''Ultimate X4'' is a

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

miniseries, set in the

Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters in ...

universe outside the mainstream continuity. It features a crossover between the

Ultimate X-Men ''Ultimate X-Men'' is a superhero comic book series, which was published by Marvel Comics, from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of the Ultimate Marvel imprint. The U ...

and the

Ultimate Fantastic Four ''Ultimate Fantastic Four'' is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running ''Fantastic Four'' comic book franchise as part of the Ultimate Marvel imprint. The Ultimate ...

. This miniseries is the first canonical team-up of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four in the

universe. The arc consists of two parts, ''UX4'' #1 (December 2005) and ''UX4'' #2 (January 2006).

Story

The X-Men receive a seemingly

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

distress signal and fly away with the Blackbird to track it down. Only

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...

Shadowcat Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. The character first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #129 (January 1980) and was co-created by wri ...

and Iceman remain at the

X-Mansion The X-Mansion or Xavier Institute is the common name for a mansion and research institute appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The mansion is depicted as the private estate of Charles Francis Xavier, a character in X ...

. In the meanwhile, Rhona Burchill, the

Mad Thinker Mad, mad, or MAD may refer to: Geography * Mad (village), a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia * Mád, a village in Hungary * Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, by IATA airport code * Mad River (disambiguation), several ri ...

, raids the understaffed X-Mansion and steals

Cerebro Cerebro (; Spanish for "brain", from Latin ) is a fictional device appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The device is used by the X-Men (in particular, their leader, Professor Charles Xavier) to detect humans, specifica ...

, and manages to

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

the Fantastic Four for this crime. Rhona reveals that she was contracted by

Advanced Idea Mechanics A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is a fictional criminal organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. In most versions, it is depicted as a think tank of brilliant scientists dedicated to overthrowing the world's ...

(AIM) to steal Cerebro and turn it over to them. After being paid for her work, Rhona betrays and kills the AIM operatives sent to retrieve Cerebro, since her true intention was to use Cerebro's technology to increase her intellect even further. The X-Men trio raids the

Baxter Building The Baxter Building is a fictitious 35-story office building appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The building is depicted in Manhattan, and its five upper floors house the Fantastic Four's headquarters. Publication hist ...

and fights a surprised and angry FF, but they are easily subdued. Burchill then reveals herself as the true culprit and gloats how vastly Cerebro has enhanced her mind, allowing her to take control of peoples' minds and even machines.

Mister Fantastic Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace a ...

states that Rhona's

mind control Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwashin ...

abilities have increased frighteningly, and modifies the suits of both teams to provide makeshift psi protection. The X-Men find out that the alien message was bogus, and that Rhona's psi barriers have increased drastically. The X-Men trio and the FF reluctantly team up against the Mad Thinker. Rhona is able to find a way around Reed's modifications and take control of everyone except him and

, but Reed beats Rhona by reprogramming Cerebro so that instead of gaining ultimate knowledge, Rhona would gain ultimate

empathy Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position. Definitions of empathy encompass a broad range of social, co ...

for others instead. When she tries to flee, Wolverine sabotages her plane, and it explodes. The X-Men and the FF part ways amicably.

Trade paperback

As with all currently published Marvel Comics, ''Ultimate X4'' has been made available in trade paperback form. Titled “Ultimate X-Men Ultimate Fantastic Four”, the trade paperback also comes with the ''Official Handbook of the Ultimate Marvel Universe'' #1-2 inside, which gives details on many characters in the Ultimate Marvel World. X4, Ultimate {{Marvel-title-stub