The Ultimates is a 2002-2004 thirteen-issue comic book limited series written by Mark Millar with art by Bryan Hitch.

establishes a strike force of government-sponsored superheroes when the President of the United States approves a new defense budget to combat the growing risk of the U.S. being attacked by supervillains.

The team, dubbed the Ultimates, includes Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) and scientist couple Hank and Janet Pym (Giant-Man and the Wasp respectively) and take up residence in the Triskelion, an island laboratory run by S.H.I.E.L.D.

Thor is offered a position in the Ultimates, but he declines unless the President agrees to triple the funds allocated to environmental issues in the budget.

Humiliated by his quick defeat in the battle, Hank takes his anger out on Janet and abuses her by forcing her to shrink down into her wasp form and assaulting her with bug spray and mind-controlled ants.

Suspended from the Ultimates for this act, Hank flees to Chicago, but is followed by Captain America who brutally beats him and breaks his jaw.

The Ultimates, along with two former members of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, are sent in to destroy the base, but are surprised to find it abandoned once they arrive.

Kleiser explains that the Chitauri are all controlled by a single eusocial mind that spans across the entire universe and that the event taking place on Earth is one of many other invasions happening across millions of different planets.

The Chitauri are forced to make a change of plans when their armada descends upon the Earth, revealing their existence to the entire world.

Suddenly, a freak lightning storm called up by Thor hits the Triskelion, destroying all Chitauri land forces.

Janet, Black Widow, and Hawkeye infiltrate the Triskelion and locate the bomb, but are unable to defuse it because it is written in an alien language.

[5] Keith Dallas from comicsbulletin.com in the review of the "Homeland Security" story arc states the artwork is "visual magnificence" however is concerned about the dark writing of the characters stripped of their "super-heroic nobility" and was "disheartened by the book’s tone and cynicism".

[7] Kevin Forest Moreau gave this story arc 4.2 out of 5.0 stating it is an "engaging read, filled with intriguing and amusing modern takes on classic Marvel characters" whilst praising Bryan Hitch's artwork by saying it is "amazing, gorgeous artwork, which continues to set the standard for cinematic photo-realism.