2026's Biggest Superhero Death Is Officially Permanent: Is That a Good Thing?

1 hour ago 8

Ultimate Endgame referencing Age of Ultron

Published Jul 3, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT

Joshua Edward Ryan Fox is a freelance writer for Screen Rant with a passion for pop culture. Joshua grew up in Connecticut where he developed an appreciation for writing and entertainment and has earned a Master's degree in professional writing and technical writing. His writing has been quoted by both the anime streaming site Crunchyroll and the anime YouTuber Gigguk.

Warning: Contains spoilers for Ultimate Endgame and Ultimate Universe: Finale.If there’s anything that defines Marvel, DC, and superhero media as a whole, it’s a refusal to kill off any major characters; while minor characters, especially love interests, will always be prone to death to either raise the stakes of a story or for cheap shock value, it’s incredibly rare for a major character to die, and even if it does happen, it will usually only take a few years at most for the death to be reversed, making the entire practice feel pointless more often than not.

That being said, as much as superhero stories have a reputation for never killing off major characters, there are plenty of times when a story will commit to the idea and permanently kill off someone important, and even in cases where the death is reversed, it will usually take long enough for their death to leave a genuine impact in-universe and out. Surprisingly, that’s just happened again in what’s quickly become the biggest superhero death of 2026, but unfortunately, it’s hard to see it as a good thing.

Why Captain America’s Death In Ultimate Endgame Was Terrible

captain britain vs captain america in ultimate endgame 4

In Ultimate Endgame #4, as the conflict against the Maker and his forces escalated, the Ultimates and their allies lost their momentum and quickly started losing the battle, and in the biggest showing of how dire a turn things had taken, Captain America was killed by Captain Britain. Someone like Captain America dying should have been a big deal, especially with how important he was in The Ultimates, but the entire sequence of events was incredibly sudden, and it was barely addressed for the rest of the event, so it was hard to see it as a proper death.

What made things even worse was the aftermath of Captain America’s death. Not only did he stay dead after the Maker’s defeat, but as shown in Ultimate Universe: Finale, Captain America’s legacy is now being misappropriated by the Red Skulls, now the Americans, as a means of continuing their racist dogma in the absence of the Maker’s council. Hawkeye inheriting Steve’s shield is meant to be the true legacy he left behind, but the fact that something like this with the Red Skulls happened at all is still nothing but insulting.

Spider-Man had no connection to the Ultimate Universe’s wider narrative, yet not only was his death a major focus of Ultimate Endgame, but the finale was even capped off by Spider-Man coming back to life. By comparison, Captain America was a major player in the Ultimate Universe from day one, yet his death was barely a footnote, and his name was turned into a symbol of hatred; all of that is nothing but disrespectful, and it makes it hard to see his death as anything but a travesty in the worst of ways.

Captain America’s Death Is Everything Wrong With The Ultimate Universe

The Ultimates face new threats on Earth-6160 in Ultimate Universe Finale

Captain America’s death in Ultimate Endgame was nothing but a disaster, and it highlights all the problems with the new Ultimate Universe. While the new Ultimate Universe was set up as a new and inventive take on the Marvel Universe that was welcoming to old and new readers alike, the entire line was soon bogged down by the stories being too ambitious for their own good, with most of them introducing characters and concepts that they had no means of giving any proper depth before it all came to an end.

It's Officially the End of An Era for Ultimate Marvel: Our Final Verdict

3 years later, the Ultimate Marvel Universe is saying goodbye for now; it was a grand experiment, but were the results a successor failure?

The Ultimates, despite its high praise, was arguably the worst about this. Nearly every issue introduced new characters or lore that were rarely ever developed in later issues, and by the time it got to the final arc, it was introducing characters just for the sake of introducing them while barely giving any pre-established concepts their proper due, with Thor and Sif very quickly getting pushed to the side and She-Hulk’s story with Banner not getting resolved until the finale. That even bled into Ultimate Endgame, and unfortunately, Captain America’s lackluster death was the biggest victim of it all.

Considering how the writers of the Ultimate Universe were allegedly blindsided by having a hard end date for their stories, it’s hard to completely blame them for how things turned out, but that doesn’t change the fact that most of the Ultimate Universe’s problems come from the stories all trying to do too much within too small a timeframe and often making baffling decisions about what to focus on. Captain America’s death being so poorly managed is a prime example of that, and overall, it’s hard to deny it.

Is There Any Way For Marvel To Fix Captain America’s Death?

Iron Lad sees future possibilities in Marvel's Ultimate Universe Finale

There are few superhero deaths in recent years worse than Captain America’s, and that begs the question of what, if anything, can be done to fix it. Despite how much Ultimate Endgame was billed as the grand finale of the Ultimate Universe, Ultimate Universe: Finale ended with the reveal that the Ultimate Universe would return, so Marvel isn’t done with the line in the slightest. It’s unknown when or how the Ultimate Universe will return, but when it does, that could easily be used as a means of reviving Captain America.

That being said, without the Immortus Engine, there shouldn’t be a reliable means of bringing people back from the dead in the Ultimate Universe, so even if the line does come back, there might not be a good way of reviving Captain America; granted, a writer could either have the Immortus Engine repaired or come up with some other way to revive Captain America, but either option would feel like it would cheapen everything that happened in Ultimate Endgame, so unfortunately, Captain America’s death is unlikely to be reversed anytime soon.

Earth-1610 · Multiverse Edition How Well Do You Know
Marvel’s Ultimate Universe?

🌏OriginsEarth-1610

⚡HeroesUltimates

💥EventsUltimatum

☠VillainsThe Maker

💫LegacyReborn

ENTER THE ULTIMATES! →

The Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610) was launched in 2000 with a reimagined version of Marvel’s most popular teenage superhero. Which comic series kicked off the Ultimate line?

AThe Ultimates BUltimate X-Men CUltimate Spider-Man DUltimate Fantastic Four

✓ Correct! Ultimate Spider-Man #1, written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Mark Bagley, launched in October 2000 and retold Peter Parker’s origin for a modern audience. It became the flagship title of the Ultimate line and ran for 160 issues.

✗ That answer didn’t survive Ultimatum! The answer is Ultimate Spider-Man. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, it was the first Ultimate title, debuting in 2000. The Ultimates and Ultimate X-Men followed in 2001, while Ultimate Fantastic Four didn’t launch until 2004.

In the Ultimate Universe, Peter Parker’s Spider-Man eventually died heroically. A new character then took up the Spider-Man mantle and later crossed over into the main Marvel universe. Who is this character?

ABen Reilly BMiguel O’Hara CMiles Morales DGwen Stacy

✓ Correct! Miles Morales debuted in Ultimate Fallout #4 (2011) after Peter Parker’s death in the “Death of Spider-Man” storyline. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, Miles became one of Marvel’s most beloved characters and later migrated to Earth-616 after Secret Wars (2015).

✗ That answer didn’t survive Ultimatum! The answer is Miles Morales. Ben Reilly is the Scarlet Spider clone from Earth-616, Miguel O’Hara is Spider-Man 2099, and while Gwen Stacy existed in the Ultimate Universe, she didn’t become Spider-Woman there — that’s Earth-65’s Spider-Gwen.

The Ultimates was the Ultimate Universe’s version of the Avengers. This series reimagined the team as a government-sponsored superhero squad. Who wrote the influential first two volumes of The Ultimates?

ABrian Michael Bendis BMark Millar CJeph Loeb DJonathan Hickman

✓ Correct! Mark Millar, alongside artist Bryan Hitch, created The Ultimates (2002) and The Ultimates 2 (2004). Their cinematic, widescreen approach to superhero storytelling heavily influenced the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly the first Avengers film.

✗ That answer didn’t survive Ultimatum! The answer is Mark Millar. Bendis wrote Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men, Jeph Loeb took over the Ultimates later with volume 3, and Jonathan Hickman wrote the 2024 Ultimate Universe relaunch. Millar and Bryan Hitch defined The Ultimates.

In the Ultimate Universe, many characters were dramatically different from their main universe counterparts. Ultimate Reed Richards underwent a shocking transformation, becoming a major villain. What villain name did Ultimate Reed Richards adopt?

AThe Thinker BThe Maker CDoctor Doom DMolecule Man

✓ Correct! The Maker is one of the most terrifying villains to come out of the Ultimate Universe. After being rejected by Sue Storm and experiencing a mental breakdown, Ultimate Reed Richards turned evil, stretching his brain to enhance his already genius-level intellect and becoming a multiversal threat.

✗ That answer didn’t survive Ultimatum! The answer is The Maker. The Thinker is a different FF villain, Doctor Doom is a separate character entirely (though Ultimate Doom was Victor Van Damme), and Molecule Man is an Earth-616 entity. The Maker survived Secret Wars and became a major threat across the multiverse.

The Ultimate Universe suffered a catastrophic event that killed off many major characters and dramatically changed the line’s direction. What was this controversial crossover event called?

AUltimatum BCataclysm CSecret Wars DUltimate Fallout

✓ Correct! Ultimatum (2008–2009), written by Jeph Loeb, saw Magneto use Thor’s hammer to reverse Earth’s magnetic poles, causing massive global devastation. Characters like Wolverine, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and many others were killed, making it one of the most controversial Marvel events ever.

✗ That answer didn’t survive Ultimatum! The answer is, ironically, Ultimatum itself. Cataclysm was a later event involving Galactus attacking the Ultimate Universe, Secret Wars (2015) ended the Ultimate Universe entirely, and Ultimate Fallout dealt with the aftermath of Peter Parker’s death.

Ultimate Nick Fury was redesigned to look very different from his main universe counterpart. His new appearance was so popular that it influenced a major casting decision in the MCU. Who was Ultimate Nick Fury visually modeled after?

ADenzel Washington BWesley Snipes CSamuel L. Jackson DLaurence Fishburne

✓ Correct! Artist Bryan Hitch, with Mark Millar’s approval, deliberately modeled Ultimate Nick Fury after Samuel L. Jackson in The Ultimates. Jackson himself gave permission for his likeness to be used, and was later cast as Nick Fury in the MCU — one of the most perfect comics-to-film casting decisions ever.

✗ That answer didn’t survive Ultimatum! The answer is Samuel L. Jackson. Bryan Hitch specifically used Jackson’s likeness when redesigning Nick Fury for The Ultimates. Jackson actually gave his blessing, reportedly in exchange for first refusal on any film role — which led to his iconic MCU casting.

The Ultimate Universe was eventually destroyed during Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars (2015) event, with some characters migrating to the main Marvel universe (Earth-616). Which of these characters did NOT originate in the Ultimate Universe?

AMiles Morales BThe Maker (Reed Richards) CKamala Khan DJimmy Hudson

✓ Correct! Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) was created for the main Earth-616 universe, debuting in Captain Marvel #14 (2013) and getting her own series in 2014. Miles Morales, The Maker, and Jimmy Hudson (Wolverine’s son) all originated in the Ultimate Universe before crossing over.

✗ That answer didn’t survive Ultimatum! The answer is Kamala Khan. She was created by G. Willow Wilson and Sana Amanat for the main Marvel universe (Earth-616), not the Ultimate Universe. Miles Morales, The Maker, and Jimmy Hudson (Ultimate Wolverine’s son) all came from Earth-1610.

In 2024, Marvel relaunched the Ultimate Universe with a new line of comics set on a reimagined Earth-6160. This new Ultimate Universe features a world where who has secretly controlled everything from behind the scenes?

AThanos BThe Maker (Reed Richards) CDoctor Doom DMagneto

✓ Correct! In Jonathan Hickman’s 2024 Ultimate Universe relaunch, The Maker (Ultimate Reed Richards) has secretly reshaped Earth-6160 from behind the scenes, preventing many heroes from ever gaining their powers and manipulating global events. The new Ultimate line follows heroes discovering and resisting his hidden influence.

✗ That answer didn’t survive Ultimatum! The answer is The Maker (Reed Richards). In the 2024 Ultimate Universe relaunch by Jonathan Hickman, The Maker has been secretly pulling strings on Earth-6160, suppressing the emergence of superheroes and reshaping the world to his design. He is the central antagonist of the new Ultimate line.

REVEAL MY SCORE →

Briefing Complete Your Ultimate Clearance

/ 8

Are you an Ultimate expert — or still reading Earth-616?

↻ TRY AGAIN

Despite how much praise and promise there was for the Ultimate Universe when it started, everything quickly unraveled in the worst of ways as it rushed toward its finale due to poor pacing and even poorer management by Marvel, and the terrible handling of Captain America’s death and its fallout is the perfect encapsulation of all of that. Even if the Ultimate Universe does return, Captain America’s death will remain one of the biggest blemishes on the line, and that idea is unlikely to change anytime soon.