Ultimatum: Requiem

Ultimate Spider-Man (Italian edition) #71

by Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Joe Pokaski, Stuart Immonen

Re-qui-em (noun): A song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to the departed. With the catastrophes wrought by Ultimatum, does this spell the end for the the Ultimate Universe? Spider-Man has fallen and the Ultimate Universe will never be the same! Original series artist Mark Bagley returns for a special story celebrating the heroism of everyone's favorite webslinger. Then in X-Men, the surviving members of the team say goodbye to their loved ones, pay homage to their memory, and try to figure out what happens next. And in Fantastic Four, find out if the first family can continue on in the wake of Ultimatum's devastating events.

Collecting: Ultimatum: Spider-Man: Requiem, Fantastic Four: Requiem, & X-Men Requiem

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Spider Man, X Men, Superheroes, Comic Book

128 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 2010

About the author

A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.

Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.

Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.

Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.

Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.

He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.

Reviews

[Subham]

This was fun really!

We see the tale of Spidey's past heroics from J-cube as his opinion about the wall crawler has changed and well what it does to him and I love those two stories like how he helped Iron man and saved him from Viper or the one with Hulk like when people treated him as a monster it was Pete who treated him as a man and I love those tales and the requiem he has and well maybe a certain twist and it was fun and makes for an awesome story!

The story with FF was great too and it will be interesting to follow their status quo and how it ties to the main event is also fun and I love the focus on all of them. It was like one of the standouts of this collection and the stuff with X-men was meh. Idk I didn't like it as much tbh..

But overall a pretty cool read with varying stories that sets up the stories of Ultimate universe characters pretty well going forward!

[Sesana]

A massive improvement over Ultimatum. Because it's the Ultimate universe, Ultimatum could have repercussions that 616 events could only dream of, and this is the first opportunity to see those effects. The Spider-Man is very good, as Bendis's work on Ultimate Spider-Man almost always was. The X-Men and Fantastic Four parts are both decently written, if not spectacular. They do the job. The X-Men book is more focused on the mourning by those left behind. The X-Men were especially hard hit during the event, and at least half of the surviving characters are dead. There's a lot more going on with the FF. Indeed, the entire team has dissolved by the end of the book, something that's been a long time coming.

[Chris Greensmith]

"and that in the end, because of these choices, this man-child will now stand among our greatest heroes."
This TPB consisted of 4 comics, 1x Fantastic Four, 1x X-Men and 2x Spider-Man. The Fantastic Four issue was good, filled in a lot of blanks through the whole of Ultimatum, what the characters were up to when not on the pages. The X-Men story was OK, provided a little closure for the students but it was a bit clumsy, and posed more questions then resolution, but Kitty getting back Logans forearm was good, I did wonder what happened to that at the end of Ultimatum. The art was great. The Spider-Man story was good, two tales told by J. Jonah Jameson, about how in retrospect, after seeing Spider-Man trying to save people when the Ultimatum Wave hit, Spider-Man really was a hero. Good art, flowed well, but is he dead? (Spoiler Alert: No)....3 🌟

Overall I will give the Ultimatum series 3.75 🌟

[Isaac Baker]

Quite enjoyed these epilogues essentially

[Mike]

Decent stories. The spidey story by Bendis is heartfelt and worth reading on its own. The others might be great too, but I haven't kept up with those Ultimate books so I was not only confused but also somewhat indifferent to their plights.

[Lost Planet Airman]

Puts a nice wrap on this chapter of the Ultimate Universe.

[Joe]

Very Good.
I think I may have missed a large chunk of the Ultimate Universe Story.
I must go back and find the holes.
This has been a fun ride.

[noah]

Even worse than Ultimatum. That is all.

[José Ignacio]

An alright end to it all

Honestly I gotta give the creative teams kudos for working with what they had and trying to make the best of it.

Spider-Man Requiem was already reviewed in my Ultimate Spider-Man Collection Vol. 11 review so I won’t dwell too much on it, it’s a really damn great end to Bendis' first half on Ultimate Spidey, with some great artwork from both Immonen and Bagley and some awesome character development for J. Jonah Jameson.

The Ultimate Fantastic Four one feels less like a Requiem for the FF and more like just trying to explain key parts of Ultimatum that weren’t answered or explained at all in the main miniseries, though the ending basically being the breaking point for Reed to become The Maker is the only part that elevates it and at least the team ending up the way it does sets up some new, interesting things.

Ultimate X-Men Requiem caught me off guard because it actually turned out mostly great, I think they do over do it a little bit with the fight between the X-Men and what remains of Magneto’s followers, but it’s honestly a fun self contained story that deals with grief in a nice way.

The art is consistently decent across the board as well.

Overall, an alright bookend to an awful, awful event.

[Steve Chaput]

I'd give the two issues of Ultimate Spider-Man included here four stars and the Ultimate Fantastic Four close to it. But for me the Ultimate X-Men issue drags it down, but then I haven't been a big X-Men fan (Ultimate or Uncanny, etc.) for decades.

This wraps up events following the Ultimatum Wave which destroyed Manhattan (and can I assume the other boroughs. along with parts of New Jersey were also affected? I have family there!). We see and hear of the deaths of several heroes. Some of whom eventually made their way to the current MU during one of the half dozen 'events' since then. Still I can only judge what I've read here and in earlier Ultimatum collections.

I'd recommend this just for the issues of Spider-Man, where a guilt-ridden J. Jonah sits down to tell of a side of Spider-Man he had refused to reveal up until now. Really solid writing by Coleite.

[David]

I'm solely reviewing the Spiderman element of this here and damn, it was good. A heartfelt summary of Ultimate Spiderman but done so as a ln editorial from Jonah Jameson and it worked really well.

We got to see two stories we hadn't seen before and it was actually really touching. The ending... You know you've enjoyed a comic run when your heart lifts with joy at how it finishes. Very, very happy with the ending.

[Ανδρέας Μιχαηλίδης]

More Ultimatum garbage, with mostly terrible art to boot. Just do yourselves a favor and avoid anything to do with Ultimatum, simple as that.

[Cyril]

3 stars for the spidey issues, 2.5 for the FF, X-Men to be read...

[Braulio Valenzuela]

Engañoso, Spider-Man todavía no está muerto.

[Alex G]

I was surprised that this was how they continued the series post-Ultimatum. I thought Spidey's ending was good enough all things considered before I read this.

[Jake Vosters]

3.5/5⭐️

[Grant]

Ultimatum: Requiem gives us a finale to the Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men series. I started reading those two series a while ago, and I think it was good that they finally ended. I couldn't really see more stories happening to the X-Men (there were so many) and Ultimate Fantastic Four was just losing steam. Of course, Ultimate Spider-Man is still the goat here and gives not one but TWO stories just for fun. So overall, it's good to see a definitive ending for these runs, even if it had to correspond with Ultimatum.

[Christian]

A short epilogue for each of the main ultimate titles following the cynical bloodbath that was ultimatum. I read all three, but let's face it, it's Spidey I'm here for.
Following the destruction of New York, J. Jonah Jameson is in the ruins of Bugle writing a retraction of everything he ever said about spider-man. It's touching and moving, and everything I liked about this version of JJJ.

UPDATE: Reread the X- Men and Fantastic Four ones. They're pretty good.

[Adam Stone]

Original 2020 Review:

A five-star send off for Ultimate Spider-Man collected along with a two star send-off for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men.

The collection is worth is just for Bendis's Ultimate Spider-Man Requiem. Feel free to skip the others.

***

Updated During 2025 X Re-read:

The idea of J Jonah Jameson realizing that Spider-Man is actually a hero during Ultimatum was a great character turn, as he sees Spider-Man rescuing people during the destruction of Manhattan and has a genuine awakening that he has been ruining the life of a child who continually puts life on the line to save others. He has this realization while also learning his entire family is dead and begins writing a front page apology recognizing Spider-Man's heroics. In this volume, he's getting to the meat of the story, when he's informed that what he's writing is now an obituary, as Spider-Man has been found dead. It's really well-handled and a genuinely excellent story.

Unfortunately, the Fantastic Four and X-Men stories are just dull, mediocre superhero comics that are supposed to be emotionally resonant but neither Aron Eli Coleite nor Joe Pokaski have the talent or ideas to hold a candle to Bendis's writing.

[Justin]

I've come to terms with the fact that Marvel let Jeph Loeb - a writer whose work I used to enjoy - all but destroy the Ultimate Marvel Universe and kill off half of its characters. I'm not happy about it, but I think there's a light at the end of the tunnel. That light became clearer after reading Ultimatum Requiem.

Whatever your feelings about Ultimatum TPB, Ultimatum Requiem is a necessary postscript, and a touching one at that. It essentially looks at the aftermath of Ultimatum and sets the stage for what's next. The Spider-Man tale is particularly moving, as it focuses on Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jamison's change of heart after witnessing Spider-Man's heroic last acts. He essentially is writing Spider-Man's obituary, as Spidey's fate was (at the time) unknown. There are also a couple of interesting stories featuring the Fantastic Four and what's left of the X-Men. Essentially, the Fantastic Four break up and the X-Men bury their dead. Where they go from here is anybody's guess.

Ultimatum Requiem is a well-written, well-illustrated way to move past the events of Ultimatum. Hopefully this will be the start of something positive for the Ultimate Universe, and that something will not include Jeph Loeb. I'm just glad the Ultimate Universe wasn't totally shut down.

[Zach]

In this epilogue, Bendis almost redeems the terrible Ultimatum crossover by Jeph Loeb, but I'm afraid the damage is done. The Spider-Man arc is heartfelt and touching, but the others left me cold. The X-characters (with their ever-shifting alliances and loyalties) are hopelessly confusing, and I stopped caring about the Fantastic Four volumes ago.

[Todd]

What a recovery. Yes, Ultimatum blew and we're left with lots of crap from said event, but that's not this volumes fault and I won't hold what came before against this volume.

All of the series are wrapped up nicely here, with the exception that yes some of the Ultimatum crap is out there but these issues wrap up their perspective series really well. The Fantastic Four of the Ultimate line are no more. They split up which defines hem as completely different from their 616 counterparts. The X-Men are the most heavily hit. So many classic characters are just gone now. But they get a moment. The heart is again Bendis. He really does these heart moments so well in the Ultimate Spidey world.

[JP]

Read this review or all of my reviews on my site!

requiem - a mass for the dead; a solemn chant (such as a dirge) for the repose of the dead

Spider-Man

Fantastic Four

X-Men

[Mark]

This book wraps up some of the loose ends left over by the Marvel Ultimate series.
It includes stories from Spiderman, X-men and the Fantastic Four.

Good art and a fair story.

Will probably only appeal to those seeking a bit more from the Ultimate series.

Notes
Includes several obituaries of those that died at the end of this series.

Learning Curve
Moderate: Knowledge of the series would be helpful.

Reading Order
Read after Ultimatum

[Ernest]

The Ultimate universe gets wrapped out (to a degree) in this volume. It started with so much promise and ability, but as it regressed into little more than a pale shadow of the 616 Universe, I lost interest. This volume did nothing to make me want to seriously pick it up, but did enough to make me at least Wikipedia-level interested.

[Sarah]

This volume does its best to answer the questions (or gaping plot holes) left by Ultimatium, and mostly succeeds in giving us stories with more heart then the crossover that spawned it. The only downside is that you need to read the shitty Ultimatium story to get this and lets be honest, its just not worth it folks.

[Jason]

I haven't been following the ultimate universe, so I didn't have a lot invested in the characters. It was mostly amusing to see a-listers getting knocked off left and right.

[second reading, 8/7/21]
having read a bunch more stuff in the ultimate universe, I continue to be impressed with the dedication of the writers to creating a linear story throughout with no backsies.

[Brianna]

AHHH. IT'S OVER. :C
5 stars because it's the last one and there was so much sass.
The ending was pretty much perfect and everything was wrapped up well.

But for some reason the version I was reading didn't have the X-Men and Fantastic Four crossovers, and now I'm slightly confused and I need to find them.

[Marie Antoinette]

Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and X-Men, What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Right? Famous last words because there's plenty wrong.

Even though Aron E. Coleite does a marvelous job filling the gaps left by Jeph Loeb, there's no way to save this sinking ship.

Ultimatum is the worst storyline in the Ultimate Comics universe. Plain and simple.

[Shaun]

The coda to the Ultimatum event in the Ultimate Comics universe. I read if for the Spider-Man chunk (as I haven't followed Ultimate X-Men or Fantastic Four through the event). It was a nice, quiet afterwards for all the characters and an indication in where each of the books would be headed next.