Spider-Man’s Latest Threat Will Surprise You (& The Stakes Have Never Been Higher)

In the heart-pounding saga of Ultimate Spider-Man, tensions are escalating rapidly as New York City braces for a conflict that promises to be searing. The lines have been drawn, with Gwen Stacy and her Order of Mysterio taking up arms against the Kingpin and his henchmen. Even though Harry Osborn stands by his wife, he cannot abide by her actions crossing the line. To prevent this, he enlists the aid of Spider-Man, a vital ally in maintaining justice and ensuring that everyone answers for their actions during this struggle to liberate our city from Fisk and the Maker’s sinister control.

However, this war is complex with numerous facets, and Peter Parker finds himself in the crossfire as Venom. Caught between his allegiance to his father and love for Black Cat, young Richard Parker faces a moral dilemma: helping her may mean betraying everything he believes in.

The Spiders Are Swinging Again

In issue #18 of Ultimate Spider-Man, Harry and Peter meet up at their secret hideout in Arizona, and this time they’re joined by Uncle Ben, J. Jonah Jameson, and even Felicia (Harry’s girlfriend) to provide support for the Parker family while Spider-Man and Green Goblin deal with their city issues. As Peter says his goodbyes, he sets off with Harry on the journey home. Unbeknownst to him, Richard secretly stowed away in an invisible Venom suit. Richard was eager to return to New York due to Felicia’s requests for help regarding her family predicament. It’s safe to say that any teenager or budding superhero would have reacted similarly to Richard.

Despite their arrival in NYC, Harry and Peter immediately set out to confront some minor criminals. Upon reaching Peter’s home, they discover Otto Octavius residing there since Gwen dismissed him from Oscorp. In an act of retribution for stealing his slippers, Peter leaves Otto bound with webbing within the house. Meanwhile, Peter proceeds to meet up with Gwen. In the meantime, Venom navigates towards the rendezvous point Black Cat requested. Upon arrival, he anticipates finding her in distress, but instead encounters Kingpin and the remaining faithful members of the Sinister Six, alongside Felicia. Fisk reassures Richard that there’s no need to fear, and their only objective is to assist them in tracking down Spider-Man. It was Felicia who had been relaying their messages to the Sinister Six, and Richard unknowingly exposed his connection to Spider-Man when he became careless. Heartbroken and betrayed, Richard questions Felicia about her supposed deceit regarding their relationship, but she denies it. She genuinely likes him, she explains, but this treachery is simply a part of her nature.

Venom May Be Spider-Man’s Next Enemy

The situation isn’t favorable for Richard at the moment; he appears to be outmatched against anyone in that room individually, let alone if they decide to collaborate. It seems unlikely that Richard shared any confidential information about his family, but given the current circumstances, it’s almost irrelevant since Fisk is aiming to extract such information from him immediately. I doubt Richard would voluntarily disclose anything to them, but it might not even be an option. In the past, when Peter and Harry were captured by Kraven, he resorted to a combination of torture and drugs to coerce secrets out of his victims. Although the hunter is deceased, I can’t help but think that Fisk has similar methods for making people reveal information. Even if Richard never says anything, the best-case scenario would be that the Sinister Six kidnap him, but perhaps Richard and his Peter AI could lead them on a wild goose chase to buy time for his father to rescue him.

It seems Kingpin could soon discover everything there is to know about Spider-Man, which makes it troubling to think of such a questionable individual uncovering his secret identity. The method for the Ultimate Universe comics is to advance to a fresh month at the end of each issue, and I’m unsure how they will tackle this cliffhanger with that kind of time leap. Nevertheless, I am eagerly anticipating the resolution to find out more.

Ultimate Spider-Man #18 is on sale now!

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2025-06-29 23:13