Marvel’s Hulk is about to fight one of the greatest battles of his long career, facing off against Marvel’s first ever hero and a roster of the greatest Avengers heroes of all time. But this isn’t the usual comic rematch – whoever wins, they win for good.
Hulk Faces the Ultimates in Epic Final Battle
And Human Torch/Vision Is Part of the Clash
In recent solicit information for The Ultimates #24, Marvel revealed that the team will face off against the Ultimate Hulk. A genius sociopath, the Ultimate Universe’s Bruce Banner is an unforgivable villain who carries out gamma experiments on innocent people, while acting as part of a secret cabal who keep the world locked in a state of constant warfare.
Written by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri, Dike Ruan’s cover shows Hulk contending with She-Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, the Wasp, Shen Qi and the recently revamped Vision, aka the former Human Torch. The issue’s summary reads:
YEAR TWO OF THE ULTIMATE UNIVERSE NEARS ITS END IN THE FINAL ISSUE OF ULTIMATES! She-Hulk and her remaining teammates confront the villainous Hulk in a brutal, all-or-nothing battle on Gamma Island!
Marvel’s First Hero Just Got a Major Redesign
In the recent The Ultimates #20, it was revealed that the Human Torch had traveled back in time, spending almost 80 years in the past building a support system to defy the Maker’s regime. Over the years, the Torch gradually repaired and upgraded his android body, until he was reborn as the Vision.
Thanks to these upgrades, the Vision is now the most advanced being on Earth, capable of controlling the density of his body and processing a near-infinite amount of data at once.
The Vision’s debut saved the Ultimates from defeat when the Maker finally returned, and now the hero will pitch in for another defining battle.
This Is an Era-Defining Rewrite of Avengers Lore
Since its founding in 2023, the Ultimate Universe has echoed classic Marvel lore, albeit always with a new twist. In this case, the Ultimates taking on Hulk is a reference to Avengers #1, where the team first formed to battle a Loki-controlled Hulk.
The Ultimate Universe served fans a huge curveball in Ultimates #6, when the Ultimates united for the first time to take down Hulk… and ended up getting crushed. The Ultimates were slaughtered by Hulk and his gamma-empowered enforcers, only surviving because Doom used time travel to save them. Even then, Iron Lad was grievously injured in the fight, changing his body forever.
Now, as Ultimates and the wider Ultimate Universe head towards their ending, the Ultimates get their rematch, taking on the Hulk one last time. The fight that once defined the Avengers’ origin will now define the Ultimates’ ending, with Marvel officially ending the Ultimate Universe imprint following the events of the Ultimate Endgame event.
For almost two years, Marvel has been building towards this epic Hulk vs Ultimates fight – now, fans get to see who walks away alive.
The Ultimates #24 is coming April 1, 2026, from Marvel Comics.
- Writer
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Brian Michael
- Publisher(s)
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Marvel
