In Ultimate Spider-Man #1, we met an older Peter Parker who despite his heroic nature, never became Spider-Man. Instead, he's a devoted husband to Mary Jane, a dedicated father to two kids, and works at the Daily Bugle alongside his beloved uncle - Ben Parker!
Having never fallen victim to a burglar's senseless crime, the Uncle Ben of this new Ultimate Universe plays an active role in his nephew's adult life, inspiring him in a very different - but no less impactful - way than the late Ben does for the main universe's Spider-Man. Now, thanks to intervention from Tony Stark, Peter is reclaiming a life stolen from him and beginning his career as a wall-crawling superhero.
Uncle Ben promises to be an important figure in the new Ultimate Spider-Man saga as Ben, an award-winning journalist, and his trusted partner and friend J. Jonah Jameson pursue the truth of this corrupt world and the unrest that’s stirring around every corner...starting with discovering the identity of the newly emerged Green Goblin!
That character made an appearance in the first issue when he attacked The Kingpin from afar, but his identity has been revealed early thanks to an upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man #2 variant cover by Mateus Manhanini.
As you can see, it looks like Harry Osborn will indeed suit up as the Goblin in a reality where his father died long before he got a chance to do so. This version of the character isn't friends with Peter and they've only met on a couple of occasions so their dynamic promises to be very different, particularly as they'll both be "rookies," so to speak.
If the other cover is anything to go by, it looks like Spidey will be decked out in that plain black suit (believed to be a man-made Symbiote) for the time being.
"This is a Peter Parker who not only didn’t get bit by a spider when he was a teenager, but a Peter Parker who also never lost his Uncle Ben," Editor Wil Moss recently said of the new series. "Now that he has become Spider-Man when he’s a full-grown adult, how will having Ben in his life affect who he is as a hero?"
"It’s a fundamental shift in the Spider-Man mythos, and Jonathan and Marco are really going to surprise you with how it affects Spider-Man’s journey as a hero, I guarantee."
Check out this newly released Ultimate Spider-Man cover in the X post below.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #2
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art and Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
Colors by MATTHEW WILSON
On Sale 2/21