Why hasn't the Ultimate Universe failed?

[Rasputin9977]

The Shadowline Saga, Razorline, Marvel 2099, the Ultraverse and NV-2. Marvel has had various imprints dedicated to a universe outside 616 and they all failed within a few years; except for the Ultimate Universe which has been going strong for 10 plus years. What made this line successful? I didn't hop on it when it came out because I wasn't interested in a line that was going to fail in 1-2 years.

[Sparrowsabre7]

I think it comes down to the pretty basic thing of "good writing." Not to mention the simplified nature of the universe. All those others seem merely to complicate things.

[wyokid]

Marvel cares more about it and has always been more invested in it.

[Robbie_Jee]

I think it mostly comes down to characters. I think a lot of fans read Ultimate Comics because they prefer reading Ultimate characters over their 616 counterparts.

Hulk, Thor, Ironman, Captain America, Nick Fury, Spiderman, Spiderwoman, Hawkeye, Jean Grey, Aunt May, Kitty Pryde, Wolverine, Goat-leg Doom. These characters are the reason why the UU is so popular. They're written how the fans want them to be and some characters even seem purer or more 'classic' through their ultimatizasions.

Also, nowadays the UU is very much a 'proper' Marvel universe, one that is able to stand side by side with 616. The Ultimate universe now seems like the younger brother rather than a long distant cousin of the regular Marvel Universe, similarly to how much of America sees Canada or how England sees Wales.

616 has been going stale for over two decades IMO and it seems as though the writers will never be able to breath new life into it. 1610 is fresh in it's approach to storytelling whereas 616 is having to pit their heroes against one another simply because after nearly 60 years, the writers struggle to come up with any new interesting villains/threats. 1610 is also more accessible through it's not-too-continuity-heavy history and having less titles out each month. The result is a better line. A tighter, more cohesive universe. Therefore it has the advantage of being more focused than 616.

[Havok C.]

I feel like I can relate to some of the characters in Ultimate and I actually know their history more than any 616 character. Like I've actually been there to witness why a character is the way he/she is.

[sage6paths]

Try asking the question why hasn't the 616 failed? Answer: People like it. same applies to the Ultimate Universe. Generally stuff that people like will not get cancelled.

[Kurolegacy]

In addition, Ultimate Marvel continues to show just how strong of a force that it is in just how many things have been inspired from it such as black Nick Fury in the more recent animated shows and cinematic universe and even how the cinematic universe mixes elements from both 616 and Ultimate.

[Mr Parker]

I think that the characters are fresher, that's why it's helped UU stay on form. It's a modern world we live in and we need modern things to read.

UU was a breath of fresh air whereas 616 was getting outdated, a little ragged around the edges.

Everyone has that old pair of jeans that they like wearing, the good old comfy ones but you always feel your best when wearing that new pair that look great.
If you see what I'm saying...

[Hostile_17]

For me it's because the universe just feels like it's a lot more cohesive and solid than 616.

I love the X-Men side of 616 too, but when I'm reading that, they feel very much like the super-hero comic they are, like an extension of the cartoons I watched in the 90's.

The Ultimate Universe to me feels a lot more of a "what if this shit really happened?" scenario.

The fact it's so focused and everything stems from humans playing god in a genetic arms race seems very realistic to me and it's no coincidence the more political arcs are my favourites.

Obviously there are still a few story lines that are very much "out there" generic super-hero type stuff, but those are generally the ones I haven't cared for.

I also love the way that some characters have really been given the chance to shine in this continuity, Fury, Hawkeye and Kitty Pryde being my favourite examples of this.

[Spidey_Legend]

Try asking the question why hasn't the 616 failed? Answer: People like it. same applies to the Ultimate Universe. Generally stuff that people like will not get cancelled.

I agree. Ultimate is popular because is something different than 616.

For example, Peter Parker dead or an evil Reed Richards, but also has one of the major failure in comic's history called Ultimatum.

If not, put a DC and make a fucking reboot every 15 years.

[Assassin Spider]

The Ultimate Universe has succeeded where all others have failed for one simple reason: You are still reading about the same characters you know and love, albeit simplified or distilled to their best elements and developed from there as they would be if they were conceived in the 2000s instead of the 1960s or 1970s. Marvel 2099 and MC2 were good, but you were reading derivatives of the original characters, entirely new characters utilizing the names, motifs, and occasionally abilities of the characters you knew and loved while set in an unfamiliar world. In all fairness, Marvel 2099 only failed when they fired the editor in an attempt to cut costs and the writers protested by almost uniformly jumping ship, which leeched the lifeblood from what could have been a very successful alternate future line for Marvel Comics a la The Legion of Super-Heroes over at DC Comics. MC2, in my opinion, just never really got the support it deserved, either from editorial or from the readership, and pretty much for the reasons I just outlined, that the new characters were just derivatives of the original characters and not really different enough from the originals to matter all that much to the readers. That's it in a nutshell.

[Wolverine12]

I like to think it's still alive due to my undying hope of a return from Ultimate Wolverine.

[wyokid]

I like to think it's still alive due to my undying hope of a return from Ultimate Wolverine.

There you have it folks, the sole reason why the line still exists.

[Z-verse]

The Ultimate U has everything going for it, writing, characters, art. The bid deal about UU is that anything can really happen. 616 is very convoluted and has had so many different people on it that it is like a piece of paper that has been folded a million times and then unfolded. It is not the same once you fold it. Get what I'm trying to say. The UU is Streets ahead of 616.

[wyokid]

The Ultimate U has everything going for it, writing, characters, art. The bid deal about UU is that anything can really happen. 616 is very convoluted and has had so many different people on it that it is like a piece of paper that has been folded a million times and then unfolded. It is not the same once you fold it. Get what I'm trying to say. The UU is Streets ahead of 616.

Stop encouraging him...