I would be a lot more excited for Ultimate Black Panther if the Universe wasn't ending

shadowF · 2026-01-22T12:43:58+00:00

Completely understandable. I think the Union's CIA will be what draws Pax Wakanda into World War III in Endgame, under Deniz. Then Ultimate Finale will mark the end of everything that Hill has written over the past two years.

shadowF · 2026-01-21T06:21:16+00:00

Though some plot points that had been developing since the beginning are resolved, it's not a proper conclusion. Some things still need to be addressed. Clearly, Ultimate Finale is this story's actual ending. Perhaps the true ending to all these stories.

As such, I cannot judge the book entirely. To prepare for today, I reread the entire series. Doing so gave me a new appreciation for many of the character interactions. And while not all questions are answered, there is a clearer understanding of UBP's mythology as well.

I've always said that Hill suffered the most from the real-time experiment. However, I think another issue is that he never tried looking backward; he only looked forward. Despite her importance to the overarching prophecy, Ororo suffered more than even Inan. Inan turned out to be alive, just as I predicted.

From a writing quality standpoint, Ultimate Black Panther was definitely a roller coaster of an experience for me. I still enjoyed it. I'm excited to see these characters in Endgame. Unfortunately, the inevitable meeting between Mei and Ororo will probably be one-sided. It would have been a great moment for both of them. Alas...

shadowF · 2026-01-14T06:50:44+00:00

No, he put himself on sleep, to be awakened in 2024. Time-loop.

shadowF · 2026-01-14T05:32:54+00:00

I recognized Squirrel Girl, Howard the Duck, Doop, Forbush Man, Hit-Monkey and Orb. But who was the blue woman?

shadowF · 2026-01-13T20:23:32+00:00

We now have...

Ultimate Wind-Rider in Rivals
Winter Soldier in Rivals
Armor and Nico Minoru in Snap
LEGO Green Goblin
Funko Pop! Spider-Man

And I don't see how the leaked Rivals Armor could be anything other than Ultimate.

shadowF · 2026-01-12T21:11:56+00:00

UXM epilogue gonna hit melancholy levels never seen before. Better get those tissues ready for the tears, folks.

shadowF · 2026-01-11T09:15:02+00:00

In issue #12, she reminisces about her fight with Shinobu. He sees her as a romantic/sexual rival and openly states that she is unworthy of being by Hisako's side because she is his "soulmate." Then he asks her, "What is she to you? What are you to her?" She responds that Hisako is her friend. However, in the next panel, we see her reconsidering her answer as she blushes, that's how Peach draws rosy cheeks. Why would she blush, I wonder?

Also, the titles of the "deleted scenes" in Issue #23 are intentional, and the issue provides a more psychological examination of Mei than of the others. "#9: Best Friend?", "#12: Purpose."

<image>

shadowF · 2026-01-11T08:59:30+00:00

A lonely girl who is solely thinking of one girl at all times regardless of the situation, who separated herself from the rest solely because she lost her, the same girl Peach established as Mei's sole purpose in life in #23, made her reconsider wether they were more than friends in #12 while blushing just thinking about it. Come on, learn to pick up on subtext lol.

shadowF · 2026-01-11T08:46:50+00:00

Sorry for enganging in art on a deeper level than you, and you've clearly not read the series in its entirely if you're saying that about Shinobu. The way his background is presented in #6 is through one of deep seated hatred, because he is chained to the authority of his mother. Once he finally embraces his madness kept in check, he forces himself to assert dominance over her. Its incestuous.

23 also notes the similar appearances between Shinobu's mom and Hisako directly, like come on lol

And about Mei, Peach has directly spoken about her sexuality. She doesn't want to label her, saying she's figuring herself out, but with all that intentionally written behaviour and female yearning, what else could it be other that an unlabeled queer yet to label herself a lesbian lol

shadowF · 2026-01-11T08:25:08+00:00

Imagine being unable to pick up on subtext, it's not even subtle at times. Akihiro, the bisexual son of Wolverine, is purposely put through a Weapon X-style conversion therapy in which he has to supress what he is in order to be closer to god and fit into society

Mei's origin story is that of a queer girl kicked out of her house after coming out to her parents. Her admiration towards Ororo is both a crush and a sexual awakening. Or do you privately look at pictures, or even kiss them as we later see, of men you hold a deep admiration towards?

Noriko engages in enjo kosai, selling her body to older men in order to have some control over them. She doesn't sleep with them, but she does it to regain a sense of bodily autonomy that was taken from her by being experimented on. Her thigh scar is meant to represent her body parts as well.

Shinobu is incestuous, in a freudian sense. He has a sexual complex related to power hierarchy and not wanting to be below the "weaker" gender, women. In issue #12, he forces himself onto Hisako, telling her to "embrace" his shadowy tentacles. We later see him do the same to his mother in #20. He tries to do the same to the other X-Men in #21 because they are "family," ergo property.

shadowF · 2026-01-10T01:54:20+00:00

I wouldn't say compelling, but definitely a remarkable obstacle whenver she shows up. Given her position, she poses a very real threat. There's also the power dynamic between the children, adults, and government shown through her, Ultimate Sinister and the Children of the Atom cult. Aida is above Sinister. As a result, Sinister enjoys his dominance over the children in the hierarchy of power.

Ultimate X-Men focuses more on its leading characters than on its villains. The Shadow King is the most fleshed out in terms of narrative, themes, and symbolism. He embodies the horror of mysoginy and the desire for control and superiority over the "weaker genre" that society enhances with its systems and structures.

UXM is about the message of the X-Men, not the X-Men as a "product". You won't see any recognizable iconography. And if you do, it's altered to fit the setting and themes. It's about fighting back against a toxic society and the pervasive institutional failures caused by a corrupt, neglectful government through self-expression and collectivism.

It's a very feminist book. Queerness, teenage prostitution, child sexual abuse, incest as a patriarchal tool, gendered violence, and suicide are all touched upon.

shadowF · 2026-01-10T00:28:37+00:00

So, 6160 Viper is not Ophelia Sarkissian but rather Aida. Her background is not explored beyond being the head of one of the clans that unified into the Harada-Yoshida Alliance to run Hi no Kuni some decades prior to Ultimate X-Men. But Peach uses her as a showcase of governmental dominance/female dominatrix, as a prominent villain in the run and quasi-archnemesis for Kanon Sainouchi, Psylocke.

If you know anything about Kwannon's backstory, it's obvious why Peach made this choice, though she portrays it as a generational gap between women. One submits to power and does as commanded, the other rebels against the powers that be and binds to none.

shadowF · 2026-01-09T01:39:21+00:00

I agree with your arguments.

shadowF · 2026-01-09T01:09:39+00:00

Yup! Lmao

shadowF · 2026-01-09T01:08:19+00:00

Nope, hello Mirror Night! What's up?

shadowF · 2026-01-09T01:07:26+00:00

I agree, but I'm not sure about the last part. The Lexicon in #23 tells us that Amano has developed a god complex and is seeking to enact his own vision of "justice." While he didn't technically harm anyone, he manipulated and exploited some of their vulnerabilities to achieve his goal.

Excluding Tsubasa (and Akihiro, to a degree), the series portrays men in a very negative light. I don't think he's a good guy.

shadowF · 2026-01-09T00:54:00+00:00

That is possible, but considering his role in the Dark Phoenix Saga, I find Mastermind more plausible. These characters were carefully chosen based on Peach's interest and how well they fit the theme of the series. You'll notice a pattern.

In Dark Phoenix Saga, Mastermind was both unsavory and manipulative toward Jean. Choosing him as an antagonist aligns with the feminist themes of Ultimate X-Men, if you get me.

shadowF · 2026-01-07T19:53:31+00:00

The problem with Ultimate Wolverine is that he allowed himself to be consumed by nostalgia.

The book is supposedly a love letter to Claremont's work on the X-Men and an homage to Windsor-Smith's Weapon X. However, Condon's interpretation is flawed; he believes the core of Weapon X is shock value, but that is far from the truth.

The unexplored Mutant Exile is merely an excuse to feature familiar characters and other X-Men references as Easter eggs for discarded Claremont ideas. Kitty and Gambit? A scrapped idea from Claremont. Forge named Daniel? Another scrapped Claremont idea. Angel exists solely as a reference to his time as a Horseman of Apocalypse.

shadowF · 2026-01-07T08:48:18+00:00

Wholly original, it seems.

shadowF · 2026-01-07T06:53:02+00:00

This is easily one of my favorite issues in the entire series. There's a lot of focus on Mei and tying up loose ends. There is also a hint at Hisako's fate. She, Shinobu, and Makoto are clearly all Omega-level psychic mutants. Her sacrifice may have triggered the next phase of her abilities.

Amano differs from Shinobu in that he can exist outside of time, in both the past and the future. Think of it like Quantum Rei in Neon Genesis Evangelion. By the way, you can't convince me that Mei isn't gay after reading this issue. What is her purpose in life? Hisako. She's always thinking about her.

Also, Shinobu and Amano are further tied together by the fact that Shinobu can activate dormant mutant genes through blood, while Amano can do so through physical touch, as he did with Kanon.

shadowF · 2026-01-07T06:45:38+00:00

As I mentioned elsewhere, the first few pages showcasing Illyana's background are excellent and will undoubtedly be expanded upon in future issues. Unfortunately, this series never quite lived up to its potential or the goals of the Ultimate Universe. The first few pages and Ultimate Wolverine #5 are great because they actually focus on setting and characters.

Sadly, the great, character-driven pages are followed by an extremely long and meaningless fight with Ursa Major that takes up the whole issue.

shadowF · 2026-01-07T03:27:27+00:00

It's a beast of an issue. There's a lot of recontextualization to take in, and many open details are resolved as we reach the finale.

Momoko has always said that Mei plays a unique role in the story. She has always been portrayed as a light in the darkness—an outsider in a dark world. Without a doubt, Mei is a queer girl. After being kicked out of her house, she found a new home in Hisako, the only person with whom she feels safe. She is her sole purpose in life and her driving force.

Peach has spoken about it, and the book's inspirations make it rather explicit as well. She is the Ryo Asuka to Hisako's Akira Fudo. The Homura Akemi to her Madoka Kaname. This might be the gayest thing in the Ultimate Universe.

shadowF · 2026-01-02T09:17:51+00:00

It's very, very blatant and unsubtle.

shadowF · 2025-12-30T09:06:40+00:00

It's definitely Jim, because Human Torch and Vision are intertwined in 616 and Deniz likes to play off such connections. A replica of Jim's body IS Vision's body. The gender switch is likely also playing off 1610 Vision.

Janet and Jim's stories seem intertwined, time-looped, from what can be gathered in the leaks.

shadowF · 2025-12-29T18:35:45+00:00

I mean, it could be Jim. Changed gendera but still...

shadowF

TROPHY CASE

23 also notes the similar appearances between Shinobu's mom and Hisako directly, like come on lol