The Four Color Media Monitor

Comic Book Movie reveals what goes on in the 4th issue of the new Ultimates title, which is, regrettably enough, built on shock value, and that's the fate the alternate take on the Fantastic Four are subjected to in the story, which involves a villain called the Maker:

As you may recall, The Maker was the original Ultimate Universe's Mister Fantastic who, rejected by Sue Storm and traumatised by Ultimatum, became a villain.

In today's The Ultimates #4, we finally learn how The Maker's machinations ensured the Fantastic Four would never form on this new Earth-6160.

We learn that Reed's ambitions to travel into outer space got the better of him and, after going over budget and failing safety expectations, his project was shut down (all The Maker's doing, of course). Despite that, he convinces Ben, a reluctant Sue, and her younger brother Johnny, to travel into a cosmic storm with him.

It never comes and an explosion burns poor Johnny to death. Disgraced, Ben takes his own life by jumping into a quarry and Sue dies due to being exposed to radiation on that flight.

Reed remains in prison before he's aged up and tortured by his doppelganger. Electrocuted and facially disfigured, he's experimented on and even attacked by rats before Doom's burning hot mask is placed on his face. With that, Reed finally gives in and declares himself Doom.

Traumatised by The Maker, he's now trying to do the right thing alongside Iron Lad but there's a darkness in him and we see that this twisted Reed is attempting to recreate the Fantastic Four with experiments which have, thus far, failed.

Gee, isn't that odd, Johnny Storm falling victim to what he became made of in the 616 universe, and making matters worse, Reed is turned into a different Doom, all apparently for the sake of depicting him undergoing jarring violence in the process. That is so sick. I guess no comment from the news site on how degrading this is, and perpetuates the kind of cheap sensationalism that became a sad staple of Marvel since the turn of the century?

Here's another synopsis from ComicBook, which insults the intellect:

Marvel's First Family has a much bleaker fate in the Ultimate Universe. Marvel relaunched the Ultimate Universe with a set of four titles, with The Ultimates the final title to debut as of now. This version of the Ultimate Universe has been warped by The Maker, and evil version of Reed Richards from the original Ultimate Universe. A young Tony Stark leads the Ultimates, and has been recruiting heroes to his cause to undo the damage done by the Maker. As fans wait to learn what happened to the Ultimate Fantastic Four, the latest issue of Ultimates reveals what happened to the beloved super team.

This is beyond disgusting when they say "fans wait to learn what happened" when I for one most definitely do not want to buy and read this monstrosity, built as it clearly is by people who don't love the Marvel universe. All for the sake of perpetual darkness, and they won't even question whether it's a healthy influence. Real Marvel fans don't waste their money on horrific sensationalism like this, and I'm certainly not doing that. This new Ultimate line is just another excuse for wallowing in the kind of shock value even the original line from the 2000s wasted time upon.

Labels: Avengers, Fantastic Four, golden calf of death, golden calf of villainy, marvel comics, moonbat artists, moonbat writers, msm propaganda, violence