Summary

• Ultimate X-Men #1 reinvents the franchise with a focus on new characters and mysteries, making it a must-read for fans of the series.
• Peach Momoko's eerie and suspenseful storytelling brings a fresh and modern take to the X-Men lore, stripping back familiar elements.
• The new Ultimate Universe continues to surprise and excite fans by exploring core emotional themes of alienation and uniqueness.

Warning: contains spoilers for Ultimate X-Men #1!

Marvel’s new Ultimate X-Men is a daring reinvention that makes the franchise new, and scary, again. In last year’s Ultimate Universe, Marvel laid the foundation for a new incarnation of the Ultimate Universe, one far different from its predecessor. Ultimate X-Men #1 is perhaps the best example of this new approach yet, stripping away many familiar aspects of the lore and using a surprise character as its protagonist.

Ultimate X-Men #1 is written and drawn by Peach Momoko, who made a name for herself with eerie and unsettling covers, and she imparts a similar vibe to this book. Middle schooler Hisako Ichiki, mourning the suicide of a bullied friend, meets a mysterious, shadow-like entity who gives her a necklace. On the way home, she is nearly hit by a car, but a red, armor-like force field materializes around her, protecting Hisako from harm.

As the issue proceeds, Momoko layers on the mysteries and the suspense, creating an eerie mixture of horror and mutants.

Marvel's New Ultimate X-Men Is a Take Unlike Any Other

It Truly Reinvents the Franchise from the Ground Up

The first incarnation of the Ultimate Universe, launched in 2000, was an attempt on the publisher’s part to craft a new, more reader-friendly incarnation of the Marvel Universe. The Ultimate titles took a “from the ground up” approach to established Marvel icons such as Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. The Ultimate Universe was the initial blueprint for the MCU as well, cementing its place in comics history. Late last year, Marvel released Ultimate Invasion, which introduced readers to Earth-6160, a world once ruled over by one of the survivors of the first Ultimate Universe.

The new Ultimate Universe has already upended fans' expectations, be it Peter Parker married and with children or Black Panther married to Okoye and Ultimate X-Men #1 continues this trend, creating another winner for the new line. Momoko dispenses with a good portion of the franchise’s lore. Gone is Professor X and the X-Mansion. There are no Cyclops, no Storm and no Wolverine, and there is not a Sentinel in sight. Momoko instead focuses on Armor, a lesser known mutant from Joss Whedon and John Cassady’s Astonishing X-Men run, grounding them as the series’ protagonist.

Peach Momoko Strips The Lore Back to Focus On What Made it Great

Momoko Is Tapping Into the Central Metaphor Surrounding the X-Men

Instead of centering the book around conventional X-Men places and characters, Momoko instead strips it all back to focus on the emotional core of the franchise: feeling different and alienated in a world that does actively despise you. While it is possible that Momoko will bring in the X-Mansion and Wolverine at a later date, for now they have been shelved in favor of exploring more obscure mutants. If the point of Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe is to create modern takes on their icons, then Ultimate X-Men succeeds in spades, making the X-Men seem new and exciting again.

Ultimate X-Men #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!