—NarratorThey can run all they want... it still won't be far enough from the terror that claws its way out of the crater.
Appearing in "Ultimo"
Featured Characters:
- Force Works
- Iron Man (Anthony Stark)
- War Machine (James "Jim" Rhodes)
- Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter)
- Hawkeye (Clint Barton)
- Century
- Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff)
- U.S.Agent (John Walker)
Antagonists:
- Ultimo (First appearance)
- Mandarin (Zhang Chan)
- M.O.D.O.K. (George Tarleton)
- Justin Hammer
Other Characters:
- Unnamed Gas Attendant (Only Appearance)
Locations:
- Earth-TRN849
- United States of America
- Mojave Desert
- Stark Enterprises
- United States of America
Items:
- Iron Man Armor
- War Machine Armor
- Hawkeye's Bow & Trick Arrows (First appearance)
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Ultimo"
M.O.D.O.K. and Justin Hammer climb out of their crashed escape pod in the Mojave desert. Justin and M.O.D.O.K. blame each other for the failure of their plan, and M.O.D.O.K. notes he sent out a distress signal to the Mandarin as they went down. There is an earth tremor directly under the wreck of the pod as one of the Mandarin's Sky Saucers approaches. Right after the Sky Saucer lands, there is an explosion under the pod. M.O.D.O.K. rushes back, curious to see what caused the explosion. M.O.D.O.K.'s curiosity turns to terror as a large metal hand erupts from the pit. They flee as a giant metal robot emerges, claiming to be Ultimo the Destroyer.
Back at Stark Enterprises, U.S. Agent, Hawkeye, Century, and Scarlet Witch return from investigating seismic activity in the desert. Hawkeye believes the trip was a waste of time, but Century notes they needed more scanning equipment to investigate further. Julia Carpenter and James Rhodes greet them in formal wear, as Tony is throwing a party to celebrate being cleared of his criminal charges. Jim updates Tony on the situation, and Tony asks to be kept informed.
Meanwhile, Ultimo destroys a small town in seconds as the Mandarin looks on. Wishing to harness Ultimo's destructive power, the Mandarin determines to study Ultimo to learn more about its weaknesses. U.S. Agent informs Iron Man of the attack, and they leave to attack Ultimo. Hawkeye, Iron Man, and War Machine attack from the air, while the other members of Force Works attack from the Hex Ship. Iron Man's repulsor beam is not effective against Ultimo, and in the fight the Hex Ship is downed by Ultimo. The Mandarin continues to observe the situation, knowing that Iron Man will turn the situation around and desiring to learn more about Ultimo before making his move.
Scarlet Witch and Spider-Woman oversee evacuation as Hawkeye attempts to trip Ultimo with a trick arrow that shoots an energized cable. His efforts fail, and he is knocked from his skycycle. Iron Man catches him and safely deposits him on the ground. Iron Man tries another frontal assault, but Ultimo catches him and starts to squeeze him, damaging his armor. War Machine distracts him with a repulsor blast, and Ultimo damages War Machine's armor by melting it with a laser blast. Breaking free, Iron Man strikes Ultimo again. Spider-Woman takes advantage of the momentum to trip Ultimo with her psi-webs. The impact coupled with Iron Man's assault seems to knock Ultimo out.
Iron Man scans Ultimo, determining that he is likely alien in origin and that his main power source is where a human's heart and lungs would be. Ultimo awakes and knocks Iron Man aside, resuming his attack on the town. Iron Man assures the other Force Works members that he is ok, and lays out a new plan. Spider-Woman and U.S. Agent draw Ultimo's attention with their powers, leading him to the Scarlet Witch, who has hexed a sand storm. Iron Man and War Machine launch an attack on Ultimo, warning Hawkeye and Century that they only have one shot.
Century forges a cosmic arrowhead, and notes if they fail that mankind may be destroyed. Hawkeye attaches the arrowhead to one of his spare shafts, and waits for War Machine and Iron Man to create an opening. Focusing their attack on Ultimo's ribs, they manage to create a small breach. Scarlet Witch clears the sandstorm to allow Hawkeye a clear shot to the opening. Hawkeye's arrow finds its mark. Iron Man and War Machine seal the opening and disengage. The cosmic arrowhead disrupts Ultimo's power sources and forces a short circuit. Ultimo falls, for good this time. Iron Man orders that Ultimo be taken back to a Stark Enterprises holding lab for further study, and mentions needing to put the finishing touches on Project: Grim Reaper.
Still watching, Mandarin tells Iron Man to enjoy his victory while he can.
Notes
- This issue adapts "Rejoice! I am Ultimo, Thy Deliverer", the second episode of Iron Man: The Animated Series, from the teleplay by Ted Pedersen and Francis Moss, based on a story by Ron Friedman.
Trivia
- The comic differs significantly from the episode. Mandarin attempts twice to take control of Ultimo and succeeds the second time. Force Works' fight with Ultimo was split by a sequence where Century locates an injured Iron Man through the Infinity Matrix and Hawkeye used his shot to defeat Ultimo by hitting his shut off switch.