Commander Steve Rogers, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. sends Spider-Man, Black Widow, and Bucky Barnes (AKA Captain America) to investigate a mysterious tower that appeared in New York city. However, the unknown building teleports them into a new universe, an Ultimate universe.
The story, titled Avenging the Ultimate
is written by Rider Paladin and is a crossover between the mainstream Marvel universe (Earth 616) and the Ultimate Marvel universe and takes place before the events of Fear Itself and after the events of Ultimatum.
Avenging the Ultimate provides examples of:
- 100% Heroism Rating: While Spider-Man is a Hero with Bad Publicity to the general populace, the 616 heroes of his world have nothing but respect and admiration for him. When Ultimate!Carol derides him and informs them of her world's Captain America having done the same, 616!Steve Rogers immediately comes to his defense, with every hero from his world following suit.
- Armor-Piercing Response: After Carol derides Peter Parker, Steve Roger's telling Carol of how Spider-Man is easily one of the greatest heroes their world has completely throws her for a loop. Not only that, but everyone, her alternate-self most fervently, vouching for him pretty much puts a lid on any negative statements she ever thought about the guy.
- Cliffhanger: The story ends with Ultimate!Sue disappearing alongside Ultimate!Reed and forming an alliance with 616!Doctor Doom to stop the Incursions that will consume their worlds.
- Crapsack World: Both Marvel worlds aren't balls of sunshine in the slightest, though the mainstream one is better off. When Wolverine calls their world a real piece of work, Ultimate!Carol retorts that at least they didn't put Norman Osborn in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D.. This actually stumps the 616 heroes.
- Crossover: Between the Ultimate Marvel universe and the Mainstream Marvel Universe.
- Culture Clash: Since it crosses over the incredibly cynical Ultimate Marvel universe and the (comparatively) more idealistic Earth 616 Marvel Universe, this happens.
- Dark Is Not Evil: The 616 Spider-Man fits this since he wears his "Big Time" stealth suit, which is black with Tron Lines, throughout the story.
- Doppelgänger Gets Same Sentiment: Used to positive and negative effect.
- Bucky!Cap and 616!Spider-Man having to defend their Black Widow from Ultimate!Hawkeye's anger as he initially assumes she is her resurrected counterpart.
- The Ultimates- particularly Ultimate!Cap- are quick to treat 616!Hank Pym like he's just as bad as his deceased counterpart just because they're both Hank Pym, even with the Avengers speaking up in his defense.
- 616!Spider-Man has no problem letting Ultimate!Black Cat depart based on his experience of her counterpart.
- Heel Realization:
- After 616!Spider-Man and Ultimate!Captain America's less than stellar first meeting (in which we mean Cap derided Spidey as an immature child who knew nothing of sacrifice and Spidey ramming into Cap on how he knows nothing of what he went through alongside calling him out on having lost the ideals he stood for), Cap starts showing signs that he regrets having treated Spider-Man in such a rude and demeaning way. By the time they meet up again, Cap acknowledges that he misjudged Spidey and apologizes.
- Also applies to Carol. After getting told off by Steve Rogers and the rest of the mainstream heroes, she acknowledges that she was wrong about Spider-Man.
- Horrible Judge of Character: 616!Spider-Man and Ultimate!Carol lampshade how unbelievably idiotic it was for the people running S.H.I.E.L.D. to put Norman Osborn in charge of the place.
- Magnetic Hero: 616!Steve Rogers has a naturally magnetic and charismatic presence that leaves even the Ultimates in awe of him.
- Manchild: Both Ultimate!Captain America and Ultimate!Carol view 616!Spider-Man as this thanks to their experiences with Ultimate!Spider-Man, who is a teenager where as the main one is an adult. 616!Steve Rogers sets things straight for Carol, citing Spider-Man as one of the greatest heroes he's ever had the honor of fighting beside and places his full faith in the man.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After being on the receiving end of a "The Reason You Suck" Speech from her 616 counterpart, Ultimate!Susan has this when she realizes that her pushing Reed away because of her selfishness sent him back to his horribly abusive father.
- Not So Similar:
- The Steve Rogers of the Ultimate and Mainstream universes. Besides Ultimate!Steve being a massive jerk compared to 616!Steve, how they would have approached the Civil War even also differs. The mainstream Steve rebelled against the government and fought for heroes to serve the people of their own volition, while the Ultimate universe Steve states that he would have supported the Registration acts all the way, especially with how the world turned out in the aftermath of Ultimatum. 616!Steve even states that his Ultimate version is hardly anything like him.
- Speaking of, 616!Iron Man supported the government and pretty much ran the Registration Act, but Ultimate!Iron Man is completely baffled by this, as this is something he'd never do and would have done what 616!Steve Rogers did.
- Other Me Annoys Me:
- While neither expressly state it, it is clear that 616!Steve Rogers disapproves of his more hardline Ultimate counterpart, informing his other self that Spider-Man is one of the best people he knows even if Ultimate!Cap dismissed him as another foolish child.
- Also applies by proxy for 616!Hank Pym, who quickly becomes annoyed at how the Ultimates act as though he's automatically as bad as his counterpart just because they're both Hank Pym.
- "Annoys" is an understatement for Natasha; when she learns what her counterpart did to Hawkeye, she is shaken at the idea that any version of her could do that to him.
- By contrast, when Bucky!Cap is introduced to his Ultimate counterpart, the two each see something to appreciate in the other, Bucky!Cap grateful that a version of him got a happy ending and the elder Bucky admiring his counterpart.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When Ultimate!Sue tells her mainstream counterpart that she broke up with Reed because he abandoned her to try and stop Magneto's genocide of mankind, she gets a major one from the older Susan.Susan (616): You... I can't believe I used to be as self-absorbed at your age.
Susan (Ultimate): Self-absorbed?
Susan (616): Yes, that's what I said. Self-absorbed. Or in a shorter word, selfish. All that brilliance, and you couldn't even see beyond yourself. As if Reed, any version of Reed, would have abandoned us willfully. You wanted him to stay by your side and wait for you to awaken as the world was falling apart around you both. I admit, that sounds very romantic, the kind of thing you'd see in a novel, but as a dear friend of my family says and believes, power like ours comes with responsibility, and a lot of times, responsibility means putting aside what we want to do what's right. Your Reed, if he's at all like mine, wanted to stay with you, would have given anything to do that - except let the world be destroyed while waiting for you to wake up. He did what he did because he wanted there to be a world for you to wake up in.
