The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in American comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel. The purpose of the group was to protect the public and keep other "Ultras" (superheroes) from becoming unruly.
The group consists of various Ultras in Malibu's Ultraverse, including the super-strong Prime; Hardcase, one of the first public Ultras and the most famous; Prototype, Ultra-Tech's armored spokesperson; Topaz, warrior queen of Gwendor; the undead Ghoul, the last surviving member of the Exiles; and the mysterious Contrary, who organized the team and provided their technology.
In 1995, Ultraforce was adapted into an animated television series that ran for 13 episodes. The series was produced by DIC Entertainment.
Publication history The team debuted in Ultraforce #1 (August 1994). In a similar fashion to the Avengers and Justice League, Ultraforce was an assemblage of ultras (superheroes) who each had an existing series of their own. The first Ultraforce series ran for 11 issues, from #0–10. The first 7 issues were written by Gerard Jones and drawn by George Pérez.
After the purchase of Malibu Comics by Marvel, Ultraforce began a crossover with the Avengers in the "Black September" event with Avengers/Ultraforce. After the event, the Ultraforce book was reformed and ran for 16 issues (September 1995–December 1996), from issue ∞ to issue 15. A one-shot (Ultraverse Future Shock #1) was published in February 1997 to wrap up unresolved plot lines. The Ultra's team were also depicted in a multitude of events such as Black September, Phoenix Resurrection, Ultraforce/Spider-Man, and Ultraverse Unlimited.
Marvel ended the Ultraverse line in 1997."Marvel Comics Just Brought Back The Ultraverse But No One Noticed" at Bleeding Cool."Why Did Marvel Really Buy Ultraverse & Why Won't They Publish It Now?" at Bleeding Cool
Fictional biography Formation of the team The only survivor of the Exiles, Ghoul, raised himself from his tomb and was harassed by the press and the public. The Ultra Hardcase rescued him and suggested to the press that only the Ultras could regulate other Ultras, not the government.Ultraforce #0A (1994) Malibu Comics Prime saw the interview on TV and decided to search for members of a new team to be called "Ultraforce". He convinced Prototype of the necessity of the team, but begin to fight him for the "leadership". The fight between the two young ultras alerted Contrary, who brought Hardcase and Ghoul to her airship and show them the impact that the fight was having on the general public. When Prime and Prototype were fighting in the land, the villain named Atalon, king of the fire people, brought them underground. Hardcase went to rescue them.Ultraforce #0B (1994). Malibu Comics. Meanwhile, one of the three queens of Gwendor, Topaz, arrived on Earth from the Godwheel. Contrary promised her to return to her people. Prime and Prototype tried to fight Atalon but were defeated by him. Hardcase arrives just in time save them.Ultraforce #1 (1994) Malibu Comics After this, the team was formed and backed by the US government and president Bill Clinton. The members tried to recruit aid from the Freex, The Strangers, the Night Man, and Mantra, but were rejected. After manipulations of Contrary, Prime left the team temporarily.Ultraforce #2 (1994) Malibu Comics Attalon raised a new island and fought Ultraforce in the surface. In the fight, Prime returned and Atalon detonated a nuclear missile in the isle.Ultraforce #3 (1994) Malibu Comics
In the battle with Attalon, the young ultra Pixx sacrificed herself to disable the nuclear arsenal of the villain and was killed by the increasing radiation.Ultraforce #5 (1995) Malibu Comics In the end, Attalon was defeated and after a negotiation with Contrary, he left the surface world to its own devices.Ultraforce #6 (1995) Malibu Comics In the next months, the Ultra Ghoul investigated the strange death of the singer Mosh.Ultraforce #7 (1995) Malibu Comics
Black September Marvel's superhero Black Knight arrived in the Ultraverse and met with Prototype and Prime. He participated in the battle against some 'angels' created by Metabio Corporation and that was freed accidentally by the ultra Siren, who joined the team too. The 'angels' did not have an effect on Ghoul, because he had a decaying body, so he could defeat them.Ultraforce #8-9 (1995) Malibu Comics Topaz fought the sorceress Mantra for the possession of the sword of Fangs that used to belong to Topaz's people, but were interrupted by the villain Hybrid who sent Ultraforce in a quest in Egypt. Hybrid was killed and Topaz and Mantra make peaceMantra #24 (1995) Malibu Comics Later, when Black Knight was searching for clues about Loki's presence in New York, he found his lover Sersi, but she was possessed by the Ego Infinity gem and attacked him and Topaz.Ultraforce #10 (1995) Malibu Comics
Then, the Ultraforce battled the Asgardian god named Loki that was searching for the infinity gems in the Ultraverse. Loki sends the heroes in different directions with illusions. They found the infinity gems and with the help of Sersi, returned to Earth.Ultraforce/Avengers Prelude #1 (1995) Malibu Comics After this, the Ultraforce heroes were fooled by Loki in fighting the Avengers in a competition between Loki and the Grandmaster for the infinity gems. Loki won the competition and received all the gems, but he soon lost the gems to the entity Nemesis when the seven gems reunited.Avengers / Ultraforce #1 (1995). Marvel Comics. Both teams (Avengers and Ultraforce) fought Nemesis in an altered reality that combined both universes.Ultraforce/Avengers #1 (1995). Malibu Comics. The slaying of Nemesis by the Black Knight caused a reality-changed event that transformed the Ultraverse, erasing Hardcase and Contrary from existence and from the memories of their former teammates, and replacing Prototype (Jimmy Ruiz) with his predecessor in the Prototype armor, Bob Campbell.Black September #∞ (1995). Malibu Comics.
After Black September After the event known as "Black September" (when Marvel Comics purchased Malibu), the Ultraforce was re-created as a new team. Marvel's Black Knight became the leader of the new group, which consisted of him, Prototype (Bob Campbell), Prime, Topaz, and Ghoul. The new team fought the fanatics of the Fold that worshiped a man called Pascal and were murdering ultras, but they soon found that Pascal was dead and that the Fold was using him to enforce their beliefs.Ultraforce vol. 2 #∞ (1995) Malibu Comics The team was given a new base by the U.S. government in Headless Cross, Arkansas. A mysterious man called Cromwell was introduced as a government liaison for the team, and the wife of Bob Campbell, Felicia Campbell, supported the team as a medic. In the next months, new members arrived in the team included the mysterious Lament and the vigilante Wreckage, who apparently had committed various murders that were investigated by Ultraforce.Ultraforce vol. 2 #1-2 (1995) Malibu Comics They discovered that the murders were committed by the ultra Bonehammer, who was employed by a criminal organization, the commission. With the help of Wreckage, the Ultraforce defeated Bonehammer.Ultraforce vol. 2 #3 (1995) Malibu Comics
The team-up with the X-Men occurred when the Phoenix Force arrived in the Ultraverse and possessed Prime. Both teams drove the Phoenix away, but it found a new host: Amber Hunt.Phoenix Resurrection: Genesis, Phoenix Resurrection: Revelations, The Phoenix Resurrection #0 (1996) Malibu Comics They also team up with Spider-Man against the extraterrestrials The Shifters who attempted to provoke a war between the Ultraverse and Earth 616.Ultraforce/Spider-Man #1 (1996) Malibu Comics Afterwards, Amber Hunt and Ghoul investigated the Exiles' graves and found the Progeny, an alien menace from the future.All New Exiles #4 (1996) Malibu Comics In an investigation about the ultra Foxfire, Ultraforce met Timothy Halloran, the Mastodon, who was committing murders in the sewers of New York. Mastodon was taken to medical care. Foxfire was an unknown carrier of the Progeny virus.Foxfire #1-2 (1996) Malibu Comics
The Ultraforce investigated the murder of Senator Robert Shrine, which involved ultras who were killed too. In the quest, they fought the Rawborgs and Dog.Ultraforce vol. 2 #5-6 (1996) Malibu Comics After the murderous attack of some of his teammates against Dog, the Black Knight expelled Topaz, Ghoul, Lament and Wreckage from the team.Ultraforce vol. 2 #7 (1996) Malibu Comics Topaz did not want to leave and confronted the Knight. She, Lament and Prime were acting very aggressively and attacked the Knight and Cromwell.<ref>Ultraforce vol. 2 #8 (1996) Malibu Comics</ref> It was revealed that Prime, Lament, and Topaz were infected by the Progeny virus and fought his counterparts from 50 years in the future that came to cure them.Ultraforce vol. 2 #9 (1996) Malibu Comics The Progeny virus would have infected all the Ultras in Earth. After they cured the virus and took Foxfire with them, the Ultraforce from the future erased the memory of this event from their counterparts of the past. Searching in the base about what happened, the Black Knight and Topaz released Specimen 13, one of several beings being kept in the secret basement and who was also Cromwell's brother. The specimen overpowered the heroes but was convinced by his brother to return to his chamber.Ultraforce vol. 2 #10-11 (1996) Malibu Comics
After this, the Ultraforce joined the New Exiles, who were fighting an alien robot called Maxis. The Ultraforce collapsed a building upon Maxis, stopping him temporarily.Ultraforce vol. 2 #12 (1996) Malibu Comics Immediately afterward, an entire armada of the Tulkan aliens arrived at the scene. They said that they were tracking a monster called Demonseed who was causing various damage to their worlds. The Tulkan had tracked the monster to Earth and wanted revenge. The Ultraforce and the New Exiles fought the elite of the armada, defeating them after a brutal battle. With problems in their ships, the Tulkan leader accepted defeat and fled. In the aftermath of the invasion, and with the help of Maxis, the Black Knight returned to his home dimension with the exiles Siena Blaze and Reaper via an interdimensional portal.<ref>Ultraverse Unlimited #2 (1996) Malibu Comics</ref>
Prototype (Bob Campbell) becomes the new leader and accepted new members from the Exiles: Hellblade, Ripfire, Amber Hunt, Iron Clad, and the robot Maxis, who was now deprived of his original mission. When Ghoul arrived at the scene, he was accepted back into the team as well. Back at their base, the Ultraforce met Hardcase, but did not recognize him. Hardcase explained to them he was not erased by the Black September, but was shunted instead into a limbo, where he created the creature Demonseed as a companion in the loneliness. Demonseed, however, rebelled against his creator and escaped to the past via a portal, where he destroyed innumerable alien civilizations. Demonseed finally appeared and fought the Ultraforce, overpowering them, Ripfire was killed in the last attacks of the creature, but Hardcase sacrificed himself to send Demonseed back to the limbo, where he fought it for all eternity. Despite the grave losses, the Ultraforce looked into the future to continue its mission.Ultraforce vol. 2 13-15 (1996) Malibu Comics
50 years into the future, Prime, Iron Clad, and others were enjoying themselves after various battles.Ultraverse Future Shock #1 (1997) Malibu Comics
Members The names listed are those used while the character was associated with Ultraforce. "First appearance" is the place where the character first appeared in the Ultraverse. It is not necessarily the first appearance of the character in print, nor the story depicting how the character joined the team. All information is listed in publication order first, then alphabetical.
Pre-Black September