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  1. #1
    Extraordinary Member superduperman's Avatar
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    Default DC Ultimates line. What should it look like?

    Let's say you're put in charge of creating an Ultimates style line for DC. How would you do it? What changes would you make to major characters? Would you take an existing idea, like say, New 52 or the Earth One line, and just expand it? Or would you start from scratch?
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  2. #2
    Extraordinary Member CRaymond's Avatar
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    Scratch.

    Follows the WW1 adventures of Queen Hippolyte of Themyscira, a remixed SHAZAM pantheon, Izaya of Urgrund, and a young Alfred Pennyworth.

  3. #3
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    I'd take concepts that I liked from various versions of the DC universe and expand on them. There would only be one rule: no rehashing of any storylines that were used in the past.

    Since the main DC universe seems intent on degrading legacy characters and being 'dark,edgy and mature',my version of the Ultimate would be 'lighter and softer' and based on treating all characters with respect. I'd also tone down the focus on the Bat family and better establish the Wonder and Super family.

  4. #4
    Titans Together!! byrd156's Avatar
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    If it's gonna be like the Ultimates then we will need a lot of cannibalism, incest and more swearing and violence.

    I'd personally really like an Earth One style GL book that teams up with Adam Strange and Hawkman. A lot of space based heroes forming a GotG style team to protect Earth.
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  5. #5
    OUTRAGEOUS!! Thor-Ul's Avatar
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    Call Mark Millar and ask him to do a "Brightburn" version of Superman.
    Or call Warren Ellis and ask him to do a hard sci-fi version of Superman.
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  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by superduperman View Post
    Let's say you're put in charge of creating an Ultimates style line for DC. How would you do it? What changes would you make to major characters? Would you take an existing idea, like say, New 52 or the Earth One line, and just expand it? Or would you start from scratch?
    The traditional way to do an Ultimate DC would be what they did with Earth One. I'd do an expanded version that comes out a bit faster than once every year. I'm not sure yet if I'll keep the existing ones or start those over. I do wanna expand past the ones we have tho and give a spotlight to lesser known characters.

    A more ambitious version would something similar to Bruce Timm's Gods and Monsters. You keep the mantles but with different wielder/setups.

  7. #7
    Ultimate Member Ascended's Avatar
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    Well, I think the only real reason to bother with an Ultimates line is to make it vastly different and stand out from the main DCU. What's the point in a second line that only has minimal differences?

    Assuming I was the editor in charge of designing the line I think what I'd do is approach some of the best talent, both inside the industry and beyond it, and ask them to pitch something weird and wild and different, then pick the most promising and interesting ideas and build from that.

    But if it were me designing it......I dunno, I'd have to see some market research to get a better view of things beyond my own preferences......but if left to my own devices I'd probably consider doing one of the following:

    A DCU that begins in the 1930's. A Superman who can only leap tall buildings and actively hunts down corrupt businessmen and politicians and sticks his nose in social issues, a Hourman struggling with addiction, etc. Despite being based on DC's past I'd push my creators to explore new ground and think less about superhero troupes and standards and more about how to make a interesting, new narrative using those pieces. Something like "Mad Men meets Game of Thrones meets Philip Wylie's Gladiator meets Zorro" and there would be actual, major ramifications to the world. None of this "the setting must resemble the real world" stuff; within a handful of years you'd see cars powered by Ted Knight's cosmic energy technology, Atlantis as a part of the UN, etc. Really push the boundary and make the DCU a unique, fantastical place beyond the existence of flying people.

    The non-universe universe. Instead of trying to create a full, interconnected world.....how about we just tell good stories with the characters in their own, self-contained settings? Sort of like the earth-1 line of OGN's, but with an actual release schedule, and with a less classic approach to the characters, since a lot of the E-1 stuff could just be plugged into the main DCU and no one would notice.

    Justice Incarnate. A multiversal team of peace keepers that travel around different worlds? Seems like a interesting hook to build a line around and you can use Morrison's name to springboard off of. You've got variations on popular names like President Superman and Green Lantern Bruce Wayne, infinite possibility in the kinds of worlds you can use, and you could even bring the imprint in for some crossover Events with the main titles fairly easily.

    The public domain/folk tale DCU. Take some of DC's biggest names like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, etc., and then throw them into a setting where most of the other heroes are public domain figures like Paul Bunyan, Santa Claus, etc. Take a look at the stuff Morrison is doing with Klaus (his superhero Santa) over at BOOM! or that cartoon movie The Guardians and you'll get an idea of the stuff I'm envisioning. I dunno if there's enough potential here to build a whole line around, but I suspect the idea of team-ups between Superman and Santa, Johnny Appleseed and Flash, would at least get *some* attention.
    "We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

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  8. #8
    Invincible Member Vordan's Avatar
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    A lot of the New 52 ideas would’ve fitted better here.

    I would have made Superman Latino-passing and basically given him the Golden Age attitude and power set. This is not a Clark who doesn’t take a stand on politics or is afraid of roughing people up.

    Azz WW basically as it was would fit in fine.

    Instead of Hal Jordan I would make either Kyle Raynor, Simon Baz, or Jessica Cruz *the* GL for this Sector, no other Green Lanterns although someone like Guy might show up as a Red. The Corps numbers in the millions not the thousands, and it has a much more “hard sci-fi” feel to it.

    Flash would be Wally West who was struck by the lightning bolt along with his Uncle Barry. Barry disappeared and Wally tries to master his powers while also figuring out what happened to his Uncle Barry the night of the accident while also trying to keep his secret from his Aunt Iris.

    Aquaman would be Maoma Arthur, a Polynesian man who is summoned back to Atlantis by his mother Queen Atlanna. Arthur must contend with his half-brother Orm while hunting the man who murdered his father Thomas, Black Manta.

    Batman has never really needed any changes so I’m not sure what you’d do with him.

    For Cyborg I’d go full Deus Ex with him.

  9. #9
    Ultimate Member Ascended's Avatar
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    I think Truth actually put Clark in a really interesting position that's worth exploring. The story was awful but the idea of a Superman who lost the duality of his nature (he's lived a split nature his whole life, imagine what the loss of that does to a man?) along with everything else, and had been knocked down to Golden Age levels (in several ways) was fascinating, and I'd love to see that status quo explored outside main continuity. That's something ripe with potential that's different enough from the classic setting to be worth doing.

    Generally I dont think the New52 was actually different enough to warrant being the basis of a Ultimates line, but Superman's an exception; there were enough unique/different elements there to build a brand new vision out of.
    "We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

    ~ Black Panther.

  10. #10
    Ultimate Member Sacred Knight's Avatar
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    Ideally I'd have heavy New 52 inspiration for characters who were actually rebooted during that era, like Superman and Wonder Woman. With those two examples there's enough differences to justify it. But they're really the only ones. The rest I'd use more of a blank canvas. Personally GL wouldn't be Hal. I'd create someone entirely new there. Same with Flash. With Aquaman I'd use the Aquawoman template from Earth 2. With Batman I've recently had an interest in playing with the idea that Bruce was shot too, nearly died, and required extensive therapy which would all eventually segue into him keeping his body tip top. Many years later when the Graysons are killed, Dick is also seriously wounded, making another connection between the two.

    I've also had an idea for a good while to use part of Wonder Woman's origin, this time in WWII, as a divergent point in that world's history that would lead to substantital changes to the history and the landscape of that particular Earth from that point forward, so its a character in its own right to learn things about like Robinson was doing with Earth 2.
    Last edited by Sacred Knight; 05-18-2019 at 02:09 PM.
    "They can be a great people Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you. My only son." - Jor-El

  11. #11
    BANNED Killerbee911's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ascended View Post
    Generally I dont think the New52 was actually different enough to warrant being the basis of a Ultimates line, but Superman's an exception; there were enough unique/different elements there to build a brand new vision out of.
    The purpose of Ultimates line wasn't to be different but a clean start in modern era, Why the Ultimates line got so wildly different is because after the initial period they decide if they kept on current path they would just be doing the same thing as regular line. Nu52 did the same thing clean start in modern era thing but it was the main line so it still had the burden of keeping continuity. Ultimate line didn't have continuity to worry about and in fact became the mission statement to go in vastly different directions away from the main line. So with that in mind

    Pitch a reimagining of DC line 10 years(maybe 20) into the future but that future is the present

    Titans- Nightwing, Cyborg, Kaldur, Starfire, Beast Boy, Donna Troy, Raven, Wally West as fully flesh heroes out in their mid 30s as the world's greatest heroes

    JSA- Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman,Flash, Green Lantern coming out of superhero retirement to deal with an old threat who has resurfaced

    World's Finest The story of first year Batman(Damian Wayne) and Superman(Jon Kent) can they handle the pressure of the mantle being passed to them
    Last edited by Killerbee911; 05-19-2019 at 04:28 AM.

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