WARNING: Spoilers follow for Fantastic Four #32 by Dan Slott, R.B. Silva, Jesus Aburtov, Javier Rodríguez & VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now.

In Fantastic Four #32, Johnny Storm and his new soulmate Sky go on a double date with Ben Grimm and his wife to attend a special event: a Latverian art exhibit overseen by Doctor Doom's very own herald and right-hand woman, Victorious. Unfortunately, the date is cut short when Johnny's ex, the shape-shifting Skrull Lyja, crashes the party. With their two adopted children upset, Ben and Alicia leave the party and now that there is only one member of the Fantastic Four at the event, a group of villains seize the opportunity to attack the Latverian exhibit: ULTIMATUM.

While the name of this villainous organization might not be familiar to Marvel Cinematic Universe fans, they should know all about their leader: Flag-Smasher, a villain who inspired the antagonists of the latest entry in the MCU, the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

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In the comic books, ULTIMATUM stands for Underground Liberated Totally Integrated Mobile Army To Unite Mankind, a team of foot soldiers led by Karl Morgenthau, aka the Flag-Smasher. The Captain America villain, who himself debuted in 1985, served as the basis for the villains of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In the recently concluded television series, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes went up against Karli Morgenthau, leader of the Flag Smashers.

In the MCU, the Flag Smashers were not just one person, but a whole crew of freedom fighters who wanted to bring the status of the political landscape back to what it was during the Blip. The Flag Smashers were made into a credible and powerful threat after they were injected with a new Super-Soldier serum, which gave them superhuman strength and endurance.

While some may have theorized that the debut of Flag Smasher in the MCU would lead to the introduction of ULTIMATUM, others could argue that the Flag Smashers as an organization was the cinematic universe's take on the villainous group. Let's face it, Underground Liberated Totally Integrated Mobile Army To Unite Mankind doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, and perhaps Marvel simply wanted to avoid that sillier aspect of the group.

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Karli Morgenthau flag smasher mask falcon and winter soldier

In any case, the Flag-Smasher's organization returns to attack the Latverian art exhibit in Fantastic Four #32. The event, which is held in New York, attracts a lot of attention on the political stage. Indeed, the embassy is surrounded by protesters clamoring for Latveria to be liberated from Doctor Doom's grasp, and the members of ULTIMATUM are hiding among the crowd, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Once they reveal themselves, they show that they are now more well-equipped than they last were. While the members of ULTIMATUM are usually depicted as soldiers wearing mostly white military outfits, they attack the embassy while revealing new exo-suits that make them much stronger. They may not have been injected with a Super-Soldier serum, but these suits do allow the members of ULTIMATUM to pack more of a punch than they usually do.

Thankfully, the combined might of Johnny Storm, Sky, Lyja and Doctor Doom's herald Victorious is enough to defeat ULTIMATUM. It's a brief return for the Flag-Smasher's organization, but it's noteworthy given the villains' recent debut in the MCU. And who knows, with the Fantastic Four soon bound to join the MCU, perhaps this issue is laying the groundwork for the Flag Smashers' return on the big screen.

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