10 Comic Book Story Arcs EVERYONE Hated
5. Ultimatum
Ultimates 3 may have been the first sign of dwindling quality in the Ultimate universe but Ultimatum was the final nail in the coffin. The saga begins with Magneto reversing the Earth's poles, causing entire cities to freeze or be consumed by tidal waves, killing tens of millions.
In events like this, it's not too uncommon for one or two big names to bite the dust (for a while). But during this series, over 30 main characters die including Cyclops, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Angel, Nightcrawler, Magneto, Professor X, and Wolverine.
What's worse is that many superheroes and supervillains' deaths are gratuitously violent. Doctor Strange's head bursts like a zit. Blob devours Wasp while comparing the taste of her entrails to chicken, and Hank Pym bites Blob's head off in retaliation. Ultimatum is so grisly, it feels like one is reading horror fan-fiction rather than a real comic.
Writer, Jeph Loeb, tried so hard to tell a story that was edgy and shocking but it's self-evident he overplayed his hand. Although the comics had some great moments after this travesty (including the creation of Miles Morales in Ultimate Spider-Man, which managed to exist unpurturbed by the craziness of the other Ultimate books), the sales never recovered and the Ultimate universe was discontinued in 2015.