Marvel Prepares to End Its Ultimate Universe
Marvel is officially ending its years-long Ultimate Universe comic book series in 2026. According to the announcement at the “Next Big Thing” panel at New York Comic-Con, the final story, titled Ultimate Endgame, will premiere in December and determine the fate of the universe. This decision suggests that Marvel intends to end the Ultimate comics era, despite its tremendous sales success.
Marvel Prepares an Epic Finale to the Ultimate Universe
Marvel’s Ultimate comic book line has enjoyed a golden age in recent years, particularly with the Ultimate Spider-Man series by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto. In fact, this series regularly outsold The Amazing Spider-Man. However, despite these successes, Marvel is determined to conclude the story in a planned manner.
Marvel previously announced that Ultimate Spider-Man #24 would be the final issue in December. Now, it has officially announced that The Ultimates and all other Ultimate comics will be completed by April 2026. This conclusion will bring all the characters together in one grand finale with the Ultimate Endgame storyline.
Writer Deniz Camp spoke emotionally in a Marvel press release:
“This is the culmination of everything Jonathan Hickman started. All our stories converge. It will be a big, emotional, crazy finale… even death.”
Marvel Comics president Dan Buckley emphasized the enduring nature of this finale:
“You can think of this story as a journey from beginning to end. It has a cohesiveness that will be read for years to come and passed on to new generations.”
The end of the Ultimate universe is considered a significant turning point in Marvel’s history. This parallel universe, which began in the 2000s, brought a modern perspective to classic heroes and redefined characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. Now, this era is coming to an end with a major resurgence.
Still, Marvel isn’t bidding farewell to its fans with new projects. The panel also announced a new Iron Man series, written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Carmen Carnero. The new series will hit shelves on January 28, 2026, and will focus on a dark storyline that sees Tony Stark face death.
Read More: George R.R. Martin Confesses 15 Years of Working on Winds of Winter
