The new Ultimates have just lost their leader, and they might not have any hope of saving the world without him.

Ultimates #6 finds the eponymous team of heroes leaping headfirst into battle against the Hulk and his Immortal Weapons. Though they believed they were headed for a rescue mission, the situation quickly takes a dark turn. Before they can even prepare for the fight at hand, the Ultimates are completely overwhelmed by their enemies, and by the time they have escaped the battlfield, it is already far too late to save the young Tony Stark from the Hulk’s crushing grasp.

• Written by DENIZ CAMP
• Art by JUAN FRIGERI
• Colors by FEDERICO BLEE
• Letters by VC’s TRAVIS LANHAM
• Design by JAY BOWEN
• Main cover art by DIKE RUAN & NEERAJ MENON
• Variant covers by JOSEMARIA CASANOVAS, INHYUK LEE, PHIL NOTO, and LEINIL FRANCIS YU & SONNY GHO

The Tony Stark of the current Ultimate Marvel Universe, also known as the reality of Earth-6160, made his debut in the pages of 2023’s Ultimate Invasion #2 by Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch. Like his father, Howard, Tony was determined to make something better of his world by any means necessary. Shortly after his father seemingly perished in battle against the Maker, Tony took up the mantle of Iron Lad and set out to ensure that all the heroes who the Maker had stopped from coming into their own as such would be given a chance to do just that.

Not only was this Tony Stark responsible for giving the likes of Peter Parker the powers that were stolen away from him decades prior, he took it upon himself to gather as many heroes as possible to form the Ultimates as they stand today. While reaching out to the likes of Reed Richards, aka Doctor Doom, was easy enough, Tony went to great lengths to bring icons such as Captain America, Thor, and Lady Sif into the fold. Tony also set concrete standards for the team, owning up to his disastrous attempts to wield time-travel in his efforts to set right the world that the Maker remade in his own image.

Whereas the Maker outright prevented the rise of heroes such as Spider-Man and Iron Man as they should have stood, other icons of the Marvel Universe were beyond his reach in terms of snuffing out entirely. These included Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, who found an important role to play in the Maker’s world that utilized his classic abilities while still separating him from the version of the character fans know best. Rather than a raging Avenger, the Hulk of Earth-6160 is a cold, calculating figure who lords over his own corner of the globe as a member of the Maker’s Shadow Cabinet who orchestrated global conflicts in order to maintain their preferred status quo.

Ultimates #6 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.

Source: Marvel Comics

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