Savage Avengers #8 places the heroes in dire straits as they face Marvel’s most lethal robot, only for it to be defeated surprisingly quickly.
The following contains spoilers for Savage Avengers #8, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
One of the most dynamic aspects of Savage Avengers is how this offshoot of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes keeps meeting twisted tyrants as they flutter across a broken time stream. They barely escaped the Hyborian Age, only to end up in the 2099-Universe. There, Ultron was revealed to be ruling the “machine empire,” intent on breaking these intruders who threaten his reign, with his army of corrupted Deathloks.
Thankfully, with Elektra/Daredevil leading the charge, Black Knight, Weapon H, Anti-Venom, Cloak, and Dagger have someone to properly manage the team. They’ve also got Doom 2099, Punisher/Jake Gallows, and Miles Morales/Deathlok in tow, giving them much-needed firepower. All these soldiers come in handy as Savage Avengers #8 (by David Pepose, Carlos Magno, Espen Grundetjern, and VC’s Travis Lanham) throws them up against Marvel’s deadliest robot in a quickfire battle that could have been a huge problem.
Savage Avengers Introduces Ultimo to the War
Ultimo is one of Marvel’s most unheralded and underrated weapons. The alien robot debuted in Tales of Suspense in the ’60s, created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan. It was found by Mandarin and turned into a pawn, intent on waging war and killing the likes of Iron Man and War Machine over the years. And make no mistake, given its near-indestructible armor and energy blasts, it almost took these heroes out many times.
Even the Avengers had problems with the being, as it evolved over the years. It became a virus, then a tool MODOK used to attack Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, proving to be something scarier than Doombots, Thor’s Destroyer, the X-Men Sentinels, and even Ultron at times. A lot of this was due to its cold attitude and a programming directive that demanded blood first. When the Savage squad arrives in Latveria in this reality, they are attacked by a Deathlok version of the robot.
The Savage Avengers’ Spider-Man Easily Destroys Ultimo
Ultimo is true to form, using its body and explosions to scatter the squad. It’s stronger, faster, and better, which makes sense as it’s something Ultron has perfected, warping its mission to protect Latveria. Ultron used the likes of MODOK as weapons in this bleak future, so this Ultimo falls under that purvey, reminding readers Ultron is willing to retool any villain as a slave to protect his throne. Honestly, it’s a smart decision as the heroes find themselves struggling under fire.
However, there’s a flaw as some exposed wiring allows Elektra to slash its stomach up. This creates a window of opportunity where Miles swings in with his web shooters, and uses his venom blast to fry Ultimo’s circuits. It’s a massive, risky Hail Mary play as no one should really be in such close quarters against a killer robot. But Miles gambles, knowing Ultimo wasn’t going to stop, not with Ultron unleashing him like this. Ultimately, the heroes consider themselves lucky as they move on to find the time-array gauntlet and take Ultron down, because had Miles not pulled off this feat, Ultimo was on course to fry them all for his master.
