So, how does "Ultimate Invasion" go about bringing back the Ultimate Universe? Well, it really doesn't. The four-part story puts the spotlight on the Maker — formerly known as Reed Richards, perhaps better known as Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four — who plans to bring back his home universe, Earth-1610. It is destroyed during the 2015 "Secret Wars" storyline. As one of the last remnants of the old Ultimate Universe, the Maker escapes the main Marvel Universe on Earth-616, venturing to Earth-6160 and influencing key events.
At this point in the new Ultimate Universe of Earth-6160, Peter Parker's story hasn't gone the way most would expect. The Maker actually prevents him from being bitten by the spider that famously grants him his Spider-Man abilities in most other Marvel continuities. Outside of this occurrence in "Ultimate Invasion" #1, we haven't seen this new take on Parker do much else. One has to imagine that the return of "Ultimate Spider-Man" will bring with it an origin story for this interpretation of the web-slinger — albeit with some tweaks to differentiate him from his Earth-616 counterpart.
Will this Ultimate Marvel relaunch go on to give Marvel Comics a sales boost like its predecessor? Much like the original Ultimate continuity, will it someday influence the character designs and stories of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Time will tell. If you want to see what the imprint has to offer beyond "Ultimate Invasion," "Ultimate Spider-Man" swings into action sometime in 2024.
