In this review of The Ultimates #12, the team learns a secret they weren’t ready for and an that will make readers’ jaws drop.
THE ULTIMATES #12
Writer: DENIZ CAMP
Artist: JUAN FRIGERI
Main Cover: DIKE RUAN
Variant Covers: INHYUK LEE, ELENA CASAGRANDE, SANFORD GREENE
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: May 21, 2025
The entire Ultimate line at Marvel has been a great success thus far. It’s hard to pick a bad book out of the bunch. But in the two years since Ultimate Invasion was published, there’s bound to be an occasional slump. While I’ve been incredibly enthusiastic about Deniz Camp and Juan Frigari’s Ultimates, even I can admit the past two month’s issues haven’t been up to their usual standard. While there’s still plenty to like in this issue, a lack of exciting action and the very obvious “shocking reveals” puts this book in the “bummer” category.
Much of The Ultimates #12 concentrates on a group discussion between the whole of the current Ultimates network, as Tony reveals that the world is not what it seems. Footage obtained through the Immortus engine (the time travel system used by the Ultimates as created by Howard Stark and Doom) shows that not only did the team lose their battle with the K’un-Lun powered Hulk, they were all killed.
However, thanks to his experiments with the timestream, Doom managed to pull everyone out from the mission before anyone died, creating a new timeline rewriting the current one. This sparks some concern with everyone, including Stark, who doubt Doom’s loyalty and willingness to allow Stark to be critically injured. But Doom digresses, noting how for the Ultimates to work it takes every single member, and moreover that so far their mission hasn’t had a high success rate.
Doom points out that thus far, neither he nor Stark have been able to see past the Maker’s time barrier, meaning the future remains uncertain. Doom suggests that the only way to prevent a dark future is to change the past, with a complete disregard for the current, bleak future. Both Iron Lad and Captain America concur with Doom. He suggests that they follow America and Luke Cage’s suite and begin a radical expansion for the remaining six months they have until the Maker’s return. Thus begins Ultimates 3.0.
Meanwhile, The Ultimates #12 ends as the mole within the Ultimates is revealed. As it turns out, the Wasp (Janet Van Dyne Pym) has been secretly reporting to Nick Fury and therefore H.A.N.D., including the information of this last meeting.
We finally get the revelation of what’s been going on behind the scenes between Doom and Iron Lad at Ultimates HQ. I hesitate to call this much of a plot twist, as it has been telegraphed since all the way back in the Doom-centric issue #4. Same can be said about the Wasp-as-double-agent twist, which I’m not totally convinced is all it seems. The debate on the morality of time travel makes for an eyebrow raising conflict, if just for how out of the box it is. And while all sides make mostly sound points, it’s refreshing to see superheroes acting like civil adults instead of resolving to a big, tropey fight.
The downside is The Ultimates #12 is a lot of talking. No superhero action comic should fall prey to this foible in the year-of-our-Lord 2025. While character building moments are always appreciated, and I’m all for interpersonal conflict and drama, but let’s be frank: superheroes are made for ten-year-olds (and the “ten-year-olds” at heart). No ten year old wants to read people sitting around a room talking. At the very least, everyone is in costume and is characterized consistently. But some action would’ve been nice to break up the issue.
Frigeri continues to bring stellar art to the series, even when having to resort to talking heads. Layouts in The Ultimates #12 remain dynamic. Frigeri never resorts to copy pasting his pencils when doing moment to moment transitions. There’s always a new drawing, a new reaction, a new pose. If only Frigeri was allowed to cut loose from the tight quarters of the Ultimates’ base.
All and all, The Ultimates #12 is another mixed bag of an issue. I wish this book had more to offer than science fiction debate. The dialogue is good, the characters are still rock solid and the art is great, but nothing happens here that I, the reader, didn’t already figure out by myself months ago. After last issue’s wordy tackiness and this month’s even wordier slog, I hope “Ultimates 3.0” brings Camp and Frigeri back on track.
