The Ultimates 2: Ultimate Collection

The Ultimates (Collected Editions) #3-4

by Mark Millar, Bryan Hitch (Illustrator), Paul Neary (Inks)

In Gods & Monsters, it's been one year since they stopped an alien invasion, and now things get hard! New members, new costumes and 12 months of gossip to catch up on! Who's getting married? Who's divorced? Who's gone nuts since we last saw them? See Ultimate Hulk and the secret origin of Ultimate Thor, and get a look at the entire Ultimate Universe as drawn by Bryan Hitch! It's guest-stars galore - featuring the X-Men, Daredevil, Captain Britain and even the Defenders! And in Grand-Theft America, Tony and Natasha are on the eve of their wedding - but when Nick Fury makes his move against the mysterious traitor that's been plaguing the team, the Ultimates will never be the same! Also, Captain America and Wasp hit a serious snag in their relationship. Is this the end for the Ultimate Universe's hottest couple? Is this the beginning of the end for the Ultimates?

This deluxe hardcover collects Ultimates 2 Vol. 1: Gods & Monsters and Ultimates 2 Vol. 2: Grand-Theft America, plus Ultimates Annual #1.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Comic Book, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Mark Millar is the New York Times best-selling writer of Wanted, the Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, Jupiter’s Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, MPH, Starlight, and Chrononauts. Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, and The Secret Service (as Kingsman: The Secret Service) have been adapted into feature films, and Nemesis, Superior, Starlight, War Heroes, Jupiter’s Legacy and Chrononauts are in development at major studios.

His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.

Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

The people are in place, the characters are set and the reality is ready, so in The Ultimates 2, Volume 1: Gods and Monsters, we have three questions looked into, what to about the Hulk news going public, what to do about an off-brand Thor and lastly what next for Hank Pym? S uper Hulk story, one of the best Thor stories ever at the time and a delightfully comedic incarnation of the Defenders sees this series reach new heights. - 8.5 out of 12; Next up was The Ultimates 2 Annual #1 which is essential a day in the life of Nick Fury and his ever expanding super powers' project. More great pragmatic looks at how we would really develop and manage super powered beings. 8 out of 12.

This season finishes with Brian Michael Bendis-style 'so this is what this was all about' loose ends tie-up methodology in Ultimates 2 Vol.2: Grand Theft America, in which all the weird stuff in the previous volumes is given context as the USA finds itself under super powered being attack! A superb rendition of a world where powered beings and powered being tech become the new arms race with superlative version of what we thought were basic prime heroes. Love this volume so much it got a Five Star rating, but a Four Star, 9 out of 12 overall for this double volume edition.

2022 read; 2017 read; 2011 read

[Jesse A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really good Avengers story. They are still assholes but they are starting to understand that they need each other. Still a twist on the Avengers we know and love but a fun twist.

[A.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun follow up to The Ultimates 1. The team is back with Millar & Hitch returning as well to write 13 more issues on this modern take on the Avengers. This one deals with the fallout of Vol 1, with the world finding out Bruce Banner is Hulk, and a traitor finding their way on the team, The Ultimates must work together before this mysterious foe seizes control of, and takes down America.

Millar’s story is still pretty good, even if the dated references are sprinkled throughout. The way he is able to write all these characters just feels so real, and the characterizations of the Avengers are some of my favorites. I love his Captain America so much.

Millar during the commentary basically says you have to be stupid or blind to not notice how great Bryan Hitch’s pagea are, so i guess you can call me braindead, because I still think his art sucks for the most part. There are some dope splash pages in this one, but half the time the actions scenes look like a screenshot from an old side scrollin beat ‘em up game where all your friends are attacking the enemies with the same static jumping kick. It just doesn’t look good to me at all.

This was pretty good, but I’ll be stopping my Ultimates train here, even if I may come back to read Hickman’s run on the characters down the line, but for now I’m
glad to be done with this universe.

[Bookwraiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Ultimate story. Yeah, the members are still pretty much jackasses, but at least they begin to slowly gel as a team and understand one another. Just like in the Avengers, I find myself drawn more to Captain America and Thor, wishing the plot would spend more time on them, because let’s be honest there is only so much reality tv show “who’s sleeping with who” a comic story really needs, but all the team members had a moment or two. My only criticism is that Loki wasn’t used to his full potential, remaining in the shadows for most of the book after a great introduction. Overall this was a good re-read.

[Aldo Haegemans · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5 this was such an intense and raw take on Avengers. Loved it

[Holden Attradies · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long while since I re-read this, and doing so right after re-reading Ultimates 1 was a good move. Ultimates 1 was amazing, but this... this was far more epic. The story was far more complex, far deeper, the characters got to play out so much more. As a stand alone piece of fiction Ultimates 1 is better hands down, but as a work within the comic genre, this one beets out Ultimates 1.

Bryan Hitch's artwork is stunning, simply stunning. The raw emotion he brings to the table... The scene where the Ultimates and company have to take Thor down, you can see both the physical and emotional pain in his face from panel to panel. The full page artwork of Banner's response when first hearing he was outed as the Hulk was incredible. That last page wide panel of Captain America's grave after he's taken down by S.H.I.E.L.D. was stunning. And the eight page fold out spread of the final battle... On first read I thought it was a little cheezy but the more I've looked at it and seen the detail and love that went into it, it really was stunning. Not to mention getting to see Quicksilver EVERYWHERE at once is priceless.

The whole little story arc between the Black Widow and Hawkeye... it's so horrible, so intense... so awful what happens, but yet it's so strong. The work was 100% just by those little bits in there.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a traitor among the Ultimates, Thor's lost touch with reality, and America's enemies are tired of only one super-powered superpower. Tough times ahead.
Great art, great wring, great concept... And an 8-page gatefold spread!

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Rigoberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have to say that this book would be the best of Millar's work regarding Marvel. The story starts off with a one year jump that shows Captain America saving some hostages, and providing the criminals a chance to surrender. The plot thickens when we see Banner being outed as the Hulk and placed on trial. Despite the fact that he was given the death penalty, I felt that he would have survived before reading the next parts. Adding to the idea that Thor is a crazy person seemed interesting, though I did notice Loki intervening within the first few pages. Afterwards we find out that Black Widow was a traitor, which did surprise me at first. The nation is overtaken by the neighboring ones, only for the heroes to reassemble and eventually win. Overall, this story seems to be a masterpiece. The structure is strong, there are no plotholes as far as I can see. The artwork was amazing, especially of its time. The twists and turns made sense, and the build up to the story worked well. Overall I would recommend this book to those that would like to see a good tale, though it is not for those of a weak stomach.

[Jacob A. Mirallegro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked a lot of stuff in this, and it was probably an improvement to the first series. Bryan Hitch's artwork is definitely better all around. I liked how it addressed the war on terror and inherent problems with the US military but same with the first volume it kinda gets muddled with how America is just bad ass and the good guys for the most part. Although what happens with the Ultimates at the end seemed to counter balance this.
The stuff with Thor was my favorite because he really is consistently the most likeable character. Loved all the Asgard visuals and the questionable truth of Thor's claims (even if it was predictable, I just enjoyed how it played out). Cap and Jan's relationship was handled really well and all the character drama throughout was great.
It felt really weird how both Ultimates books aren't really a straight narrative with a specific villain the whole time, but more just an intense focus on the world and these characters existing in it. It makes the pacing weird and the ending fights kinda just fall together and happen but it doesn't feel forced. Again, Bryan Hitch nails every fight scene but some pages become so cluttered I didn't notice everything that happened.
Reading these made me want to get more ultimate universe books because this world really is something special and unique.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Superheroes are fun. Good vs. Bad, duking it out. You cheer on your favorite heroes and boo (maybe secretly cheer on) the most evil villains.

Superheroes are considerably less fun when they are all unlikeable and become puppets of the state.

In the 2nd collection of The Ultimates, all of our Avenger (ahem, “Ultimate”) friends are just incredibly unlikeable. Iron Man is an alcoholic womanizer, Captain America is a geriatric old fogey with some cringey political views, The Hulk is on trial for accidentally killing 800 civilians, Thor is possibly a nutcase, Hank Pym is a domestic abuser, etc. We see our heroes literally killing unarmed people. We see them saying and doing horrible things (did Cap really just use a flamethrower on Thor?).

Furthermore, the Ultimates are merely puppets for the United States during the War on Terror. They’re carrying out missions in the Middle East while a mole is leaking information from S.H.I.E.L.D. All of the other nations start pumping super soldier serum into their soldiers and creating their own armies of superheroes. When the U.S. superheroes finally go to war with the others, it’s kind of hard to even root for them.

I get that Millar was trying to be edgy and do something new and different with old characters, but I just wasn’t into it at all.

[Kirilov Katsura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quiero dejar en claro que, visto lo visto, el cómic me pilló en un mal momento. Lo digo porque no me encontré la maravilla que esperaba encontrar. Sí, algo de cinemático, algo de épica, sí... Y mira que iba preparado para lo que Millar proponía, y no pensé que me aburriría tan pronto del efecto shock que presentan sus decisiones narrativas. Hitch tiene mucho mérito cuando hay splash page, pero me perdía en algunos detalles. No sé. Eso sí: se huele enseguida la época en que fue escrito, una muy particular. Eso puede ser bueno, puede ser malo, ya depende de los ojos del lector.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much cheesy Mark Millar dialogue. Didn't have the punch of Vol. 1. Also, there's no way I'm ever reading Vol. 3 again.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is interesting rereading this after not having read this storyline for several years. It was one of my favorite storylines when it first came out, and I read the compilation at least once a year (crazy, I know!), but the artwork is so amazing! I think the artwork might actually be better than the first series, to be honest. Hitch did some amazing work in this series. It is an interesting take on the United States having a "super soldier" program (that is apparently fairly successful) and how it affects the rest of the world in a "super-soldier arms race" of sorts. The author inserted the politics of President George Bush, Jr., into the series, which I could have taken or left, but it does fit in with the overall theme of the story.

It felt like the author really worked overtime pushing the whole 'traitor in the fold" story, setting up different scenes with people giving looks or having the appearance of possibly being the traitor(s). The author did a nice job of setting some of the characters up as looking suspicious (because of their facial expressions or behavior), but two of the characters who were 'set up' as "decoys" I never fully believed were traitors or would ever be traitors. That being said, I have to admit, I never did "see it coming" as to who the traitor turned out to be, so I felt they did a good job with keeping that 'hidden' for as long as they did. (It is 'amusing' to me that they said in the 'commentary' at the end of the compilation that they felt they made it pretty obvious who the traitor was, but I would beg to disagree on that one.) At the same time, the whole "traitor"-storyline seemed to get in the way of the rest of the story, or, the overall storyline, as it got to be distracting. I know I got to the point, pretty quick, that I did not really care and wanted them to move on an issue or two before they 'finally did move one.' Granted, the 'traitor-storyline' also sets up the back end of this run, so there is that.

It is funny, but it hit me while reading it this time around that the, halfway through issue seven until issue thirteen all take place within a few days of each other. I am sure it was 'obvious' to other readers that this was the case, but sometimes I am a bit slow on catching "little details" like that. That being the case, it makes those issues pret-tee crazy! There is a lot of action that happens once it gets going, that is for sure!

It is 'funny' how the Wasp was nude so much in the first series, but when she changes her size in these issues, she has her 'uniform' on the whole time. It does not matter if she shrinks or grows (becomes a 'giantess'): her uniform changes size with her. I assume the Ultimates 'finally got smart' and used some of the FF's unstable molecules to make her uniform? That is the only thing that really makes sense to me, as Hank does a 'height multiplication' in an earlier issue to save a fellow team member of a new team he has joined and he is buck-naked when he becomes a giant; also, he reveals his shrinking powers to the "Defenders" as well and he is naked, then, too). So, yeah, the Wasp was nude quite a bit in the first series but not this one; it was an interesting an appropriate change of pace.

I felt bad that Hank had fallen so low as to be willing to give away his "android specifications" to S.H.I.E.L.D. and practically begged them to take the androids yet was still rejected, followed by his having sex with Valkyrie while wearing a Captain America costume. It was a pretty sad state for him. So, that being the case, it was equally funny to me how he was 'cheating' with his (ex)-wife on Cap as they starting having lunch together on the side and she kept lying to Cap about what she was doing and who she was with.

Jan's gripes were somewhat valid, except she should have known what she was getting herself in to when she started 'dating' Captain America. The guy was seventy years out of his time in this series! So, it was 'funny' to me to hear her whining about being with him when it was her choice to be with him. Some of her complaints and his responses (when he was talking with Bucky) were equally amusing and enlightening. She was ripping on him at one point about how all he does is sit in the chair reading the paper and listening to Bing Crosby albums; he is sharing his issues with Bucky later and the reader really learns how out-of-sync he is with 'the modern world' as he shares his frustrations about now even knowing what Jan is talking about in terms of 'them' and their relationship. I thought the describing of his being 'out-of-time' was pretty well as well as showing how he still has a fairly strong moral center despite all of the changes around him.

I never noticed it before, but there is a moment when Hank is telling Nick Fury that the androids he is peddling to S.H.I.E.L.D. are the perfect 'expendable soldiers' and the two androids behind him ("Ultron and Vision II") both look at each other. You could almost interpret it as being shared looks of disbelief, it was so well done. I also liked how Wanda started flirting with one of the androids (no doubt it was "Vision II"), saying she'd "hook up with 'him'" later at some industrial museum when Pietro wasn't around. It was pretty funny, especially Pietro's reaction to her flirting with the android.

Hitch did a great job with people's expressions in this series, such as showing Thor's hurt and pain when he is attacked by the other Ultimates and the European Union's super team as well. Another great expression was Banner's when he was 'outed' as being the Incredible Hulk. Or, Jan's expression when she saw that Hawkeye was alive and well, that he had beaten her and Cap to the room where the other Ultimates were being held captive. The expression of Haweye's girlfriend (wife at this point?) when she was talking with Clint about dinner earlier that evening was priceless - I thought Hitch did a great job with her expression(s) and body language.

The attack on Hawkeye's family (and their subsequent deaths) was hard to read, it was so brutal. The traitor, who led the attack, got their just desserts in the end, though. Be that as it may, it was one of the 'harder' parts of the book to read, as they are brutally murdered to get to Hawkeye.

I did like that the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and X-Men got to play a ('small') part in this series. Which is as it should be, considering the ENTIRE NATION was conquered by the "Liberators." Sadly, I do not remember this 'event' or how it affected the nation being mentioned in the issues of any of the respective series, which makes zero sense. Portions of Washington, D.C, were destroyed, as were portions of NYC. Not only that, but there were military bases and installations around the nation that were attacked. There should have been more of an impact upon the other series as well.

One of the 'weirder' moments in the book/series is how a young Arab (Iranian) boy (he is what? seventeen?) is transformed into an older man after his body successfully reacts to the 'Super-Solder Serum' with which he is injected. He is supposed to be the leader of the "Liberators" and their equivalent of Captain America. He fails, but he does spend most of the time posing and looking good while making vainglorious speeches and obnoxious statements about how evil America is (well, the American government) before Cap takes him out.

I throught it was 'funny' in an ironic sort of fashion that, before being injected with the serum, Abdul ah-Rahman was told that he would be killed by the Americans if he did not get out of the way, because that is what American soldiers did (do) - they kill helpless citizens if there are no cameras pointed at them (which seemed pretty hypocritical and obnoxious of a statement to me), yet, after taking over the country, Abdul intends to execute anybody he deems a criminal. Nobody was shown as being executed by the Americans or Europeans after they entered Iran and removed all of the nuclear weapons, yet he still plans on executing his helpless prisoners.

I will say this, the author did a nice job of capturing the opinions, attitudes, and characteristics of the
members of the Liberators. While I did not necessarily agree with them, what they believed, or had to say, Miller still did a nice job of expressing their viewpoints and opinions. I have to admit, based on some of the comments he makes in his 'commentary' in the 'Easter Egg' section of this collection, I found myself wondering how many (much) of those comments he put in the words of the 'villains' were his own opinions.

It does create an interesting juxtaposition in which the United States and European Union invaded Iran to remove their nuclear capability and have it followed up by the United States being invaded, in turn, by a veritable army of super soldiers that lays waste to an entire country as opposed to a specific military instillation. The "Liberators" were claiming they wanted to protect the world from American adventurism and "preemptive strikes" against other countries when they actually did more damage to the United States than the U.S. did to Iran. I still think the author goes a bit overboard on the heaps of bull he is shoveling with some of the opinions and attitudes expressed in some of the issues, but that is prerogative as the author. I just felt like the amount of hypocrisy in the "Liberators" words and actions far outweighed any complaints or 'justifications' they felt they might have had direct at the actions of the U.S.

One final 'blurb' - I was laughing at Hank Pym's comments about the Green Beret (and Jan's) as it betrays massive amounts of ignorance on their part about the Green Berets and what it is they actually do when in-country. I felt they would have been a (the) better choice of the "Giant Man" program and the "Super Soldier Serum" program than any other members of society might have been (well, maybe the Marines would have been an equally good choice). As bad as I felt for Hank, the author makes him a real idiot and jerk - even more of one in this 'series' than the first series. He even has Hank and Banner working together for a little but, but it still remains 'the facts' that Doctor Eamonn and others 'cracked' the 'Super Soldier Serum,' something neither Hank nor Bruce were ever able to do. So it seemed to me that poor Hank was whining and pouting because somebody else was able to do what he couldn't do, what he failed to do.

Well, one more 'final blurb,' I guess. It was hilarious how hard it was for the 'Super Soldier Serum' to be 'cracked' in the first series - both Hank Pym and Bruce Banner had their own respective 'breakdowns' over not being able to crack the serum enough to be able to replicate it. And, yet, in this series, not only are there "Super Soldiers" (who look astonishingly similar to Captain America) that are a part of America's arsenal, but the European Union has its own 'Super Soldier' program, and some batch of countries are able to hide the fact that they, too, have their own 'super soldier' program and have amassed an army of soldiers (who will die in a relatively short period of time, apparently depending on how hard they work their bodies) with which they will invade the U.S. of A. So, yeah, it has to rankle Pym pretty bad that he sucked so bad at what he was supposed to be able to do and failed like he did.

Also, how was this army and its fleet of mobile troop transport carriers able to be created without anyone else knowing about it? That was the craziest part of the series, in my opinion. Well, that, and how the U.S. military was able to fight back across the country and defeat the invaders.
Comments are made that there were other 'super-powered beings' assisting around the country, but I do not recall them ever being 'introduced' or 'identified' in any subsequent issues.

It was hilarious how Hank Pym 'turned sides again' and tried to prove he was not a traitor by having his androids attack the invaders. He claimed he had to infiltrate the enemy in order to try to determine who the "real" traitor was, as he did not know who he could trust.
It was a nice ploy on his part, but ultimately, it failed and he had to spend some time in Banner's old cell.

Thor was quite the character. In the first series, he made some comments that implied he was far more than everybody believed him to be and he had 'access' to special information (or he had abilities he did not tell anyone else about). He made various comments that revealed he knew 'more' than he should if he were a normal person, a normal man. In this series, he continued making those types of comments in this issue as well, revealing what should have been 'forbidden knowledge' to the other team members, but they had ceased believing him by that point (due, in part, to his leaving the team like he did). Even after it was 'revealed' he was "not Thor" but a nurse who had some kind of psychotic episode (because of his half-brother, Loki, constantly changing reality), he still shared information that he should not have known or had access to. The only thing he never revealed was the true identity of the traitor, so either "he chose not to reveal it" (author's option) or he did not know the identity. By the end, though, he was revealed to be 'the true God of Thunder" and a 'god' after all.

That being said, I remember being 'mortified' or 'offended' when Thor "mocks" (actually, merely questions) Cap about Cap going to church every Sunday and wanting to know how it is any different than Thor's "religious beliefs" the first time I read this series (and that particular issue). Now, though, I realize it is a 'valid point' on Thor's part as the author is trying to 'adequately' include monotheism in a world that is clearly pantheistic in nature (in this series), or, has beings in other "higher dimensions" that would be considered "god-like" to most humans. Now, I feel it is a 'nice touch' while also showing how hard it is for monotheism and 'science fiction' to 'peacefully co-exist' at the same time (or, in the same story).

I did like the "Russian Thor" and wish they had done more with him in subsequent issues (regardless of the series). As it was, Perun (I think was his name) dies a completely meaningless and pointless death in one of the "Ultimate Avengers" issues. It was the 'brief run' involving vampires and "Ultimate Blade," and I hated those issues. I thought he could have been 'more' than what he was; he was given the option of working with and for S.H.I.E.L.D. to atone for his having been a member of the Liberators (I think the alternative was the death penalty, but it's been a while since I read those issues). So, yeah, I would have liked (loved) to have seen some issues focusing on him and his powers; maybe even a 'team-up' between him and Thor.

Overall, I still enjoyed this second volume of the Ultimates. The last two issues were awesome, filled with so many impressive images and unforgettable lines (which I forget, now - hahahah! Not really. There are too many to list; they could be a 'review' unto themselves). Yeah, the whole "wolf-in-the-fold" storyline did drag on a bit longer than it needed too, but it was still a fun series, overall, to read. It was fun to revisit this series.

[J.M. Giovine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we go.
The anticipated next installment in the ‘Ultimates’ saga, created by Millar and Hitch.
The first series was an effectively told re-invention of the classic ‘Marvel Comics’ characters, with a brand-new, fresher, and grittier take on the ‘Avengers’, with a little espionage, ruthless action, and political background to sustain its own plot. Now, the continuation takes us back to the very same modernized and “realistic” version of Marvel’s world, in a story that pretty much delivers every single element that Millar and Hitch both presented in their previous run.
It’s being a year since the ‘Ultimates’ saved the world from an alien invasion, lead by the Chitauri, a shape-shifting race, settled on Earth ever since the 18th century, with the intention of creating constant genocidal events on the world in order to submit the human race, being the Second World War their latest attempt. Now, ‘The Ultimates’ are a sensation, but the tensions aren’t gone; Thor is suspicious that his teammates eventually will end up leading “preventive-attack” missions against defenseless countries, also, suddenly, someone leaked top-secret S.H.I.E.L.D. files revealing the Hulk’s truest alter ego to the public. Not only this, but Thor receives a warning from a fellow Asgardian companion, that Loki (his mischievous half-brother) apparently is planning on taking the Ultimates down, with the addition of the reveal of a “traitor” amongst the team.
Little by little things starts to fall apart for the Ultimates themselves, as well as for Nick Fury, who must take a stand in order to keep the integrity of his peacekeeping project, with the sacrifices of Bruce Banner, the dismissing of Thor after being considered a potential traitor, and the constant incursions of Hank Pym to return to the team. All of this is an evident sign that something catastrophic is about to happen, and not even the ‘Earth Mightiest’ will be able to handle it.
Back in the day, I used to own a couple of these issues, so I already knew how the story evolved, and where it was headed, but I never managed to read the whole run from start to finish. This might be one of my favorite Mark Millar books. Easily. Everything that worked on the previous one seems multiplied in here considerably, and Hitch’s art is better than ever. Almost every panel, if not splash page, looks captivating and hooking. Almost every character has a moment to shine, and the additions now have increased; Black Widow and Hawkeye are official members of the team, and now we get to see more of Scarlet Witch and her brother, Quicksilver. Thor’s sanity is put to the test, and he steals the show by the very end, and not only that, but we get to see more relationships built; Tony and Natasha are now fiancés, and Cap and Wasp continue to develop their romance, with a little struggle. Even Bruce Banner, near the beginning of the series, is being explored on a more “human level”, and we get to see the consequences of his actions, as well as from Betty Ross’ point of view.
Now, having the stakes higher than ever, is this the same type of plot Millar delivered back in 2002 with his first ‘Ultimates’ series? Well, let’s just say, if you found uncomfortable, displeasing, or straight-up offensive some of his traits before, here, it’s the most he has ever used in a mainstream title. Characters not only are flawed, but they do some questionable decisions throughout the entire series, and the kill-count is even higher; now we’re not only talking about an alien invasion, but a patiently elaborated plan to attack the United States of America using an alternative version of the ‘Ultimates’ with several superpowered people from different countries. Betrayals, assassination attempts, executions, political struggles, international conflicts, Norse-Gods. Everything happens in this one, literally.
Now, when I think about what people often criticize about ‘The Ultimates’ and how “edgy” and violent, and politically incorrect it is, this is the one that comes to mind. This is Millar at his most “over-the-top” traits as he ever has, and this is one of his most complete titles so far. Unlike other comic books where the guy has introduced a different kind of “world” for his characters to work in, often this is a resource that is never quite explored or addressed aside from basic exposition. Also, his characters behave in the worst way possible, often motivated by basic goals and objectives, such as revenge, or straight obedience from a higher authority, or a mentor-like figure. You could argue, with ‘The Ultimates’ it’s the second option, but the thing is, Millar still maintains the “real approach” in every single ‘Marvel’ element reinvented in this universe: every single version of a classic character is “their real counterpart”. Or at least, how Millar depicts them as “realistic”. These are still ‘The Avengers’, but they are a “government funded” ‘Avengers’.
Captain America still behaves like grumpy-grandpa, Tony still is an alcoholic with a death wish, Thor still is an idealistic liberator, Wasp continues to escape her guilt and self-hatred by making questionable choices, and Hank still doesn’t let go his egocentricity and stubborn need for approval. Yeah, not much of a change, but what is working here is that Millar is using these flawed characters to reflect on the world around them, and us as an audience that still reads old-school entertainment, such as comics. One could argue Millar is either criticizing, or “deconstructing” these characters, and that is always going to offer some controversy. Placing these types of characters in the real world couldn’t go any other way, if the purpose is to sell credibility in a plot that is combining “superheroes” and “real fiction”. The closest I could think of is ‘Kick-Ass’, although, this latter one is more “street-level”, and ‘The Ultimates’ still is treated as a mega-event, rather than a casual title. Maybe that’s what sold it to me, the fact that this is a limited series, with a tremendous impact on the events of the ‘Ultimate Universe’, and one that keeps getting bigger and tougher the more it advances. Needless to say, the art alone sells the product, and Hitch continues to excel within each panel. Plus, there are more Marvel-characters in here to behold, so it presents a bigger opportunity for Hitch to shine on his style, and the last 3 issues of this are a complete Marvel-delight of action, violence, and epic scale.
Obviously, not everything is pink-colored. There are a couple of moments that genuinely felt morbid, and violently gratuitous. Without spoiling, one of the Ultimates’ members is attacked at one point, and his entire family is assassinated in the worst way. Also, I still don’t get the decision of making Wanda and Pietro incestuous lovers; even if there aren’t any explicit content relating the two of them, the sole acknowledgement of their “sibling relationship” is a little unnerving to read, to say the least. Also, I did like the idea and twist that came with it, but when did Tony and Natasha decide to have “a thing”, to the point of a potential marriage? Again, I don’t mind the idea, but Millar didn’t explore that relationship in the same way he did, for example, with Steve and Janet.
Final thought? I’m sorry, but I loved every single page in this. I know people hate this nowadays, I know it is “edgy”, and meanspirited, and odd at certain points, but this is my “realistic Marvel” from the early 2000s, and as I said in my review of ‘The Ultimates’: this is a perfect time capsule from that decade. I mean, by God, Hitch draws George W. Bush as the president in this. No one can say this wasn’t intended to reflect those days, visually and in spirit. Yeah, it has excessive and ill-intended violence, some bizarre interactions and relationships within specific characters, and an over abundance of self-awareness that might get certain readers a little uncomfortable, but all in all, this is what “the real ‘Avengers” would be like, and even so, the movies from the ‘MCU’ grabbed plenty of narrative and visual elements from this, so, not every single thing in this came as horrible or hideous, as plenty of people says today. Maybe is a rebellious “me”, maybe I like to play opposite from the majority, maybe I love “politically incorrect”, but there’s a fascination of how unapologetic Mark Millar is, combined to the magic within each pencil of Bryan Hitch, this is going to be always in my Top 10 “Marvel Comic Books”, and sure, this has to be my favorite “Ultimate Title”, with the exception- perhaps- of Bendis’ ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’. I do recommend this to anyone without a close mind, or at least, not that big of a sensitivity towards political and “realistic” subjects in a superhero take.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a pinch, I'd have to say I liked this volume better than the first, if only for the Thor story and the way you couldn't quite tell if he was a crazy person with a belt that gave him superpowers or the actual god of thunder. I liked the Defenders bit as well, although it feels wildly out-of-place.

Still, most of my complaints from the first volume hold true here. Hawkeye killing people with his fingernails? The nations of the world managing to put together entire armies of supersoldiers without anyone finding out about it? I feel stupid saying this about a superhero comic, but it strains credulity. And more importantly, after a while, I just stopped feeling like these people were all that special. What's the value of Captain America when there are literally hundreds of other guys bouncing around with his supersoldier serum in their veins? When every country on the planet seems to be able to put together their own version of the Avengers, it changes it from a superhero story to just a war story. A lot of this has to do with the source material, sure, but parcelled out over hundreds of issues, it makes more sense than here, where there's so much pressure to keep raising the stakes that everything just gets dumped on the table at once. There's plenty of material for an entire story devoted to any one of the villains or any one of the ideas. Here, it just kind of gets lost in the shuffle.

[Davy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already gave the first edition of The Ultimates 5 stars, maybe I should give this one 6 stars. What I liked most about the first issue is that it made the Avengers/Ultimates so much more real: in a more 'real' world and more 'real' humans, even with their superpowers (Captain America strugglin with gap of 70 years between his first 'dead' and his return, the very tight relationship between Quicksilver and his sister The Scarlet Witch).
But this time, it's not all about heroïsm. In fact, the Ultimates go completely wrong. Millar makes them the subject of George Bush's 'preemtive strike'-theory, invading Irak (and finding weapons of mass distruction). As a result they are criticesed of overstepping their mandate as Homeland Security. We also see the European Union gathering their Superhumans-team. But also the terrorists ('rogue states') don't hold back and in fact invade America. With a massive 8-page long fighting scene as a result. Off course, in the end it all works out and the Ultimates become independent. But giving the recent, international political context to the Avengers, Millar made these some of my favourite comics.

[Shane Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This comic is absolutely massive. I don't mean in length, I mean the action sequences in this story are so large that to even attempt to put them on to film would cause the movie's budget to skyrocket. Not only is the action huge, but it is incredibly well paced and very well thought out. Millar has given us a follow up to his reboot of The Avengers that easily surpasses the first. This story may have a ton of action, but the narrative is still incredibly intimate. One of the strongest aspects of Millar's writing in this is the great character development. With such a large team, no one feels short-changed in terms of development. Everyone gets many places to evolve and shine. Thor is still the strongest character in the story, but Cap, Hawkeye, and Bruce Banner are also very well done. It is easy to see why Ultimates 3 was a let down...when you have a story this massive, how do you even begin to top it?

[David Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ultimates 2 is a strong believer in the more is better philosophy. This time there are more Ultimates, more villains and now we are hijacking America. Miller makes sure Bryan Hitch has his work cut out for him, the details on these panels are awe inspiring, with some spanning multiple pages. But it’s the characters that make the Ultimates memorable. The multi-dimensional and diverse cast brings the story life. Throw out those images of perfect boy scouts heroes, you won’t find them here. Millers multi layered characters helped me as a writer in my own short stories. The Ultimates 2 is a fine novel, while it loses some of the freshness of its predecessor. It’s still worth every dollar

[F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're amazed by Volume 1, you just can't miss the second volume. The story about a modern take on Marvel's all-star superhero team just gets bigger and brighter. It's just more of the best comic book material of the last decade. More characters, more scifi, more fantasy, more explosions, more flashbacks, more villains, more casualties.
The story features even more political aspects.
There's no way a film adaptation can be this epic. And it doesn't have to be thanks to the superb art of the creative team. Highly recommended.

[Danny Malzahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The follow up to the 2002 mini series "The Ultimates", The Ultimates 2 builds on everything The Ultimates 1 established and really puts the titular heroes into the thick of things.

The ending of the Ultimates 1 had the Ultimates ending on a high note. They had stopped an alien invasion, Jan left Hank and has begun a relationship with Steve Rogers and things were looking up. However the Ultimates are soon thrown into a rollercoaster of a story. Thor cuts off all relations to the Ultimates after Captain America and co invaded the middle east believing the Ultimates are becoming an imperially militia for the US rather than true heroes. As such we see other countries have begun to create their own superheroes and this is when we are introduced to Captain Britain and the other captain countries. While the story has a lot of action masterfully illustrated by Bryan Hitch the book goes into a lot more political and social drama. We are shown Thor slowly losing his mind, seeing things that are not there and learn from Dr Golmen that Thor was known as Thorlief and had stolen Norways' technology to create their own national superhero, Janet Pym learning that Steve Rogers may not be such a perfect match for her, Hank Pym be fired from SHIELD and attempt to rebrand himself as Ant-Man with an amateur superhero team and worst of all a SHIELD agent had leaked to the public that Bruce Banner was the Hulk and was set to be put on trial for the deaths in Manhattan.

This story is absolutely fantastic and a blast to read. As mentioned before the art and action is amazing but a lot of the drama is also very solid. My favorite part of this book is definitely seeing Captain American and Wasp struggle in their relationship showing the generational gap between the two of them leading to Jan revisiting Hank. This culminates in an incredibly emotional interaction between Steve and Bucky Barnes over how he doesn't belong in this time. The final battle, without spoiling anything, brings in pretty much everybody and is complimented by fantastic artwork. As a sidenote I definitely recommend getting a physical copy this book as it has a phenomenal 8 page spread which was omitted from the digital version. That aside no matter what you are getting a phenomenal story with excellent action and character development to boot. I'd say this book represents the best aspects of the Ultimate Marvel universe (unfortunately the follow up Ultimates 3 by Jeph Loeb and Joe Madureira is the opposite)

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 begins with Captain America invading Iraq. He saves American tourists who were held captive. Symbolically, this connects to the first issue of the first season. In that issue, Captain America battled Nazis and it was clear which side was good and which was evil.

Millar begins season 2 in a manner that is both patriotic and critical of the situation. Cap is shown as being heroic, but he is illegally in Iraq. Nick Fury openly admits that The Ultimates were designed to protect America, and further admits that he lied. With their resources being used in a foreign country, Cap isn’t a hero, but an invading force. There is eventually an international response to this with the "Liberators". One of the cleverer superhero concepts, imo (this is later utilized in various versions of the Defenders; within Bendis and Aaron's runs).

Throughout the series, the very nature of the American superhero team is called into question--Nick Fury is a Machivellian bastard, and that America's worst enemy may in fact be itself. And that the existence of heroes is generally what create the villians.

Every other than perhaps Thor and Janet are morally compromised in some capacity. The ending itself is a bit tragic--this largely wouldn't have happened if Steve Rogers wasn't found in the ice, and the last line actually seeds the next story arc when Millar returns years later.

[Sara Platero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este cómic es una locura. Olvídate de todo lo que sabes de los personajes de Marvel porque realmente no sabes nada. En este cómic se combinan "Los Vengadores", con "Los cuatro fantásticos" y con mucha presencia de los "X-Men" entre otros. El objetivo en sí de la historia, es destapar a una persona que está moviendo los hilos para separar al grupo que conocemos de las películas como "Los Vengadores" y evitar que estos incidan en misiones fuera de EE.UU.

Como es de esperar el cómic está lleno de acción continua, peleas y, el argumento está muy bien trabajado, incluyendo el giro final que es fantástico.

El estilo de dibujo es el característico de las historias de superhéroes de Marvel y, al final del tomo se incluyen bocetos a lápiz de cómo fue el proceso de creación del mismo. Además, en la batalla final se tiene una escena tipo póster a 6 páginas que es, simplemente, increíble. Soy incapaz de calcular las horas de trabajo que debe haberles llevado simplemente esa escena.

Como siempre, un cómic muy recomendable para todas aquellas personas, mayores de 15 años, que disfrutan con los cómics de superhéroes, especialmente de Marvel, pero como decía al principio, deja de lado todo lo que crees conocer y trata a los personajes como si no supieras nada de ellos o mejor aún, como si estuvieran en un Universo Paralelo que es mucho más "Marveliano".

[Maurice Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A year after the events of Ultimates, the team struggles to find its identity. Newcomers Black Widow, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch come from the black ops team to the public team to fill the ranks following the firing of Hank Pym (for spousal abuse- he nearly killed his now ex-wife in a fit of rage) and the Hulk being outed as Dr. Bruce Banner for the whole world to know. She's now dating Captain America.

As Hank considers leading a new team (the Defenders), the Ultimates discover they have a mole. Sensitive information is leaking out, and if the source isn't found, the team could go down in flames. They and the other heroes of the world soon find themselves repelling an all-out attack from those countries who are not fans of seeing so many American super heroes out there.

I enjoyed the next phase in the lives of the Ultimates- this progression made sense in every way. Looking forward to seeing another installment, if only to see how long a team this dysfunctional can last before collapsing under its own weight

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second big story for the Ultimates really turned the dial up way high. The Ultimates are certainly becoming a larger-than-life group in their own right but their strong alignment with America isn't helping their image. There's growing sentiment about the heroes representing a new arms race of sorts with America again holding all the cards. That kind of a threat of power naturally forments unrest and disquiet in other countries.

This grittier universe doesn't stop being so grim and one another another, we are reminded of just how human the different heroes still are. Sure, they can fly and shoot things with deadly accuracy, but they're still people with flaws and all that good stuff. And a lot of the story covered here focuses on the fact that they're vulnerable in different ways.

Great book with a lot of over the top action. Some deep cuts here and there as they're all Easter eggs in their own right and that's all just part of the fun.

[Tim Galbraith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should start by saying, I enjoy Ultimate X-men and Ultimate Spider-man for what they were. Ultimates though I have a tough time deciding if this is something I like. At first glance its a bombastic slap in the face to what came before it. Tony Stark is a characture of an alcoholic billion-are, Captain America is often the butt of jokes about being old and then he beats the crap out of people who make them. "Ant Man" is considered a stupid idea. Bryan Hitch's artwork even makes me ponder if its something I like or don't like. His page layouts are incredible and his character expressions are certainly interesting, but there is some, I dunno, dullness in the eyes or a simplicity in the character structure that I find unappealing. I guess if I were to put into a simple expression I'd say Ultimates is not without it's flaws but it is one endearing spectacle.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Millar really wanted to get political and criticize American interventionism in the Middle East but instead of some intelligent commentary he just wrote the Ultimates as mindless government goons, who at the blink of an eye will even turn on one another. Captain America even bordering on fascism.
And that scene where Captain and Hawkeye attack Thor with a flamethrower? Ugh.
Later on there's another lame-o big event with Chinese knockoffs of Ultimates where we're supposed to cheer for our side, but since the protagonists are all assholes, it's hard to do so.
Our good guys kill a lot of people, some of them are executed while un-armed (literally). How do you get back from there?

Getting real tired of modern edgy writers subverting every positive role model.

3* for the comic relief Ant-Man parts

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Millar gets a bit heavy handed with his politics, and this is mid 2000's politics, so it's kind of a bore.

Saying that there's some really solid moments. Hawkeye really gets to shine but also gets kind of screwed here at the same time. I also really liked the bad guys winning in the first half, let us have actual big stakes in this one. But everyone is still really miserable and pieces of shit and not at all like the Avengers you want saving the world.

But still for a blockbuster feel superhero story it's fine, fun, stupid, but worth checking out for being different. A 3 out of 5.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ultimates find their group being whittled down one by one as betrayal and conspiracy takes root within Shield.

I found Ultimates 2 to be a lot more enjoyable the first ultimates collection. The intrigue really helped with the pacing here and when action does take place it’s meaningful rather than just being a blockbuster spectacle. The artwork by Bryan Hitch remains incredible, I feel like there were even more shots here where I just paused for a moment to take it all in. Also for his part Millar’s writing here isn’t as politically charged and the dialogue for the characters didn’t have as much of that forced edginess that was present before.

Overall pretty fun time with this one.

[Jeff Skott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ultimates 1 and 2 are gritty and horrible in a great way if that makes sense. You can see where the MCU took bits and pieces from The Ultimates no doubt but it's a great ride. Unfortunately, I hear the follow-up isn't as good.

Thor's character is awesome and the whole Hulk ride is amazing. They fully bring to light the Jan vs. Hank dynamic and not in the good way I saw back in the mid-70s but in the bad later period where he becomes a jealous, physically abusive jerk. If you like your Antman/Giantman pure - don't go here. He's not.

Overall, great writing and illustration.