Synopsis
Ultimates² (2017 series) #9 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
The Never Queen does the intro again covering the creation of the Ultimates to solve cosmic problems, 1st being to change Galactus from Devourer to Lifebringer, and the discovery of the multiversal Eternity enchained by the 1st Firmament. As we learned in #6 he was the 1st lone universe who created the Aspirants and Celestials. The latter rebelled against him and created the 1st multiverse. His faithful Aspirants corrupted Lord Chaos and Master Order to kill the Living Tribunal and combine to replace him as a new face of cosmic justice Logos, who then killed all the Celestials (except the One Above All who NQ saved) and tried to kill Galactus. But he survived (weakened) and last issue recruited allies in the Eternity Watch. Meanwhile the Ultimates (#7) are fighting against Hydra in the Secret Empire event, and last issue saw the Maker ally with the High Evolutionary to evolve the multiverse.
Now on Counter-Earth HE asks Maker how he escaped from the impenetrable shield Hydra have put round the Earth. The alternate Reed Richards (from the now defunct Ultimate universe, destroyed like all others in the build-up to Secret Wars) says he's actually from another alternate universe (1 of the many created by Franklin Richards and Molecule Man at the end of the SW event), but all Maker's alternates share the same consciousness. He's multitasking here and on Earth. He comments that the Ultimate universe was very sensible but this 1 is much more fun, a place where abstract concepts make war. And he displays an event in a place he's located (the Superflow between universes) where Logos now communes with Death Celestials (the Aspirants). Herbert Edgar Wyndham wants to know who's in charge, Logos or the Celestials? Maker says that's a good question, but he's more concerned with retrieving data that will help them build the perfect world.
Logos tells the Aspirants that they must all unite in service of the true law, his law. An Aspirant objects that the true law is the 1st law. Logos counters that his law and that of the 1st Firmament are the same. He also notes that the Cosmic Cube activity on Prime Earth is reaching its peak. (Hydra have used a Cube in Secret Empire. And Universe-616 was the 1st universe restarted after Secret Wars.) Following the principle of As Above So Below (or probably the other way round in this case) now is the time to strike. But an Aspirant draws his attention to a door which has suddenly appeared ...
... which a large golden boot kicks in and golden Galactus The Lifebringer steps through, followed by Eternity Watch members the macro-spacial explorer Infinaut and the psychic warrior-god Psi-Hawk. They lay into the Aspirants while another member Ego The Living Planet (last issue shrunk to a manageable size but with a body to go with the planet-head) struggles to get through the doorway. Galactus explains to him that the Superflow is a conceptual space and as such their physical fight is metaphorical. Similarly the door isn't a real door so it can't stop him getting through. So Ego enters and metaphorically smashes 1 of the Aspirants with a large fist.
Watching Wyndham is astounded by the idea of existential concepts punching each other, but Richards is more interested in the opportunity to gather data, because reality is information. Evolutionary says he's had prior dealings with this level of beings and he warns Maker to be careful because if they become aware of him the consequences could be dire.
In fact the Aspirants do detect the watchers but consider it a good thing that they are being recorded. Ego doesn't like it that the foe are happy about something. Infinaut detects the monitoring too. An Aspirant declares that there are 2 watchers, 1 whose mind is ready to snap, the other named Wyndham sealed in armour. Galactus recognises that name as the High Evolutionary. Infinaut says that here in Conceptual Space they are living information, and information can be recorded and copied. Shocked Galactus realises what that might mean.
Maker reiterates his claim that Molecule Man sent him on this mission to fight in the Eternity War where the cosmos (multiverse) is pitted against a united cosmos (single universe). The Death Celestials are its agents and they contain bits of it in them. He intends to copy that information to see how to perfect the multiverse. Evolutionary asks if this is to strengthen Eternity to resist the attack? Maker says it is, and it can only be done from the Prime Universe (616), the last of the old multiverse to be destroyed (before SW) and the 1st to be reborn (after SW).
In the Superflow the Aspirants stop fighting and turn into lightforms. Galactus believes they are deliberately letting their essence be copied because whatever is going to happen suits their purpose. He calls on the last member of the Eternity Watch, the ghost of the Shaper Of Worlds encased in a forceglobe. Shaper repeats something he's said before, that he saw 'them' on the far shore waiting for the call. Big G asks him to use the remnants of his reality-shaping power to find his mortal Heralds the Ultimates and transport them to where they're needed.
4 of the Ultimates (America Chavez, Blue Marvel, Captain Marvel and Spectrum) are still trapped in space outside the shield around Earth, and still facing waves of Chitauri and defending the Alpha Flight space station from them until they die smashing into the shield. We see Gamora, Rocket Raccoon and Star-Lord of the Guardians Of The Galaxy plus Sasquatch of Alpha Flight involved. Then the Shaper pops up to tell them that they're needed in a greater war and takes the Ultimates away.
The 5th Ultimate Black Panther is trapped *on* Earth but he senses that something bigger than Secret Empire is going on. He descends into Wakanda's Necropolis but not to consult the nation's gods the Orisha who have proven unreliable (in his 2016 series). Instead he seeks out the Tiger God who he claims is the original god spawned by humans' fear of the dark (and tigers). The TG appears and mentions that as always his White Tiger followers have deserted him and asks if T'Challa is here to replace them. BP replies that he knows the Tiger only bestows his full power to 1 who conquers him, not 1 who submits to him. So they fight.
Maker has a display of Earths of the (merely) thousands of universes in the multiverse of the (post-SW) 8th Cosmos, separated by the Superflow. But now they see the Superflow walls break down. Galactus panics and Eternity starts to break his chains. Galactus warns him it's a trap as Eternity escapes 1 cage to find himself inside another - the 1st Firmament. Now that the multiverse is just 1 universe he can begin to eat it.
High Evolutionary at last tells Maker he thinks things are going wrong and asks him to reverse the process. But Maker reminds him that he's a multitasker and while he was rewriting the multiverse he brought some old friends to keep Wyndham and Galactus in line. And we see the (dead) Ultimate Universe versions of Captain America, Giant-Man, Hulk, Iron Man and Wasp.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Blue Marvel (
Adam Brashear), Infinaut, Psi-Hawk, Spectrum (
Monica Rambeau), Ultimates.
EnemiesPlus: Captain America (
of UU), Chitauri, First Firmament, Giant-Man (
of UU), Hulk (
of UU), Iron Man (
of UU), Logos, Maker (
Reed Richards of Ultimate Universe), Tiger God, Wasp (
of UU).