WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO: MARVEL COMICS ULTIMATE PANEL

ROSEMONT, Ill. --

Panelists included Bill Rosemann, C.B. Cebulski, Brian Michael Bendis and marketing's Jim McCann.

Following are highlights:

* Cebulski re-empasized that Ultimate Wolverine vs. Ultimate Hulk will not even be approached until the sixth script is

* Bendis said that Ultimate Spider-Man is not canceled. "I'm still the writer and Stuart (Immonen) is still the artist," he said. "The event will drastically change the book. There will be a change of tone, which you guys will find appealing, because the cast will be altered."

* Bendis note that the Ultimate is a different interpretation of the Marvel Universe, not a different dimension. He likened it to the Harry Potter books and movies.

* Bendis said the two universes won't meet. "It would sell, but then what?" he said.

* Bendis said an Ultimate Spider-Man Annual has been greenlit that will explore the possible physical relationship between Peter and Mary Jane. "Not having dealt with it had felt false to me," he said. "I know it's a sensitive subject."

The book will be released in October and will be drawn by David LaFuente, the artist of Patsy Walker: Hellcat.

* Ultimate Marvel Team-Up is all canon, except for the Skrull issue, Bendis said.

* The covers for Ultimate Origins #2-4, by Gabriell Dell'Otto, were shown, as well as pages from #2. Bendis said connections between Nick Fury and Captain America and Spider-Man and Hulk will be revealed.

The second issue will focus on the origin of Captain America. "it's important to see how they did it and why they can't do it again," he said.

The issue will also feature the debut of Ultimate Watcher.

* An upcoming arc will ties into the Ultimate Spider-Man video game. The last symbiote story for "a good long while" will feature the return of Gwen Stacy and Carnage.

* Bendis said Ultimatum is a very organic disaster that happens in all of the Ultimate books. "Not everyone's walking away," he said. "It's a big one."

* Rosemann said that Jeph Loeb is helping choreograph the lead-ins into Ultimatum.

* Bendis noted that the first Marvel Universe was about the same age of the Ultimate Universe when it had its first big event. He said that when a disaster hits the more relastic Ultimate Universe, "It has a completely different feel."

* Bendis praised Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada for not letting the Ultimates line get too large or out of hand.

* Bendis said Morbius is returning to Ultimate Spider-Man.

* Bendis noted that the Ultimate line was originally going to be called Ground Zero Comics.

* Asked about the influence of the Ultimate Universe on Marvel's Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk movies, Bendis said he didn't realize just how deep it was until director Jon Favreau used the word "Ultimate."

He retold the story about how he wrote the Samuel L. Jackson/Nick Fury cameo in Iron Man. He said he wrote three pages of stuff. "And they used my stuff," he said.

Bendis said he will be introducing new villains into Ultimate Spider-Man. "And I'm going to take a couple of characters from the 1960s Spider-Man cartoon said," he said.

* McCain said that Orson Scott Card is tied up with the upcoming Ender's Game comics and probably won't be writing any Ultimate stories beyond the finale of the second Iron Man series soon.

* Rosemann said Namor will be appearing in upcoming issues of Ultimate Fantastic Four.

* Bendis said Daredevil and Elektra will appear in Ultimate Spider-Man.

* Bendis said there are no plans for any of the Ultimate Adventures characters.

* After the panel, Rosemann said this is his last week on the Ultimate Universe titles, as he will be focusing on Marvel heroes titles.