With the launch of Marvel Comics' Ultimate Marvel comics line came a plethora of classic characters reworked to fit more into the modern day. The Ultimate Fantastic Four included the same team lineup as the original and the same power sets for each member. The main difference was how the team would end up, with all of them meeting their end along with their universe, all except for Reed Richards. Ultimate Mr. Fantastic was able to jump into Marvel’s original Earth-616 and leave the doomed Earth-1610 behind him. Once Reed Richards re-established himself in the prime Marvel timeline, he ceased to be the heroic Mr. Fantastic he once was and instead became a villain known as the Maker, one who could be Marvel’s next big bad. 

Ultimate Reed Richards’ metamorphosis into the Maker coincided with the Fantastic Four falling apart in the aftermath of Magneto’s attack on the Earth in Ultimatum. Since then, the Maker was most recently seen in the last Venom run, which was helmed by writer Donny Cates. In that series, the Maker uses Venom to restore a piece of symbiote derived from the Ultimate Universe, making it synthetic and not alien, in order to wear it and safely travel through the multiverse. The Maker’s plan is to merge with the synthetic symbiote and return to the Ultimate Universe in order to restore it to its former glory, though Eddie Brock is suspicious as to what methods the mad scientist is willing to use to accomplish his goals. 

Related: Fantastic Four: Reed Richards' Evil Variant Revealed His Greatest Power

In a Tweet posted by Donny Cates, the writer brings further attention to the Ultimate Universe, giving one pause to wonder if Cates’ interest will impact future stories. In the Tweet, the writer wrote, “Twitter: what are your favorite/standout moments from the ULTIMATE line of Marvel Comics?! Asking for a friend.” While Cates could simply be trying to involve fans in a Twitter thread of a particular interest, that prospect is highly unlikely given the cliffhanger Cates wrote involving the Maker

In Venom #200 by Donny Cates with Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art by Ryan Stegman, Kev Walker, Danilo S. Beyruth, Ron Lim, Guiu Vilanova, Gerardo Sandoval, Victor Nava, and Mark Bagley, Eddie Brock tells the other heroes of his universe how the Maker used him previously in the series, and how the villain still poses a significant threat. Brock warns that the Maker is consort with the multidimensional Council of Reeds, and since he was successful in returning to the Ultimate Universe, Brock believes the Maker will have the backing of the Council of Reeds in taking over Earth-616 in order to restore Earth-1610

Since Venom’s warning to the other heroes of Earth, fans have been left on the edge of their seats waiting for the Maker to attack. With Donny Cates’ Tweet seeking fan participation in regard to the Ultimate Universe, it seems a story could be in the works, one which may not just involve the Maker. With Cates’ question posted on Twitter, the writer could be accumulating ideas dropped in the thread by fans on how to proceed with the potential re-entering into the Ultimate Universe. The Maker’s incoming invasion of Earth-616 could show the return of a number of characters who may not have perished upon the supposed destruction of Ultimate Marvel, characters who may be sitting in Donny Cates’ Twitter threat right now waiting to make their comic book comebacks. From in-comic setups to Cates’ recent Tweet, all signs are pointing towards Reed Richards’ evil variant becoming the next big bad for Marvel Comics.

Next: Why Hulk's New Era Has Split Fans (Before It's Even Started)

Source: Donny Cates via Twitter