The Ultimates is a comic book punished by Marvel Comics, featuring a team of superheroes set in the Ultimate Universe, a reimagining of the classic Marvel Universe characters for a modern audience. The Ultimates are the Ultimate version of the Marvel team The Avengers, but with a simplified continuity and a darker, more cynical tone. The Ultimates is written by Mark Millar and drawn by Brian Hitch. The Ultimates was first published in 2001, and continues to be published, albeit very sporadically. (Theoretically, the series is monthly, though in practice, it's a quarterly publication at best.)
The Ultimates' lineup initially consisted of the Ultimate Universe versions of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, The Wasp, and Giant-Man (a.k.a. Ant-Man), with General Nick Fury as their government liaison. Later members included The Black Widow, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. However, the team's members are quite different from their original counterparts:
- Captain America is jingoistic, nationalistic, and prone to violence (as are most of his teammates).
- Iron Man was an alcoholic for a time in the original comics; here, he is an alcoholic and may very well stay that way for the foreseeable future.
- Thor may or may not be the Thor of Norse mythology; indeed, he seems quite insane. Writer Mark Millar claims to have based the character loosely on conspiracy theorist David Icke.
- The Hulk is still the physical expression of the repression of Dr. Bruce Banner, but here, in addition to being childlike and violent, he is a perpetually horny maniac with no understanding of morals.
- Ant-Man and The Wasp are a wealthy married couple, as they were in the original comics, but here they are emotionally and physically abusive towards one another.
- The Black Widow and Hawkeye have no qualms about killing enemies here; indeed, this Black Widow is an assassin, much as the original Marvel Universe version once was.
- Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, a pair of mutant siblings, are implied to be incestuous lovers.
Although the team is initially formed in response to the emergence of supervillains, specificially to Magneto's attack on the White House in Ultimate X-Men, the team's first enemy comes from within, as the Hulk goes on a rampage and must be contained, while Ant-Man and the Wasp's relationship becomes violent, putting the Wasp's life in danger. Naturally, both storylines are broad retellings of previous stories, but are decompressed and told in a more adult (if not necessarily mature) fashion. The second story arc featured an alien invasion, essentially a retelling of the well-remembered "Kree-Skrull War" storyline from the original Avengers series.
