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Marvel’s Ultimate Universe is coming to a close once again. Started two years ago, there was always a timer in the background of the whole alternate publishing line, and nothing was different for the title of Ultimate Black Panther. Wakanda’s leaders have been forced into action by The Maker’s lackeys, Lord Khonshu and Lord Ra, who are attempting to dominate the entire African continent. With the help of Killmonger and Storm, Black Panther has the colonizers all but defanged, though a greater evil has reared its head.

The Progenitors, alien entities tied to vibranium, once seeded the metal into the African country of Wakanda in the far past. Worshipped as gods for a time, the otherworldly beings have long since been rejected and forgotten by the nation’s consciousness. They are now set on returning and harvesting the fruits of their labors, or lack thereof. To arrive, the Progenitors need to open a portal into the heart of Wakanda, and they mean to do that via the power of a human who holds the royal vibranium-infused blood, of which flows through Black Panther and his ancestors.

At this point in the series, both the previous volumes of Ultimate Black Panther and the rest of the Ultimate Universe are quite disconnected from the current story. While the Progenitors likely serve a role in The Maker’s grand plan, they are ostensibly separate from the defeated lieutenants of the villain who were dispatched specifically to subdue Wakanda. Likewise, the interpersonal dramas that unfolded between Black Panther, Okoye, Killmonger, and Storm are all acknowledged and accepted, but are largely inconsequential on the entirety of these final issues. There may have been a better time for the comic to change gears, but it has decided to do so now, and there, at least, are plenty of upsides.

Black Panther is given the opportunity to officially welcome Bast into his heart. The setup is very reminiscent of a monotheistic religion replacing a polytheistic, with the typical assertion of the true higher power being more ancient and capable than its pantheon of pretender predecessors. Combining Bast’s blessings and the inherent strength provided from Panther’s vibranium-laced genetics allows the hero to stand up to Z’Non, the head Progenitor.

The sequence of Bast revealing the history of Wakanda and joining with Black Panther is the most dynamic and moving of the collected issues. From the climactic scene however, the book sprints to the finish line, only to realize the ground gave out long before the white ribbon.

In an attempt to subvert the will of Black Panther, the Vodu-Khan, a group of cultists within Wakanda dedicated to the Progenitors, uses magic to impregnate Storm with T’Challa’s child. The whole ordeal is weird and not given anywhere enough time or explanation, with our heroes almost immediately accepting that the kid is not “real” and is some sort of abomination that can, and must, be wiped from the face of the earth. Hailed as a savior and god on earth, the child does little to dissuade his parents' pre-made opinion.

Along with the rushed emotional decision of filicide, the comic also has Storm and Black Panther’s child grow at an accelerated rate thanks to Progenitor magic, and plot convenience. As the parental duo complete their grim duty, readers may expect to find a sense of horrific irony and tragedy, but in reality the book presents mostly flash and excitement, with the only insertion of concern being for T’Challa’s wellbeing.

All this to say, I found Destiny and Destruction to be narratively weak, even compared with the comic’s previous volumes. It is strange, a pattern that has emerged amongst Ultimate Universe titles is a lack of interconnectivity with the wider line, and a rushed conclusion. Leaving slim time for fulfilling finales is a definite fault that is frequent in corporate comics, but the situation is uniquely odd given the pre-established two-year time frame placed on the Ultimate Universe books. Twenty-four issue runs were cemented from the start, and the villains were made clear from the Ultimate Invasion miniseries, which launched the publishing initiative. Aside from Ultimates the core series in the alternative Marvel line are largely insular and creatively distinct.

On its face, the strong identity and complete-packages presented by the artistic decision to keep the series at arms lengths from each other are beneficial and allow the books to exist as standalone works with their own narrative merit. However, there is a real impression left by these individual titles, including Ultimate Black Panther in particular, that these worlds were built with the idea of longform stories and a continuing collaborative space, but for whatever reason that seems to not be in the cards for the Ultimate Universe. Ultimate Black Panther has faced the persistent problem of being too closely a reflection of its main universe counterpart, and in conjunction with the aforementioned critiques of the conclusion and perceived cutoff at the knees of the comic’s world, readers may find themselves unsatisfied and confused with the comic run as a whole.

Where there is no question of increased quality is the art of Destiny and Destruction compared to the preceding collections. The panel layout, the details, and the overall flow of the action is on another level and places the book on par with the exceptional output of Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Spider-Man. Without dropping the series’ established aesthetic, Destiny and Destruction moves the art away from stiff action-figures slamming into each other into a high-energy cartoon. Despite the adult themes of the story, I found the tone of the book to often land on something around Avatar: The Last Air Bender, in the best way possible. Scenes with Bast and the mecha-panther are absolute highlights, and the depiction of Storm has been a consistent standout throughout the series, and is no different in these issues.

I did not find a lot of cohesion in Destiny and Destruction but in its stead there was loads of fun and an unfortunate abundance of promise. Had this creative team been given their own, insular universe where they could lay out a Black Panther story from beginning to end and then execute at their own pace, something special would almost be inevitable. As it stands, Ultimate Black Panther appears to be the most recent victim of the dreaded and common pull of profitable reboots and throwaway initiatives which plague corporate media. I come away from this series with the same motivation imparted from basically all the Ultimate Universe titles; I want to see what the minds, hearts, and pens behind this comic have to offer in the future, and the same sentiment does not hold true for the publisher.

Ultimate Black Panther: Destiny and Destruction. Bryan Hill. Carlos Nieto. Stefano Caselli. David Curiel. VC’s Cory Petit. Travis Lanham. Phil Noto. Michelle Marchese. Wil Moss.