Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man Ends 2024 With Massive Cliffhanger

As a seasoned comic book enthusiast with over three decades of reading under my belt, I must say that issue #12 of Ultimate Spider-Man has truly outdone itself. Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto have crafted an emotional Christmas tale that resonates deeply within the heart of every reader.

For the past year, the incredible adventures of Ultimate Spider-Man have been captivating readers, and issue #12 is no exception. Authors Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto craft a touching Christmas tale that resurrects lesser-known Spider-Man characters, giving them fresh identities for the Ultimate Universe – specifically Mary Jane’s mother Madeleine and sister Gayle. Despite the family appearing to be on the road to healing, a phone call from Gwen Stacy abruptly alters the course of the Parker family’s life and leaves the first year of Ultimate Spider-Man ending with a mind-blowing cliffhanger that promises to significantly impact the following year of the comic book series. Spoiler alert!

Gwen’s News Leads to a Horrifying Moment For Mary Jane

During the course of the matter, Gwen Stacy persistently tries to reach Mary Jane, but MJ chooses to disregard these calls due to their ongoing family Christmas gathering. Eventually, MJ decides to answer the call, and Gwen inquires if Peter is present since she needs to converse with them both. After leaving the room, MJ places the call on speakerphone. Gwen informs them that she’s been away for business, just returned home for Christmas, and can’t locate her husband, Harry Osborn, for six consecutive days. She then queries if Peter is aware of his whereabouts.

In a casual manner, MJ inquires whether Peter caught Gwen’s words, yet he’s facing away from her, gazing at the city skyline instead. Seeing this, Gwen extends her hand to tap Peter’s back. Suddenly, a flash of miniature tech, resembling pico-tech, sparkles around her fingertips. Startled, she withdraws her hand, and Peter turns to face her, unveiling an alarming revelation.

In this story, Peter Parker isn’t present. Instead, his high-tech suit seems to have stepped into his role. Upon reflection, there are signs that something was amiss with Peter. He remains silent throughout the entire issue. At one point, Mary Jane attempts to discuss her issues with her sister, and Peter doesn’t utter a word in response. Initially, it appears as though MJ is merely using Peter as a listening post, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear – the suit’s distinct speech bubbles suggest that it wouldn’t mimic Peter’s voice perfectly. The tale concludes with the disclosure that Kraven the Hunter has been keeping both Peter and Harry captive for nearly a week.

Ultimate Spider-Man #12 Calls Back To The Original Symbiote Saga

Since issue seven, Ultimate Spider-Man has been preparing this scenario. In that particular issue, Peter had Otto Octavius, who worked for Harry in the Ultimate Universe, program his suit’s AI to essentially resemble him. The suit mimicked Peter’s brain waves and thought patterns due to Peter’s trust only in a computer system modeled after his own character. Since the pico-tech suit can adapt its appearance to fit the wearer’s specifications, it would be simple for it to imitate Peter. With Peter being taken captive (an event that occurred off-panel, skillfully timed as this issue of Ultimate Spider-Man takes place a month after the last one), the suit could have made a duplicate of him to spend time with his family – a notion the suit considers as its own family too.

In the vein of the original symbiote tale from the late ’80s, Peter’s alien suit seeks a profound connection with him, desiring to merge fully with his being. However, Peter resists this bond, managing to “slay” the symbiote using a church bell. This series of events eventually results in Eddie Brock finding and merging with the symbiote, transforming him into Venom. Interestingly, in Ultimate Spider-Man #12, Richard Parker mentions that the Brock family couldn’t attend the annual Christmas party, which they had always attended before this year.

It appears that Peter may refuse the pico-tech suit after he and Harry manage to escape, and then the suit bonding with Eddie Brock to form Ultimate Venom could occur. However, Hickman might opt for a totally unexpected twist, which is what the new Ultimate Universe is known for. No matter how things unfold, this suspenseful ending suggests a promising future for Ultimate Spider-Man.

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2024-12-19 06:10