Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) is in a very unique position, to say the least. For starters: It's been just a little over a year since its first issue was released and it's already considered a classic among fans. But perhaps more interesting enough is the fact that it gathered high acclaim by seemingly throwing away every element that we'd normally expect in a Spider-Man story.
Peter isn't a teenager anymore, he's lived an almost perfect life next to Mary Jane and his two kids, Uncle Ben is still alive, J. Jonah Jameson isn't a bitter man, Aunt May is out of the picture, Spidey hasn't gone through a whole lot of suffering, and the list of examples could go on. So how could such a radically different story feel like it was perfect for the wall-crawler? Well, that's what we're going to find out today.
Does Spider-Man need to suffer to work as a character?
When Spider-Man was created back in the 1960s, there was one aspect that made him very different from every other superhero in existence up until that point: He was relatable. In a time when superheroes were these big, almost god-like figures, Stan Lee dared to ask the question: What if my next creation faced the same day-to-day problems as everyone else?
For starters, Peter was a teenager instead of a grown man — resonating with the usual target demographic of comic books at the time. Furthermore, he struggled to make money, was bullied at school, took care of his elderly family member, and mourned the loss of someone close to him on many different occasions. Chances are that most people reading Spider-Man comic books had to go through at least one of those scenarios at some point in their lives. As simple as that, anyone could see themselves in the shoes of the wall-crawler.
However, comic book readers related mostly to the tragic events such as having a low-paying job, following the orders of a terrible boss, feeling left out, missing important events because of other responsibilities, and so on. Eventually, writers came to the realization that Peter had to go through difficult times for him to resonate with audiences — and that's usually true. If you were to think about the most iconic Spider-Man stories ever created, all of them feature Spidey paying a big price for his heroic actions. Perhaps the most obvious example is The Night Gwen Stacy Died, where Peter loses the love of his life. If not, it's enough to look at the character's origin story where the loss of Uncle Ben pushed him to be a hero. However, a very important part that a few writers often decide to ignore nowadays is that there's always something good to balance things out.
Let's take Spider-Man: Blue, as an example. That story is crushing. Reading through it without feeling like dropping a tear or two along the way is hard. In it, Peter reflects on his time with Gwen after she's gone for good, and most of his thoughts are filled with pure melancholy. However, the series concludes with Peter admitting that Gwen's death wasn't for nothing. Without that tragic event, Mary Jane and him wouldn't have grown personally, and they would have never married each other. Something good came out of the bad, just like Uncle Ben's death resulted in the creation of one of the most incredible superheroes ever. Sure, you could say Peter Parker gave up on being a superhero in Sam Rami's Spider-Man 2, but it all led to him swinging higher than ever and getting back with M.J. without having to lie to her anymore.
When we remember that good things also happen to Peter in his best stories, it's easy to see that the tragic events are only there to make the character relatable. That's it. Unfortunately, a few stories have lost track of this idea and feel that Peter needs to endlessly suffer because that's his role for some unknown reason. It's all of the loss and none of the victory. However, Jonathan Hickman decided to write a story in which the wall-crawler is still relatable (respecting the character's origin), but on a whole different level.
Ultimate Spider-Man makes Peter relatable in happiness, and not in tragedy
When we think about Spider-Man, we usually picture him as a timid teenager and not a full grown-up. Most modern adaptations of the hero, such as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (which is amazing, by the way), follow the same pattern. However, everyone who grew up on Spider-Man: The Animated Series is an adult now, yet the character didn't grow with them... until the release of Ultimate Spider-Man (2024), that is. Now everyone who's an adult with kids can also point at the hero in its latest hit saga and say "That's literally me" as if it were a Ryan Gosling picture. As simple as that, the character resonated with many around the world, and it didn't take a tragic death to do so.
This new iteration of Peter has spent some truly heartfelt moments with his daughter, went out of his way to prepare the birthday party for his kids, and had trouble deciding whether to keep his stable job with an evil boss or pursue an exciting, yet risky startup. All of these are moments any father could relate to, and that's where the brilliance of Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) kicks in. We don't need to see Peter suffer in order to feel a connection with him. Instead, it's through these "human" moments that the saga shines.
Speaking of the "humanity" in Ultimate Spider-Man (2024): Every single supporting character has a meaningful arc. Now that Peter Parker is "gone", his son, Richard Parker, is trying to inherit his father's responsibilities even if that means learning how to do it by trial and error. Uncle Ben and J. Jonah Jameson want to build something new that they can call "their own" after working for a company for the most part of their lives. Harry Osborn is attempting to be better than his father ever was. All of these arcs are extremely human and they don't involve a heartbreaking tragedy every five minutes — which is amazing! That way, comic book readers can still relate to Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) and have a fun time along the way.
It's impossible to deny that another aspect that also helps the saga stand out is how poor Peter's situation is in other comic book stories. As mentioned before: It often feels like a few narratives push for him to suffer without any major reason other than "that's supposed to be his whole thing". There's no reward or relatable arc. It's just desperation — which makes readers turn their attention elsewhere. And given the amazing quality of Ultimate Spider-Man (2024), it's impossible not to find comfort in it. Besides, Peter is actually married in this tale, which has been something many long-time fans have been asking for quite some time now.
I do expect some truly heartbreaking moments to come in Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) — especially now that the Sinister Six know Peter is behind the Spider-Man mask. However, the saga has proven that it understands the character to its core, even when changing everything around it. So I think we'll be absolutely fine. And who knows? Maybe we'll also get to relate to the tragic events this time around. But as long as they have a purpose behind them, it'll be a journey no fan will want to miss.
Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) No. 14 will be released on Feb. 26, 2025.