"Secret Empire: the Ultimate ending" is a fanfic that provides an alternate ending for Secret Empire.
Back in The Ultimates 2 #100 Carol's Ultimates had a brief meeting with the original Ultimates from the Ultimate Marvel universe. They departed to hunt the Maker in alternate realities, and Carol kept trying to pierce the forcefield around earth. And, in the meantime, Black Widow and Miles Morales tried to attack Captain America, ending with Punisher killing Black Widow.
In this fanfic, however, Carol asks Ultimate Tony Stark for help while she still has the chance. He uses the Maker's machine that recreated them to recreate all the remaining original Ultimates as well, and the Scarlet Witch pierces the field. They show up just in time to interrupt the fight between Hydra Cap and Morales, and Ultimate Captain America takes on his HYDRA double.
The fanfic can be found here
Tropes
- All There in the Manual: The fanfic builds upon the events of Ultimates 2 #100 and Secret Empire #7.
- And Then What?: Ultimate Captain America asks: let's say that Hydra wins, and establishes Hydra-controlled governments all across the world. And then what?
- Back from the Dead: Ultimate Tony Stark uses Ultimate Richard's machine to bring Ultimate Captain America back to life. He also brings Heer Kleiser so that Ultimate Hulk can beat up and eat him.
- Bash Brothers: Tony considers himself this with Thor and Captain America.
- Berserk Button: Being reminded about the crime that killed his family is the last push that Punisher needed to change his mind and shoot Hydra Cap.
- Big "WHAT?!": The female Ultimates can not believe what Pym once did to the Wasp.
- Bond One-Liner: As traditional, Ultimate Captain America shows up with one.
- Cassandra Truth: When he hears that Captain America has become a nazi, Ultimate Tony Stark thinks that it's all just a joke, or an excuse of Carol to get a date with him.
- Closest Thing We Got: Tony Stark may surely be able to break the forcefield with his genius, but no luck: he's on the other side of it, and running away from the law. An alternate universe Tony Stark will have to do.
- Continuity Nod
- Henry Pym abused of the Wasp back in the first arc of the Ultimates
- Also in that arc Hulk got mad at Herr Kleiser (that he called "naked man"), beated him to a pulp and eated him, because Captain America told him that he had been flirting with Betty Ross.
- Hydra Cap mentions the status of Thor, Tony Stark and the Scarlet Witch during Secret Empire. Stark came back to life at the ending of Bendis' run, and the Scarlet Witch was cured at the end of the crossover.
- Hydra Cap says that "This letter on my head does not stand for 'alternate'!". This makes reference to the infamous scene of the first Ultimates arc, when Captain America reacted to the villain asking him to surrender with an Heroic Second Wind and asking "Do you think this letter on my head stands for 'France'?". Ultimate Captain America does not use the quotation, but mentions his contempt for Vichy France, the part of the country that surrendered to the nazis.
- Curse Cut Short: When another Captain America shows up, Punisher reacts with a "What the...?"
- Decapitation Strike: The Punisher kills Hydra Cap. Ultimate Captain America, knowing that someone in the Hydra regime will fill in their former leader's place, immediately takes his counterpart's place and start reversing everything Hydra had imposed on America, and is even willing to stand in to pay for his counterpart's crimes.
- Deconstruction: According to Secret Empire #0, Hydra won World War II, and Steve Rogers was one of them; and then the Allies changed it with a cosmic cube. The whole Secret Empire was meant to be about Steve Rogers remembering his "true" origin, and trying to bring back the Hydra's dominance (at least, before the ending redefined the whole story). The comic did not explore much about that pre-reality warp context, it merely mentioned it. In the fanfic, Ultimate Captain America focus on it and points all the things that do not make sense about it.
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: Before going back to their own universe, Ultimate Tony Stark mentions that he has the trademark rights over the team name.
- Fate Worse than Death: Thanks to Stark finding this machine, Herr Kleiser will now be recreated, beated to a pulp and eaten by Hulk, and recreated and eaten again as much times as needed, just for Hulk's fun.
- Fix Fic: Spun out of the feeling out using the Cosmic Cube to undo the HYDRA-ified Captain America as a cop-out and annoyance with the end of the Ultimate Marvel universe, this sees the Ultimates restored and bring down the HYDRA Steve.
- Flat "What": Ultimate Captain America asks Hydra Cap about his claim that Hydra won World War II and the allies changed that with a cosmic cube, changing him into a loyal American in the process (seen in Secret Empire #0). Punisher can not believes what he hears.
- Jerkass Has a Point
- Carol mentions all the horrible crimes of Hydra Cap, but Ultimate Tony Stark makes fun of it, thinking that it's all a joke. He apologizes when he realizes that it is not, but the Wasp points "But you had to admit, a nazi Captain America does sound like some kind of twisted and sick joke."
- Punisher did not kill Ultimate Captain America on sight because his appearance confused him, and he wanted to be sure of what was happening before acting. Unaware that he's overhearing them, Ultimate Captain America's arguments against Hydra cap convinced Punisher to change sides and shoot Hydra Cap instead.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: When Carol, Photon and America Chavez hear about the incident of domestic abuse by Pym (and the Wasp is reminded of it), they all attack him with no mercy.
- One-Shot Fic: It's barely above 3,000 words in two chapters.
- Script Fic: Though it also does have some limited narration.
- Shout-Out:
- "Some time ago, in a galaxy far, far away"
- "Sure! And Darth Vader is making a Death Star for him!"
- Tony Stark says "Cogito Ergo Sum: I think, therefore, I am". Carol thinks that he's quoting Rene Descartes, but the Wasp knows him better: he's quoting Star Trek: The Next Generation: Ship in a bottle.
- Tony Stark whistles "It's raining men" while working with the machine.
- In the comics, Marvel goes great lengths to try to convince people that Hydra were not Nazis. The TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had an arc involving a simulated world controlled by Hydra at the same time of the comic book publication, and Jemma said instead "Hydra? They're all Nazis. Every one of them. Don't you let anyone forget it". This quotation is used by Ultimate Captain America against Hydra cap.
- "Do you have trademark laws in this universe? Because we created the Ultimates back in 2002, and the name now belongs to the “Millar & Hitch” division of Stark Enterprises."
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Tony Stark whistles while working with the machine, completely ignoring the No-Holds-Barred Beatdown that Pym is getting.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The High Evolutionary was also there when both Ultimates teams met, but he's ignored here because he plays no part in the story.
