Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Ultimate Black Panther #13!Marvel Comicshas no shortage of outstanding villains that never fail to captivate and entertain readers, especially when they’re making life difficult for their designated heroes. However, it can’t be denied that, in the grand scheme of things, Marvel villains just don’t really matter. Sure, they can cause trouble (sometimes on a cosmic scale), but they’re never really the focus, especially in death. These villains die, they come back, and oftentimes without explanation. Marvel villains serve the story of the hero, not the wider story of the Marvel Universe. At least, until now.
In the solicitation forUltimate Black Panther#13 by Bryan Hill and Stefano Caselli, it’s revealed thatBlack Panther is finally victorious over his arch villain: Moon Knight. In the Ultimate Universe, Moon Knight is the living embodiment of Khonshu, who rules Africa alongside Ra on behalf of the Maker. Khonshu and Ra serve on the Maker’s Council, which controls the world from the shadows. Their territory is Africa, but the one nation they could never claim was Wakanda. Now, readers know they never do, as Black Panther defeats Moon Knight before the events ofUltimate Black Panther#13.
ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER: YEAR TWO STARTS HERE! With MOON KNIGHT defeated and the Maker’s Council forced to regroup, T’Challa must learn the secrets of vibranium — because his very life and soul are at risk! The SORCERER SUPREME can help understand the truth of the terrifying element that built Wakanda, but her aid comes with a price…
Now that Moon Knight is defeated, and Khonshu and Ra’s reign over Africa is no more,the Maker’s Councilis scrambling. For Black Panther, who’s unaware of the Maker’s Council’s existence, he just thinks that he rid his nation and, indeed, his entire continent of two unparalleled villains. But, in the grand scheme of the Ultimate Universe, Black Panther unwittingly upset the nature of the Maker’s world order. Eliminating members of the Maker’s Council is no easy feat, and the ramifications of doing so will be felt globally - and that’s just so cool.
Marvel’s New Ultimate Universe Proves Why Villain-Focused Storytelling Matters
The Ultimate Universe Flips a Classic Hero/Villain Trope
This preview ofUltimate Black Panther#13 is a perfect example of what the entire Ultimate Universe is doing at large - and why it’s working.The new Ultimate Universe of Earth-6160isn’t just a random world in the Marvel multiverse, it’s one that was deliberately shaped by the Maker. This not only means that the Ultimate Universe was literally created by villains, but that the heroes of this world are fighting to make real change rather than simply maintaining the status quo.
Usually (in the mainstream Marvel Universe), the hero is the one trying to maintain law and order while taking down any villain who dares challenge the establishment, especially on a global or even universal scale. How many times has a random bad guy risen to power in order to shape reality to their liking, only for the good guy to take them down and make things just as they were before? These stories are ones of personal character growth for the hero, while the villain merely plays the role of a temporary obstacle. The Ultimate Universe has flipped that.
Ultimate Wolverine’s First Villain Flips the Hero’s Entire Role in the Marvel Universe
Marvel Comics' Ultimate Universe is flipping Wolverine’s heroic role as an X-Men member, making him fight the very thing he stood for in Earth-616.
Now, the heroes are the obstacles for the villains to squash before the status quo can be altered. And unlike the episodic nature of the mainstream Marvel Universe, every separate story feeds intothe larger narrative of the wider Ultimate Universe. Every villain works together to keep the world just as they want it - as the Maker made it - so every time one of them is defeated, the rest feel the impact. And since every story contributes to the larger narrative, the deaths these villains suffer are permanent - otherwise, none of this works.
Marvel Didn’t Just Make Its Villains Matter Again, but Also Its Heroes
The Stakes Have Never Been Higher for Marvel’s Heroes
While Black Panther may have taken down two members of the Maker’s Council, the Ultimates recently had the opposite experience. InThe Ultimates#6,the Ultimate Universe’s Avengers challenged the Hulk(another member of the Maker’s Council), and they were utterly ripped to shreds. The same was true for Spider-Man when he fought the Kingpin, who’s a mere underling of the Maker’s Council. Plus, the X-Men are just teenagers who couldn’t begin to comprehend the full scope of their main villain, the Children of the Atom (a mutant cult created by the Maker to control the mutant population).
Basically, the heroes aren’t guaranteed a win in the Ultimate Universe the way they are in Marvel’s mainstream continuity - and that’s a good thing. The comics set in Earth-616 have a responsibility to keep these iconic characters alive, which is why heroes and villains alike can die and come back like it’s nothing, and why - at the end of the day - the heroes always win. The Ultimate Universe is under no such pressure. In fact, it’s all-too possible that the heroes don’t defeat the Maker, and that this universe essentially becomes the multiversal villain’s permanent ‘lair’.
Marvel Flips an Iconic Avengers' R-Rated Death, Proving They’re Secretly Capable of Killing the Hulk
After flipping one particularly gruesome R-rated death, Marvel Comics proves that a founding member of the Avengers is strong enough to kill the Hulk.
The Ultimate Universe has created real stakes for both the heroes and the villains of Marvel Comics. A villain’s death drives the larger story, and a hero’s loss is the norm (indeed, the villains won before the Ultimate Universe even really kicked off). Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe is a masterclass in long-form, cohesive storytelling, and that’s exactly howMarvel Comicsmade its villains (and heroes) matter again.
Ultimate Black Panther #13by Marvel Comics is available July 19, 2025.
Ultimate Marvel
Created in 2000, the Ultimate Marvel imprint redesigned the entire Marvel Comics universe with a new set of origin stories and relationships. The reboot reinterpreted Marvel continuity from scratch in an attempt to simplify and update the company’s 60-year history for modern audiences. With famous comic book writers such as Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, and Mark Millar at the helm, the Ultimate universe (named Earth-1610 within the Marvel multiverse) lasted 15 years and provided plenty of inspiration for the MCU.
