Since the events in Ultimate Origins and Ultimate Fallout, the mutants of the X-Men now find themselves in a society that distrusts them more than ever before.

MANILA, Philippines — The world was shocked when Ultimate Peter Parker died and was replaced by Miles Morales, a teenager of African, American and Latino descent.

The internet was abuzz with rumors, reactions, speculations, and pure overall excitement about the Ultimate Universe’s decision to end the life of its flagship hero.

But the loss was a big blow to the characters that made up Peter Parker’s family of friends, most of whom currently star in Ultimate Comics: X-Men.

BOND WITH PETER PARKER

Kitty Pryde, a mutant with the ability to phase through objects and currently expanding her powers, started out as a fervent admirer of Spider-Man, and then went on to be his girlfriend.

Their relationship did not last very long but the two remained best of friends, and acted as partners in fighting crime.

Bobby Drake, more popularly known as Iceman, was also a dear friend of Peter Parker. He was kicked out of his house after Ultimatum. Aunt May took him in to live with the ever-growing Parker household.

Johnny Storm moved in with Peter and his crew after his original team, the Fantastic Four, broke up. No matter what Marvel timeline or alternate universe you choose to follow, Spider-Man and the Human Torch always seem to be at each other’s side, taking down the villains with perfect teamwork and witty banter.

All three teenagers shared a specialbond with Peter Parker. They knew his secrets, and fought alongside him against the deadliest adversaries. It was a bond forged in battle and ultimately, death.

With Peter now gone, these three have set off to find their place in the world, a world becoming more and more dangerous for mutantkind. And even though the Human Torch is not actually a mutant, he made his decision to stay with his mutant friends and help them out through whatever trials they may face.

YOUNG MUTANTS ON THEIR OWN

In Ultimate Comics: X-Men issue 1, we are immersed in a scary world where the government is extremely aggressive  against mutants, especially after the events of Ultimatum, where Magneto launched a full-blown war against humanity.

The young mutants’ legends, like Cyclops, Wolverine and Charles Xavier, are all dead, leaving them alone, with nowhere to go. Both the dream of peaceful coexistence and of mutant rule over the human race proved hopeless.

Just to add to the growing paranoia and chaos surrounding the mutant situation is the fact that in Ultimate Origins, the mutant race was revealed to be a result of a government bio-experiment.

Mutants and their x-genes are, in fact, a super-soldier project gone wrong. In Ultimate Fallout, the secret of the world’s biggest mutant cover-up was revealed publicly, thus sowing more seeds of distrust within the nation, both towards mutants and with the government.

The X-Men of the Ultimate Universe have hit an all-time low, and while this may be tough on the super-powered kids, for comic book creators and readers, things could not be more intriguing.

UNIVERSE IN MESS

And the energy of the first issue was mind-blowing.

We see Colossus being tortured in a mutant-holding facility to the point of unconsciousness. We also see Rogue running away for her dear life, hunted down by the government on the streets, where all the public can see. Mutant suffering is there for everybody’s spectacle.

In a conference filled with angry journalists, the head of the government body dealing with mutants, Valerie Cooper, tells the press that conditions for the mutants are better than before, when they were free. But, Medina draws a close-up for the readers on a High Voltage sign on the fence keeping the mutants within the facilities.

This kind of contradiction between the truth and what Cooper is telling the world creates disgust among the reporters. In the comic, she stubbornly avoids the hard questions regarding the mutant situation and lies when she does actually answer them.

These are the darkest days for the Ultimate X-Men. If there’s any shred of humanity left in your hearts, add the title to your shopping list and give those poor kids some company in their fight for survival.

The Ultimate Universe is in a mess. Maybe it says something about us.