Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Ultimate Endgame #3
It’s no secret that Spider-Man (and many of his multiversal variants) have died before. That said, Marvel’s latest storyline may have just given us one of the most shocking and heartbreaking Spider-Man deaths yet.
Set in the newest iteration of the Ultimate Universe (Earth-6160), Marvel’s culminating Ultimate Endgame event sees the world’s heroes struggling to bring down The Maker, the darkest variant of Reed Richards the multiverse has ever seen. Now, the newest version of Ultimate Spider-Man has seemingly met his end (and it’s all kinds of brutal).
The Maker Just Killed Ultimate Spider-Man (As Ultimate Carnage)
At the center of Ultimate Endgame is The Maker, the twisted version of Reed Richards who’s been locked away for two years while the Ultimate Universe’s heroes have struggled to rise in the interim despite all his manipulations, having crafted this version of the Marvel Universe in his image (without heroes).
Leaving his family and joining more heroes to bring down The Maker once and for all, Peter Parker’s Spider-Man is tragically one of the first heroes to fall. In a horrifying twist, The Maker faces the Avengers directly and corrupts Peter’s advanced picotech suit, which Peter’s son Richard had been wearing as Ultimate Venom.
Transforming into what is clearly the surprising debut of Ultimate Carnage, The Marker brutally kills Peter with multiple stab wounds, the other heroes helpless to stop their world’s dark master.
All things considered, it’s not necessarily the extreme violence that makes Ultimate Spider-Man’s death so upsetting. It’s how his death will affect those he’s left behind. As one of the first major casualties in Ultimate Endgame, it’s going to be that much harder to bring The Maker down. However, it’s even more challenging when you think about Peter’s family…something very few other Spider variants have had in other universes.
We’ve Seen Spider-Man Die Before, But This Is Way Sadder
Spider-Man’s history is filled with death and rebirth across the multiverse, sometimes experiencing quite literal ends, while others are more symbolic. One of the most famous examples is The Other, where Peter underwent a full transformation involving his actual death and a surprising resurrection via web cocoon, amplifying his classic powers and granting him some new ones too.
There’s also Marvel Comics’ original Ultimate Universe. In that reality, the death of still-teenager Peter Parker paved the way for Miles Morales to take up the mantle in his place. It was tragic yet hopeful, ensuring that Spider-Man’s legacy would live on in Earth-1610.
That said, this new Ultimate Spider-Man death arguably hits a lot harder considering the entire family who now has to live their lives without him. Beyond the actual death itself, Marvel makes it even more heartbreaking by showing us the letter Peter wrote to his wife in the event he didn’t make it out alive.
It’s a deeply personal message, reflecting on the Parkers’ life together and everything they’ve experienced, with Peter recalling some of his best memories of their family over the years.
However, it’s the final lines that are the most touching, with Peter confirming he did indeed “hit the jackpot” and that Mary Jane never needed to tell him. He always knew, firmly believing that waking up next to her every day was winning the lottery over and over again.
The entire thing is intensely and tragically beautiful. Supposedly, there could be some way that Ultimate Spider-Man is brought back by the end of Ultimate Endgame (though it seems doubtful). Either way, you’d be hard-pressed to argue that this new Spider-Man death isn’t one of Marvel’s most emotional yet.
Ultimate Endgame #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.
- First Appearance
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Amazing Fantasy
- Alias
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Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
- Alliance
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Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
- Race
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Human