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Warning! Massive spoilers ahead for Ultimate Spider-Man #16!
Ultimate Marvel’s groundbreaking reinvention of the Spider-Man mythos as fans know it has just kicked into an even higher gear, with the revelation that Ultimate Gwen Stacy is actually this universe’s version of Mysterio. Except, rather than a villain, this incarnation of the character might be one of the saviors of reality itself.
Ultimate Spider-Man #16, written by Jonathan Hickman, with art by Marco Checchetto, makes good on its promise to unveil “the secret history of Mysterio,” in the process delivering one of the most genuine shocks in recent Marvel history.
The issue is largely told from Gwen’s perspective, detailing her role in the secretive “Mysterio” cabal, and setting her up for a pivotal role in the overarching narrative of the Ultimate Universe moving forward, as the heroes of this timeline race toward an inevitable confrontation with the villain known as the Maker.
Gwen Stacy Is Confirmed To Be A Heroic Version Of Mysterio In The Ultimate Marvel Universe
Ultimate Spider-Man #16: Written By Jonathan Hickman; Art By Marco Checchetto; Color By Matt Wilson; Lettering By Corey Petit
The reveal that Gwen Stacy is Mysterio is a major turning point for Ultimate Spider-Man, of course, but that alone doesn’t fully convey how radically author Jonathan Hickman reinterprets Spider-Man lore, and the positions of characters like Gwen, Harry Osborn, and even Peter Parker himself, within the context of that lore. In the Ultimate Universe, “Mysterio” is the name of a group of magic-wielders who oppose the villainous world order; as Ultimate Spider-Man #16 reveals, Gwen’s membership was passed down from her father.
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A major thread of the issue involves Gwen confirming to her Mysterio cohort that “the world is an illusion fabricated by one man,” the Maker, a twisted version of Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards, and setting up that she has a plan to take him and his allies down. The issue ends with Gwen, as Mysterio, faking her husband Harry Osborn’s death, so that he can operate uninhibited as the heroic version of the Green Goblin, furthering their goal of world liberation.
As Mysterio, Gwen Stacy Is Once Again A Central Figure In Marvel’s Plans
Gwen’s Popularity Is Multiversal
After years of being best known for her death at the hands of the Green Goblin, Gwen Stacy has since become one of the most popular characters in Marvel Comics, with multiple variants of her currently active in major roles, including Spider-Gwen, Gwen-Pool, and now Ultimate Gwen Stacy, in her role as Mysterio. Ultimate Spider-Man #16 is, effectively, this continuity’s subverted version of the character’s original death, or at least a distorted echo of it, as instead she “kills” Harry Osborn, who is the Ultimate Goblin.
In addition to offering up a genuinely thrilling twist, Ultimate Spider-Man has also just set up a major role for [Gwen and Harry] in the fight against the Maker.
Ultimate Spider-Man’s heroic inversion of Harry as the Goblin already stood out as a major divergence from his traditional role in the franchise, and now the series has doubled, even tripled-down on that idea by making Gwen Stacy the new Mysterio, and confirming that she is one of the Ultimate Universe’s small number of heroes fighting for good. In addition to offering up a genuinely thrilling twist, Ultimate Spider-Man has also just set up a major role for this duo in the fight against the Maker.
Ultimate Spider-Man #16 is available now from Marvel Comics.
“}]] Marvel’s shocking Ultimate Mysterio swerve. Read More