Thanks to Spider-Man: Far from Home, the door has been opened for many new additions to the MCU, and it could very well have set up an entrance for the Ultimates.
If you haven’t seen it, the latest Far from Home trailer confirms that the onscreen version of Mysterio is from an alternate dimension created from Endgame’s Infinity Stone meddling. That has given Marvel Studios a new sandbox to play in, so to speak, and it could usher in new versions of old characters that we thought were finished.
Back in 2000, Brian Michael Bendis started the Ultimate Universe. This gave an opportunity for the Marvel creators to give updated and alternate versions of classic characters from the company’s lengthy history. Instead of the Avengers, this alternate universe had the Ultimates, and they worked directly for Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.
We’ve already seen Ultimate characters - and those inspired by the Ultimate Universe - on movie screens. The MCU version of Stormbreaker is clearly modeled after the Ultimate Mjolnir, and Nick Fury was based on Samuel L. Jackson in the Ultimate Universe. In the Sony-verse, audiences were introduced to Miles Morales, the Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bringing in the Ultimate Universe could allow Marvel Studios to recast key roles from the Avengers series, namely Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow without diminishing the importance of the movie history built from those original 22 films. Between Endgame, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man, the multiverse has been well-established with even the most casual of Marvel fans. Now that Far from Home is incorporating characters from other dimensions, then it is laying out the red carpet for the Ultimate Universe, and I’m not just referring to the Ultimates. This could be a perfect segue into the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, and possibly Galactus.
So much material is available when tapping into the Ultimate Universe, and Mysterio could very well be from this alternate reality. If that theory pans out, then it could easily help transition the F.F. into the MCU. In the comics, they are experts on inter-dimensional travel, and having them move into the MCU through the Ultimate Universe would be an intriguing set up. Think of the hysteria that could be generated from a post-credits scene for an Ultimate F.F. entrance. For that matter, it would make for great cinema to incorporate the Maker - the evil alternate version of Reed Richards from the Ultimate Universe - into an F.F. film.
All that being said, it is worth investing your dollars into the Ultimates #1, which is the first appearance of these alternate Avengers. While it's still a cheap buy, it's gradually heating up. A graded 9.8, which had averaged $28 in 2017 and $33 in 2018, sold for $54 last month, giving it a 90-day fair market value of $46. That $54 sale happens to be the most a 9.8 has sold for in three years, so keep an eye on it once Far from Home gives us clues about whether or not the Ultimate Universe exists within the MCU. If there's even a hint of the Ultimates, this issue will take off.
