The biggest Marvel Comics’ debut in years has been the enormously successful relaunch of Ultimate Spider-Man by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto. Rather than a retread of past Spider-Man stories, the new series feels fresh and relevant, connecting with readers out the gate.
As part of the wider reimagining of the Ultimate Universe overseen by Hickman, Ultimate Spider-Man presents a world where Uncle Ben never died and Peter Parker didn’t become Spider-Man as a teenager. Instead, Peter married Mary Jane Watson, with the couple having two young children and picking up steady careers while living in New York well into their 30s. However, Peter has an underlying sense that he was intended for something greater, culminating in him using a high-tech suit to become a new kind of Spider-Man and embrace his heroic destiny.
Something Borrowed, Something New
By his estimation in the second issue, Peter is approximately 20 years older than his original Ultimate Universe counterpart was when he first became Spider-Man. Peter then poses a question if he should try to live up to the past version of himself, knowing full well he’ll always be 20 years behind the curve. In essence, Hickman lays out the mission statement for his approach to Ultimate Spider-Man here — immediately jumping back to business as usual would lead to unfavorable comparisons as an inferior to the established, well-worn narrative. Instead, this version of Spider-Man is going to forge his own path with a fresh start.
The series keeps plenty of familiar elements beyond its protagonist but twists things enough to keep the entire experience unpredictably engaging. Fan-favorite foes like the Shocker and Green Goblin are here, similarly reimagined to make the overarching ethos of this brave, new world to serve as early challenges for the fledgling Spider-Man. The biggest change to date is the survival of Uncle Ben, now working alongside J. Jonah Jameson in the news industry, which feels like a major, though organic, divergence.
Ultimate Spider-Man manages the tricky balance of providing something new and familiar at the same time, effectively remixing the mythos just as the introduction of Miles Morales or the Spider-Verse movies had done.
Ultimate Family Man
The concept of Peter being a slightly older hero, as well as a husband and father, aren’t new to the mythos either, with several iterations of the character holding a similar familial status quo. Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows features a Peter and Mary Jane who share a daughter, with the superhero activity eventually spreading to include the entire family. The acclaimed animated movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has its predecessor’s older Peter return, now the father of a toddler.
However, in both of these instances, Peter was established as being Spider-Man long before he settled down and had children with Mary Jane. The relaunched Ultimate Spider-Man presents a version of the character where he discovers the nuances of being a superhero at the same time as his family and, even then, only bit-by-bit as Peter initially keeps it a secret from them. This is a superhero learning the ropes after already having his family around him, unsure of how to break the news of his alter ego aspirations to them.
Restored Relatability
More than just starring a 30-something family man Spider-Man, this is the story of someone who dreams that their life meant something more, even having seemingly achieved the American Dream. It’s in this that Ultimate Spider-Man connects and becomes relatable with the average millennial reader, a generation told they were special and set to accomplish great things only to find themselves in a society where hopes for home ownership, decent healthcare, and secure retirement face daunting obstacles. That relatability is key to the appeal of Spider-Man and something that defined him from the start.
Compared to many superheroes when Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created Spider-Man in 1962, Peter Parker was a social outcast and he didn’t magically transform into an infallible character after gaining his powers. Peter constantly faces troubles with his finances and his love life; he’s a hero that makes mistakes, and mistakes with consequences. Spider-Man works best when he’s depicted as the everyman in the Marvel Universe. His powers heighten the challenges he faces along with his superhuman capacities, without eschewing his foundational humanity.
And that’s really the secret to Ultimate Spider-Man. It presents something fresh and exciting to readers while retaining and updating the underlying spirit of what has made Spider-Man so relatable and endearing for generations. As the series progresses, it’ll be interesting to see what familiar elements resurface but are repurposed by Hickman and Checchetto to keep readers on their toes and eager for what comes next. The future is bright for Spider-Man, with the rebooted Ultimate Universe keeping the spirit of the character, reimagined for a new generation as per Ultimate Marvel’s core ethos.
