Ultimate X-Men has taken the idea of the Ultimate Universe — rebooting the concepts of the Marvel Universe in a new way — further than any of the other Ultimate books. Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Wolverine, Ultimate Black Panther, and The Ultimates all have their differences from the main line books, but at their core, they still use many of the same ideas of the main universe. However, Ultimate X-Men took the X-Men’s concept and injected it into an awesome horror manga story, changing a lot of the bedrock of the X-Men. The book has been a delicious slow burn, but with the end of first phase of the Ultimate Universe coming, things have sped up. Ultimate X-Men #19 looks to set up the endgame of the book, as the X-Men and the Children of the Atom face off in a cataclysmic battle that will have major repercussions for the events of the book’s ending.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Ultimate X-Men‘s first year ended with Armor being captured by the Children of the Atom’s leader the Maester, with the last seven issues dealing with her captivity, her connection to Kageyama, and the X-Men trying their best to save her. Ultimate X-Men #19 shows the aftermath of their success, and gives readers a battle that shows off just how powerful the X-Men have gotten. Ultimate X-Men has been fantastic and the latest issue sets the stage for the book’s eventual ending.
Armor Save the X-Men as Kageyama Makes His Move
The X-Men and the Children of the Atom have been clashing for the last few months, as the X-Men have been trying to get Armor back. They succeeded in last issue, and that drew out the forces of the Children, leading to a stand off in the street. Meanwhile, Armor finally comes back to herself after her rescue, and sees the news report of the two groups about to clash. One of the best parts about Ultimate X-Men so far has been the way Peach Momoko takes common occurrences in superhero comics — in this case, a superhero battle — and uses her own unique style to make it different than we’re what used to. The battle combines aspects of manga and Western comics, with the X-Men doing their best to hold their own against the more numerous Children. The X-Men are able to get the advantage in the fight, with Natsu, Kanon, Maystorm, and Nico’s powers making a huge difference, but then the Maester shows up, having taken the powers of Kageyama, and turns the tide, with the X-Men powerless against him.
However, Armor shows up immediately, and is able to use her enhanced powers — thanks to the Maester’s power-enhancing drug MY-X — to keep the Maester from hurting the X-Men, her souped powers allowing her to offset the Maester’s use of Kageyama’s powers. Armor and Kageyama’s powers are somewhat related, seemingly opposite sides of the same coin which is why the Maester wanted control of both of them. Speaking of Kageyama, the X-Men freeing Armor also freed him, but there’s a huge difference — unlike Armor, no one came to help him. No one cared enough to save Kageyama, and left him to rot. Once he realizes that the Maester is stealing his powers without his permission, he takes matters into his own hands, taking back his powers. Armor realizes what’s going on, and as the X-Men regroup, Kageyama kills the Maester, blasting his head apart. The Maester has been controlling the Children of the Atom through Kageyama’s power, and that control is as gone as he is. Armor realizes what’s happened; Kageyama has been her enemy from the beginning, and it looks like he’s still a foe despite their shared captivity. However, Kageyama now also has access to the Maester’s technology, including the MY-X drug. The X-Men barely survived against the Maester, who only had a portion of Kageyama’s power. How can they survive against him?
The X-Men Race to the Ultimate Endgame
Ultimate X-Men started out with Armor dealing with her powers while Kageyama waited in the wings, using his dark powers against her. The Maester and the Children of the Atom then became the villains of the book, especially once Armor and Kageyama were taken by the Maester. The Maester’s quest for power could have been stretched to the ending of the book, but instead Momoko puts Kageyama firmly back into the villain’s chair for the final arc of the book.
The difference between Armor and Kageyama — that Armor has people that care about her and Kageyama doesn’t — looks to play a major role in the book’s finale. Ultimate X-Men always ends with a data page, as Momoko gives American readers some cultural context for things in the book, but this one ends showing a comic strip that is about how little anyone cared about Kageyama in his entire life. Could this be Momoko showing us that the power of friendship will save him? Can the X-Men convince Kageyama to change or will they have to destroy that damaged young man? Ultimate X-Men #19 does a remarkable job of setting the book’s ending, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
What did you think about Ultimate X-Men #19? Sound off in the comments below.
Want to stay up to date on the biggest geek entertainment news? Add us as a prefer source in Google – HERE.
