The Big Problem

[chronicboredom]

I was thinking about why people so heavily dislike the ultimate universe yesterday and I think the biggest problem with the series is that it grouped so many popular mutants and introduced them in a short space of time.
These characters were introduced gradually throughout the series in the marvel universe, we had the O5 for years and years and years.
The fact that mutants are being added ALL THE TIME takes away any future suprises. It would have been a lot better if they had a group of mutants at the start that completely blew us away (in other words how about no cyclops? -.-), maybe even a new character or two that would make this universe unique.
What do you guys think? Personally I figure it would be a lot more successful if we had been characters to look forward to .. but that just my input.

[DeREk FrEEsT]

Ya this is exactly what I've been telling people over at newsarama the ultimate universe hasn't been CREATIVELY good. There's still time to change it to that feel again. I also agree on mutants getting added every day but we could bring in new concepts for mutants that way it wouldn't be boring. Mutants who are ecologicalist to the extreme. Or Mutants that are counter-war extremist. There's still alot of ideals you could put for Mutants. I really think Ultimate X-men should be explaining more on how alternatives can happen to mutants due to their powers. I.E. Say Iceman goes on drugs you think he's only going to get high no his powers will get high and have a chain reaction the drugs. That's what I don't see too much when writers write mutants. To better understand the drug idea check out Season 1 Episode 7 "Engery Mind" of the Dead Zone.

Also not just no Cyclops but not no Xavier either let's have Xorn teaching the X-men.

Off topic but sort of related to topic:

There's this Ultimate type of champions series I've been brainstorming in my head that I'd love to write for marvel. It would be the mystic part of the ultimate universe and it would rarly take place on earth.

[Butch Mapa]

I assume you guys are talking about UXM?

Could've been interesting if they went with that approach. They sorta did it with Ultimates, it turned out fine.

[desanth]

UXM was great until about issue 50 or so, after that time it just got worse in quality.

[ThePhenom]

UXM was great until about issue 50 or so, after that time it just got worse in quality.

Woah, that just misses like all of BKV's run, that is absolute blasphemy!

[Vapour Trail]

I'm confused, wasn't UXM cancelled after Magnetic North? ;)

[Obsidian Thought]

Like I've been saying... more original characters and thinking outside the 616. Make the Ultimate Universe speak for itself.

[Netley]

Woah, that just misses like all of BKV's run, that is absolute blasphemy!

BKV's run was great! Not exactly what I would have expected him to write, but great nonetheless!

As for the too-many-mutants-too-fast thing, I agree. I like your idea of a team of just 5, with that number slowly growing. I think Millar went in the mutants-as-celebrities direction early on, instead of the mutants-as-crazy-weird-scary-to-the-public direction.

I wonder how the book would have developed had Bendis written it from the beginning (as he had been offered by Q, and maybe even initially signed on for). Would he have woven the title together with USM a lot more? Would he still be on UXM now?

[desanth]

Okay, I went and checked the issues I collected and saw where I lost interest, which was issue 68. So hey, sorry I missed BKV's run, I was exaggerating a bit since the last time I was interested in UXM(its been what 2 years?) :(

[HeckBoy]

I've got to agree on the whole lack-of-creativity part. It feels like after a character is introduced in a new light, they quickly dim and become more like their 616 self to a certain extent. Or if not that, it just feels like a lot of elements are too familiar. I mean, I guess the Ultimate Universe wasn't exactly meant to follow in the footsteps of a "What If...?" or Exiles-type bizarro alternate reality series, but it would've been a nice change of pace if they really did do something out of left field instead of sticking to old archetypes.