Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man began by giving comic book fans something they’ve always wanted. They got to see a Peter Parker with a wife (Mary Jane) and two kids (Richard and May). Plus, his Uncle Ben was alive, J. Jonah Jameson was Ben’s best friend, and they all lived a happy life. Even after Peter took on the responsibility of becoming Spider-Man, his family continued to stick by him. MJ remained strong and told Peter the truth when he needed to hear it, but that’s what a good spouse does.
When Marvel announced that the Ultimate Universe was coming to an end, a lot of fans thought that it was too soon (this writer included). Many of the stories seemed to be hitting their strides and showed that there was more to tell. Nevertheless, sometimes it’s good to end something before it’s ruined. Maybe going too long is what happened to the original Ultimate Universe. With that in mind, it makes me happy that Ultimate Spider-Man concluded with one of the best finales in comic book history.
It must be difficult to write a finale. First, you’ll never please everyone. Even if you do everything right, someone will be upset with what happened. That criticism includes the creators thinking about their own projects. They must want to make sure that they stay true to the story that was told. In the case of Ultimate Spider-Man, having Peter continue to live a joyous life seemed like the right way to go. It appears that Jonathan Hickman agreed.
Spider-Man’s fight with Wilson Fisk and Mister Negative was everything you’d hope it would be. Spidey outsmarted Fisk and then dominated his arrogant antagonist. While this battle is happening, Ben and Jonah are exposing Fisk’s evil deeds to the world, thus destroying the Kingpin's empire. And then, after everything is said and done, and it looks like Fisk and Negative are going to start over, they become each other’s downfall (literally and figuratively). It was brilliantly done, but the greatness kept on coming.
When Peter and Harry are talking, Peter brings up the quote everyone knows, “With great power comes great responsibility.” What follows is something shocking. Peter says something that rings true in the real world. “I think each of us–everyone–has the great responsibility of fighting for what they believe in. Great power or not.”
In a moment of vulnerability, that scene hit hard, and I teared up a bit. Every day, we all have the opportunity to be great to someone. It doesn’t take the proportionate strength of a spider or being able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Sometimes, something as simple as saying thank you or good morning can change one person’s life. That change starts a chain reaction of positivity. That’s the kind of power we all hold. And we are responsible for wielding that great power to help the world.
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