Ultimate Power #7

Story Details

Ultimate Iron Man is immediately on the scene to fight Doom, while Spider-Man threatens Nick Fury on the triskelion, wanting to know what's going on. Fury fills him in: He knew Reed would try to send a probe, so asked Doom to check what information was going on it before Reed sent it (No mention of how he escaped the Zombie universe).

SHIELD and Doom covertly entered the Baxter Building and checked the probe while the FF slept.

Elsewhere, Burbank is telling his story to a knocked out Reed. His genius had been overshadowed by the arrival of Hyperion but the US government had asked him to find a way to take out the hero should the need arrive. He developed an infection that Hyperion wouldn't be able to withstand. It would also kill up to 10 million other people, considered collateral damage. They couldn't just release it, however, they would need a fall guy to take the blame...

So they encased Reed's probe with the infection and let it loose. Hyperion put the two together..

Reed is faking it though, and entangles Burbank like a snake, telling him to find Hyperion and tell him the truth. Elsewhere, Thor is taking on the entire Supreme Squadron.

As Spider-Man asks Fury why he trusted Doom, Fury takes him down to a hidden room where the Hulk is sedated but potentially ready for action. Meanwhile, Pietro tells Scarlet Witch to use her powers to end things, while the X-Men rescue Reed and, to top it all, the original Supreme Squadron show up, saying their world has been destroyed!

Spidey watch: Spider-Man is still with Nick Fury away from the main action and wants answers about Doom.

General Comments

Whew, after six issues of nothing really happening, everything is packed into this one. We have reveals about what's really going on and then three cliffhangers involving the Scarlet Witch, the Hulk and the original Mark Gruenwald Supreme Squadron.

Their appearance at the end certainly was a surprise and the next issue really is a must-read now.

That said, the Spider-Man portrayed here by Jeph Loeb just doesn't feel like the Ultimate Universe version. Would 16-year-old Peter Parker really say: “If you don't tell me what's going on, I'm so going to fill your lungs with webbing”? He certainly doesn't have the same voice as the Bendis version from the main Ultimate Spider-Man title.

And in that, I guess, lies part of the problem. I'm just not sure where this wide-ranging Ultimate crossover is so different from something that could have been done in the main universe.

Also, it might have been nice to find out how exactly Doom is in the universe at all considering the last time he was seen, he sacrificed himself to enter the Zombie universe.

On top of all that, as packed as this story has some of the most overused, tired storytelling devices ever. Burbank telling an unconscious Reed what's really going on (why?), while Reed is really faking it and coming around.

Despite the criticisms, the book finally offers what we were promised, instead of the constant padding and page splashes that have belied the earlier issues.

Overall Rating

Not perfect, with a few too many storytelling shortcuts. That said, it sets up the rest of the series very nicely and, for once, doesn't lag.