Ultimate Spider-Man

For the video game of the same title, see Ultimate Spider-Man (video game).

Ultimate Spider-Man
File:Usm100.PNG Variant of Ultimate Spider-Man #100. This image is homage to the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #100.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics (Ultimate Imprint)
Created by	Brian Michael Bendis Mark Bagley from original material by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
In-story information
Alter ego	Peter Benjamin Parker
Team affiliations	Ultimate Six, Ultimate Knights, S.H.I.E.L.D.,The Ultimates
Abilities	- Superhuman strength, agility, reflexes and equilibrium - Ability to cling to most surfaces - Precognitive Spider Sense - Synthetic webbing

Ultimate Spider-Man is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint.

The protagonist of Ultimate Spider-Man is Peter Parker, a science whiz teenager who lives in Queens, New York. He is bitten by a genetically altered spider and inherits its powers, including enhanced strength, agility and reflexes. When a burglar that Peter refuses to stop kills his uncle, he feels guilty and dedicates his life to fighting crime as the costumed vigilante Spider-Man. Peter tries to balance school, a job, a girlfriend, his family life with his widowed aunt, and his activities as Spider-Man. In contrast to the mainstream Spider-Man concept, Ultimate Spider-Man strongly focuses on genetic engineering as plot devices and largely bypasses such elements as radiation, magic, aliens and space opera.

Ultimate Spider-Man first saw print in 2000 under veteran Spider-Man artist Mark Bagley and writer Brian Michael Bendis, who expanded the original 11-page origin story into a 180-page story arc. This duo continued to collaborate until issue #110, when Mark Bagley left the book. Stuart Immonen is his replacement. The two co-drew issue #111, marking it as a "passing of the torch."

History of Ultimate Spider-Man

Beginning of the series

File:Ultspidey vol2.jpg

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume Two.

Ultimate Spider-Man was the first series to be published in the Ultimate Marvel line. Publisher Bill Jemas wanted to reinvent the Marvel Universe because he felt that, with over 40 years of back-story, it had become inaccessible to new readers, and he wanted to start with a reinvented Spider-Man. Initially, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada was skeptical because 1998's Spider-Man: Chapter One, a previous attempt at re-envisioning Spider-Man's early adventures, had failed both critically and commercially.

Marvel writer David Mack suggested indie writer Brian Michael Bendis, whom Jemas and Quesada chose to write the new series. Marvel approached veteran Spider-Man artist Mark Bagley, who initially was not interested in joining the project and turned it down several times before signing.

The original Amazing Fantasy #15 story is only 11 pages long, but Bendis retells it as a 180-page, seven-part story arc in which Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man only after issue #5. Bagley was at first wary of Bendis' notoriously slow pace in advancing plot, describing it as a "real shock" at first. Previously, Jemas intended the comic to feature single-issue stories only, but Bendis chose his own way.

The first several issues were greeted with enthusiasm from fans and critics, sold well, and gave Ultimate Marvel a boost in credibility. After the release of Ultimate Spider-Man, Quesada and Jemas broadened the Ultimate Marvel line with Ultimate X-Men, The Ultimates and Ultimate Fantastic Four. Ultimate Spider-Man #1 was voted the "ninth-greatest Marvel Comic of All Time" in 2001 by readers of Wizard: The Guide to Comics. In addition to critical success, Ultimate Spider-Man grew to outsell the flagship Spider-Man title, Amazing Spider-Man. Bendis would later describes issue #13, in which Peter tells Mary Jane his secret identity, as his favorite issue because it shows the trust the Ultimate Marvel office had in him.

As the series progressed within the next two years, reception and sales stayed strong, helped by the fact that Bendis and Bagley quickly found chemistry and liked working with each other. Eventually, many 'mainstream' characters were introduced into the story. Bendis, disliking the mainstream version of Venom and its extraterrestrial origin, completely reinvented the character.

File:Ultimate Spiderman by sc89.jpg

Edited & recolored images of Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate Venom from the comic series, used as a promotion for the video game.

On August 16, 2006, Mark Bagley announced he would be leaving the book as of Ultimate Spider-Man #110. Bagley and writer Brian Michael Bendis worked on the series together since it began, and recently broke the record for longest continual run on a Marvel series by two people, an honor previously held by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby on The Fantastic Four. Artist Stuart Immonen, already famous in the Ultimate Universe for his work on Ultimate X-men, was to take over after Bagley. Issue #111, named "The Talk", introduced readers to Immonen's art for the first time. The issue was divided into two parts, with Bagley covering the art for one section, and Immonen doing the other.

Further information on story arcs can be found in Ultimate Spider-Man (Story Arcs)

Characters

Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Fifteen-year-old Peter Parker is a shy, intelligent (as "smart as they come" according to his uncle) high school student who lives in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May Parker. On a science field trip to Osborn Industries, a genetically altered spider bites Peter. Instead of dying as expected, Peter inherits the spider's abilities including increased strength, agility, reflexes, the ability to cling to walls, and a precognitive "spider sense" that warns him of danger. During a fight at his school, Peter blocks a punch from Flash Thompson, and this thrust of the punch breaks Flash's hand. He earns money to pay off the resulting medical bill by wrestling professionally in a costume the promoters provide. A burglar Peter refuses to stop later kills Peter's Uncle Ben. Wracked with guilt, he modifies his wrestling costume and dedicates his life to fighting crime. Exceptionally brilliant, he completes his scientist father's research on adhesives, thus, inventing the web compound for his suit. Peter tries to balance school, a job, a girlfriend, his Aunt May and his life as Spider-Man, which proves to be difficult. At the end of Ultimate Spider-Man #104, Reed Richards tells Peter he may be able to cure him, leaving Peter with a choice to be Spider-Man.

In Ultimate Spider-Man, many superheroes and super villains know Peter is Spider-Man and many have seen him unmasked. This is in contrast to the regular Marvel version, in which due to the retcon resulting from that universe's "One More Day" storyline, his identity is completely secret.

Supporting cast

File:Usm78.jpg

Promotional art for Ultimate Spider-Man#78, featuring Spider-Man and Mary Jane. Art by Mark Bagley.

• May Parker is a pillar of strength for Peter. She is an independent woman in her 50s who works as a secretary and regularly sees a therapist to deal with Ben's death. May used to hate Spider-Man because she believed he had no regard for innocent bystanders and hid his face behind a mask. At the end of the Deadpool arc, her therapist and date is revealed to be none other than the Ultimate Miles Warren. In issue #99, she learns Peter's secret identity, something that makes her angry but after some time she accepts it. In issue #111, Peter finally explained Aunt May the truth about Spider-Man. Aunt May, during the talk, seemed to be scared of the idea of Peter risking his life everyday, but supported him anyway.
• Ben Parker was a gentle, intelligent man who told Peter that power comes with responsibility. He was killed by a burglar in the series' first story arc. His ultimate version has a ponytail hairstyle.
• Mary Jane Watson is Peter's girlfriend and next-door neighbor. She is the first person Peter tells about his being Spider-Man, and she helps by sewing Peter spare costumes and treating his injuries. Although Peter and Mary Jane love each other, Peter's life as Spider-Man is a burden on their relationship. As of issue #101, she has been transformed in times of anger into a creature similar to Norman Osborn's Goblin and Harry Osborn's Hobgoblin, except for long red hair all over her body. While she lashes out in a super-strong rage state while in her Goblin form, the sight of Peter's face has been repeatedly shown to calm her down enough to revert to her normal form -- at which point, she invariably passes out. She has apparently been cured of this condition by Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, but it remains to be seen whether the cure is fully effective. Starting with Ultimate Spider-Man issue #105, Mary Jane and Peter rekindle their romantic relationship.
• Harry Osborn is the troubled son of Norman Osborn. He witnessed the accident that turned his father into the Green Goblin, Norman repressing these memories with the use of psychiatrist Doctor Warren. Disturbed by recurring images of his past, Harry develops Shaw as a second personality, who serves as Harry's guide to becoming the Hobgoblin. After transforming into the Hobgoblin, Harry is defeated by S.H.I.E.L.D, much to the dismay of Peter. As the Hobgoblin, his powers are similar to the Green Goblin's, but he sports a superior armour and healing factor; he also appears to be perpetually on fire. He is murdered by his father in #117.
• Peter works at the Daily Bugle newspaper as a web designer. His boss is J. Jonah Jameson, the editor-in-chief who hates Spider-Man and runs a smear campaign against him, which stems from the death of his son John. His most important employees are his right-hand man Robbie Robertson and Ben Urich, the Bugle's star reporter whose articles help take down the Kingpin. Betty Brant is one of the secretaries.
• Gwen Stacy is a street-wise girl who befriends Peter and Mary Jane. Her father is NYPD Captain John Stacy. He is killed by a criminal in a Spider-Man suit, and she blames the real Spider-Man for his deaths because he became someone criminals could copy in order to hide their identities. Aunt May opens her and Peter's home to Gwen after her mother refuses to take her. While living with the Parkers, Gwen is killed by Carnage, which instills in Peter even more guilt. In Ultimate Spider-Man #98, Gwen Stacy appears again mysteriously, alive and well, and in Ultimate Spider-Man #100 she is revealed, in a hideous twist of fate, to be the new Carnage, along with being a clone of the original.
• Liz Allan, Mary Jane's best friend, for majority of the series she's mutant phobic. It was recently revealed that she herself is a mutant, namely, Firestar.
• Fred "Flash" Thompson A bully who torments Peter Parker, and apparently had a crush on Gwen Stacy.
• Kenny "Kong" McFarlane, A former bully of Peter, who now has an on and off friendship with him. He's a big fan of Spider-Man, and knows that Peter is secretly Spider-Man. He's in the early stages of a relationship with Kitty Pryde.
• Kitty Pryde is a member of the X-Men who dates Peter after he breaks up with Mary Jane. As her identity is public, Kitty wears a green and yellow masked costume when she fights alongside Spider-Man to avoid giving away his identity. Their relationship is hard as they live quite far away from each other. Their relationship is silently torn apart when Kitty sees Peter kissing Mary Jane. In issue #106, at the end of the issue, Kitty turns up as the new student at Midtown High, following her leaving the Xavier Institute in the wake of Professor Xavier's death.
• The Black Cat, Felicia Hardy, blames her father's death on the Kingpin. Taking revenge, she steals a priceless artifact that he was going to use on his comatose wife. Hardy is interested in Spider-Man romantically, but when she sees that he is a 15-year-old boy, she vomits on his costume out of embarrassment.
• Nick Fury, the tough, powerful, and connected head of S.H.I.E.L.D., wants Peter to join The Ultimates when he is an adult. In issue #27, he tells Peter that he becomes property of S.H.I.E.L.D. when he turns 18 whether he likes it or not, but later replies that he will work with the Ultimates when that happens. It is unknown whether Fury will hold on his promise as the Ultimates have broken off from S.H.I.E.L.D. At the end of the Hobgoblin Arc he personally told one of his subordinates that he wanted everything figured out about OZ, and after witnessing him angrily responding to Harry becoming the Goblin Fury says "I think it's about time Peter Parker loses those Spider Powers" During the Ultimate Clone Saga it is revealed that Fury had the Tinkerer create the Spider Slayers that were created to 'handle' Peter if he lost it. After Ultimate Clone Saga, Nick Fury has become more supportive of Peter. However, in Ultimate Power, he was taken to another universe, removing him from Peter Parkers universe.
• Dr. Curt Conners is a professor at Empire State University who sponsors Eddie Brock's Venom project. He tries to re-grow the arm he lost in the Vietnam War with lizard DNA, accidentally becoming the Lizard. Using a sample of Peter's blood, he inadvertently creates Carnage. Conners turns himself into the police afterward for his creation of Carnage, which resulted in the deaths of many people.
• Jeanne De Wolfe was a captain in NYPD. She offers support and comfort to Spider-Man whenever the strain of being a crime fighter becomes too much for him. She was secretly working for the Kingpin, and was rumored to have been his lover as well. The Punisher killed her in Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #2.
• Richard Parker Peter's late father. Part of the team that helped to create the Venom suit, along with Edward Brock Sr, he had problems with how the suit was going to be used. Recently, Richard resurfaces, allegedly back from the dead, claiming he did not get on the plane Peter had always heard his parents died in because he did not want involvement in the Venom project anymore. Since that time, he has been working as an underground scientist for the CIA to combat Nick Fury if and when he one day got out of control. After Gwen Stacy returns to the Parker's old house, he reappears to try to clear everything up. In issue #103, Sue Storm tests Richard's DNA to confirm that he is really an aged clone of Peter. He is last seen in issue #104 aging more rapidly and apparently dying.
• Spider-Woman: In issue #98, while investigating Mary-Jane Watson's disappearance, Spider-Man encounters a mysterious masked woman who knocks him unconscious. The character is able to shoot organic webbing out of her finger tips, without the need of web-shooters. During a panel discussion at the New York Comic-Con, writer Brian Michael Bendis mentioned that the Ultimate version of Spider-Woman would make an appearance during the "Ultimate Clone Saga", which ran in Ultimate Spider-Man #97 - 104. In issue #102, she rescues Peter from being arrested, and reveals that she is Peter's female clone, called Jessica Drew, but still retained all of his memories. She leads Peter to an Oscorp building in an effort to find MJ, where they end up finding the truth about Peter's clones. Jessica also discovers, much to her disgust, that her creator is none other than Otto Octavius. Together, they manage to defeat him. However, whereas Peter is ready to turn himself in to Nick Fury, Jessica promptly leaves to escape incarceration. Peter eventually finds her again, who tells him she has finally decided to embrace her Jessica Drew identity. After Peter updates her on MJ, Nick Fury, and Aunt May, and she gives him "the most awkward hug in the history of the planet," she presumably leaves New York to start her new life.

Villains

• Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, is the unscrupulous CEO of Oscorp, an industrialist and scientist. He develops an experimental drug called "OZ." After witnessing Peter's spider bite and seeing the resulting effects that OZ has on him, Osborn injects OZ into his body, and is changed into an insane, powerful monster. He has a physical structure similar to the Hulk's and has the ability to generate fireball projectiles from his hands. He is a scientific genius, especially in genetics. He is killed by Carol Danvers after he requested it, due to feelings of guilt over killing his own son.
• Doctor Octopus, Dr. Otto Octavius, is one of Osborn's scientists and an industrial spy. He is described as "scary smart" by Peter. The four cybernetic arms he uses to manipulate hazardous matter were permanently melded to his flesh in the explosion that turns Osborn into the Green Goblin. During the Clone Saga, Doctor Octavius reveals that he played a huge role in the creation of the clones. Also during the saga, he reveals that he in fact controls metal, similar to Magneto, and does not need actual "arms," but he's gotten good at using "arms." He seems to appear more often than the other villains.
• The Shocker, a common criminal named Herman Schultz, who wears devices on his hands that shoot sonic vibrations. He has no fighting skills and is nothing more than an annoyance to Spider-Man, whom he has fought against on at least five separate occasions.
• R.H.I.N.O The man who wears the Rhino suit has appeared several times to battle both Spider-Man and Iron Man and has caused a lot of damage in the process.
• The Kingpin Wilson Fisk is the head of New York corporate crime. Fisk's wife is in a coma. He carried on an affair with police officer Jeanne De Wolfe, who he used to control Spider-Man.
• The Enforcers are a group of henchmen that includes "Mr. Big" Frederick Foswell, whip-wielding "Montana" Bale, strongman Bruno "Ox" Sanchez and gunslinger "Fancy Dan" Crenshaw.
• Electro, one of the Kingpin's hit men, Max Dillon gained his powers from genetic tampering.
• Sandman, Flint Marko gained the power to turn his body into a malleable sand-like material when he underwent genetic tampering.
• Kraven The Hunter, Sergei Kravinoff, is the host of an action reality show. He wants to kill Spider-Man to boost his ratings. After his defeat, he tampers with his DNA to become a gruesome wolf-like monster.
• Venom, Eddie Brock, Jr., is a university student who was Peter's childhood friend. He is the son of Peter's father's long-time collaborator on an experimental power-increasing symbiote named Venom. Eddie comes into contact with Venom and becomes a super-strong monster. He next appears in Ultimates 3
• Carnage is a vampiric organism created when Dr. Curt Conners experiments on his own blood, Peter’s blood, and some of the material from the Venom creation. Needing to feed on others constantly to repair his damaged DNA, he kills Gwen Stacy. In Ultimate Spider-Man #100, an over-worked Gwen Stacy transforms into Carnage. It is later revealed that this Carnage was cloned by Ben Reilly and Doctor Octopus as part of a government super-soldier program and later escaped after awakening prematurely. This Carnage was referred to as 'The Stacy Project'.
  • Spider-Carnage (Video game only) was the result of Adrian Toomes and the employees of Bolivar Trask injecting a strange drug into Peter that caused remaining Venom particles to grow and take over him. The Spider-Carnage suit was absorbed by Venom, who then gains full control over his suit.
• Hammerhead, a rival gang boss to the Kingpin.He was nearly killed by Gambit in an issue of Ultimate X-Men. While the Kingpin was lying low from the law, Hammerhead tried to take his territory, leading to a super powered gang war.
• Silver Sable is a mercenary who leads a group called the Wild Pack. Sable had a troubled childhood, ignored by her father and abused by her alcoholic mother. Her father hunted Nazis, and she forgave him at his deathbed and decided to follow in his footsteps.
• Vulture is a disgruntled former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent called Blackie Drago, who has been hired by the head of Roxxon corporation.
• Deadpool is a mercenary employed by the mutant-hating island nation of Genosha to hunt and kill the X-Men. He abducts and fights Spider-Man as a bonus.
• Scorpion, Scorpion is a crazed clone of Peter, sharing 94.4% of his DNA. He is currently being held, unconscious, in a S.H.I.E.L.D base with Gwen Stacy(Carnage).
• Hobgoblin; exposed to the OZ formula like his father, Harry Osborn became the Hobgoblin, who is orange-skinned and has the ability to produce fire. He is killed by the Green Goblin in Ultimate Spider-Man #117.
• Lizard: Lizard is created after Dr Curt Conners tampers with his DNA in a leap for science but it has drastic results and the ferocious Lizard is born.
• Spot: Not much is known about him, except his name is Frank and that he works at Roxxon Industries, where an accident happened and gave him his powers.

Powers and abilities

Spider-Man possesses superhuman strength (although noticeably less than his 616 counterpart), agility, reflexes and equilibrium; the ability to cling to most surfaces; and a sixth sense that warns him of impending danger. However, his spider-sense is not as accurate as 616 Spider-Man, as he cannot pinpoint the locations of attacks whereas the 616 version is able to. Peter is an accomplished scientist for his age. Spider-Man's wrist-mounted web-shooters discharge thin strands of web-fluid at high pressure. On contact with air, the long-chain polymer knits and forms an extremely tough, flexible fiber with extraordinary adhesive qualities.

Spider-Man is also immune to vampirism, a fact Morbius informs him of in issue 96. After Spider-Man is bitten by a vampire Morbius sniffs him saying "You've done something to your blood... Your blood cannot feed a night crawler the way normal humans' blood can."

Video games

Main article: Ultimate Spider-Man (video game)

Released September 23, 2005, the Ultimate Spider-Man video game focuses on the return of Venom three months after his fight with Spider-Man. This game is canonical, and an adaptation of the game will appear in future issues of the series.

The game Spider-Man: Battle for New York uses the look of the Ultimate universe, but the back story more closely resembles the regular Marvel universe.

Bibliography

• Ultimate Spider-Man #1—,1/2, Annual #1 and #2 (October 2000— )
• Ultimate Spider-Man video game

Ultimate Spider-Man has been collected in the following trade paperbacks:

Ultimate Spider-Man also has been collected in the following hardcovers:

Title	Material collected	ISBN
Volume 1: Power and Responsibility	Ultimate Spider-Man #1-7	ISBN 0-7851-0786-X
Volume 2: Learning Curve	Ultimate Spider-Man #8-13	ISBN 0-7851-0820-3
Volume 3: Double Trouble	Ultimate Spider-Man #14-21	ISBN 0-7851-0879-3
Volume 4: Legacy	Ultimate Spider-Man #22-27	ISBN 0-7851-0968-4
Volume 5: Public Scrutiny	Ultimate Spider-Man #28-32	ISBN 0-7851-1087-9
Volume 6: Venom	Ultimate Spider-Man #33-39	ISBN 0-7851-1094-1
Volume 7: Irresponsible	Ultimate Spider-Man #40-45	ISBN 0-7851-1092-5
Volume 8: Cats & Kings	Ultimate Spider-Man #47-53	ISBN 0-7851-1250-2
Volume 9: Ultimate Six	Ultimate Spider-Man #46; Ultimate Six #1-7	ISBN 0-7851-1312-6
Volume 10: Hollywood	Ultimate Spider-Man #54-59	ISBN 0-7851-1402-5
Volume 11: Carnage	Ultimate Spider-Man #60-65	ISBN 0-7851-1403-3
Volume 12: Superstars	Ultimate Spider-Man #66-71	ISBN 0-7851-1629-X
Volume 13: Hobgoblin	Ultimate Spider-Man #72-78	ISBN 0-7851-1647-8
Volume 14: Warriors	Ultimate Spider-Man #79-85	ISBN 0-7851-1680-X
Volume 15: Silver Sable	Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1; Ultimate Spider-Man #86-90	ISBN 0-7851-1681-8
Volume 16: Deadpool	Ultimate Spider-Man #91-96; Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #2	ISBN 0-7851-1927-2
Volume 17: Clone Saga	Ultimate Spider-Man #97-105	ISBN 0-7851-1928-0
Volume 18: Ultimate Knights	Ultimate Spider-Man #106-111	ISBN 0-7851-2136-7
Volume 19: Death of a Goblin	Ultimate Spider-Man #112-117

Volume #	Material collected	ISBN
1	Ultimate Spider-Man #1-13	ISBN 0-7851-0898-X
2	Ultimate Spider-Man #14-27	ISBN 0-7851-1061-5
3	Ultimate Spider-Man #28-39, #½	ISBN 0-7851-1156-5
4	Ultimate Spider-Man #40-45, 47-53	ISBN 0-7851-1249-9
5	Ultimate Spider-Man #46, 54-59; Ultimate Six #1-7,	ISBN 0-7851-1401-7
6	Ultimate Spider-Man #60-71	ISBN 0-7851-1841-1
7	Ultimate Spider-Man #72-85	ISBN 0-7851-2148-X
8	Ultimate Spider-Man #86-96; Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1 and #2	ISBN 0-7851-2604-X
9	Ultimate Spider-Man #97-111	ISBN 0-7851-3081-9

Ultimate Spider-Man has had two Premiere Hardcovers printed:

Name	Material collected	ISBN
Clone Saga	Ultimate Spider-Man #97-105	ISBN 0-7851-2677-5
Venom	Ultimate Spider-Man #33-39	ISBN 0-7851-2873-5

See also

• Ultimate Marvel Team-Up
• Ultimate Six
• List of Ultimate Spider-Man story arcs
• List of Spider-Man comics

External links

• Ultimate Spider-Man at Marvel.com
• Ultimate Spider-Man on www.spiderfan.org
• An Ultimate Spider-Man cover gallery
• Ultimate Central