Ultimate X4
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ultimate X4 | |
 Cover to Ultimate X4 #1. Art by Pasqual Ferry. |
|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
|---|---|
| Schedule | monthly |
| Format | Mini-Series/Crossover |
| Publication date | December 2005 to January 2006 |
| Number of issues | 2 |
| Main character(s) | Wolverine, Iceman, Shadowcat, Fantastic Four, Rhona Burchill |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Mike Carey |
| Artist(s) | Pasqual Ferry |
Ultimate X4 is a Marvel Comics miniseries, set in the Ultimate Marvel universe outside the mainstream continuity. It features a crossover between the Ultimate X-Men and the Ultimate Fantastic Four. The arc consists of two parts, UX4 #1 (December 2005) and UX4 #2 (January 2006).
[edit] Story
In this story, the X-Men receive a seemingly alien distress signal and fly away with the Blackbird to track it down. Only Wolverine, Shadowcat and Iceman stay behind. In the meanwhile, Rhona Burchill, the Mad Thinker, raids the understaffed X-Mansion and steals Cerebro, and also manages to frame the Fantastic Four for this crime.
Having stolen Cerebro, Rhona revealed that she was contracted by Advanced Idea Mechanics to steal Cerebro and turn it over to them. After being paid for her work, Rhona betrays and kills the A.I.M. operatives sent to retrieve Cerebro, since her true intention was to use Cerebro's technology to increase her intellect even further.
The X-Men trio raids the Baxter Building and fights a surprised and angry F4. Burchill then reveals herself as the true culprit and gloats how vastly Cerebro has enhanced her mind, allowing her to take control of peoples' minds and even machines. Mr. Fantastic states that Rhona's mind control abilities have increased frighteningly, and modifies the suits of both teams to provide makeshift psi protection.
The X-Men find out that the alien message was bogus, and that Rhona's psi barriers have increased drastically. The X-Men trio and the F4 reluctantly team up against the Mad Thinker. Rhona is able to find a way around Reed's modifications and take control of everyone except Mr. Fantastic and Wolverine, but Reed beats Rhona by reprogramming Cerebro so that instead of gaining ultimate knowledge, Rhona would gain ultimate empathy for others instead. When she tries to flee, Wolverine sabotages her plane, and it explodes. The X-Men and the F4 part ways amicably.
[edit] Character dynamics
This miniseries is the first canonical team-up of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four in the Ultimate Marvel universe. Apart from the main plot, following personal interaction takes place:
- Johnny Storm has a soft spot for Kitty Pryde.
- In marked contrast, Susan Storm dismisses Kitty as "cheap".
- Kitty Pryde has a crush on Reed Richards.
- Bobby Drake and Johnny Storm hold a testosterone-fueled, but friendly teenage rivalry, obviously fueled by their contrary powers, which is similar to their Earth-616 counterparts.
[edit] Trade paperback
As with all currently published Marvel Comics, Ultimate X4 has been made available in trade paperback form. The paperback also comes with the Official Handbook of the Ultimate Marvel Universe #1-2 inside, which gives details on many characters in the Ultimate Marvel World.
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
