Ultimate Spider-Man is Dead, Long live the Ultimate Spider-Man!
Reading time: 4 minutes
Could Spider-Man possibly have such a rich legacy that the characters end up turning into a continuity bomb? The answer is mostly certainly yes, as the recent Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man book could possibly pose a threat to the staying power of Miles Morales himself. In the Ultimate Spider-Man world Peter Parker recently passed away. This moment was actually the defining time in the world of Spider-Man that led to some truly incredible changes in continuity to the Spider-Man Universe. The idea is so appealing that even the regular Spider-Man book has flirted with the idea more than a few times. With hundreds of issues in publication, Peter Parker has lived out his Spidey-life to the fullest.
The character was created by a man who is currently in his 90s! Stan Lee created Spidey when he could have still been considered young. Lee and collaborator Steve Ditko founded their iconic creation in their 1962 magnum opus that is The Amazing Spider-Man. The creation was so profound, that it spawned an entire Universe of spin-off characters and worlds. When the Death of Spider-Man hit the Ultimate Universe and Peter was gone forever more, it brought the franchise in an entirely new direction that ended up really serving the entire mythos of Spider-Man in the process. The idea of really moving forward with a different hero of a different ethnicity still in college is so strong that it really has fostered a brand new fandom of people interested in reading his ongoing adventures every month.
Thankfully this notion carried on towards the fan perception, and now Miles Morales is such a wonderfully beloved character on account of most Spider-Fans. However, introducing him relentlessly against the ongoing shadow of Peter Parker is where Marvel is starting to fumble. In the initial Spider-Men series that banned the two heroes together with Peter re-uniting with the former supporting cast was one of, if not the most emotional moments in recent Spider-history. This was made all the more disappointing when Marvel decided to run this clone story in the main Ultimate Spider-Man title that has really put Morales back in the shadow of Spidey.
This is going to be made all the worse when the Spider-Verse happens, and the entire Spider legacy is back in the trenches again. Against the weight of the greater Marvel Universe, how is Miles Morales going to remain special over the years? The first series of Ultimate Spider-Man featuring Miles still had the supporting cast of Parker and friends, but did a much better job setting up the tone of Morales’ own personal life. It was never too difficult to figure out what was happening in the life of Spidey, especially when the material makes it even more apparent that Miles is an independent superhero that is striving to survive without advice or a father figure to propel him forward.
Speaking of father figures, Miles’ father has recently abandoned him after the time jump and switches to the different title that was apparent in Ultimate Spider-Man. This became an issue when the comic book jump the ship, and switched over to this new storyline. We never got the chance to look at the new supporting cast or events of Miles’ personal life. Now that The Ultimates by Michel Fiffe has officially been cancelled, we no longer have a home for these supporting Spidey cast members. This is a shame, as all these characters brought interesting new insight into Morales, who seemingly found a home in the confines of other superheroes. Early in the life of the Ultimate Universe, it was established that this is a more dangerous place than any other Marvel planet. The people that die here are supposedly dead forever, which is made even worse when factoring in the legacy of the undead Parker from before. We have a new Spider-Man for the Ultimate Universe now. Throwing him in with the old one at every opportunity humanly possible is going to detract from the specialty of any given story. Yes, the potential crossover power is great, and we also do not know the end of this current Ultimate Spider-Man story. For all we know, the title could be going through another Clone Saga. In my opinion, if that is the case, it is still damaging to the superhero that has already gone through so much in his life.
Finally, there is the massive fake out that Bendis gave in All-New X-Men, I won’t spoil the ending of that story. However, the inclinations toward that crossover are a little more than slightly maddening at this point. It seems like the case of one another crossovers that is more than a little bit too far for several different reasons. Counting up the current ways that Miles is interacting with the greater Marvel world is maddening:
1. Miles & Peter in the Ultimate Universe
2. Spider-Verse
3. All-New X-Men
The worst part about Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man at the moment is that I am still enjoying the book a great deal. Despite the detractions from the Peter Parker clone saga techniques, the action feels real, the story is relatable, and the emotional beats are still particularly strong. Brian Michael Bendis and Dave Marquez are continually crafting career defining work in this great book, and as long as this team will continue to stay together, the book will continue to be fun to read. The creators still need to return the status quo back after this arc, All-New X-Men, and the upcoming Spider-Verse. Thus concludes the Spider-Rant!
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