Fanboys Anonymous

The Ultimate Universe has been no stranger to destructive events during the course of its mere thirteen years of existence. Many of the Marvel apocalyptic staples have descended on this revamped world, including a tidal wave that threatened to destroy everything four years ago. The most recent event, however, seems to be the one that truly earns the term "cataclysmic." Although it has faced the Gah Lak Tus swarm before, it seems the Ultimate Universe may meet its end at the hands of the 616 Galactus, who has arrived on earth in Cataclysm: The Ultimates' Last Stand #1.


The issue, unlike most, doesn’t exactly start with a bang. There are two pages of nice banter between Ganke and Miles Morales, the new Ultimate Spider-Man, then there's a series of massive bangs. The banter is nice and gives the false impression that this may be the wind-up for a big event, but true to the cover, Galactus arrives in a double-page spread to silence your doubts and begin his destructive work on Earth.

The remainder of the book is a fast read with an even brisker story pace. Miles attempts to confront the giant-headed invader, but is overwhelmed by the literal and figurative enormity of his foe. While I’ve read other Galactus stories, I think this one does a great job of highlighting the scale of an invasion by a being like Galactus. The impossibly large Devourer of Worlds quickly overwhelms any emergency protocols the Ultimate Universe had in place, which immediately forces them to call in their big guns. The book is content with diving into the second attack and throwing everything it has at Galactus from the very get-go, which flaunts the advantage of the Ultimate Universe—nothing is sacred.

There’s an inherent safety net to the 616 universe. Sure, Peter Parker is dead, but things at large tend to revert back to normal. It seems like every summer a villain destroys Manhattan, only for everyone to move back into town and resume life as if nothing had happened. The Ultimate Universe has always been an offshoot, and it flaunts its disposability in big events like this. I have no idea if it's going to come out of this or if I’m watching the actual death of an entire superhero universe and, quite frankly, it’s a lot of fun.

The issue wraps up with Tony Stark realizing that not only is the menace from another universe, but he's come for everything. It was a quick issue, with all the action seeming to escalate with every turn of the page. Although there wasn’t much story depth, it certainly managed to set the tone for the issues to come. Months of speculation, along with the news that Miles Morales will be heading to the 616 universe, makes the Ultimate Universe's demise a very real and morbid possibility. Stay tuned to fanboysanonymous.com for our coverage of the Cataclysm event to see who, if any, of the Ultimate Heroes survive the new and improved Galactus.