Let’s Do The Time Warp, Again — Reviewing ‘What If…? Secret Wars’ #1

Beyond the shred name, there’s not a lot that the 2000s era Ultimate Marvel and 2020s Ultimate have in common. Well, there’s the fact that both of them have now ended, but that’s not really something to point at currently.

One major thing they did have in common was their own very unique feel and approach. When it comes to the original 2000s flavored Ultimate Marvel, that unique theme found new life in 2026 thanks to What If…? Secret Wars #1. This flashback to what used to be and what could have been comes from Alex Paknadel, CAFU, David Curiel, and Ariana Maher.

Comic books have been a part of my life since I was old enough to hold them and understand what I was reading. Life has been filled with them; mostly from Marvel. I’d sneak into my parents room to devour my mom’s collection of X-Men comics over and over again. On trips we’d get to pick up any random comic from the newsstand or spinner racks at the grocery or drug stores we stopped at. At a certain point I didn’t get to pick up new comics, and didn’t really read many till I got to college in 2003 and could buy my own comics.

Yes, the era that was the height of the Ultimate Marvel universe was my full return to comics. So you better believe that Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, The Ultimates, and the just launching Ultimate Fantastic Four were a large part of my comic book reading diet at that point. I was there from the middle of the universe through the weaning years of Ultimatum through Galactus and the eventual end with Secret Wars.

I go through all that to say this creative team immaculately captures the flavor, spirit, and tone of the original Ultimate universe.

As with many What If? stories, there is of course the doomed, depressing element. This leads to deaths and shatters the world in some way. Yet, the way that it’s handled here doesn’t lead to the end of this world or something it can’t come back from. It’s more personal, and narrow, and sadly, understandable. All of it centers on the dying 616 version of Peter Parker, the lone survivor of his universe when it was wiped out at the end of the Secret Wars incursions.

Even though the Ultimate universe is full of inexplicable and wild things, the bite of a radioactive spider isn’t one of them. So it makes sense that in this world that the very thing that made Peter such a hero in his world is killing him instead. Paknadel really brings the sadness and offers a balanced take to the sort of Civil War that is born between the heroes. Sue Storm and others were doing what they could to keep the Maker, who was now remaking the whole of the multiverse, from coming back to their world, even if that meant dooming Peter Parker to a certain death.

Also, having the 616 Peter Parker of all people thrust into the darker and edgier universe was a solid call. Seeing hardened versions of people that he knew, okay with killing and more, made for compelling storytelling. It speaks to the gulf between the ideal of superheroes and what is closer to the reality of how power is used.

Visually, it really hits the mark for tone and emotion. This book is really hefty in the execution with a density that feels much different than the typical superhero stories. CAFU brings that aspect to the forefront while still giving us a lightness at times. Emotional impact is felt at all times from the precise facial expressions and body language we’re getting from these characters. Overall, it’s so dynamic in every aspect and utilizes space wonderfully whether capturing flashbacks or current levels of superhero action.

Everything has weight and presence on the page while given space to breathe easily. Hell, just the way that the Secret Wars images are shown, it almost felt like it was ripped from the moment. Excuse me, I might have to go read Secret Wars (in full with tie-ins) again.

Before that, though, back to this review.

Curiel is no stranger to Ultimate Marvel work, having been on the Ultimate Black Panther series that recently concluded. In that series there was more of a slickness and sheen to his colors, matching what the artwork was putting down. Here, they are starker with a bit of roughness and grit to them, again capturing what the other artwork is doing. Yet, there is the same overall vibrant energy that Curiel puts into his work on very clear display.

Matching all of that is the energy and firmness of the lettering, which is no surprise with Maher on deck. All the emotional weight is captured in each and every letter that we see spread across the page. This is contained within bubbles and boxes that are placed with utmost care and precision. This matches the voices that we have come to know from these characters when they were regularly appearing over a decade ago.

What If…? Secret Wars #1 is now available from Marvel Comics.