Ultimatum Vol. 5

Ultimatum is a five-issue limited event launched by Marvel's Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610) in 2009, written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by David Finch. The story follows directly from Ultimates 3: Ultron goes rogue and shoots Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver "dies" taking an arrow for his father, Magneto. Having lost both children, Magneto steals Thor's hammer and uses magnetism to reverse Earth's magnetic poles, triggering tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and blizzards; an entire city is submerged and millions die, forcing the Ultimates, X-Men, and Fantastic Four to assemble amid the ruins. This volume is the fifth of the series (the finale, "The Ugly Truth"): Magneto makes his final stand against the heroes, and Wolverine, Professor X, Doctor Strange, and others fall one after another; Nick Fury arrives with Reed Richards, Doctor Doom, and Zarda, and uses Jean Grey's telepathy to flood Magneto's mind with the truth—mutants are not a chosen people but the product of the super-soldier experiments of years past. His beliefs shattered, Magneto restores Earth's magnetic poles and is then executed by Cyclops. Days later, Cyclops is shot dead while giving a speech in Washington; the shooter behind it is revealed to be the "resurrected" Quicksilver. The Thing finishes off Doctor Doom in Latveria, and threads involving the Thing, Namor, and Mysterio set up the next phase of the Ultimate Universe. The book is known for its mass casualties and world-shaking reset, and is a key volume for understanding where the Ultimate Universe goes.