Writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Marco Checchetto's bold new take on Ultimate Spider-Man is shaping up to be full of surprises, and when it launches next January, it will star a very different Peter Parker. He'll be an older, wiser web-slinger who balances his superhero duties with his responsibilities as a husband and a father.
Yes, much to the delight of many fans, Peter will be married to Mary Jane Watson...in an alternate reality. The new Ultimate Universe was created by The Maker and thanks to his intervention, it looks vastly different from both Earth-616 and Earth-1610.
Earth-6160 has proved to be wholly unique and not the reintroduction of the classic Ultimate line most fans were hoping to see more of. However, there's still plenty to be excited about as the relaunch will kick off with Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, and Ultimate Black Panther (we're expecting The Ultimates to assemble somewhere down the line).
Back to Peter Parker, and a new design sheet shared by artist Marco Checchetto reveals a big twist we know many of you have speculated about in recent weeks.
As is evident from a sketch of Peter going from looking like a regular dad to a jacked-up superhero, this version of the character is indeed going to gain his powers as an adult, not a teenager. That means neither of his children will have inherited superpowers. He'll also have to balance being a regular thirtysomething (or fortysomething) husband and dad with becoming a web-slinging superhero.
That's not a story we've ever seen told before, so it's an undeniably intriguing development and direction to take the character in. Talking at last month's New York Comic-Con, Hickman described the title as "a bit of a Peter B. Parker situation," referencing Jake Johnson's Spider-Man from Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse.
"Meet Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson - Mr. & Mrs. Parker," reads the official description for the series. "They’re one of pop culture’s most iconic couples, and now readers will see them stronger than ever in the Ultimate Universe."
Take a closer look at Checchetto's design sheet for Ultimate Spider-Man #1 below. Are you excited for a fresh take on Spidey next year?
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art and Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
On Sale 1/10