Ultimate War

Ultimate War
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	monthly
Format	limited series, crossover
Publication date	December 2002 to February 2003
Number of issues	4
Main character(s)	X-Men, The Ultimates, Magneto and the Brotherhood
Creative team
Writer(s)	Mark Millar
Artist(s)	Chris Bachalo

Ultimate War is a comic book limited series produced by Marvel Comics featuring the Ultimates and the Ultimate X-Men. The series contains four books, released between December 8, 2002 and February 23, 2003. It was written by Scottish comics author Mark Millar with art by Chris Bachalo.

It is collected as part of the Ultimate X-Men series of trade paperbacks. This was the first time the Ultimates as a team had crossed over with characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe.

Previously, the X-Men defeated Magneto and pronounced him dead. Rather than turning Magneto over to the authorities and virtually ensuring the death penalty for him, Professor X secretly brainwashed his old friend and tried to rehabilitate him. However, the Beast inadvertently leaked this plan to Magneto's Brotherhood, believing that he was chatting with an online girlfriend. The Brotherhood used this to entrap Beast and gained enough knowledge to free their leader.

Meanwhile, Iceman has left the X-Men, forced out by his worried parents after he sustained injuries in the fight against Proteus, while three more X-Men, Wolverine, Cyclops and Kitty Pryde, are on a mission to the Savage Land.

The US government is irate over Magneto's reappearance and demands explanations from Nick Fury. Fury and his Ultimates track down the Xavier Mansion, whose location was hitherto unknown, and find it empty, the X-Men having relocated. Nick Fury comes to the incorrect conclusion that the X-Men have joined forces with Magneto to fight mankind.

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Wikipedia