ULTIMATE ULTIMATE NULLIFIER

Is it a hat on a hat?

So I hear that yet another character I created has been hauled out of the Marvel mothballs to be given another day in court in The Ultimates #8, published this month by Marvel Comics. Apparently, this comicbook introduces the “Ultimate” version of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and one of its members is a character -- or at least an iteration of a character -- that I originally created and ultimately (no pun intended) introduced in the VENGEANCE mini-series that I wrote for Marvel back in 2011: Ultimate Nullifier.

To commemorate the deep significance of this pop cultural development, I thought it’d be a kick to take a look back and talk about the origins of this character and what the initial intention was when I first thought of him. A little history lesson, I suppose…

Back in March of 2010, I wrote up a quick pitch for a new version of an old Marvel concept called the Teen Brigade. Included in that pitch was the cast of characters that would make up this new team of teenage heroes. First on this list was Ultimate Nullifier. For those of you reading this that are deep into Marvel lore, you might already know that the Ultimate Nullifier was originally a device/weapon that was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the classic Fantastic Four #50 from 1966. Apparently, this thing was so powerful, just the threat of using it caused Galactus himself to shit his big purple pants when it was simply waved in his face.

I guess I’ve always been intrigued by this device, ever since I was a kid. The idea that this visually unassuming weapon was all-powerful is certainly a potent one, although it seemed to be mostly used as a typical deus ex machina whenever it did show up. Nevertheless, I had the bright idea to have an actual character that had appropriated that same name. I dunno… at the time, I felt like there was something kinda punk rock about someone having the balls to name themself after the most destructive weapon in the universe.

Quick aside: that same pitch document had the very first description of America Chavez (star of Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness), who I’d also created for this new Teen Brigade idea.

Anyway, here’s the initial description of that proposed character from the actual pitch…

ULTIMATE NULLIFIER – His real name a mystery, this seventeen-year-old anarchist is the very definition of subversive. The fact that he’s taken his i.d. from what might be the most powerful weapon in the universe already speaks volumes about how he views himself. But it also masks a keen insight into the inner workings of the Marvel Universe, not to mention a deep respect for the historical traditions of the Teen Brigade concept, even as he forges his own path as the unspoken leader of its most extreme iteration. This kid’s a fan with a plan, and even he doesn’t realize the extent of his mysterious ESP-based powers.

As you can probably imagine, that Teen Brigade pitch didn’t go anywhere. I can’t even remember if I actually sent it in to Marvel. I’m pretty sure I did, but I can’t recall exactly who I would’ve sent it to at that time. But a year later, when the VENGEANCE gig was offered up to me, I quickly realized that I could now use my Teen Brigade idea as a significant element in the mini-series. I made a few minor adjustments to the character’s abilities (I dropped the “ESP-based powers”, whatever that meant). I basically leaned into the name, giving Ultimate Nullifier the ability -- via his unique sidearms -- to temporarily “nullify” his opponent’s abilities, no matter how powerful they may be. I gave him an attitude -- and, more importantly, an enthusiasm -- that matched his moniker and, at the time, I thought I really had something. He played a pretty pivotal role in the story, as I put him through hell and let him emerge from the other side.

During pre-production on the series, I described his visual look in fairly minute detail to VENGEANCE artist, Nick Dragotta, who absolutely nailed it in his character sketch.

VENGEANCE was a wild ride, to say the least. An event book that wasn’t marketed as an event book. I had taken inspiration from another event series that had come out a few years previous, Grant Morrison’s Final Crisis, published by DC Comics. I loved that book in all of its glorious, bat-shit craziness, its scope and its ambition. Frankly, I don’t think it’s ever been topped. So, in that spirit, I threw everything and the kitchen sink into VENGEANCE and I thought the end product absolutely gave readers their money’s worth. Plus, it actually sold better than anyone at Marvel predicted, which was somewhat gratifying.

A couple of years later, Ultimate Nullifier was brought back for a brief appearance in Young Avengers, although his characterization in that comicbook seemed -- to me, anyway -- to be way off. After that, the character was banished back to comicbook limbo.

Until now, that is.

I hope this new version does well. I wish Ultimate Nullifier nothing but good luck and good fortune. I built him to last, and it’s nice to see that he has lasted (in one form or another).

Besides, it’s not like I was planning to bring him back in WEAPON X-MEN. I mean, that would just be ridiculous… wouldn’t it?

Joe Casey

USA