Axel In Charge - Preparing for the "Ultimate End"

[Plawsky]

It's a big week in news for the UU, and that continues with this week's Axel-in-Charge interview with Marvel Editor in Chief Axel Alonso.

I'm not going to quote everything, but here's a few choice bits:

Axel, let's get right into it this week and talk "Ultimate End." I don't want to presume anything, but based on what's been said it certainly sounds like this may be the end of the Ultimate Universe, at least for now. It feels like the line has been winding down recently -- it's been down to only one title for a while now. Even apart from the "Secret Wars" context, was there a feeling at Marvel that it might have been the right time to end the line?

Axel Alonso: We've known that the fate of the Ultimate Universe would be determined by "Secret Wars" for years. We've told you that the Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe are going to smash together, we've told you that "everything ends," you've seen Alex Ross' nifty poster, which hints at all the craziness to come. Now you're going to have to read and find out what it all means.

So you're not ready to say things are as definitive as it might look right now.

Alonso: All I'll say is, be prepared for us to melt your mind.

Alonso: The Ultimate Universe allowed us to do fresh takes on iconic characters, to bend them like taffy for a new generation of reader. The fact that the series not only won over the skeptics but brought in new fans definitely emboldened us to take creative chances within the Marvel Universe. So in that sense, the arrival of the Ultimate Universe forced the Marvel Universe to up its game. I think that's the legacy of the Ultimate Universe.

Man, the more I think about it... I'm gonna miss Miles...

Then there's Joyboy, also curious about "Secret Wars": "Post-'Secret Wars,' will the new Marvel Universe have characters from other universes incorporated like Earth X, MC2, and Shadowline? Or only the Ultimate Universe?" (That's the Shadowline that was part of Epic Comics in the late 1980s, natch.)

Alonso: "Battleworld" is the new Marvel Universe, so it will.

Here's my takeaway from this:

1) Miles isn't going anywhere.

That's not necessarily a new revelation, we've all assumed it (though it's still not confirmed). Here's why I think that:

A) Axel plays intentionally coy with that last line about missing Miles. It seems like nothing but obvious misdirection.

B) He says they've known about this "for years," which coincides with Hickman's statement that this was always his endgame. Bendis has not been writing this volume of Miles' book as if it ends at #12 + The End. Say what you will about Bendis's pacing issues, it's not like him to miss a chance to do a dramatic exit. He put too much into the book that he obviously had no plans to finish by #12 - Katie's parents, the Fly Twins, Jefferson's backstory. This isn't like the Zodiac key before death of Spider-man, these are things that are clearly meant to be addressed.

2) The UU Will stick around in some fashion post-Secret Wars.

Again, this is something we've heard before, but Axel implies that Battleworld will continue after Secret Wars, possibly confirming the speculation of many posters that Battleworld will be a status quo for a while. That means that 1610-Manhattan could continue to reside next to 616-Manhattan. If this is the case, there's nothing stopping Ultimate characters from showing up from time to time or having their own title.

Also, "swan song" is in quotes. That could mean anything, but I'm going to take it for hopeful.

[UltimateTy]

I actually believed the UU was ending before I read this now I'm not so sure it is.

[kkkk]

Cool preview pages, am wondering if this takes place after All New Ultimates

[Cel]

Cool preview pages, am wondering if this takes place after All New Ultimates

In my own collection, I've placed the entire run of All-New Ultimates as taking place before issue #1 of Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-man.