The Greatest ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ Moments

In ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (2024), Peter Parker almost missed his web-slinging destiny. In this reality, an evil version of Reed Richards, A.K.A. the Maker, rewrote history to keep Peter and other heroes from ever getting their powers. But when a young Tony Stark tried to set their universe on the right path, an adult Peter Parker finally got the chance to become Spider-Man in a world ruled by the Maker and his allies. With some familiar faces by his side, Spider-Man used his newfound powers to go to war against Wilson Fisk, A.K.A. the Kingpin, and the other crime bosses who secretly ruled over New York City. 

Now, in the pages of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #24, Spider-Man suits up for one final showdown against the Kingpin. As Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto, and David Messina get ready to close the book on this story, let’s look back at some of the series' best moments and most shocking twists.

1. Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson are married with kids

In most universes, Peter Parker became Spider-Man as a teenager, but in the Ultimate Universe, he only fulfilled his web-slinging destiny as a middle-aged adult. Sporting glasses and a full beard, Peter worked as a reporter for The Daily Bugle and enjoyed a stable family life before ever putting on the suit. Peter met and married Mary Jane Watson, a former model and marketing expert, and together, they raised their two kids, Richard and May Parker. However, when a teenage Tony Stark approached him with a radioactive spider and Picotech suit, Peter jumped at the chance to swing into action. 

2. Uncle Ben is alive and working with J. Jonah Jameson

The death of Uncle Ben usually plays a crucial role in Spider-Man’s origin story, but in the Ultimate Universe, Ben Parker is alive and well. As he watched Peter grow up and raise a family, Ben worked alongside his nephew as the managing editor of The Daily Bugle, where he maintained a close working friendship with J. Jonah Jameson. After Wilson Fisk took issue with the Bugle’s coverage, Ben and Jonah left to start their own news organization, The Paper.

3. Wilson Fisk assembles the Sinister Six

With the approval of the secret global cabal known as the Maker’s Council, Wilson Fisk operated as the shadow governor of New York. To maintain his iron grip over the city, he employed an army of assassins called the Bullseyes. But with the emerging threat of vigilantes like Spider-Man, Fisk brought the crime bosses of New York together as the Sinister Six. This group included the mind-controlling Mister Negative, Kraven the Hunter, the unknowable Mysterio, the subterranean Mole Man, and Walter Hardy, a thief better known as the Black Cat. 

4. Green Goblin and Spider-Man team up

As Spider-Man began learning the ropes around New York (quite literally), he crossed paths with another masked vigilante: Green Goblin. Following his father’s death, Harry Osborn and his company, Oscorp, acquired the secret files of Stane/Stark Industries, learning how the Maker and his allies ruled the world. Inspired by some of Stark’s armor designs, Harry developed a high-tech suit and glider, launching a crusade against Fisk as the Green Goblin. Green Goblin and Spider-Man eventually became a crimefighting duo, incurring the Kingpin’s wrath.

5. The Parkers discover Spider-Man’s secret

In the original Marvel Universe, Peter spent decades trying to keep his wall-crawling adventures a secret from his friends and closest family members. However, in the Ultimate Universe, Peter’s family was drawn into Spider-Man’s web. One night, when Peter came home from a routine Spider-Man patrol, his daughter walked in on him partially unmasked. While May then helped Peter design his red-and-blue Spider-Man costume, she also accidentally revealed his secret to Mary Jane and Richard. Simultaneously, Uncle Ben put his investigative skills to use and uncovered Peter’s heroic alter ego. All of a sudden, Spider-Man became a family business.

6. Uncle Ben and J. Jonah Jameson expose Wilson Fisk

While Uncle Ben and J. Jonah Jameson may not have super-powers, the journalists launched their own war against Wilson Fisk. With marketing help from Mary Jane and funding from Gwen Stacy, The Paper became a successful news outlet, in large part due to its coverage of Spider-Man’s heroics. But with insider help from Harry and Robbie Robertson, Ben and Jonah began to understand how the Kingpin secretly ruled New York. Writing under the pseudonym “Ben Reilly,” the journalists exposed Fisk’s control over Manhattan – a gesture he did not quite appreciate. The Kingpin responded by ordering hits on everyone named Ben Reilly.

7. Gwen Stacy is (part of) Mysterio

As Spider-Man and Green Goblin resisted Wilson Fisk’s iron grip over New York City, Gwen Stacy secretly waged her own war against the Kingpin as part of the Sinister Six. Following her father’s death, Gwen took his place as part of a secret society that knew the truth about how the Maker changed history and shared the Mysterio identity. The Mysterio organization also included James Wesley, Robbie Robertson, the mysterious Quentin Beck, and Mister Negative’s sister, Aihan Li. While Mysterio oversaw crime in Brooklyn for the Kingpin, they made moves betraying him directly under his nose.

8. Spider-Man’s son, Richard Parker, is Venom

When Peter discovered that his Picotech suit could create an A.I. based on his brain, he opted to wear a simple spandex suit instead. However, when Kraven the Hunter held Spider-Man captive, his son Richard began using the highly advanced suit to protect New York City, guided by his father’s A.I. duplicate. When Kingpin lured Richard into a trap, the A.I. took control of the suit to protect him, turning into venomous monster and tearing through enemies with its tendrils.

9. Black Cat plays everyone

Walter Hardy, the Black Cat, was one of the world’s greatest thieves, controlling crime in the Bronx on the Kingpin’s behalf. After a battle with Spider-Man and Green Goblin left Walter seriously injured, his daughter Felicia took his place as both the Black Cat and a member of Fisk’s cabal. While swinging through New York, Black Cat attacked Richard Parker, who she believed to be Spider-Man. But the teenagers found they had more in common than not, bonding over the shared challenge of carrying their fathers’ legacies. As their friendship turned into young love, Felica betrayed Richard and lured him into one of the Kingpin’s traps. However, she ultimately defected from Fisk’s camp and helped plant a computer virus in the Maker’s vast digital network.

10. Otto Octavius wants to be a superior Spider-Man

Readers usually know Doctor Octopus as one of Spider-Man’s most dangerous foes, but Otto Octavius became one of Peter Parker’s most important allies in the Ultimate Universe. As an Oscorp scientist, Otto discovered Stark’s armor designs and the Maker’s role in rewriting history. He worked closely with Harry Osborn, modifying Stark’s designs to create the Green Goblin armor and glider. He even developed a Spider-Armor for Peter, who ultimately turned it down. When Kingpin forced Peter, Harry, and their allies into hiding, Otto wanted to prove that he could be a superior hero and began operating as his own version of Spider-Man.

Pick up the series finale, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #24, at your local comic book shop this week!

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