The Ultimates #22 Review: Cap vs Bucky Shocker

Written by: Deniz Camp
Art by: Juan Frigeri
Colors by: Federico Blee
Letters by: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover art by: Dike Ruan, Neeraj Menon (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: March 18, 2026

The Ultimates #22 (Marvel, 3/18/26): Writer Deniz Camp and artist Juan Frigeri confront Captain America with his radicalized old friend Bucky Barnes as the Grand Skull, turning a personal confrontation into a heated ideological showdown. The execution proves uneven and heavy-handed, delivering stunning visuals amid muddled messaging; Verdict: Skip it.

First Impressions

You plunge into the raw brotherhood of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes from their Brooklyn childhood scraps right up to the brutal clash in Fatherlandville, where Frigeri’s sharply inked panels and Blee’s moody color washes build electric dramatic tension that grips like a vice from the first flashback. The art masterfully accelerates the emotional stakes through kinetic shadows and expressive close-ups on weathered faces twisted in betrayal, making every punch and plea land with palpable weight. Yet that momentum stutters under the weight of preachy captions and a fight that drags into a shocking, unearned close, leaving a sour taste amid the visual feast.

Recap

Issue #21 ramps up the revolution with Luke Cage’s squads hitting infrastructure in choreographed strikes, Ultimates like Cap anchoring the chaos while crowds surge forward, all backed by the Ultimates Handbook’s fiery calls rejecting reform for force. Visions tactical feeds underscore the collective strategy toppling Council proxies, installing worker councils amid utopian vibes of redistributed power. The book jabs at apolitical superhero tales, positioning the uprising as the true heroic arc. Since this isn’t a #1 or one-shot, that context feeds straight into Cap’s personal hunt for Bucky here.

Plot Analysis (SPOILERS)

The issue opens with tender flashbacks to young Steve and Bucky’s Brooklyn bond in 1923 through 1930, their mothers forging family ties amid hardship, then cuts to today, in Fatherlandville where a battered Cap comforts wounded amid mounting casualties, shares a proud moment with healing Wanda, and defies Vision’s tactical retreat to pursue the Grand Skull. John Walker as a raving “second-coming Red Skull” calls offering inside schematics for a low-blood path, but Cap unmasks Bucky instead, sparking a fierce brawl laced with Bucky’s rants on lost democracy and futile resistance as they trade blows through his high-tech armor.

Cap pins Bucky after dismantling his defenses, only to learn a dead man’s switch ties Bucky’s heart to a bomb amid hostages; rescuers clear the innocents, but Bucky pleads he’s lost himself to the role he played too long, fully radicalized down to his bones. Cap cradles his begging brother, promising care forever, then delivers the killing blow in a heartbreaking crack as Bucky dies in his arms. The story sidelines the Maker’s looming return for this Bucky-focused side drama, flashing failed “Barnes for Congress” bids and undercover twists before the mercy kill seals the tragedy.

Writing

Camp paces the brotherly flashbacks brilliantly to contrast innocent origins with ideological fracture, but dialogue turns stilted when Bucky’s monologues hammer radicalization without clear through-line beyond disillusionment, lacking authentic grit for his fall. Structure prioritizes emotional beats over propulsion, turning the core fight into a talky standoff that stalls main-arc momentum on the Maker. Thematic depth drowns in heavy-handed messaging that muddles Bucky’s arc, failing the story basics by giving him a vague goal undercut by unclear obstacles beyond “the years fly by.”

Art

Juan Frigeri’s layouts flow masterfully from wide revolutionary chaos to intimate flashbacks, his dynamic panel rhythms capturing every shield ricochet and armor crack with kinetic precision that heightens dramatic tension in Cap’s pained expressions. Federico Blee’s color theory shifts tonally from warm sepia childhood glows to cold blues and fiery reds in the brawl, moodily underscoring betrayal while sharply inked details make tech like Bucky’s 360-degree suit feel menacingly alive. Character acting shines in close-ups where eyes convey decades of loss, Frigeri’s composition guiding the eye through the melee like a visceral fever dream.

Blee’s shadows pool dramatically around fallen brothers, amplifying stakes without words, while Frigeri’s exaggerated SFX integrate seamlessly to drive visceral impact in the final embrace.

Character Development

Bucky’s motivation stays muddled despite detailed rants on systemic collapse, his radicalization feeling told not shown, eroding relatability as “performance becomes belief” lacks consistent beats tying to Cap’s unyielding ideals. Cap embodies focal resolve chasing his brother, but the mercy killing jars against his never-give-up core, twisting stakes into contradiction without earning the journey’s payoff. No real obstacles test their bond beyond exposition, leaving arcs static and unrelatable.

Originality & Concept Execution

The premise refreshes Bucky’s Winter Soldier echo with Ultimate twists like political failure and undercover coercion, but execution squanders it on a side-story detouring from the Maker’s return, delivering personal drama without fresh propulsion. It promises brother-vs-brother tension yet muddles via messaging over plot, failing to clarify radicalization beyond vague despair. Basics falter: clear goal dissolves into pleas, journey stalls on talk, stakes undercut by an abrupt end.

Pros and Cons

What We Loved

Frigeri’s kinetic layouts masterfully build fight tension.
Blee’s moody tonality shifts amplify emotional betrayal.
Dramatic flashbacks sharply inked for raw brotherhood punch.

Room for Improvement

Heavy-handed messaging muddles Bucky’s radicalization core.
No main plot progress on Maker’s imminent return.
Cap’s mercy kill clashes with never-give-up ideals.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

The Scorecard

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): 1/4
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): 3/4
Value (Originality & Entertainment): 1/2

Final Verdict

The Ultimates #22: Stunning art and taut dramatic tensions shine through Frigeri’s dynamic work and Blee’s vivid moods, delivering visceral highs in the brotherly clash that hooks despite its flaws. Yet heavy-handed messaging muddles Bucky beyond “radicalized,” the plot stalls main Maker arc for side-drama, and Cap’s post-fight mercy kill betrays his ideals for unearned shock. This squandered issue prioritizes the writer views over character truth or story basics, failing to justify its slot in any limited stack.

5/10

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