After the surprising death of Ultimate Harry Osborn/Green Goblin in Ultimate Spider-Man #14 the Parker family decided to take time off. Though looking to relax and recuperate after facing Kraven the Hunter, Peter and his son ended up fighting Ultimate Sandman during their vacation. Luckily for them they were able to overcome the challenge and learn even more about what’s been going on in the Ultimate Universe. That knowledge may come in handy as the newest issue of the series is promising to reveal the origin of Ultimate Mysterio. Let’s find out what we learn next with Ultimate Spider-Man #16.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Marco Checchetto
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Cory Petit
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #16 SOLICITATION
“THE SECRET ORIGIN OF MYSTERIO! Even Kingpin knows little about the criminal in the smoky helmet…but Spider-Man’s about to learn more than he bargained for!” – Marvel Comics
REVIEW
Well this was certainly not what was expected from a comic book with the hook of learning the origin of Ultimate Mysterio. It is to Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto’s credit while Ultimate Mysterio’s origin story was unexpected it all worked in a way that was unsurprising. They worked it all into the ongoing narrative of Ultimate Spider-Man that the origin provides a whole new way to look back and forward to this series.
Where Hickman and Checchetto balance going in an unexpected direction that ends up not being surprising by the end was the hints dropped through this creative run. From the beginning Hickman and Checchetto have made it a point that Ultimate Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy’s plans are bigger than just saving the world. This goes back to Ultimate Spider-Man #5 where we saw Harry interrogate Ultimate Bullseye in a brutal way. Other issues have also hinted at Harry and Gwen having bigger plans when it comes to the Ultimate Universe.
All these hints led to the unexpected development of Gwen being part of an Illuminati-like group who is collectively Ultimate Mysterio not be surprising. As soon as this is revealed in Ultimate Spider-Man #16 there is a big light bulb that turns on as we realize this was the plan all along. Every hint that Hickman and Checchetto have dropped anytime Gwen has made an appearance was leading to this revelation. Bringing back Gwen’s appearances in this issue emphasized all this.
Showing the scenes we have seen already added so much to how Gwen’s whole Ultimate Mysterio origin comes into play. It isn’t her relationship with Harry and how that helped her build as a CEO that made her an important character. She was going to play an important role in the Ultimate Universe even before her relationship with Harry.
This is where the Harry and Gwen’s wedding double page splash page scene was so intriguing. Norman telling Gwen that she should not let her marriage to Harry, his son, distract from her greater purpose create so many questions. Because of his and others deaths we don’t know what role Norman Osborn was playing in this Ultimate Universe. This interaction with Gwen hints that Norman had ties to those in power, which could play into the upcoming Sinister Six war.
Ultimate Mysterio ending up being an Illuminti collective creation also opens the door to what role magic plays into the Ultimate Universe. Specifically, bringing up how rare the book Ultimate Jericho Drumm (aka Doctor Voodoo) wrote was so rare hints at this. There being people like Gwen and Doctor Voodoo who know about that Earth-6160 has two timelines opens so many doors. Especially as we get closer to The Maker’s return Gwen and her Mysterio group could play a key war in the upcoming event.
Everything revealed in Ultimate Spider-Man #16 also helps to establish the importance of the upcoming Sinister Six war. Gwen faking Harry’s death makes them even greater wild cards in this whole thing. It creates so many interesting scenarios we can see play out, especially when Peter, MJ, and the kids return to New York City. What their relationship will be and how Gwen and Harry’s secrets impact the series moving forward will be interesting to see play out.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ultimate Spider-Man #16 is the most intriguing comic book we’ve gotten from this series thus far. Gwen Stacy’s ties to the origin story of Ultimate Mysterio adds a whole new layer to not just this series but the entire Ultimate Universe. Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto did an excellent job using the narrative of the previous fifteen issues of Ultimate Spider-Man to make Gwen’s story as compelling as possible. It all drives home how this series continues to be a must-read monthly.
Story Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
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