universe and mainstream Marvel and not rely on the gimmick of "Who's getting Ultimatized this week."

Commercial success
Ultimate X-Men quickly established itself as a hit comic, lauded by critics and popular with the fans. The following table shows the development of comic sales in comparison to the mainstream titles (reference: Diamond Comics ).

The Ultimate X-Men



 * Professor X, telepath Charles Xavier, is the wheelchair-bound founder and patron of the X-Men. He is an idealist and a pacifist, but less saintly than his mainstream counterpart. He is the ex-husband of Dr. Moira MacTaggert and has an estranged son named David with her. He has also been in relationships with Emma Frost and Mystique. As well, his spine was severed by his old friend, Magneto.
 * Cyclops, Scott Summers, whose eyes emit concussive blasts, is the boy scout-like X-Men field leader. Shy and aloof at first, he learns to be a leader.  After clashing with his teammate Wolverine for the love of Jean Grey, he wins greater self-confidence and becomes the unrivalled field leader of the X-Men.
 * Angel, Warren Worthington III, is a handsome, shy, winged mutant. He is Dazzler's boyfriend before she is put into a coma.
 * Beast, simian mutant Henry "Hank" McCoy, is turned into a blue, furry beast by the insidious Weapon X project. He has a troubled romance with Storm until he is killed in a Sentinel attack.
 * Dazzler, Allison "Ali" Blaire, is a tough-as-nails punk rocker with light powers who is heavily pierced and tattooed and wears slashed clothing. She becomes Angel's girlfriend after he takes the blame for something she does. She is stabbed and put into a coma by Yuriko Oyama, a.k.a. Lady Deathstrike.
 * Colossus, Piotr "Peter" Rasputin, can turn into organic steel and reluctantly works as an arms smuggler before joining the X-Men and is hinted to be a closet homosexual for much of the earlier series before finally coming out. He has a small sister called Illyana, who does not seem to have any mutant powers.
 * Iceman, cryokinetic Robert "Bobby" Drake is a hot-headed youth in the throes of puberty, but loyal to the X-Men's cause.
 * Magician, Elliot Boggs, is the newest member to the team. He seems to have reality-warping powers and an unclear past.
 * Marvel Girl, telepath / telekinetic Jean Grey, is outgoing and foxy, but also a very responsible young woman and is the unofficial second-in-command behind Cyclops. After an affair with Wolverine, she begins a steady relationship with Cyclops. She has difficulties controlling her Phoenix powers.
 * Nightcrawler, the Bavarian mutant teleporter Kurt Wagner, is a former Weapon X prisoner. He has a crush on Dazzler, and is resentful that she chose Angel instead of him. He also seems to have a homophobic streak.
 * Rogue, Marian, originally drains lifeforce and memories on skin contact. She is abducted into the Weapon X program under unknown circumstances. When she is liberated, she first joins the Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy, then defects to the X-Men, then leaves the team in the company of Gambit. After permanently absorbing his powers during a battle with the Juggernaut (in which Gambit died), she has his red-on-black eyes, seems to have inherited his energy charging powers and seems to be able to touch people without draining their abilities or memories.
 * Shadowcat, Kitty Pryde, can walk through walls. She is a young but dedicated X-Man. Like her mainstream counterpart, her devotion to her Jewish faith is evidenced by her everpresent Star of David. In Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1 she begins dating Peter Parker, better known as Spider-Man.
 * Storm, Ororo Munroe, can manipulate the weather. She is a skilled car thief before joining the X-Men's cause. She falls in love with Beast, and when he dies, it causes her to adopt a darker, edgier costume and hairstyle (similar to the way the mainstream Storm adopted the new punk look).  She dabbles in an on-again-off-again romance / friendship with Wolverine.
 * Wolverine, James "Logan" Howlett, has animal instincts and extreme regeneration powers. He is turned into an amnesiac, emotionless killer by Weapon X. He resurfaces as the cold-blooded elite assassin of Magneto and infiltrates the X-Men to kill Professor X. He betrays Magneto, however, and joins the X-Men.
 * Syndicate is the name of two mutant, psi-resistant conjoined twins called Luke and Matthew. They try to rob a bank to help their terminally ill sister, but are beaten by Professor X.  Realizing their plight, he gives them a chance to redeem themselves by working as his private agents. Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Steve Dillon, they first appeared in Ultimate X-Men #58 2005. The character's are written as having an unusual heart which pumps out electromagnetic pulses with each beat. As shown in the comics, this disables almost any electrical system. Their interlinked grey matter has also been presented as making them immune to telepathic control, although it has been shown they are still susceptible to mind readings.

Supporting cast
Ultimate X-Men contains reimagined versions of other characters. The Academy of Tomorrow is a second heroic mutant group, consisting of Emma Frost, Havok, Angel, Cannonball, Cypher, Northstar, Polaris and Sunspot. In addition, characters like Dr. Moira MacTaggert, Psylocke, Dum Dum Dugan, Gambit, Karma, Lilandra and Spiral have appeared in smaller roles, and Wolfsbane, Bishop, Warlock, Blink and others in cameo roles.

In the shared universe of Ultimate Marvel, the X-Men have more than once crossed the paths of other superheroes: Peter Parker is a good friend of the X-Men and is Shadowcat's current boyfriend. The X-Men share a wary truce with Nick Fury and The Ultimates, who have been both their best benefactors ("New Mutants" arc) and worst enemies (Ultimate War) in the past. The Ultimate Fantastic Four have recently met the X-Men in Ultimate X4 and are generally on amicable terms.

Villains
Ultimate X-Men introduced revised versions of classic X-Men villains, such as Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants, Weapon X, the Hellfire Club, The Acolytes, Arcade, Mojo and many more.

Additional notes
In the Ultimate X-Men universe, several locations and elements of the mainstream comics are reintroduced, albeit sometimes in altered form:


 * The famous Danger Room has been used several times for in-jokes and pop culture references. Once, the junior X-Men fought the Brood, and for recreation, there were simulations of Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings.
 * Corsair and the Starjammers appeared as a figment in the mind of Cyclops, brought to life by Jean Grey. "Corsair" was the name Cyclops gave to this imagined world.
 * The Crimson Gem of Cytorrak is a gem with strange powers. It was once owned by Fenris, but was recently absorbed by Juggernaut.
 * Genosha is an apartheid state in which mutants are discriminated.
 * Krakoa is an island not far of Genosha and the place in which Hunt for Justice is held.
 * Murderworld is a first-person shooter game, created by Arcade.
 * Muir Island remained essentially unchanged as the location of Dr. Moira MacTaggart's lab
 * The Shi'ar are a religious movement, led by "Majestrix Lilandra" They worship the "Phoenix God".
 * In The Tempest, Angel calls the mutant killings a Mutant Massacre. Later, in issue #55, he is impaled on his wings by knives, a reference to the famous image in Uncanny X-Men when his wings are impaled by Harpoon.
 * In Cry Wolf when Professor X and Jean Grey explore New York with their minds, Jean's astral image shows her wearing a green minidress with a yellow bladed mask, causing her to exclaim why she is wearing "her third grade Halloween costume". This is an in-joke referencing the classic Marvel Girl costume Jean wore in the early X-Men comics.
 * [[Image:Uxm25.jpg|right||200px|thumb|Cover to Ultimate X-Men #25, art by [[Adam Kubert]]: Colossus and Wolverine executing the fastball special move... unfortunately, not in the panels of the comic.]] As of August 2006, Colossus and Wolverine have not done their trademark fastball special move yet, although it was mentioned in Return of the King and has appeared on the cover of UXM #25, but was not seen yet in panel. However, In Ultimate Spider-Man #94 - the last issue of a storyline in which Spider-Man and the X-Men are kidnapped by Deadpool and must fight for their lives against him and the Reavers on Krakoa - Kitty has Colossus throw her at a group of the cyborgs, effectively performing the maneuver.

Future developments
Recent previews have revealed that Robert Kirkman's next arc is titled "Magical", and stars Magician. After that, Ultimate Cable will debut.

Trivia

 * Ultimate X-Men #40 features what Marvel claims to be the first marriage proposal in a comic book letters column, which is answered in Ultimate X-Men #44 with a positive response.
 * In an issue of Exiles, a team that appears to be the Ultimate X-Men is shown on a monitor while a Hyperion from an alternate reality is explaining something.

Story arcs

 * "The Tomorrow People" in Ultimate X-Men #1-6
 * "Return to Weapon X" in Ultimate X-Men #7-12
 * "You Always Remember Your First Love" in Ultimate X-Men # 13-14
 * "World Tour" in Ultimate X-Men #15-20
 * "Hellfire and Brimstone" in Ultimate X-Men #21-25
 * "Return of the King" in Ultimate X-Men #26-33
 * "Blockbuster" in Ultimate X-Men #34-39
 * "New Mutants" in Ultimate X-Men #40-45
 * "The Tempest" in Ultimate X-Men #46-49
 * "Cry Wolf" in Ultimate X-Men #50-53
 * "The Most Dangerous Game" in Ultimate X-Men #54-57
 * "A Hard Lesson" in Ultimate X-Men #58
 * "Shock and Awe" in Ultimate X-Men #59-60
 * "Magnetic North" in Ultimate X-Men #61-65
 * "Date Night" in Ultimate X-Men #66-68
 * "Phoenix?" in Ultimate X-Men #69-71
 * "Magical" in Ultimate X-Men #72-74
 * "Cable" in Ultimate X-Men #75-78

Collected editions
Trade paperbacks

Hardcovers

Credits

 * Writers: Mark Millar (#1-12, 15-33); Chuck Austen (#13-14); Brian Michael Bendis (#34-45); Brian K. Vaughan (#46-65); Robert Kirkman (#66- )
 * Artists: Adam Kubert (#1-4, 7-8, 10-15, 18, 21-22, 25, 27, 30-33); Andy Kubert (#5-6, 50-53); Esad Ribic (#19-20 ); Tom Derenick (#12); Chris Bachalo (#16-17, Ultimate War #1-4); Kaare Andrews (#23-24); Ray Lai (#26); Ben Lai (#26); David Finch (#28-29, 34-45); Brandon Peterson (#46-49); Stuart Immonen (#54-57, 59-65); Steve Dillon (#58); Tom Raney (#9, 66-68, 72-74, Annual #1); Ben Oliver (#69-71, 75-76); Salvador Larroca (Annual #2)

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