Warning: Spoilers forThe Ultimates #6!In a fascinating switch-up ofMarvellore,The Ultimatesis shaking up the comic book world in more ways than one, including by changing histories, making villains heroes, and making heroes villains. But one of the most fascinating moments comes from the Hulk, as he faces the Ultimates for the first time and becomes an in-world critic commenting on exactly what’s wrong with the very idea of superheroes in comics.
Marvel’s Ultimate Universehas recently been revamped with a team of redefined and modernized Avengers known as the Ultimates. TheHulk, however, isn’t one of their ranks - instead, he’s their enemy. InThe Ultimates#6by Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri, Federico Blee, and Travis Lanham, the Ultimates have reached the Hulk’s abode, and he’s like nothing comic fans have come to expect. This Hulk is a pacifist Buddhist monk with the power of atomic punches.
As for the Ultimates,he believes they are nothing but children indulging in their adolescent power fantasies, which is a common critique of the superhero genre in general, making the Ultimate Hulk a mouthpiece for superheroes' most vocal critics - but it doesn’t mean he’s framed as being in the right.
Through the New Ultimate Hulk, Marvel Addresses the Greatest Critique of Comics
Ultimate Hulk Compares the Avengers to Children
In the Ultimate Universe, there were originally no superheroes because of the Maker’s meddling with time. So, in this world, superheroes like Tony Stark, Doom, and Hawkeye are a recent endeavor and are not backed by nearly a century of superhero lore. In one way, the Hulk is speaking about the history of this different world: a world without superheroes. And yet, beyond that, he’s touching ona subject that has haunted comics for some time: power fantasies.
Looking for more stories within the Ultimate Universe? Check outUltimate Spider-Man,Ultimate X-Men, andUltimate Black Panther, available now from Marvel Comics.
From the earliest days of the medium,comics - and especially superhero comics - have been about detailing the spectacular worlds of fantasy and science fiction. But as the world grew more complicated after World War II, there was a decisive need for superheroes to be in power. It’s often said that comics are for children, which isn’t entirely true, but a lot of superhero comic readers start as children and grow up with comics. What these children grow up with, then, is the desire to be just like the superheroes who are impossibly strong.
Comic Titan Alan Moore Has Big Ideas about Power Fantasies in Superhero Comics
The Creator ofWatchmenEquates Superhero Dreams With Fascism
Alan Moore is one of the foremost authoritieson comics, and as a veteran comic writer, he has written stories that parallel society and culture with the rise of superheroes' power. His stories, likeWatchmen, are oftenabout the dangers of superhero worship, especially as they compare to totalitarian countries. His fear is that superheroes are akin to gods, with fans worshiping superheroes without any true self-reflection. Essentially, he believes that the superhero dream is essentially fascism.
Hulk Officially Introduces Marvel’s Strongest Team Yet: The Members & Powers of Hulk’s ‘Immortal Weapons’ Explained
The Ultimate Universe’s despicable Hulk has unveiled his new team of superpowered villains, as the Ultimate Immortal Weapons of Hulk are revealed!
Moore is the king of writing ethically ambiguous stories. He is often quoted as beingdissatisfied with good versus evil stories, but superhero stories thrive in that ethical divide.When zoomed out, his take can be argued as genuinely true, since every comic fan might very well be engaging in this sort of psychic displacement where their favorite aspect of superheroes is their godhood, and in loving comics, they are living out their power fantasies that they cannot actualize in the real world.
Stan Lee Believes in the Power of Superhero Comics to Do Good in Peoples' Lives
Lee Is the Co-Creator of Many Marvel Icons
While Moore may be on to something, good can also come out of superhero stories. Comic readers might be engaging in power fantasies, but that could, occasionally, be a good thing.Superhero comics often provide a safe place for those who feel the world is out of their control.Stan Lee, another comic industry legend, co-reated many fan-favorite heroes that make Marvel what it is today. He helped to build a world that still blooms today - in the MCU, for example, where all his dreams are made even further manifest.
Comic readers who feel powerless learn from heroes who use their power to fight for the innocent.
Before his death, Lee often spoke about how badly people needed superheroes. Comic readers who feel powerless learn from heroes who use their power to fight for the innocent. The world is built on grown-up comic readers who have learned from the heroes of their childhood that are still fighting today. Even in the Ultimate universe, where those famous heroes are assembling for the first time,the Hulk might see children trying to be heroes - but that’s how every hero must get his start: through fantasy.
Despite Critiques, Marvel’s Heroes Are an Essential Part of Popular Culture
The Ultimates Assemble to Save a Dark, Hero-less World
Whether or not superhero comics are just an opportunity for adolescents to engage in power fantasies, superheroes are needed today more than ever. In the Ultimate world, where superheroes have to be an underground resistance, a superhero must begin with a dream in order to fight a true fascist society. This is the ideal of the Ultimates, who are dreaming of a better world, and are standing before the Hulk, who thinks their dreams are meaningless fantasies. But inMarvel, a fantasy is how a hero must begin.
