The Ultimate Universe compared to other alternate comic universes

[The Overlord]

How does the Ultimate Universe compare with other alternate comic universes, like Earth X, Age of Apocalypse, Marvel 2099, Earth One, etc?

Also I know the New 52 is not so much an alternative universe, as it is a new universe that replaced the old Post crisis DCU, but how does the UU compare to the New 52?

[The4orTy67]

I don't want to talk nonsense, but I'd say it's the most important alternate reality around and I'd also say it has changed the way Marvel's comics are. You know, lenghty story arcs, decompression. The movies also take huge influences from the Ultimate imprint.

[MykeHavoc]

I agree. There is no alternate reality with as much exposure, outside of maybe pre-Crisis Earth 2. I suppose the UU and the New 52 had much of the same objective, which was to streamline continuity to attract new readers. I would say the UU was a better success, numbers aside. Plus it didn't eradicate the original continuity, which would help secure older readers. And many older fans surprisingly supported the UU in addition to the main universe, as it gave a fresh alternative and provided a mix of variety and familiarity. I wish nothing more than for DC to have followed the formula, because now we're stuck with one continuity which is perhaps even more confusing than it was before the reboot. And a lot of what's being published is dull.

[Wolverine12]

I think it is the best "alternate universe" that's been done. It has had huge influences on all the Marvel movies, not just Marvel studios but Fox and Sony as well. The 616 universe has also taken a lot of cues from the UU as well over the years (which unfortunately means that the UU has had drastic changes to stay unique). DC's Earth One also seems to have the same basic tone as the original UU which isn't a bad thing at all imho. Almost all my favorite stories have come from the UU.

[Plawsky]

It's tough to compare, because it's so unique. Almost every other alternate universe was either short lived or not a direct parallel universe.

The short lived versions - 1602, Earth X, etc - are obviously less developed, having usually only a handful of issues, sometimes up to a few dozen, and typically all in one title or consecutive miniseries. That's compared to the hundreds of Ultimate books across several titles and loads of minis.

The others aren't really the same kind of "parallel" that the UU is. Some examples: Marvel 2099, Earth-2, New Universe, MC2. These feature either completely different characters (New Universe) or alternate futures (2099, MC2). Or, in Earth-2's case, it has the parallel characters, but it typically focuses on different ones, emphasizing the JSA over the parallels of Batman, Superman, and the JLA characters.

The most similar project is probably Earth One, because it's doing exactly what the Ultimate Universe did 14 years ago - create a new, connected universe featuring updated versions of classic characters. But currently, it's still way behind in quantity, though it's expanding quickly soon.

Historically, MC2 and 2099 are probably the closest things as far as long-term goes. Neither one lasted as long, but they feature different versions of Spider-man, the X-Men, etc. However, the versions there are mostly children, descendants, or just new people taking up the mantle, rather than following new stories of Peter Parker, Charles Xavier, and Reed Richards.

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Quality-wise? I'd always put the UU at the top, in no small part due to its scope. But I'm a sucker for alt-universes. I love 1602 and have a custom bound hardcover with all four of its miniseries and the Hulk 1602 short story. I think 2099 is fascinating. Earth X didn't blow me away, but it's a fantastic idea with some amazing designs.

The very idea of alternate universes is always cool to me, and history has shown that, at least in the short run, it almost always ends up working pretty well.

[The Overlord]

It's tough to compare, because it's so unique. Almost every other alternate universe was either short lived or not a direct parallel universe.

The short lived versions - 1602, Earth X, etc - are obviously less developed, having usually only a handful of issues, sometimes up to a few dozen, and typically all in one title or consecutive miniseries. That's compared to the hundreds of Ultimate books across several titles and loads of minis.

The others aren't really the same kind of "parallel" that the UU is. Some examples: Marvel 2099, Earth-2, New Universe, MC2. These feature either completely different characters (New Universe) or alternate futures (2099, MC2). Or, in Earth-2's case, it has the parallel characters, but it typically focuses on different ones, emphasizing the JSA over the parallels of Batman, Superman, and the JLA characters.

The most similar project is probably Earth One, because it's doing exactly what the Ultimate Universe did 14 years ago - create a new, connected universe featuring updated versions of classic characters. But currently, it's still way behind in quantity, though it's expanding quickly soon.

Historically, MC2 and 2099 are probably the closest things as far as long-term goes. Neither one lasted as long, but they feature different versions of Spider-man, the X-Men, etc. However, the versions there are mostly children, descendants, or just new people taking up the mantle, rather than following new stories of Peter Parker, Charles Xavier, and Reed Richards.

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Quality-wise? I'd always put the UU at the top, in no small part due to its scope. But I'm a sucker for alt-universes. I love 1602 and have a custom bound hardcover with all four of its miniseries and the Hulk 1602 short story. I think 2099 is fascinating. Earth X didn't blow me away, but it's a fantastic idea with some amazing designs.

The very idea of alternate universes is always cool to me, and history has shown that, at least in the short run, it almost always ends up working pretty well.

That's true, different alternate universes have different mission statements.

The UU is similar to the 616 universe, but has certain modernizations and different characterizations. Something like Age of Apocalypse is an alternate timeline where a villain has won and the characters are darker because the world is far darker then the 616 MU, since 2099 is Cyber Punk universe, instead of modernizations they tried to make futuristic versions of these characters.

[Spider-Tron]

pre-ultimatum best alt u ever

[JackalsIII]

It has to be the longest running alternate universe, right? Most active anyway as Age of Apocalypse takes five year breaks from time to time (as it should!)

Though I suppose DC's alternate Earths probably have been around longer and lasted longer with all of their Earth Twos and Threes.