Every week, a secret cabal of Marvel staffers gathers to discuss the best of the best when it comes to the House of Ideas.
With the ominous conclusion to ULTIMATES 3 last week, the March On Ultimatum has heightened to a full gallop as doomsday for the Ultimate Universe seems to be drawing ever nearer.
But what threat will take center stage in Jeph Loeb and David Finch's November-debuting ULTIMATUM limited series? What looming danger could give the Ultimates, the X-Men, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four all pause?
In an attempt to answer that question, the Secret Cabal cracked open the last eight years of Ultimate history and came up with the 10 baddies they most love to be terrified of. Will one of these villains bring the Ultimate Universe crashing down in ULTIMATUM? Keep reading…
For each character you get the quick rundown as well as a special spotlight comic courtesy of Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
As always, these picks reflect the personal choices of the Secret Cabal, not the official opinion of Marvel or Marvel.com, and can be considered subjective at best. Enjoy!
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10. KRAVEN
First Appearance: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #16 (2002)
Learn More About Him…here
Ultimate Difference: Kraven has received genetic enhancements to make him more animalistic.
Why He Makes The List: "Brian Michael Bendis' take on Kraven the Hunter in ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN was one of the first truly dramatic re-imaginings of a classic Marvel character in the Ultimate Universe. Gone was the regal barbarian created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, in his place a fame-grubbing reality show pseudo-celeb who owed much to the late Steve Irwin and whose bark was far worse than his bite. Kraven showed the true brilliance of the Ultimate line in taking familiar concepts and taking them in intriguing new directions." – Secret Cabal member Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #21—Kraven challenges Spider-Man to a duel!
9. DR. OCTOPUS
First Appearance: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #2 (2000)
Learn More About Him…here
Ultimate Difference: Dr. Octopus created multiple clones of Spider-Man.
Why He Makes The List: "Brian Michael Bendis and his creative collaborators have gone to great lengths to make Ultimate Doc Ock more than just 'Spider-Man's
other archenemy,' and their efforts have paid off. From his introduction,
Otto Octavius has been far more integral to the larger framework of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, in large part due to his status as one of
Norman Osborn's top men. His more impressive physique and ability to control metal even without his trademark harness have also served to make Ock a formidable opponent for the webslinger." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #14—Otto Octavius strikes out for revenge!
8. VENOM
First Appearance: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #33 (2003)
Learn More About Him…here
Ultimate Difference: Eddie Brock and Peter Parker were childhood friends due to their fathers work together.
Why He Makes The List: "Spider-Man and Venom are certainly fierce enemies in the mainstream Marvel Universe, but when it came time to take their feud to the Ultimate level, things got much more personal. Eddie and Peter's former friendship, as well as the role both their fathers' legacies played in the creation of Venom, adds extra levels of intensity and pathos to Spider-Man's anguish when he sees that ominous black costume. The slobbering mass of hatred that was once Eddie Brock truly represents Peter Parker's ultimate nightmare." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #33—The Venom saga begins!
7. THE BROTHERHOOD
First Appearance: ULTIMATE X-MEN #1 (2001)
Learn More About Them…here
Ultimate Difference: Cyclops and
Wolverine have both served as Brotherhood members.
Why They Makes The List: "The Ultimate Universe version of the Brotherhood rarely retains a consistent membership or even mission statement from one appearance from the next, but rather than devolve the group into faceless lackeys, this instead helps keep the X-Men's opposite number fresh and interesting. The fact that certain members of the two groups retain loose friendships even when their teams are on opposite times and that presumed stalwarts such as Cyclops and
Rogue have switched sides in the midst of the action also helps spice things up." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: ULTIMATE X-MEN #27—The Brotherhood—including new members
Multiple Man and
Forge—regroups under
Magneto!
6. DR. DOOM
First Appearance: ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #3 (2004)
Learn More About Him…here
Ultimate Difference: Victor Van Damme inadvertently caused the accident that transformed both himself and the Fantastic Four.
Why He Makes The List: "Ultimate
Dr. Doom has many of the attributes that make regular variety Doom great: he leads Latveria, his genius comes near to that of
Reed Richards, he makes Doombots and he retains a haughty and scornful manner—but Ultimate Doom adds to these charming features a range of other nasty traits. Ultimate Doom has a badass pedigree—Vlad the Impaler, aka Vlad
Dracula—microfiber mind-controlling tattoos and, seemingly, an ability to survive zombies. He's big, he's bad—he's Doom." – Secret Cabal member LiterateNitz18
Spotlight Comic: ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #30—Dr. Doom returns and unleashes a frightful fate on his most hated foes!
5. THE KINGPIN
First Appearance: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #8 (2001)
Ultimate Difference: The
Kingpin was romantically involved with corrupt cop Jean DeWolff until her death.
Why He Makes The List: "The Kingpin ain't your average villain, buddy. While he's one of the most hardened criminals in the Ultimate U., he gets tripped up by his own arrogance time and time again. And while his attempts to help his ailing, bed-ridden wife give him a sympathetic dimension which makes him all the more compelling, I still wouldn't want to be near the guy when he gets angry." – Secret Cabal member SparkleMotion515
Spotlight Comic: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #108—With his greatest enemies allied against him, the Kingpin strikes back!
4. THE BLACK WIDOW
First Appearance: ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM-UP #14 (2002)
Learn More About Her…here
Ultimate Difference: The
Black Widow gained her codename from a long line of husbands who died in "unfortunate accidents."
Why She Makes The List: "With all due respect to the Marvel Universe's Black Widow, the Ultimate Black Widow is a complete badass and a great villain for the Ultimates because we all wanted her to be a hero—and never suspected the depths of her deception. Her romance with Tony Stark was interesting, showing a side of
Iron Man we never saw, and when she betrayed her teammates, she helped set off a chain reaction that echoes through the Ultimates even today." – Secret Cabal member OneManDynasty
Spotlight Comic: ULTIMATES #7—The Black Widow joins the Ultimates!
3. MAGNETO
First Appearance: ULTIMATE X-MEN #1 (2001)
Learn More About Him…here
Ultimate Difference: As a young man, the man who would become Magneto freed Wolverine from captivity.
Why He Makes The List: "The Ultimate Master of Magnetism certainly doesn't mess around. During his fallout with
Charles Xavier, Magneto sent a spear straight through his former friend's spine, crippling him for life. When his hideout in the Savage Land was compromised, he put together a massive base on top of a floating mountain with about as much effort as it takes you or me to cook a microwave dinner. Heck, he even held his own against
Thor in a pitched battle with the Ultimates. All things considered, the question's less 'Why's he on this list?' and more 'Why isn't he No. 1 on this list?'" – SparkleMotion515
Spotlight Comic: ULTIMATE WAR #1—The X-Men and the Ultimates face off for the right to take down Magneto!
2. THE GREEN GOBLIN
First Appearance: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1 (2000)
Learn More About Him…here
Ultimate Difference: Norman Osborn created the Oz compound that enabled a spider to give Peter Parker his powers as Spider-Man.
Why He Makes The List: "How do you make one of Spider-Man's most psychotic villains even more dangerous? Well, having him transform into a huge, monstrous brute helps. In getting the Ultimate treatment, the Green Goblin became more like his namesake, bringing a whole 'nother level of menace to the character. His ties to Peter Parker also became even more pronounced. Heck, the Goblin's so evil he even performed experiments on his own son, transforming him into the
Hobgoblin. Talk about coldhearted…" – SparkleMotion515
Spotlight Comic: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #22—Just when Peter Parker is finally getting his life together, the Green Goblin returns!
1. LOKI
First Appearance: ULTIMATES 2 #1 (2004)
Ultimate Difference: Loki took on a human identity as Gunnar Golmen to manipulate Thor and the Ultimates.
Why He Makes The List: "Was he all a part of Ultimate Thor's delusions or was he real? The mystery behind Ultimate Loki made him the most fascinating, compelling and utterly terrifying villain the Ultimate Universe. As brought to life by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch, Loki was everything you'd expect from a master of deceit, so much so that even readers were puzzled by his true nature. Even though he's been defeated, I can't think of any Ultimate fan who wouldn't like to see him return once more." – OneManDynasty
Spotlight Comic: ULTIMATES 2 #8—Loki's machinations bring down Captain America!
Marvel Twitter Survey results for last week's Take 10 tie-in survey:
Who is your favorite femme fatale: 1) Mystique, 2) Emma Frost, 3) Black Widow
Follow Marvel on Twitter to vote in the Take 10 Marvel Twitter survey!
Check out the official Marvel Shop for the best mighty Marvel merchandise! 
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