Ultimate Spider-Man’s Triumphant Ending Proves Marvel Canceled The Ultimate Universe Too Soon – SlashFilm

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Spoilers for “Ultimate Spider-Man” #24 comply with.

“Ultimate Spider-Man” has formally wrapped with problem #24, capping a run written by Jonathan Hickman and co-drawn by Marco Checchetto and David Messina. (For this finale, Checchetto and Messina cut up the responsibility and drew completely different scenes.) This presages the tip of Marvel’s complete “Ultimate Universe”, and whereas “Ultimate Spider-Man” bows out on a powerful notice, the collection nonetheless reads as if it wasn’t supposed to finish simply but.

It is a easy, uplifting, and victorious ending. Spider-Man defeats Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin, the e-book’s major villain. Peter’s son, Richard Parker/Venom, will get the woman (Felicia Hardy/Black Cat), and the Parker household is secure and sound once more. Harry Osborn has misplaced his spouse, Gwen Stacy (who, as Mysterio, takes Fisk’s place as ruler of Manhattan), but it surely appears to be like like he’ll be capable to transfer on — and Peter will probably be there to assist him.

When Harry asks Peter how he managed to by no means quit, the problem flashes again years, to when Peter and Mary Jane determined to tie the knot once they discovered she was pregnant. That affirms what “Ultimate Spider-Man” was: A e-book about their marriage, and the way they remained companions whilst their lives stored taking turns for the bizarre and worse.

However the ending arrives feeling a bit muted. The announcement that the “Ultimate Universe” would finish took the wind out of the entire challenge, “Ultimate Spider-Man” included. It is necessary to do not forget that when “Ultimate Spider-Man” debuted in 2024, it and different “Ultimate” books had been hailed as a brand new genesis for Marvel. DC’s competing “Absolute” line regarded like a meager try and play catch-up. As a substitute, “Absolute DC” (particularly greatest-promoting “Absolute Batman”) wound up surpassing “Ultimate Marvel.” The resolution to finish the “Ultimate” initiative meant the early hype by no means returned.

Reporting by Popverse means that whereas Jonathan Hickman deliberate to go away “Ultimate Spider-Man” after problem #24, he was stunned to study that it might be the finish. “Ultimates” author Deniz Camp additionally instructed Popverse there had been discussions to do extra. 

Certainly, the environment of “Ultimate Spider-Man” #24 is not finality a lot as embracing the brand new days that life at all times delivers. Peter’s Uncle Ben Parker (reimagined as a journalist) and J. Jonah Jameson have spent the entire run investigating the Kingpin’s grip on Manhattan. On this problem, after Fisk’s demise, they get to jot down the final phrase on him. Retirement, although? Not an opportunity. This was the tip of 1 story for them, not of the story.

Examine Kingpin’s final destiny: he loses all his energy, however he isn’t upset. The considered being knocked down and having to struggle his approach again to the highest? It makes him really feel alive… till his rival, Martin Li/Mister Detrimental, telepathically pushes him to leap to his doom. Fisk’s iron will relents, however solely after he is dragged Li down with him. Fisk’s plans for a contemporary begin getting usurped by an abrupt finish feels reflective of how “Ultimate Spider-Man” is concluding.

What is going to the legacy of “Ultimate Spider-Man” be? If there was a central flaw, it was the e-book’s gimmick of skipping forward a month every problem to account for the true-time lapse of publication. In the long run, that made it exhausting for the story to maintain narrative momentum. Now that we have got the entire package deal, the endurance of “Ultimate Spider-Man” may very well be outlined by how nicely it reads as a single and uninterrupted story.

Whereas MJ has Peter’s coronary heart, the soul of “Ultimate Spider-Man” is simply as a lot about one other essential relationship: Peter’s friendship with Harry Osborn. Right here, Harry grew to become the Inexperienced Goblin to take down the Kingpin, and so he and Spider-Man grew to become crime-preventing companions.

I learn “Ultimate Spider-Man,” dreading when Peter and Harry would have their falling out and change into enemies. Harry’s Goblin go well with can be operated by a recreation of his father Norman’s persona; would Norman shouting his disappointment in Harry’s ear drive Osborn Jr. to evil?

Nope, Harry’s darkish flip by no means got here. In hindsight, the e-book could have been banking on these expectations to cover its true twist, mendacity close to Harry: that Gwen Stacy was the ruthless Mysterio. In “Ultimate Spider-Man” #24, Harry decides to delete the Norman-AI from his go well with, admitting that it was him dwelling up to now. He was chasing his father’s approval, however he does not want it. The problem that cemented Peter and Harry’s friendship was “Ultimate Spider-Man” #4 (the primary one drawn by David Messina), the place Harry was the one who instructed Peter, “With nice energy comes nice duty.”

In problem #20 (one other Messina problem), when the Parkers and Osborns laid their secrets and techniques out within the open, MJ mentioned this: “You are a good man, Peter. And also you may very well be too, Harry.” In Peter and Harry’s final scene (with Messina taking artwork duties once more to carry it full-circle), Harry expresses bemusement however awe at Peter’s decided heroism. With Spider-Man as his pal, Harry may really change into the identical sort of good man in the future. 

The one silver lining to “Ultimate Spider-Man” ending now could be that there is not any probability for the Parker-Osborn bromance to interrupt up.

“Ultimate Spider-Man” #1-24 at the moment are accessible for buy.