Marvel’sUltimateUniverse has introduced a radically redefinedGuardians of the Galaxyteam, unlike anything fans have witnessed inGuardianshistory, andI think one obscure reference gives away that the far-flung future version of Star-Lord isPeter Quill’sdescendent.Of course, this is just a theory – andThe Ultimateshas faked me out before – but it makes me psyched to learn more about this newly-introduced version of the character.
The Ultimates#8 – written by Deniz Camp; with art by Juan Frigeri – debutsa version of Star-Lordwho is described as “Lord of the Twelve Houses,” a subtle shout-out toauthor Al Ewing’sGuardians of the Galaxyrun, during whichPeter Quill gained this title, and also fathered a son.
While it could be just a deep-cut lore callback, I would be thrilled ifThe Ultimates' creative team went all the way with it, and made this a tangible connection to an earlierGuardiansstory.
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The Ultimates#8 – Written By Deniz Camp; Art By Juan Frigeri; Color By Federico Blee; Lettering By Travis Lanham
As a reader, I’ve loved how Marvel’sUltimatecomics have so far been defined by wild, ambitious creative swings. Superhero comics are full of reboots, redesigns, rebrands, and returns to the status quo, all in a seemingly-infinite cycle, but this time around,UltimateMarvel has really been a coordinated effort to do something unique, by remixing and remastering different pieces of the sprawling lore attached to its characters in the original Marvel continuity, andall its endless Multiversal offshoots.The Ultimates#8, with its reimagining of Star-Lord and the other guardians, is by far the series' most ambitious issue yet.
The Ultimatesis the centerpiece of Marvel’s rebootedUltimateline of comics, which, as a reminder, is an ongoing alternate continuity version of the Marvel Universe. The overarching premise ofUltimateUniverse 2.0 is thatthe Maker, a villainous version of Reed Richards, and a holdover fromUltimateUniverse 1.0 – it’s complicated, but Screen Rant has covered all of this extensively, as the story has developed – disrupted the natural development of the superhero population in this timeline, leading to drastically divergent takes on familiar heroes and villains.
At first, this incarnation of Star-Lord seemed to me to have the least connection to the mainline conception of the original character, of everyoneUltimateMarvel has introduced so far. Yet once I caught the “Lord of the Twelve Houses” reference, I started to think that the opposite could actually be the case;UltimateStar-Lord could, in fact, have a more direct connection to Marvel canon than any other character besides the Maker, if he does turn out to be connected to Peter Quill’s “long-lost” sonfrom Al Ewing’sGuardiansrun, which I think, or at least I hope, he will.
Notably, it is actually possible for this to be the case without any Multiverse-hopping. Let me explain: the Guardians inUltimates#8 are the last survivors of the future that was overwritten when the Maker – or rather, in their vernacular, the Unmaker – interfered with the flow of events to stop most major Marvel heroes from getting their powers, while others became part of his villainous Council, the cabal secretly ruling the world. That means Peter Quill’s son, or perhaps his son’s son, or some descendent, could still have existed and held the title of Star-Lord in the original version of events.
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Meet “Rocky” In Al Ewing’s 2020-2021Guardians Of The GalaxyRun
Personally, I am rooting forThe Ultimatesto establish a concrete connection between the revamped Star-Lord of the 61st-century –as the Guardians who take center stage inUltimates#8 hail from – and Peter Quill’s son “Rocky” from Al Ewing’sGuardians of the Galaxyrun. Yes, by the way, Quill named his kid after Rocket Raccoon.The Ultimatescould make its Star-Lord a direct descendant, or it could straight up make the character Rocky himself, relying on the prevalance of time travel and the ability to circumvent death in any number of ways in the wider Marvel Universe.
WithThe Ultimates#8, writer Deniz Camp does more than just offer a nod to [Al Ewing and Jonathan Hickman]; he shows that he can absolutely hang with them in terms of epic storytelling with a vast scope.
I’m especially fond of this theory because of one particular line inThe Ultimates#8, in which Star-Lord calls the heroes of theUltimateUniverse “mockeries of what should have been,” as if he’s perhaps particularly contemptuous of this timeline, in which his father was never empowered, and he would never have existed. That’s just conjecture of course, but in any case, itspeaks to what makesThe Ultimatessuch an enjoyable read – that is, it stokes my imagination the same way comics did when I was a kid.
As I’ve written about before, my favorite Marvel stories are its most ambitious, cosmos-spanning tales – something that most Marvel fans would tell youauthor Al Ewing is at the forefront of, alongside Jonathan Hickman, who helped reinvent theUltimateUniverse, and is currently reinvigorating theSpider-Manmythos inUltimate Spider-Man. WithThe Ultimates#8, writer Deniz Camp does more than just offer a nod to his two colleagues; he shows that he can absolutely hang with them in terms of epic storytelling with a vast scope.
The Ultimates#8 – Main Cover By Dike Ruan & Meeraj Menon (Color); Variants By InHyuk Lee & Sara Pichelli Also Available
Overall,The Ultimates#8 is a wonderful single issue of a comic, and by far the best yet of the series. Admittedly,Ultimates#7 disappointed me a bit, by walking backthe huge hero death fromUltimates#6, which I praised at the time for being a bold direction to take the overallUltimatestory in. This issue more than won me back; it completely reinvigorated my faith in the story that Deniz Camp is telling, as part of the greaterUltimateUniverse narrative.
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A narrative which, by the way,Ultimates#8 furthered and foreshadowed via an ominous dialogue between Star-Lord andUltimateDoctor Doom, another Reed Richards variant– again, there’s a lot going on here. In short, Star-Lord said the quiet part loud, by once again reminding readers that this Doom will either become theUltimateUniverse’s greatest hero, or worst villain. With the return of the 61st-centuryGuardians of the GalaxyandStar-Lordalso teased before the issue is over,I’m just one of many readers who hopes we find out a lot more about these exciting characters.
The Ultimates#8is available now from Marvel Comics.
Ultimate Marvel
Created in 2000, the Ultimate Marvel imprint redesigned the entire Marvel Comics universe with a new set of origin stories and relationships. The reboot reinterpreted Marvel continuity from scratch in an attempt to simplify and update the company’s 60-year history for modern audiences. With famous comic book writers such as Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, and Mark Millar at the helm, the Ultimate universe (named Earth-1610 within the Marvel multiverse) lasted 15 years and provided plenty of inspiration for the MCU.
