Warning: Possible Spoilers for Ultimate Universe: One Year In #1!Marvel’s newUltimate Universeis introducing its own version ofNick Fury- but this version isn’t based on Samuel L. Jackson at all, and that’s deliberate. With Fury upholding a despotic regime from the shadows, he’s almost certainly more villainous than any Fury before him, though that’s a high bar to clear.
Via AIPT Comics' early solicits, Rafael Albuquerque’s cover forUltimate Universe: One Year In#1 by hasrevealed the Ultimate Nick Fury, and the only thing more surprising than him being a villain is that he’s white, clearly taking inspiration from the 616 Nick Fury as opposed to the MCU counterpart - and the original Ultimate Nick Fury.
December 11th, 2024
Cover Artist:
Rafael Albuquerque
THE CLOCK IS TICKING DOWN TO THE MAKER’S ARRIVAL! Deniz Camp flips the narrative on ULTIMATES and takes us inside the Maker’s Council! The heroes of the Ultimate Universe aren’t the only ones who have been preparing for the return of the Maker, and the clock is ticking down… This unique one-shot sets the stage for the second year of the Ultimate line and includes the debut of the Ultimate versions of two major Marvel characters!
The Fury of the original Ultimate Universe, Earth-1610, was inspired by Samuel L. Jackson - even before he starred as the character in the MCU. The original Ultimate Fury not only introduced the first Black version of the character but also played a direct role in Jackson’s later casting in the MCU. In direct contrast, the Fury revealed on this cover looks far more like his original counterpart, but with a villainous twist.
The New Ultimate Nick Fury Is a Villain Who Doesn’t Look Anything Like Samuel L. Jackson
Variant Cover by Stefano Caselli
The emblem on Ultimate Fury’s shoulder shows that he’s part of H.A.N.D., the evil secret police taking the place of both SHIELD and the Hand in this new Ultimate Universe, Earth-6160. This world is shaped bythe machinations of the Maker, the evil Reed Richards of the original Ultimate Universe, who has prevented the rise of superheroes and instead created his own secret council to rule the world. H.A.N.D. haven’t been anything but (literal) faceless goons until now, so it’s exciting to get even a glimpse of what this nefarious Fury has been doing, especially sincehe’s taken a year to show up in the Ultimate Universe.
Fury being a villain also isn’t that shocking, as both his mainstream and original Ultimate counterparts have walked the line.
At the conclusion of the miniseriesUltimate Invasionby Jonathan Hickman, Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Alex Sinclair, and Joe Caramgana,which introduced this universe, the Maker was locked away in his fortress, “the City,” with the promise that he’d return in two years. Thanks to the City’s time-dilation abilities, this will give him literally thousands of years to prepare while inside.
Ultimate Universe: One Year In#1 is exactly what it sounds like: the halfway point to that confrontation. Even after a year of fighting,this universe still has surprises to throw at its fledgling heroes, and the issue’s blurb teases that a second classic character besides Fury will also be debuting.
The New Ultimate Nick Fury’s Whiteness Feels Very Deliberate
Will This “Casting” Play a Role in the Storytelling?
This new Ultimate Nick Fury being white likely ties into the themes of this universeso far. The ongoingUltimatesseries by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri is both fascinated with the alternate history of this universe and interested in drawing deliberate parallels to real historical injustices. If Fury, like both his original and earlier Ultimate counterpart, has been active since World War II, then it would make sense to have him be one of the cudgels through which the Maker ruins this world. It feels pointed, then, that it’s a near-immortal white man in the intelligence field helping to ruin the world. It’s not like real life has any shortage of those.
Marvel Expands Ultimate Universe with New Titles and Real-Time Storytelling
A new one-shot comic will look back at the first year of Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe, as the publisher adds a new monthly title told in real time.
Fury being a villain also isn’t that shocking, as both his mainstream and original Ultimate counterparts have walked the line.Original Fury has committed war crimes, and has the blood of so, so many heroes on his hands. The original Ultimate Fury is arguably worse: a cynical spy who doesn’t care about anything but the bigger picture. His last act before dying inSecret Wars#1 by Hickman and Esad Ribíc was working with the Maker to try to kill Earth-616. TheUltimate Universe’snewNick Furyis a straight-up bad guy, but it’s hard to say how different he really is from his previous iterations.
Ultimate Universe: One Year In#1is available December 11th, 2024 from Marvel Comics.
Source:AIPT Comics
Ultimate Marvel
Created in 2000, the Ultimate Marvel imprint redesigned the entire Marvel Comics universe with a new set of origin stories and relationships. The reboot reinterpreted Marvel continuity from scratch in an attempt to simplify and update the company’s 60-year history for modern audiences. With famous comic book writers such as Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, and Mark Millar at the helm, the Ultimate universe (named Earth-1610 within the Marvel multiverse) lasted 15 years and provided plenty of inspiration for the MCU.
