The Ultimates are a fictional government-sponsored team of superheroes in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, appearing primarily in their self-titled comic book limited series The Ultimates and The Ultimates 2, published by Marvel Comics, written by Mark Millar and drawn by Bryan Hitch. The series began as a monthly publication in January 2002, but due to the amount of time required by Millar and Hitch to complete each issue, the series has been released on an irregular schedule. Each thirteen-issue miniseries is regarded as a "season" of the same title.