After several delays, Ultimate Spider-Man #24 finally swings into stores next Wednesday. When the series launched two years ago, many fans were overjoyed to see that Peter Parker was now married with children.
The big twist, of course, was that Peter had reached adulthood before acquiring his powers. Aunt May, meanwhile, is dead instead of Uncle Ben. As Ultimate Spider-Man has continued, the response to the series has grown increasingly mixed, and the finale is now fast approaching.
In this sneak peek, we see the wall-crawler launch one final attack against The Kingpin. This story is, of course, playing out before the events of Ultimate Endgame, which has already released two issues.
When Ultimate Spider-Man #24 was announced as the comic's finale last summer, Marvel Comics said, "Fans should prepare themselves for a startling finale that will cement the run as one of the most beloved Spider-Man runs in recent history."
"Packed with dramatic—and shocking—developments for the entire Parker family—Peter, Mary Jane, Richard, May and Uncle Ben—along with Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy and more, the issue will also create promising roadmaps for future storytelling."
Future storytelling? That may be a reference to Ultimate Endgame or a hint that this version of these characters will somehow stick around.
"This was everything that I pitched," Hickman previously said. "Nothing has deviated. It’s been really nice to execute the plan well, and everything culminates in this issue. Fans of the Ultimate Universe are going to love it. It’s been a real pleasure being the writer of Ultimate Spider-Man."
He added, "Doing this tight continuity stuff, this smaller line...the execution from the company on this has been great, and it’s stuff we should keep trying to do. You guys supporting this book is the only reason we can [tell stories] this way. Hearing you like this gives us the opportunity to do more things like this."
This summer's Armageddon event—set on Earth-616—is expected to deal with the aftermath of Ultimate Endgame, as Origin Boxes (the source of superpowers hidden away by The Maker) take centre stage in the main Marvel Universe.
Check out this new Ultimate Spider-Man #24 preview below.
THE END OF THE LINE! This is it, folks - the last you'll see of Spidey and his Ultimate friends by Jonathan Hickman & Marco Checchetto! That's all we can tell you!
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #24
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art and Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
On Sale 18/2