Warning! Spoilers forThe Ultimates#6-12 ahead!
Iron Manis known as Marvel’s greatest futurist, which is what makes it darkly ironic that his new power in the Ultimate Universe is the ability to see the past, while he is seemingly cut off from being able to view the future. In the latest issue ofThe Ultimates, Tony Stark revealed that his connection with the “Immortus Engine” lets him look into the past.
The Ultimates#12, written by Deniz Camp, with art by Juan Frigeri, is a pivotal moment for the series, as a dark secret harbored by the team’s heroic version of Doctor Doom comes to light, a confrontation precipitated by Tony’s new power.
“The engine allows me to see through time,” Tony explains in the issue, though he quickly notes that it is far from simple, especially when he encounters “two versions of events superimposed,“leading him to uncover what really happened during the team’s battle against the evil incarnation of Hulk.
Ultimate Tony Stark Can View The Past, In A New Twist On Iron Man’s Powers
The Ultimates#12, Written By Deniz Camp; Art By Juan Frigeri
There have been many hints suggestingthat Ultimate Iron Manwill become this continuity’s version of Kang the Conqueror in the future, whileDoctor Doom, who is Reed Richards under the maskin this timeline, is also a possible suspect. That is just one reason it is notable thatThe Ultimates#12 finds both of them fixated on time, as it is revealed that Doom used time travel to avert the team’s deaths at the hands of Hulk, which Tony Stark realizes only because of his newfound ability to “see through time.”
Rather than a precognitive ability, though, Tony can only look at the past, as everything beyond a critical juncture in the future “is just…white.” WhileThe Ultimates#12, overall, is saturated with major plot implications for the series moving forward, this also stands out as a noteworthy character beat, because ithighlights how much the series' subversion of familiar character tropes for its heroes, particularly characters like Iron Man and Doctor Doom, is the result of a deep understanding of the characters' traditional forms.
Tony’s Temporal Vision Could Have The Most Lasting Impact Of All The Big Reveals In “The Ultimates” Latest Issue
The Reveal Augments Tony’s Role In The Story
The Ultimates#12 finds the team on the verge of a breaking point, but instead they come out of the other end of it stronger. The issue also reveals the identity of a traitor among their ranks, setting the stage for future complications. For Tony Stark, who is young and still navigating how to be a hero, and a leader, the issue delivers another moment of growth, reiterating why he is the only character who can lead the team, if they are going to liberatethis version of the Marvel Universefrom tyranny.
This twist on Iron Man’s powers feels like one of those narrative moves, the effects of which will reverberate many issues down the line.
It is a strong issue across the board, with its twist on Tony Stark’s powers as its centerpiece. While it might not feel like the biggest revelation of the issue,it is likely the one that will have the most impact on the climax of the series' overarching storyline.The Ultimateshas been deliberate about maneuvering pieces into place for the story’s eventual climax, without making it feel obvious, and this twist onIron Man’spowers feels like one of those narrative moves, the effects of which will reverberate many issues down the line.
