Spider-Man will once again anchor a new line of Ultimate Marvel titles – but with the original Ultimate version of Peter Parker dead, and Miles Morales thriving in the main continuity on Earth-616, the question that will immediately come to readers’ minds is… who will be under the Spidey mask when the new series premieres?
As revealed at Marvel’s “NEXT BIG THING” New York Comic-Con 2023 panel, Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) #1 – from writer Jonanthan Hickman and writer Marco Checchetto – will reboot the Ultimate Universe in the wake of Ultimate Invasion, with the company teasing who will rise to take on the great responsibility of being Spider-Man.
Ultimate Spider-Man will lead the reintroduction of several Ultimate books, including Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Black Panther, premiering throughout early 2024.
The Original Ultimate Universe Debuted With Ultimate Spider-Man In October 2000
Marvel’s groundbreaking decision to launch a line of alternate continuity comics, revisiting and remixing the origins of its iconic roster of characters, began in the fall of 2000 with Ultimate Spider-Man, helmed by writer Brian Michael Bendis. The series ran for 160 issues over more than a decade – with Peter Parker eventually being killed off, and the mantle of Spider-Man passed to Miles Morales. Now, nearly twenty-five years after the debut of Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1, a new iteration is set to arrive from writer Jonathan Hickman, best known for his 2019 reinvention of the X-Men franchise, and the current G.O.D.S. miniseries, as well as for being behind Ultimate Invasion.
With the recreation of the Ultimate Universe by the Maker, an evil version of Reed Richards, it is possible that the new series could feature the resurrection of Peter Parker, or a duplicate version of Miles Morales – at the same time, the door is wide open for a new Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man to rise up and be the hero the Ultimate Universe needs. Writer Jonathan Hickman has established a reputation for taking wild creative swings, and producing fresh, unexpected takes on familiar Marvel characters. Whoever is under the mask when Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) #1 debuts, readers are sure to be in for a thrill ride through the newly reconstituted continuity.
Anyone Could Be The New Ultimate Spider-Man
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Ultimate Spider-Man #1 could take several routes as it seeks to honor the spirit of the original Ultimate Universe’s intentions; one way would be by delivering a contemporary new version of the timeless Spider-Man origin tale. This might involve introducing an entirely new character as the Webslinger. Alternatively, Jonathan Hickman and his collaborators might choose to remix Spider-Man and another familiar Marvel character in the way only its original Ultimate imprint could – perhaps Matt Murdoch could be revealed to be Spidey, or J. Jonah Jameson’s son, giving the Ultimate Spider-Man creative team to explore unfamiliar dynamics for enduring characters.
However the series unfolds, the return of Ultimate Spider-Man is an exciting way for Marvel to kick off its slate of grand plans for 2024, which will include the end of the X-Men’s Krakoan era, the culmination of Hickman’s G.O.D.S. series, and epic new adventures for classic heroes like Thor and Hulk. When the Ultimate Marvel Universe ended in 2015 following the Secret Wars event, the clock started ticking towards its inevitable return. Now, just under ten years later, the return is upon readers, and it makes clear that Spider-Man will always be at the forefront of Marvel’s attempts to find unexplored story ground.
