5 Best Changes Ultimate Spider-Man Made to His Mythos

Marvel’s Ultimate Universe line of comics has completely flipped the script for every one of its heroes and villains. They’ve all been redesigned from the ground up, changing their histories and relationships in an effort to redefine the world around them, and in order to allow the true essence of their characters to shine through all the brighter. There is no greater example of that then in Ultimate Spider-Man, which follows Peter Parker as he gets his powers much later in life and has to navigate learning to be a hero without the decades of experience he is used to having. There are a number of insane and amazing changes made to Peter’s lore and supporting cast and it is really a treat for readers new and seasoned.

From shifts from villain to hero to relationship and family changes, the Ultimate Universe has made some big swings with Spider-Man. Let’s take a look at the five best changes to our favorite Wall-Crawler so far.

5) Make Green Goblin a Hero

Harry Osborn is without a doubt Peter Parker’s best friend in the 616 universe, even if they often come to blows. Half of the time, the original Harry is flying around New York City throwing pumpkin bombs as one of Spider-Man’s greatest enemies. In the Ultimate Universe however, we see Harry start out as a hero even before Peter becomes Spider-Man. Here, Harry is on a quest to take down Fisk and avenge his father’s death, and we see Harry and Peter meet and become friends over time. They develop the same bond they have in the mainline universe, but here there are also seeds of friction, as Harry isn’t a villain, but he is willing to cross lines Spider-Man won’t in order to get the job done. The Ultimate Universe kept this amazing friendship in check, and gave it a whole new angle by having the two fight alongside each other instead of on opposite sides. And if the two ever do come to blows, their partnership will make the fight sting all the more.

4) Ben and Jonah’s Friendship

One of the major changes to the Ultimate Spider-Man mythos is that instead of Uncle Ben dying, it was Aunt May. In turn, Ben Parker is still alive and kicking, and he’s not content with just being Peter’s uncle. Oh no, this Uncle Ben is a renowned journalist, and he has partnered up with his best friend J. Jonah Jameson to found a website based on uncovering the real truth of the world they live in. The two actually have a great dynamic, with Ben being the wise and patient one and Jonah being the fast-paced action man. They bounce off of each other really well, and are a downright terrifying duo when they work together to grill someone for information. Not only is it great to have a Spider-Man story where Ben is alive, we also get to see him be an absolute badass while he works with one of Spider-Man’s most beloved hatable characters. It’s hard to get better than that.

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3) Revising Gwen Stacy as a Character

Calling Gwen Stacy a contentious character is like calling a nuclear explosion a firework. In the main universe, Marvel practically beats fans over the head with statements about how Gwen is Peter’s one true love or short arcs where Gwen returns in a convoluted fashion only to fade away at the end, existing only to make Peter feel bad for a couple issues. And that’s not even getting into the backlash over her upcoming return. Unlike the 616 universe, however, the Ultimate Gwen Stacy isn’t defined by Peter’s guilt. Instead, she is a member of the Council of Mysterio, a group of five people dedicated to overturning the Maker’s control of their world and returning it to the way it was meant to be. Gwen is a veritable badass, leading a secret coalition alongside Mole Man and Green Goblin to overthrow Kingpin in the upcoming Sinister Six turf war, and I am beyond excited to see what else Hickman does with this new version of Gwen going forward.

2) Let Spider-Man Have a Family

Spider-Man’s continued inability to have any stable relationship is one of the most controversial things about his character. No matter how happy or good with someone Peter is, he is inevitably forced to break away from them by Marvel Editorial, all for the sake of Peter staying “relatable” to a younger audience. Naturally, the most infamous moment of this is the dreaded and rightfully despised “One More Day” storyline. But the Ultimate Peter isn’t held back by that, and has been allowed to not only be with Mary Jane, but be a father of two, something that may never happen in the main universe. It opens the avenue for a whole new world of stories that the normal Peter could never star in, because he lacks these connections. We’ve already seen plenty of amazing issues of Peter being a good dad, and this even lets this version of Spider-Man be more relatable to a different audience. Marvel wants 616 Spider-Man single and young to relate to a younger audience, but a lot of Spider-Man fans are older and have families of their own. Letting Peter have his own family lets him relate to a fanbase that grew up loving him in a whole new way, and it’s good to finally see a Peter who is happy with his life.

1) Make Being Spider-Man a Blessing

Being Spider-Man is a burden, let there be no mistake about that. Peter risks his life every day to save people, and has to sacrifice everything from his body, to careers, to his relationships with his loved ones. Yet still he is Spider-Man, because being Spider-Man is the right thing to do. However, in recent years especially, Marvel has reinforced this aspect of sacrifice so much that many wonder if being depressed and downtrodden is an essential part of his character. A few years ago Marvel literally released a comic where Peter never became Spider-Man, and he was objectively much happier and better off. 

However, Ultimate Spider-Man paints a very different picture. In this world Peter didn’t become Spider-Man when he was supposed to, and while he lived with people he loved and had a steady career, he wandered through life aimlessly. He always felt like something was missing, like he was supposed to be doing something. When he finally became Spider-Man his purpose became clear. This Peter loves being Spider-Man because he knows this is what he was meant to do. He can finally help people in the way he’s been longing to, and accepts and even celebrates Spider-Man as a core part of his identity. He understands the risks and sacrifices, but he celebrates being the hero we all love, and it’s refreshing to see Spider-Man not hate his very existence.

Disagree or think something else should have made the cut? Let us know in the comments!