The following contains major story spoilers for Ultimate Endgame #3.
It’s official: Spider-Man of Earth-6160’s Ultimate universe has been killed by the Maker/Carnage—or has he? Ultimate Endgame #3 ends too abruptly to know with full certainty whether Peter Parker is actually dead, and yet the final page being a letter addressed to Mary Jane Watson-Parker in the event of his death suggests a sad and sudden conclusion for the wall-crawler after his own titular run had finished.
This letter is sobering and poignant, penned by Peter in an effort to share one last loving sentiment to his wife, and he states he’s written letters to their children, Richard and May, also. This Peter is grateful to have been able to cherish his love for his family and be loved by them, which the Peter of Earth-616’s continuity has tragically never been allowed to truly experience, with “One More Day” being the nail in the coffin for Peter and MJ’s happiness and the catalyst for their stagnation ever since.
Even in Death, Ultimate Spider-Man is a Love Letter to Peter & MJ
Peter’s letter to MJ at the end of Ultimate Endgame #3.
Peter’s death in Ultimate Endgame #3, if legitimate, seems needlessly gratuitous and grim after the lovely ending he and his family receive in the Ultimate Spider-Man run’s finale. If nothing else, his death is yet another opportunity this Ultimate universe seizes to argue why Peter and MJ’s relationship is the beating heart that Marvel and the main continuity of Spider-Man comic books have struck and deflated.
“I wish we’d had more time. I thought there’d be more time. It’s not fair. None of this is fair. Which I guess was the whole point of everything.”
Reflecting on the memories he’d never have of his family growing older and experiencing ordinary milestones together is a gut punch, and that gut punch becomes a knife wound when acknowledging that this is everything Peter and MJ were robbed of in the main continuity, too, only almost two decades ago. Of course, Peter’s death in this Ultimate canon is far more of a definitive conclusion to their story, whereas Peter and MJ’s relationship in the Amazing Spider-Man canon still has a chance to be retconned or corrected, theoretically granting the couple the life they were meant to have.
Is Ultimate Spider-Man Actually Dead?
Ultimate Endgame #4 cover, Spider-Man in the clutches of the Maker
Strangely, Ultimate Endgame #4 does feature Spider-Man on the cover (looking equally worse for wear, to be fair, but alive nonetheless), and that alone may foreshadow that he didn’t actually die in issue #3. Otherwise, it might suggest that his death has a significant impact on the penultimate issue of Ultimate Endgame, or that the Ultimate Endgame #4 cover was decided on to not spoil his death occurring in the preceding issue.
This wouldn’t be the first time that an Ultimate Spider-Man died. These Ultimate universes may simply bear horrible fates for their Peter Parkers; this latest one is as devastating as it is because it will tear a loving family apart, paralleling what Marvel’s editorial and creative teams accomplished with “One More Day.”
With no more of this continuity’s Ultimate Spider-Man run on the horizon, the letter is a solemn and heartbreaking goodbye to an iteration of the character that would’ve been neat to see develop beyond 24 issues. If this isn’t the last we’ll see of MJ, Richard, and May, as well, then it’s curious why we couldn’t have seen MJ reading this letter herself or explore the effect Peter’s death has on their children.
There are two issues of Ultimate Endgame remaining, as well as the Ultimate Universe: Finale #1 epilogue, for everything to be fully bookended, and there will hopefully be a good resolution to everything lobbed into the air in this short amount of time. The fact that Ultimate Endgame #3 ends with Peter’s unceremonious death and the letter given its own whole page suggests that it will hardly be a satisfying conclusion, however.
That’s maybe a lot of attention to give Peter and his family in the last two issues of Ultimate Endgame, but it’s deserved and necessary to actually give Peter’s death value. It would be massively disappointing if the Maker/Carnage was right, and that Ultimate Endgame killing him off was to show how little importance he and the Ultimate Spider-Man run had.
Spider-Man Hasn’t Been the Same Since “One More Day”
Spider-Man’s highly egregious and controversial “One More Day” storyline is the root of the character’s comic book woes. Not every comic before or after it has been faultless, but it’s undeniable how brutally “One More Day” has obliterated Spider-Man’s status quo concerning Peter and MJ, including their stifled and unsatisfying character developments.
There’s always a valid argument to be made about how we wouldn’t have as many diverse Spider-Man stories in comics as we do if it wasn’t for Marvel retconning Peter and MJ’s marriage, as it opened up the possibility of new storylines, relationships, and developments for decades following “Brand New Day.” There should’ve always been a glimmer of hope that Peter and MJ could restore what they once lost, though, and instead it’s been excruciating seeing these characters scraped thin with every attempt possible made to separate them.
A dream come true for Spider-Man fans would be if the stars align and Mephisto’s deal is broken somehow. Furthermore, it would be astonishing if Mephisto’s deal could be retconned, reverting Peter and MJ to the day their lives were ruined forever, and there would probably be hardly any readers who are adamantly against losing nearly 20 years’ worth of Spider-Man stories if it meant we were getting a pre-“One More Day” status quo back.
That’s a lot easier said than done, obviously. If all of Earth-616 reverted to how it was before “One More Day” along with Peter and MJ, that would result in every present-day comic run and character also being retconned.
Either way, Earth-6160’s Ultimate Spider-Man is a beautiful representation of what Peter and MJ’s life could’ve looked like a lot earlier in Earth-616 if Peter had never been foolish enough to make a deal with Mephisto. Peter’s letter in Ultimate Endgame then only further substantiates Peter and MJ’s love being a crux of Spider-Man storytelling that’s sorely missed in the main canon.
Ultimate Endgame #4 is currently scheduled to be released on May 13, 2026.
First Appearance
Amazing Fantasy
Alias
Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
Alliance
Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
Race
Human
Spider-Man is the name given to several individuals who have employed a spider-moniker throughout Marvel Comics. Typically gaining their powers through a bite from a radioactive spider, the different Spider-Man heroes employ super-strength, agility, and intellect while utilizing webbing to swing and tangle up their foes. The most notable of these Spider-Men is Peter Parker, who remains one of the most popular superheroes throughout the world.