Ultimate Avengers

The “Ultimate Avengers” has proven influential on Marvel’s Avengers.

Arguably, the best example is Nick Fury. 

Nick Fury had been a white World War II veteran promoted to superspy for decades in regular Marvel Comics. Marvel’s “Ultimate Comics” based a more modern Nick Fury to look like actor Samuel L. Jackson who in turn has played the character in the Marvel movies.

“Ultimate Comics” provide an alternative universe look at popular Marvel characters. 

In this edition, which collects “Ultimate Comics Avengers” issues 1-6, Captain America has gone rogue. Fellow Avengers have been assigned to bring him in.

But Cap has a mission to stop arch-enemy Red Skull, but in the Ultimate universe, the Skull claims to be Captain America’s son.

The Ultimate series followed familiar characters through new and unexpected twists.

In hindsight, these twists don’t seem so much unexpected now but influential. The Ultimates’ tics and eccentricities have been incorporated into numerous Marvel stories ever since.

Still, it’s fun to go back and find reprint collections of the Ultimate Marvel series.