In the wake of his death, the iconic mantle of Ultimate Peter Parker was taken over by Miles Morales until a surprise resurrection prompted him to return.
A contemporary take on Marvel’s most beloved character, the Ultimate Spider-Man the series featured a younger, more modernized version of the hero par excellence of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. For the most part, Ultimate Peter Parker (from Earth-1610) mirrored the canonical character, except for minor deviations in appearance, age and origins of power (bitten by a spider modified with an experimental drug, as opposed to radiation).
Spanning from 2000-2011, the debut title in Marvel’s Ultimate comic line was directed by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley (and later Stuart Immonen and David Lafuente, respectively). Its critical and profitable success saw the development of similar executions, including Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimate X-Men, and The Ultimates. Since then, the series has been coined as one of the best comic series of the modern era due to its new approach and implementation of stories with a lasting impression – most notably, “The Death of Spider-Man” Ultimate Spider-Man # 156- # 160 by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley, Andy Lanning, Andrew Hennessy, Justin Ponsor, Cory Petit and Joe Sabino.
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The event follows a determined Peter Parker who, fearing for the safety of his family, goes in search of Norman Osborn (Green Goblin) and the villain Ultimate Six. Stumbling over rivals Ultimate Avengers and New Ultimates, Peter throws himself in front of a bullet designed to injure Captain America. Despite using the web as an improvised dressing, his selfless act marked the beginning of the end for the wall crawler.
The outcome came soon after, during his final fight against Osborn, when an explosion further weakened the young hero who, succumbing to his injuries, died surrounded by his loved ones. With his parting words, Peter told Aunt May that, despite not being able to save Uncle Ben, he could die with the certainty that he had saved her.
As the city mourned its fallen protector, a new hero emerged from the shadows. Enter the young Miles Morales, who, determined to use his own similar powers to keep the legacy alive, debuted as the new web-head in Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Vol. 2 # 4 by Brian Michael Bendis, Sara Pichelli, Justin Ponsor and Cory Petit.
Meanwhile, shortly after his apparent death, Peter Parker woke up in an unknown abandoned laboratory. Returning to his well-known New York, a meeting with Mary Jane resulted in a visit to his grave to prove the validity of his death. Without Peter’s knowledge, the mystery surrounding his resurrection was revealed as a side effect of Formula OZ, which gave the recipient a form of immortality.
However, Peter’s return did not mean the end of his successor’s passage on paper and it was more by a moment of luck than by choice that Morales learned of his predecessor’s rebirth. Peter’s intention to make a peaceful visit to Morales’ residence to retrieve his web snipers for sentimental purposes was undermined when a shocked Morales found the allegedly dead hero present at his home.
A disagreement between the two over Peter’s decision not to inform Aunt May of his return for fear of the impact caused the web snipers to come face to face. In the fight, Peter left the young web unconscious and went out with his web snipers in tow. Later, he saw Morales battling the also resurrected Osborn and, fearing the odds against him, came to his aid – much to the surprise of his grieving family and friends witnessing the rescue of the secondary lines.
After a successful team ended in Osborn’s defeat, Peter handed over his web snipers – and subsequent cloak – to Morales. Anxious to discover the truth about his rebirth, Peter and Mary Jane set out to start a new life together.
The idea that this version of Peter Parker remained alive and well within the multiverse was temporarily turned upside down after the destruction of Earth-1610 at the 2015 “Secret Wars” event. However, alongside sanctioning the revival of the Universe Last, Spider-Man II # 5 by Brian Michael Bendis, Sara Pichelli, Mark Bagley and several others, also confirmed the return of Ultimate Peter Parker to the mantle.
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