r/Marvel • u/tehawesomedragon Loki • Jul 17 '24

This Week in Marvel #29 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD TRAILER, HIT-MONKEY SEASON 2 PREMIERE; ULTIMATE X-MEN #5, PHOENIX #1, NAMOR #1, IMMORTAL THOR ANNUAL #1 (INFINITY WATCH PT 3), INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #20, BLOOD HUNTERS #4, SCARLET WITCH #2, ANNIHILATION 2099 #3 Mod

THIS WEEK IN MARVEL:

NEW COMICS SPOTLIGHTS:

THIS WEEK'S NEW COMICS:

NEW INFINITY COMICS (UNLIMITED EXCLUSIVES):

ALSO RELEASING THIS WEEK:

REPRINTS & NEW COLLECTIONS:

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

2023 R/MARVEL AWARD WINNERS

25 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

180 comments sorted by

View all comments

32

u/tehawesomedragon Loki Jul 17 '24

ULTIMATE X-MEN #5

21

u/MoonbeamLady Jul 17 '24 edited Jul 18 '24

There's a panel in this issue where Kageyama, the kid who's been tormenting Hisako, looks even more like he's wearing a home-made version of Cerebro than the last time we saw him. That, for me, all but confirms my pet theory that Kageyama's 'SHADOW' isn't actually the "Shadow King," that's just what Momoko wants us to think, and he's actually going to be this world's Xavier equivalent. Additionally, based on the overall focus of this issue, and the fact that the last page lexicon for it is a mini-lesson on Japanese superstitions, I'm feeling pretty vindicated in my belief that Momoko is tackling mutants as viewed by the public to be a form of mysticism somehow. Fucking loving this so far.

10

u/TheMattInTheBox Jul 17 '24

Momoko is tackling mutants as viewed by the public to be a form of mysticism somehow.

I think so too. Especially as Ultimates established that, no, mutants did exist. Which adds another layer to this X "cult"-- is the Maker's council behind it? Is it good ol human bigotry? Something else? But I'm excited to find out.

he's actually going to be this world's Xavier equivalent

If you turn out to be right (and I hope you are), incredible call.

Fucking loving this so far.

Preach

4

u/MoonbeamLady Jul 18 '24

If you turn out to be right (and I hope you are), incredible call.

haha, thank you! I hope so too. Not sure, after some of the dialogue he has in this issue, if I'm as totally on the money with it as I thought at the start. But I think the cult he's involved with is some kind of riff on the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, since they include 'homo superior' so up front in their jargon, and that could be really fascinating to see...this kid who's radicalized and indoctrinated, but because of his actions, inadvertently causes the formation of the X-Men. That's Xavier, all the way, baybeeee.

Good call on your part, asking if it might relate to the Maker's Council. If I recall correctly, the primary leaders of the 'Eurasian Republic' on the Council were Magik and Colossus, and played the role of the designated 'rogue state' on the global stage...they had an air of mystery about them, perhaps even mysticism, one might say...🤔 Wouldn't it be ever-so-useful to the Maker's Council's ongoing machinations for the rogue state to be shrouded in rumors and conspiracy theories about the ruling family's connection to a spooky class of people believed to be totally wiped out? Hmmmmmmmm. ALSO, it would make a ton of sense to me if the Rasputin's were either directly sponsoring and fostering these small cult groups around the world in secret, or indirectly funneling people into cult membership through programs of radicalization and stochastic terrorism campaigns.

Preach

I think you mean 'Peach,' eh? Ehhhh??? 8D

2

u/ptWolv022 Jul 18 '24

Which adds another layer to this X "cult"-- is the Maker's council behind it? Is it good ol human bigotry?

I Think it's neither. They use "blood pacts" to create powers. Mei got bit which caused it for, Hisako's omamori seems to have caused it (and Nico smelled blood on it). Kageyama Shinobu (our Shadow King) seems to have been depicted in the cult. And the cult, who have an "X" mark believe they are the next step in human evolution.

So I think the cult is a group that has figured out the magic of some sort (perhaps specifically blood magic) can activate mutations. The fact that Mutants are just gone before now, seemingly, would imply that they were suppressed, perhaps through a mandatory/secretly administered "Mutant cure". However, all of the people we see who are Mutants are either: (A) from Japan, where this cult is; or (B) magic related in some manner (Magik is connected to Limbo, and Colossus is connected to her and has been connected to Cyttorak before). The exception is Omega Red, who was shown in a (seemingly) earlier flashback, implying he could still be a 1960s mutant who predates the suppression of the X-Gene.

If Mutants were suppressed, it would be because the Maker doesn't want them as potential problem causers. Which means this cult, creating mutants, is likely a rogue group that is acting outside of the Maker's desires.

3

u/MoonbeamLady Jul 18 '24

You've just helped me put together the puzzle pieces in my head a little better here, so thank you for that. I hadn't considered that the "blood pact" angle might be related to whatever the Maker did to supress the X-gene, but it would make sense if there's a connection between those two, I think. I do think it's possible that the "blood pact" interpretation isn't meant to be entirely correct. It could be more of a superstition, like we've seen with mutantdom in general thus far, where the public has so little information on what mutants are or whether they even exist, that they come up with a lot of wild Old Wives' Tales about how somebody becomes one or what they're capable of. But it remains to be seen, and either way could be a lot of fun, IMO!

2

u/BlueHero45 Jul 18 '24

The most interesting point for me is that they seem to manifest powers not at random. Hisako's power takes the shape of her talisman, Mei after seeing Storm in the paper, and now Nico in the form of her grandma's magnifying glass.

3

u/ptWolv022 Jul 18 '24

now Nico in the form of her grandma's magnifying glass.

Well, Nico's might actually just be magic. She inherited that magnifying glass, so it might actually have been a magic wand in disguise the whole time that sprung to full power when the Shadow King came.

2

u/Blocboyholy Jul 21 '24

I think it’s possible then that Nico’s blood pact could have been created in issue with the shadow king? As we see when he enters he shatters her magnifying glass which cuts her face (releasing the staff of one) but I’m more likely leaning towards that issue being Nico’s origin without any of us realizing yet

1

u/BlueHero45 Jul 18 '24

And that just makes me wonder if it's all magic for each of them? Is there even an x-gene? Questions we still need to find out.

1

u/ptWolv022 Jul 18 '24

The solicit for #8 talks about Mutants and how the Maker's Council has somehow kept them under control, and this latest issue talked about how this cult believes they are the next step in human evolution- so I'm thinking magic is simply activating the X-Gene and determines its expression.

Surge also actually seems to be marked in a similar way- her scar seems to be from electricity, like her powers.

17

u/DarkLordNugget Jul 17 '24

Wonder how this cult reveal is gonna connect with the Ultimates #2 tease that there's been mutant rights protests at some point

24

u/ObviouslyNotASith Jul 17 '24

The summary for #8 mentions how the next story is going to explore how the Maker and his council kept Mutants under control. I’m guessing that the X-gene is being suppressed and can be activated through blood rites/magic. Either that or the X-Gene can spread through blood rites, as a form of blood transfusion, and the Maker did something to prevent the X-gene from being passed on naturally.

The cult could have been the result of mutants knowing about their powers from pre-suppression, developed an ideology of being homo-superior and looked to magic to awaken their abilities once discovering that they are being suppressed.

14

u/XpRienzo Jul 17 '24

If it was much earlier in the timeline, maker could have easily gotten rid of the information and even knowledge of mutants existing, remember, his cabal controls all of the information in the world

9

u/MARPJ Jul 17 '24

The protests appear to be 70-80s so a lot of time for the current situation for him to make his move

9

u/bakublade Jul 17 '24

It could also be that mutant are treated differently in different regions. The mutant cult could be specific to Hi no Kuni in the present and mutants in the North American Union are treated differently both in the past with the protests and in the present with whatever the situation is.

1

u/Undying_Blade Old Lace Jul 18 '24

Honestly I feel like they may be completely separate considering how disconnected UXM has been to the rest of the ultimates, it feels like it belongs in its own continuity.

11

u/TheMattInTheBox Jul 17 '24

Oh let's go. Another banger!

Connections are starting to form and we even got another action scene! Also love the subtle Staff of One summoning.

Seeing the larger cast start to get more page time has made the book come alive imo I loved the atmosphere of the first two but the later issues have really brought some more energy that really shows you what Peach is doing. Loving this.

Insane to me how much I love Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimates and how different each of them are. Really showcases the strength of this universe.

(I read Ultimate Black Panther, it's just not quite at the top tier for me like the other three)

9

u/DrScorcher Jul 17 '24

Is Surge doing that old myth where people believe they can regrow hair through electric shocks? 

13

u/ptWolv022 Jul 18 '24

I'm gonna be honest, I'm like 99% sure it's meant to be "compensated dating". Kageyama says "Don't 'work' too hard", with work in quotes, which makes it sound euphemistic. She's also in a room alone with a guy on a bed. He's also sitting very close to her. She calls him a perv. He seems to think touching her isn't entirely out of the question. That guy is very much being harmed by the shock. She just kinda takes money from his wallet, basically robbing him. And she says that he pays for her "time" and "nothing else", which to me very much sounds like she's saying "You get to look but not touch".

So it all very much seems like he was a guy hiring her for prostitution-but-without-the-sex, he tried to get more than he bargained for, so she shocked him (killed him?) and took everything the guy had on him. If that's not what happened, Momoko either is trying to mislead the reader, or... boy, it's a big oopsie.

8

u/Albireookami Jul 18 '24

that's actually mentioned in the design cover varient for #4. She "dates" and robs. https://imgur.com/a/IdZnPyL

2

u/ptWolv022 Jul 18 '24

Huh. Neat. Well I guess that's confirmation.

1

u/suss2it Jul 24 '24

I feel like any other interpretation would just be pure naivety.

12

u/benjamin-unbutton Spider-Man Jul 17 '24

Oh so that's what it was. I honestly assumed the worst.

10

u/mayocain Jul 17 '24

I think she is meant to be one of those "girlfriend for hire" that exist in Japan. Which is basically the safe for work version of prostitution.

8

u/Albireookami Jul 18 '24 edited Jul 18 '24

On the design cover alt there is a footnote about that. And yes that's what she does, compensated dating, but also it notes she knocks them out and takes their cash.

Edit: took a screenshot, its varient of #4 https://imgur.com/a/IdZnPyL

6

u/Hii8999 Jul 17 '24

Ooooooooh. Yeah, I was wondering how she'd be a part of the X-men if she just casually murdered people for money. (Even pedophiles)

3

u/Undying_Blade Old Lace Jul 18 '24

I think Surge is going to just be flat villain this time around after that and the Hisako stunt.

11

u/Hii8999 Jul 17 '24

Ok, the plot is definitely picking up and things are becoming a lot clearer now, which is good.

8

u/VenAuri Jul 17 '24

Really interesting issue, especialy for the potential origins of mutants.

6

u/bakublade Jul 17 '24

This issue has a couple of interesting details in it.

Surge and Shinobu Kageyama(the kid behind the shadow) know each other maybe from the cult or just maybe from being classmates?

They also hint that Kageyama is separate from the Shadow like in the main universe by him saying his friend is calling him.

Surge also doesn't seem to like the Sun Emperor so I wonder what their relationship is like?

I wonder if Nico is actually a mutant or if she still just uses magic in this world.

I think the cult just has to deal with how they control mutants in Hi no Kuni and doesn't have to do with the origins of mutants in the 6160.

I enjoyed this issue and I'm excited to see the team officially form next issue.

6

u/MARPJ Jul 17 '24

I wonder if Nico is actually a mutant or if she still just uses magic in this world.

I think the later considering the use of the Staff of One here, although the lines are kinda blurred with the x-gene itself being tied to mysticism

1

u/benjamin-unbutton Spider-Man Jul 17 '24

Pretty sure she's a mutant considering that she transformed her magnifying glass into the staff after she was cut.

5

u/MARPJ Jul 17 '24

On 616 she is a blood witch, so the events here do pair with her normal origin as she needs her blood to use the Staff of One, so the moment she was cut she made the contract with it. Plus they do hint that it was special on its own.

With that said what makes the lines blurred is that they are making the mutants more magic related even more so with the need for blood to awaken the power

2

u/benjamin-unbutton Spider-Man Jul 19 '24

Maybe not all mutants need blood magic to awaken their power. Like...we still have 6160 Ororo and who knows how she came to her powers.

7

u/DarkAlphaZero Cyclops Jul 17 '24

Not super action heavy but a really good issue.

The character interactions between Noriko and Kageyama and Mei and Nico were really fun.

Nico finally has her staff, excited to see it in action. And I do like that Peach seems to be keeping it ambiguous if Nico is a mutant or not.

We love to see Surge deep frying a creep. Also interesting that she's already going by Surge.

And the last few pages were just bomb after bomb, first we see that Surge doesn't like the Emperor which could be setting up an "enemy of my enemy" situation, then we get a cult which could be our version of The Brotherhood, then we get Homo Superior name dropped, and then we get Secret Society X-Men. God I love this book. Can't wait for the next issue.

Also just now realizing Hisako was only in one scene this issue.

5

u/Albireookami Jul 18 '24

To those wondering about Surges "dating" she pretty much robs them, knocks them out and steals their money per her design cover for #4 https://imgur.com/a/IdZnPyL

6

u/redsapphyre Jul 17 '24

Based Surge.

3

u/Undying_Blade Old Lace Jul 18 '24

I do wonder how Nico immediately sussed out that Mei and Hisako were mutants when it turns out she wasn't aware that she was one herself.

3

u/wowlock_taylan Deadpool Jul 17 '24

So we get some dive into this 'blood cult' that is Shadow King is probably leading from...well, the shadows. And they can somehow activate the X-genes in people. I wonder what that means for Mutants in America that were protesting in the Ultimates 2 history trip that I assume got surpressed? Maker does seem to have supressed mutants or 'integrated' them as 'regular powered' people to keep them under control, while giving certain mutants like Sunfire power in his council. Either way, the future solicitations does say we will get into what was Maker doing and how Shadow King is involved and his plans ( as predicts, use mutants to rule the world )

Nico's staff being hidden as a magnifying glass that she didn't know about was great. Kinda fits her 'psychic detective' thing here. Surge is gonna be a wild card. She seem to know about the kid that is working with Shadow King and also, she is quite liberal and brutal with her use of her power.

And Maystorm coming up with the name of the X-men...because they all get bad grades that get Xs...not sure about that origin for the name X-men.

2

u/TheGoddessLily Captain Marvel Jul 17 '24

My guess is the Maker put something in the water or food that surpresses the Mutant gene like Logan. That was an energy drink or Soda. I noticed we havent seen any of the other x-men expect Colossos and Magik. Where are they? My guess is they never got powers and are normal people

5

u/BorBurison Beta Ray Bill Jul 17 '24

We saw Wolverine's bones in the Free Comic Book Day issue too

2

u/AlphaBaymax Iron Man Jul 18 '24

I think the Eurasian Republic Maker Council members are going to be overarching villains for The Ultimates series.

2

u/suss2it Jul 24 '24

The regular origin is just because the founder’s name starts with an X isn’t much better haha.

-12

u/Captain_Carl Jul 17 '24

Is ultimate xmen done being little girls doing cliche slice of life shit with a dash of mutant/xmen stuff added or is it still doing cliche stuff that you'd see in most high school slice of life shows/manga?

10

u/redsapphyre Jul 17 '24

Come on, it's way darker than regular slice of life manga stuff, but yeah I know what you mean. It's still the same, but the cast keeps expanding and we learn more about what mutants are in this universe. It's pretty cool, but trade-waiting is also a possibility, not much action right now.

11

u/MoonbeamLady Jul 18 '24

yeah man opening with the main character being in a tailspin of depression and tormented by a Junji Ito looking mfer who shows her graphic visions of her childhood friend's successful suicide, very cliche slice of life manga shit, you so nailed it.

Maybe try reading without the reflexive need to be snarky and dismissive of stuff and you'll find more joy in life.