By Letting [SPOILER] Live, Marvel Just Missed Out on 2023’s Most Shocking Comic Moment

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Ultimate Universe #1 Marvel Comics has recently opened up a brand-new corner of its ever-expanding multiverse with the relaunch (of sorts) of the Ultimate Universe, effectively creating a new starting point for readers to enjoy reimaginings of some classic Marvel characters while also seeing alternate – yet virtually unchanged – versions of others. One such character actually suffered a wound in the first issue of the Ultimate Universe comic line that initially looked fatal, but ended up just being an injury they’d recover from. Given who this character is, it’s probably a good thing they weren’t killed off in the very first issue of this relaunch – but how shocking would it have been if they were?

Following the destruction of his original Earth-1610 and subsequent relocation to Earth-616, the Ultimate Universe version of Reed Richards aka The Maker decided to rebuild his universe in another, less evolved one. So, Ultimate Reed Richards travels to Earth-6160, and after some meddling of cosmic proportions, The Maker has transformed it into the new Ultimate Universe.

While that’s a shocking-enough development for Marvel Comics in 2023, it’s arguably not as shocking as what happens once the Avengers of this world finally come together. This Ultimate Universe’s Thor gets stabbed through the torso mere panels after his introduction, a moment that had readers assuredly holding their breaths until it was revealed that he was fine a few panels later.

Thor Was Almost Killed Off In The First Issue Of Ultimate Universe

In Ultimate Universe #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Stefano Caselli, this universe’s version of Iron Man and Doctor Doom are recruiting Thor, who was wrongfully convicted of an Asgardian crime due to the meddlings of The Maker, and has been left to rot in a jail cell that’s guarded over by Lady Sif. The Avengers are able to break Thor out and bring him to Earth with them, and they are accompanied by Lady Sif, who agrees to allow Thor to help these mortals, so long as she can keep an eye on him.

Their first mission was to break into a secret lab established by The Maker, and steal some valuable material that could help them fix their universe. However, Captain Britain (who had been seduced by The Maker) snuck up on the Avengers and stabbed Thor through the torso, seemingly killing him. However, it was confirmed by the end of the issue that Thor’s alive and well, ready to become a full-fledged member of the new Ultimate Avengers.

Thor Was Spared In Ultimate Universe #1, But Maybe He Should Have Died

Thor is obviously a major player in Marvel Comics, but this is a new universe. Therefore, Marvel doesn’t have to play by the rules of the original. It would have been a masterful subversion of expectations if Thor was set up as this ultimate powerhouse only to be killed almost immediately. And then, it would have been even more shocking if Lady Sif then picked up Mjolnir following Thor’s death, and claimed his position on the Avengers in this new reality. Not only would this have paid off why Lady Sif was with the Avengers in the first place (for a better reason than just to ‘keep an eye on Thor’), but it would have also given her an epic origin story as the Avengers’ new ‘Thor’, allowing her story to grow alongside the very growth of the Avengers as a whole.

While it’s probably good that fans didn’t have to say goodbye to the Thor of the new Ultimate Universe moments after he was introduced, it’s interesting to consider what could have been, and what it could have added to this universe’s new lore. But, more than anything else, Thor dying in Ultimate Universe #1 would have easily been the most shocking moment in comics in 2023, and Marvel Comics totally missed out on it.

Ultimate Universe #1 by Marvel Comics is available now.