New Ultimate Spiderman (Here there be spoilers)

[Matthew Morris]

As reported by comic book resources

Is not Peter Parker, nor apparently any existing ultimate universe character. It is

Spoiler:

"Miles Morales (great name, by the way) is a half-Hispanic/half-African-American kid who is the new Spider-Man."

It will be interesting to see how it goes. I hope it sticks. One thing I hoped for in the ultimate universe was to see it 'branch off' into new territory. While I was one of those who argued against 'a black Peter Parker' this I can get behind.

(Now if only Marvel would start up 2099 and let PAD write Miguel O'hara as well).

[joela]

Matthew Morris wrote:

As reported by comic book resources

Is not Peter Parker, nor apparently any existing ultimate universe character. It is
** spoiler omitted **

It will be interesting to see how it goes. I hope it sticks. One thing I hoped for in the ultimate universe was to see it 'branch off' into new territory. While I was one of those who argued against 'a black Peter Parker' this I can get behind.

(Now if only Marvel would start up 2099 and let PAD write Miguel O'hara as well).

I'm willing to give this one a shot.

[BPorter]

I've been kicking this around in my head occasionally, trying to decide what I think about it.

On the one hand, the Ultimate universe is one for new ideas/experimentation, and I certainly don't have an issue with a minority superhero being an A-list hero in any comic universe.

However, having just finished watching Batman Begins with my kids and putting it in context of the recent Captain America movie, I've come to the following conclusion:

I didn't become a fan of certain superheroes just because of their cool costumes or abilities. If I run through the list of hero favorites, it's the HERO that pushed them to the top of the list. It was the character beneath the costume that resonated with me as a kid.

Batman isn't Batman without Bruce Wayne wearing the cowl. As much as I love the Dick Grayson character -- he's Nightwing and although he may don the cowl on occasion, he's just "protecting the realm" until the king returns.

Steve Rogers IS Captain America. I like Bucky Barnes pretty well, even before the Winter Soldier reimaging/update. But Captain America hooked me as a kid because of Steve Rogers.

Daredevil isn't DD unless it's Matt Murdoch. A blind kid that wouldn't quit, that worked to live up to his father's dreams for him, that truly was the Man without Fear.

Clark Kent/Kal-El is Superman. Clones, other Kryptonians, etc. are posers or pale imitations.

The Smallville series is the clearest depiction of this. It was unconventional Superman at best, but it worked because the hero, Clark Kent, was the iconic kid-raised-on-old-fashioned-values-with-incredible-powers that we all cherish.

Conversely, I'd throw a b-tch-fit if someone tried to replace Black Panther, Luke Cage, or Falcon with another hero just to address an ethnic/gender/whatever criteria.

Miles Morales might be a great character and may, in time, be worthy of true superhero icon status. By that should be a function of the writing, character, and character development -- not a "he's wearing the Spiderman costume & has powers, so he's Spiderman" gimmick. Spiderman is Peter Parker - period.

If they wanted to have Spiderman be a minority, they should have made Peter Parker one in Ultimate Spiderman #1. THAT, I could have appreciated.

[Gailbraithe]

I'm willing to give this Miles Morales character a shot, but I don't think its going to work. I don't think you can replace Peter Parker. I agree with a lot of what BPorter just said - there's more to these characters than the mask. I don't think anyone but Peter Parker can be Spider-Man. Anyone else is always going to be "that guy who replaced Peter Parker."

I have no problem with them replacing Peter with a minority - its replacing Peter at all that I don't think will work. What I am worried about though is that sales will plummet, Marvel will freak out, and they'll bring Peter back to life (it's easy too: clone Peter, copy his memories from "Jessica Drew," presto - Peter is back!), and this will just become more proof that minority characters aren't commercially viable.

I just read the first four issues of Ultimate Fallout, and aside from the craptacular art (I seriously wish they wouldn't do these rush jobs with multiple artists), I thought it was a nice coda for Peter Parker.

I just don't think it'll stick.

[David Fryer]

I'll give it a shot, but I agree that Peter will most likely be back at some point. However, I hope they keep the new kid around in some capacity as well.

[Matthew Morris]

Cynically, I don't think it will last.

I hope it does though.

While not a reader of the books, I like the idea that someone in the universe felt there 'had to be a spiderman'. We've seen it with Cap a couple of times throughout the years (Cap retires, Cap gets killed, etc) but such things are always done with the 'understanding' that the original will get better. Hopefully the Ultimates won't go that route.

Yeah, this new guy has to prove he's worth the costume he's wearing. Hopefully he will.

[jemstone]

I'm just going to say for the record that when I read the exchange between Aunt May and the toddler outside the church, before the funeral, I cried. I admit this. And I'm proud of it.

Gailbraithe wrote:

What I am worried about though is that sales will plummet, Marvel will freak out, and they'll bring Peter back to life (it's easy too: clone Peter, copy his memories from "Jessica Drew," presto - Peter is back!)

Complete with memories of making out with Johnny Storm?

THAT would be a kick in the teeth of comicdom...

I'm pretty certain that Mr. Bendis will do the same kind of believable, lovable, and motivated character with Miles that he did with Peter.

I tend to disagree with folks on the whole "Only Peter Can Be Spiderman" thought, in that what makes Spiderman, well, Spiderman, is his motivation - Peter was motivated by a sense of loss, a sense of duty, and a sense of responsibility to both of those things. He did what he did not because of his powers, but in spite of them. Now, do I think that Miles putting on the webs so soon after Peter's death was in bad form? Yep.

Even Miles thinks so.

I'm perfectly willing to give it a shot. Mr. Bendis has never let me down. I'm sure that Miles will get his fair share of "You aren't now and never will be Spiderman!" from the denizens of the universe. It'll be interesting to see how he handles it.

[Gailbraithe]

jemstone wrote:

I'm just going to say for the record that when I read the exchange between Aunt May and the toddler outside the church, before the funeral, I cried. I admit this. And I'm proud of it.

That was the emotional manipulation equivalent of a finishing move. That whole issue was heart-breaking, almost as powerful as Peter's dying "But I saved you" speech.

Quote:

Now, do I think that Miles putting on the webs so soon after Peter's death was in bad form? Yep.

Even Miles thinks so.

"That is in such poor taste."

Quote:

I'm perfectly willing to give it a shot. Mr. Bendis has never let me down. I'm sure that Miles will get his fair share of "You aren't now and never will be Spiderman!" from the denizens of the universe. It'll be interesting to see how he handles it.

Oh yeah. I can't imagine anyone but BMB writing Ultimate Spider-Man. If he ever tries to leave, I'm totally going Misery on him.

[Kthulhu]

David Fryer wrote:

I'll give it a shot, but I agree that Peter will most likely be back at some point.

I kind of doubt it. Ultimate Marvel has brought very few characters back from death, and even when they do, it doesn't seem to be motivated purely by that character's popularity. I think Ultimate Peter is well and truly gone at this point.

I'd like to see the Ultimate universe expand beyond some of the limiting factors that have unofficially been put on it, and replacing Spider-Man actually seems like a decent start towards that. (Although I must admit that I would have prefered that Peter stick around. If they felt the need to kill a Spider-Man, they should have killed 616 Spidey, and then left him dead for a minimum of 2 years, and find some way to retcon most of the past decade of his comics while he was dead.) Another thing I'd like to see from Ultimate is some Ultimate characters that aren't just copy-pasted from 616...a few of these exist, but it's a very small number.

[Matthew Koelbl]

Kthulhu wrote:

David Fryer wrote:

I'll give it a shot, but I agree that Peter will most likely be back at some point.

I kind of doubt it. Ultimate Marvel has brought very few characters back from death, and even when they do, it doesn't seem to be motivated purely by that character's popularity. I think Ultimate Peter is well and truly gone at this point.

Eh, it seems unlikely to me. For one thing, the very character who killed him was one of the ones who died (in about as clear a fashion as possible - being shot, point-blank, in the face, while in a depowered form)... and then got brought back anyway. At least one core cast member in Ultimate Spider-man died early in the run and then they found a way to bring her back. And they already previously toyed with the death of Spider-man (following Ultimatum), and then backed off from it.

I don't think Peter's story is done in the Ultimate universe. But I am interested in seeing what goes on in the meantime, and how this new character fits in.

[jemstone]

Matthew Koelbl wrote:

Kthulhu wrote:

David Fryer wrote:

I'll give it a shot, but I agree that Peter will most likely be back at some point.

I kind of doubt it. Ultimate Marvel has brought very few characters back from death, and even when they do, it doesn't seem to be motivated purely by that character's popularity. I think Ultimate Peter is well and truly gone at this point.

Eh, it seems unlikely to me. For one thing, the very character who killed him was one of the ones who died (in about as clear a fashion as possible - being shot, point-blank, in the face, while in a depowered form)... and then got brought back anyway. At least one core cast member in Ultimate Spider-man died early in the run and then they found a way to bring her back. And they already previously toyed with the death of Spider-man (following Ultimatum), and then backed off from it.

I don't think Peter's story is done in the Ultimate universe. But I am interested in seeing what goes on in the meantime, and how this new character fits in.

Well, we know for a fact that Peter's hanging out in Valhalla, gettin' his drink on with a whole mess of other fallen heroes. If early-Ultimates Thor is to be believed, Captain America was up there for a while, as well, so if they want to bring him back it should be easy.

Personally, I want to see what Miles has to offer.

[jemstone]

We're now two issues in, and I have to say, I'm really digging Miles' very obvious evolution as a character, and the very detailed, believable environment that Bendis has put him in.

I like the nods that are being given to the other Ultimate books by way of off-references here and there throughout issues 1 and 2. I'm particularly fond of Miles' confidant, Ganke. I think he's going to be a fan favorite very soon.

If there's one big "Oh, snap" moment I've had, it's been

Spoiler:

while reading through The Ultimates, and realizing that Ultimate Reed Richards is an enormous, unrepentant, jerkhole. He freakin' destroyed Valhalla! Which means that Peter's spirit is pretty much done for, along with all the other fallen heroes. That enormous jerk!