Warning! This article contains spoilers for Ultimate Spider-Man #1 Peter Parker’s Spider-Man is about to have a whole new look in Marvel Comics, as his upcoming series will depict Peter as an adult with a wife – MJ – and two kids, and it will take place in Marvel’s newly-revitalized Ultimate Universe. And now, in an all-new preview, Marvel fans are given a proper introduction to this alternate Peter Parker and his family, which makes it very clear that the new Ultimate Spider-Man will rewrite Peter’s entire life.
In a preview shared by AIPT Comics for Ultimate Spider-Man #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto, fans are immediately met with the cover art of the issue, showing Spider-Man in his iconic costume swinging through New York City. However, once they actually begin to read the pages, the changes to Peter’s life from Earth-616 (and even Earth-1610) to Earth-6160 (which is the designation of the new Ultimate Universe) become clear.
The comic opens with Peter Parker just getting out of the shower after rolling out of bed, looking at himself in the mirror saying, “Peter Parker, you are not getting any younger”. He then proceeds to check the weather, get dressed, and meet his family in the dining area of their New York City apartment, where he guzzles down some coffee, talks to MJ and their two children for a bit, before heading off to work. Peter leaves with something unsaid between him and MJ, leaving readers to wonder what the topic could be.
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Anticipation Continues To Build For Marvel Comics New Ultimate Spider-Man
The Ultimate Universe just got a major facelift, with the four-part miniseries Ultimate Invasion acting as this new universe’s origin, the one-shot Ultimate Universe setting the stage for the overarching story, and the upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man being the Ultimate Universe’s new flagship title. And while this preview is a first look into the family life of Ultimate Peter Parker – as this is the first time dialogue is included on the interior pages – this isn’t the first time fans have seen glimpses of what to expect from the series.
In November 2023, Marvel Comics shared the cover art for Ultimate Spider-Man #2, followed closely by a full trailer for the upcoming series shared by Marvel Entertainment. In both, fans got a look at the Ultimate Universe’s Green Goblin, which gave great insight into what can be expected from this first arc. Not only that, but fans have technically already been introduced to this universe’s Peter Parker in Ultimate Invasion, when the Maker snatched the radioactive spider that was destined to bite Peter before it did, thereby delaying Parker’s transformation into Spider-Man. It was a quick moment, but a significant one, as it was the first time fans met this Peter Parker in-canon.
Marvel’s New Ultimate Spider-Man Is Actually The Same As The 1st – A Millennial Icon
It’s interesting that the new Ultimate Universe’s Spider-Man is a guy in his 30s with a wife and kids, a full beard and messy hair, who wakes up tired and needs coffee to really get his day started. In other words, Ultimate Spider-Man is a millennial – just like the last Ultimate Spider-Man. The last time the Ultimate Universe tried to revitalize the Marvel Comics brand, every hero was updated to the modern age of the early 2000s, making those the years Peter Parker was in high school. In the first Ultimate Universe, Peter was an early 2000s-era millennial, and after seeing him in this preview, it’s safe to say that the new Ultimate Peter is a 2020s-era millennial, which is an interesting trend that ties the new Ultimate Spider-Man to the original in an unexpected (and pretty meta) kind of way.
Regardless of Ultimate Spider-Man cementing his status as a millennial icon with this new series, the biggest takeaway isn’t what’s understated, but the painfully obvious. Ultimate Spider-Man is rewriting Peter Parker’s entire life, which is something that can be confidently asserted after reading this preview, and actually getting the chance to see his married life and meet Spider-Man’s children.
Ultimate Spider-Man #1 by Marvel Comics is available January 10, 2024.
