Ultimates:
Captain America is Steve Rogers - patriotic, nationalistic, and prone to violence (as are most of his teammates). He has more of a 1940s attitude than the original version did (even in the 1940s), which often makes him look reactionary. Rogers underwent six months of surgery and steroid treatment during World War II to become America's first Super-Soldier. At the end of the war in 1945, he led a mission to sabotage a prototype hydrogen bomb developed by the Nazis with extraterrestrial technology, and was thrown into the North Atlantic Ocean, where he was frozen. He remained in suspended animation until his body was rediscovered in the present day and revived, just in time to take the field leadership of the new government-sponsored superhuman force known as the Ultimates.
Nick Fury is the Ultimates' government liaison and head of S.H.I.E.L.D., the branch of the U.S. military devoted to metahuman threats (Hawkeye has stated its original purpose was to bring down the Soviet Union). General Fury is an African American (the original Fury was Caucasian) in this universe, but still wears an eye patch (due to an injury in the Persian Gulf War) like his mainstream counterpart. While Fury usually leads the team via a comm-link from their home base, he has occasionally joined the team on field missions, where he employs advanced spy technology (e.g. invisibility) to stay alive. He also makes various cameos throughout the Ultimate Marvel Universe, more so than the other Ultimates. His characterization and image is reportedly loosely based on Samuel L. Jackson by both Millar and Hitch.
Iron Man is Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist, playboy and inventive genius who created the Iron Man powered armor. Stark has an inoperable brain tumor which will kill him anytime between six months and five years and wants to do something of worth before he dies. He is portrayed as an alcoholic, as he was for a time in the original comics. He has recently become engaged to the Black Widow, giving her a suit of armor as an engagement present.
Thor is a man who claims to be the exiled Son of Odin. He has built a cult of personality around himself with his preachings of a political conspiracy orchestrated by the New World Order. According to his dossier, he is an ex-nurse who suffered a nervous breakdown, spending 18 months in a mental institution. He appears to have super-powers which include flight, the ability to manipulate the weather, super-strength and also exhibits a degree of omniscience. He also wields the allegedly magical hammer Mjolnir, which can teleport objects into other dimensions. One of the mysteries behind Thor is whether or not he really is the Thor of Norse mythology. He refuses to be an official member of the team, which he considers pawns of the military-industrial complex, but offers to be on call anytime there is an emergency that requires his help. Mark Millar claims to have based the character loosely on conspiracy theorist David Icke.
T
he Hulk is Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, who attempted to rediscover the Super-Soldier Formula that created Captain America. Insecure and neurotic, he used an experimental version of the formula on himself and transformed into the mindless Hulk. In addition to being childlike and violent, the Hulk is shown to be not only a perpetually horny maniac with no morality or restraint, but a cannibal as well (In the Ultimate War issue of the Ultimate X-Men, he escapes and eats his six person nursing staff). As the Hulk, he is also virtually unstoppable, but easily manipulated. Banner was thought cured of his adverse condition, but recreated the Hulk because he was resentful about being surrounded by people with super-powers. Although not technically a member of the team, the Hulk was kept in isolation for safety reasons and was called on as a living weapon only as a last resort.
Giant-Man and The Wasp are Henry and Janet Pym, a married couple as they were in the original comics, but here they are emotionally and physically abusive towards one another. As in the mainstream comics, Henry Pym is a world-famous scientist, but the Wasp is secretly a mutant and much more wasp-like than the original. Giant-Man's powers are derived from hers, which was apparently a source of resentment to him.
The Black Widow and Hawkeye are Natasha Romanova, a former KGB spy and assassin, and Clint Barton, an archer with almost superhuman accuracy. They were originally part of the Ultimates' covert operations ("black ops"
team, but were subsequently moved to public status after their backgrounds were falsified for public consumption. The Widow seems to have genetic or cybernetic enhancements. She also appeared to have a romantic interest in Tony Stark, but it was revealed in Ultimates 2 #9 that she was merely using him, and was in fact working as a spy against the Ultimates.
Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, are Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, a pair of mutant siblings. Pietro has the power of super speed, and Wanda can affect probabilities with her powers. Unlike the original mainstream versions of these characters, they have not abandoned their ties to Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants; they still believe in mutant supremacy. Because of their mutant status, they remain a part of the black ops section. They are often depicted touching each other intimately, which has led to fan speculation that the two share an incestuous relationship.Ultimates: