Ultimates #5

History

The Ultimates (2024) is the fourth ongoing series launched in Marvel's revived Ultimate Universe imprint, itself built on the foundation Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch laid in the limited series Ultimate Invasion. Writer Deniz Camp — previously known for Children of the Vault and 20th Century Men — was announced for the title in early 2024 alongside artist Juan Frigeri, who brought experience from team books including Avengers and Invincible Iron Man. The series was designed to function as the imprint's central Avengers-style team book, carrying forward the main Maker's Council storyline while each issue spotlights a smaller cast to allow deeper character work; issue #5's near-singular focus on Captain America and Charli Ramsey exemplifies that structural approach. Colors for the issue were by Federico Blee, letters by Travis Lanham, and the cover was by Dike Ruan.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance of Charli Ramsey (Earth-6160), the Ultimate Universe's Hawkeye, in their debut as a fully original character — not a redesign of Clint Barton or Kate Bishop.
• Charli is a member of the Oglala Band of the Lakota Nation and uses they/them pronouns; writer Deniz Camp confirmed after publication that the character is Two-Spirit, making Charli the first non-binary legacy hero in Marvel Comics.
• The issue's central conflict: Clint Barton of Earth-6160 declined Iron Lad's Hawkeye recruitment package and discarded it; Charli found the gear and Tony Stark's recorded message, and began independently attacking Roxxon Energy Partners facilities to defend Indigenous land.
• Captain America (Steve Rogers) is sent by Iron Lad (Tony Stark) to recover the stolen Stark tech; after a prolonged bow-versus-shield fight, Cap and Charli team up against Roxxon's 'Cleanup Crew' mercenaries, ending with Steve officially recruiting Charli into the Ultimates.
• The B-plot establishes the issue's antagonist dynamic: Emmanuel Da Costa (Black King of the Hellfire Club and Maker's Council member) and Bruce Banner/Hulk surveil the situation; Hulk reveals he has been studying the Ultimates' weaknesses and proposes to destroy them all at once rather than piecemeal.
• In this Ultimate Universe continuity, Bruce Banner/Hulk is a villain — a member of the Maker's Council who rules much of East Asia and is characterized as a strategic mastermind rather than the sympathetic figure of Earth-616.
• The story's thematic core — corporate exploitation of Indigenous land, framed through Roxxon as a stand-in for real-world energy corporations — continues Deniz Camp's series-wide practice of embedding recognizable sociopolitical issues into Ultimate Universe storytelling.
• Published October 9, 2024; written by Deniz Camp, art by Juan Frigeri, colors by Federico Blee, letters by Travis Lanham, cover by Dike Ruan. Retail variants included covers by Paulo Siqueira (1:25), Geoff Shaw, and InHyuk Lee.

Cast · 7 characters

Full credits

Key issues in Ultimates

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#18 1st appearance — Penance

Variants (5)