In
Ultimate Invasion, the Maker orchestrates an elaborate escape from his imprisonment in Earth-616, ultimately building a portal to another universe, Earth-6160. Upon arrival in 1963, he uses his knowledge of future events and technology to seize control of the world, eliminating and torturing potential opponents to his regime. He deals, overtly or covertly, with all external threats that traditional superheroes would otherwise handle in other Earths, like
Galactus or the
Kree–Skrull War. He also forges alliances and helps to install figures to depose heroes and figures opposed to him, such as when he assists
Loki in taking control of
Asgard and other realms. Due to the alteration of world history, most heroes are non-existent or heavily corrupted. The origins of many heroes and the initial beginning of a Heroic Age are averted. Since
mutants had
no central figures to guide them, their political movements were destroyed and have been forced underground; some have been co-opted by legitimate actors. The
Punisher became a notorious historical figure whose tactics were co-opted by a Neo-Nazi group called the Red Skulls, inspired by the
villain of the same name. The
Savage Land is industrialized and all prehistoric life is extinct after a violent takeover by a group of mercenaries under
Roxxon's command in the 1970s.
Attilan was destroyed and the surviving
Inhuman population was scattered across the globe. By 2023, the Maker has fully transformed the world into a series of political spheres controlled by his political allies and their vassals, integrating several superheroes and existing regimes while installing neo-feudal regimes in major parts of the world. Geopolitics has been replaced by a form of
war economy practiced between power blocs controlled by the Maker and his Council. There are no known democracies left, and most states are personally dominated by small families, as with Hi no Kuni, the Eurasian Republic and others. When faced with threats, the Council utilizes their near-total control over local political and economic organizations to harass and confront dissidents; the Maker himself runs an advanced secret police organization known as H.A.N.D, which rapidly eliminates dissenters. The modern world is ultimately organized as such: • North America was reformed into the North American Union, a technocratic confederation controlled by Stane/Stark Industries under
Obadiah Stane and
Howard Stark; after the death of Stane and Stark's entrapment in the City, the polity is secretly divided up by other members of the Maker's Council. Otherwise, the country appears largely run by a collection of corporations, such as Roxxon and
Oscorp, who have assumed control of critical civil functions such as electricity and healthcare. This is the main setting for
Ultimate Spider-Man where it is shown that
Wilson Fisk is a shadow governor in New York City and a recurring setting for
The Ultimates. • Latin America is dominated by the Society of South America, run by the
Hellfire Club under
Emmanuel da Costa. • Europe is run by the European Coalition, itself dominated by
Henri Duggary, a French aristocrat who controls
Avalon. Duggary has also de facto controlled the Eastern third of North America following its division in
Ultimate Invasion; Wilson Fisk now answers to him. • Africa is dominated by the Upper and Lower Kingdoms, based in Egypt. Both Kingdoms are governed by Lord
Ra and Lord
Khonshu; Nigeria and other postcolonial West African states still exist, albeit with unclear statuses. Wakanda, which has remained largely isolationist, remains outside of their control. This is the setting for
Ultimate Black Panther. • Russia and parts of Central Asia are governed by the Eurasian Republic, currently geopolitically antagonistic to much of the rest of the world. Russia has reverted back to the
Tsarist autocracy and is ruled by the Rasputin Family (consisting of
Colossus,
Magik, and
Omega Red). The Republic is designated by the Maker as the primary ward for mutants which its government attempts to use as weapons for secret police units. This is the setting for
Ultimate Wolverine. • South Asia and Southeast Asia are under the jurisdiction of the Children of Eternal Light, a faux-Buddhist martial arts cult led by the
Hulk who rules K'un-L'un and all the other seven cities of heaven. • Much of metropolitan China, Korea, and Japan are governed by Hi no Kuni, dominated by a bloc of three clans called the Harada-Yoshida Alliance (consisting of
Emperor Sunfire,
Viper, and
Silver Samurai). It appears to primarily succeed Japan, retaining a National Diet at the eponymous building in Tokyo. This is the setting for
Ultimate X-Men. • Central Asia and
Latveria fall within the bounds of The City, a technologically advanced fortress solely controlled by the Maker. Due to his political power, it is also the
de facto capital of the world. At the end of
Ultimate Invasion, the Maker attempts to have Howard Stark and Doom (Reed Richards) construct a time machine for him, called the Immortus Engine, hoping to use it to consolidate his control over the world in perpetuity. Deeply repulsed by the global system the Maker has constructed, Stark instead weakens his defenses, allowing for a cataclysmic battle started by
Kang to close The City shut, trapping them all inside. With the Maker absent, the ensuing political ripples allow for the emergence of organized defiance to the world order. In particular, the
Ultimates emerge as an effective guerilla army, recruiting the worst victims of the global order to undermine the new regimes. The Maker's Council begins to break into infighting, with members launching unauthorized contingencies in the hopes of reinforcing and gaining power. These frictions serve as the overall background for the individual series. ==Characters==