Warning: contains spoilers for Ultimate Invasion #1!The Maker, an evil variant of the Maker is also one of its scariest, originating in a universe where Reed abandoned morality and became a cruel villain. In Ultimate Invasion #1, the Maker, seeking to return to his home universe, stages a break-out from a high-security facility, showing fans how dangerous Reed Richards is once he rejects the limits of heroism.
Ultimate Invasion #1 is written by Jonathan Hickman, drawn by Bryan Hitch, inked by Andrew Currie, colored by Alex Sinclair and lettered by Joe Caramagna. In the issue, a team of mercenaries break into a highly secure Damage Control facility. Fans learn the Maker is imprisoned here, and has managed to hire the mercenaries for a breakout - but how? The evil Reed Richards reveals that as a condition of his imprisonment, he was seen by a rotating team of therapists. Over the course of 37 sessions, he managed to break and reprogram them, sending them into the world to do his bidding - such as assembling the team that is now breaking him out. The Maker then takes the mercenaries apart at the genetic level, amalgamating them into one person. It turns out they were chosen for their genetic profiles, which can be combined to create a fake Reed and cover the Maker's escape.
An Evil Reed Richards is Terrifying
The Maker’s central concept is simple: what if Reed Richards turned evil? The Maker first appeared, as Reed Richards, in 2004’s Ultimate Fantastic Four #1. Originally the leader of the Ultimate Universe's version of the team, this incarnation of Reed Richards began like any other: curious and morally upright. However, thanks to personal tragedy and his powers warping his mind, this incarnation of Reed Richards began to drift, eventually becoming a genocidal despote whose experimental 'Children' destroyed Asgard. Since the birth of the Eighth Cosmos, the Maker has been trying to get back to his old universe, which was destroyed during Secret Wars. Marvel reveals that Reed possesses a "Universal-Level Intellect," and he shows it off by escaping Damage Control through horrifying psychological and genetic manipulation.
The Evil Reed Richards is Showing Terrifying Powers
The Maker was already a terrifying villain, but his actions in Ultimate Invasion #1 put him in an all-new category. Using his universal-level intellect, the evil Reed Richards was able to psychologically reprogram a group of therapists, physically recombine his rescuers, and easily evade the Illuminati, who have re-formed to take him down. Reed is locked away naked when the issue starts, so it's clear this isn't the work of gadgets, but rather changes to his body and mind. Now, he's on a mission to create his own universe, and if anyone's capable of doing so, it's the Maker.
It was established in Ultimate Fantastic Four that Reed’s brain constantly continues to grow, unlike his 616 counterpart. The Maker is already horrifying with the intellect he was born with, but the notion that it is continuing to grow is even more terrifying. It leads to the question: how much further can his mind expand? He has exhibited the ability to change people on both mental and physical levels -.what other horrors does this evil Reed Richards have up his sleeve?
Ultimate Invasion #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!
