Warning ! Major spoilers for Ultimates # 6 !

A few workweek ago , I foreshadow thatMarvelwas go to pop off the Ultimate variant ofIron Man , as a major turn point for its relaunchedUltimate Marvelline of claim – and I was right-hand . I say this not to brag , though I certainly am proud of about it , but because I ’m vibrate they play along through on this storyline .

The Ultimates#6 – written by Deniz Camp , with fine art by Juan Frigeri – at last brings its incarnation of the Avengers together to the full for the first time to combat the Hulk , leading to the team ’s first fatal accident : their leader , Tony Stark , screw in this continuity as Iron Lad .

iron man and the ultimates

It was n’t a " gut feeling " that made me recollect this would befall , or a favorable guess ; rather , there was no better pick for a character end to takeThe Ultimatesin an unexpected new direction , and I ’m glad Marvel allowed the volume ’s creative squad to go there .

“Iron Lad Is Dead”: I Knew Tony Stark Had To Pay The Price For His Team’s Inexperience As Heroes

The Ultimates#6 – Written By Deniz Camp; Art By Juan Frigeri; Color By Federico Blee; Lettering By Travis Lanham

First of all , I would wager that Ultimate Tony Stark ’s death was likely plotted out well in progression of Jonathan Hickman ’s 2023Ultimate Invasionminiseries , which relaunched Marvel’sUltimateUniverse , nearly ten year after they had Hickman put down the former incarnation , more or less because it have too messy . The fun thing about Ultimate Marvel 2.0 is that it is telling an overarching chronicle , in tangible time – so it seems unlikely to me that a major patch pointedness like the last of the lineament who is arguably the story ’s key champion would n’t be plan from the jump .

As the Ultimates get together for the first sentence , we at last make love the full roster and business leader of Tony Stark ’s god - tier Avengers replacements .

As I argued in my prediction small-arm , killing off any other member of the Ultimates would have further Tony Stark ’s electric discharge , butkilling Stark promote every graphic symbol in the book ’s electric discharge . The Ultimatesso far has been a story about an inexperient loss leader putting together a team of inexperienced heroes . On an abstract storytelling tier , having one of the recruits compensate the price for their corporate shortcomings makes the story more about the leader ’s nonstarter , and subsequent growth ; the loss leader paying the price makes the story about the team .

doctor doom mask with super mice

Marvel Told Fans An Ultimate Would Fall – But Nobody Wanted To Believe It Would Be Tony Stark

The Ultimates#6 – Available Now From Marvel Comics

Of course , I did n’t predict Tony Stark ’s destruction totally out of nowhere – Marvel announced the death in the in advance synopsisforUltimates#6 . Or rather , they tease a character death , as part of the hype for the end of the serial publication ' first arc , give fan months to parse the preceding issues for details and speculate about who it was go to be . I certainly was n’t unique in figuring out that it was going to be Iron Lad , either , andthe only reason more citizenry did n’t make the same foretelling is a affair of fandom .

Fans might find it difficult to consider how their favorite character best fit into a story ; instead , they tend to front at it in price of how the story can best serve well the character

That is , lover have favored type . They get sequester to characters . They develop expectations for those characters . All of these things are on the nose what make a end like Tony Stark ’s inUltimates#6 super impactful , but they also observe the majority of fans from seeing it amount . At times , fans might find it difficult to consider how their preferent character best fits into a story ; alternatively , they be given to expect at it in term of how the story can best swear out the character . In my opinion , this take fans to push aside the possibility that the serial would kill off Stark .

Gwen stacey next to the new gwenpool with her tombstone behind her

Iron Lad’s Death – How It Happened, And What I Think It Means For The Ultimates

An Incredibly Brutal Scene

InUltimates#6 , Tony Stark leads his full team on its first delegation – taking a wildly unprepared group into a showdown with the Hulk , who in this world also wields the mogul of Iron Fist . The action which command much of the issuing is vivid , culminate in Hulk grabbing Iron Lad in his monolithic hand and crushing him to dying in his suit of clothes . What I really treasure about how the second is represent is that it is not a conversant heroic sacrifice for Stark , but rather a result of him being totally outmatched .

Most superhero team books end their first arc with a victory , and the governing body of a position quo – but Camp’sUltimatesrejects that narrative pulsation .

The dramatic effect of the demise scene is great , but a author like Deniz Camp could have , and would have , arrest that same impression out of kill off any member of the Ultimates . What made Tony Stark ’s death was thewrench it throws into The Ultimates , promising a totally new epitome for the series impress fore , after just one arc . Most superhero squad Holy Scripture terminate their first spark with a victory , and the ecesis of a status quo – but Camp’sUltimatesrejects that story beatnik , leave a totally undefined narrative frontier ahead of him for the next arc .

Close up of the Ultimates, including Captain America, She-Hulk, Hawkeye, Iron Lad, & more.

What Exactly Does “Gamechanging” Mean For A Story, And Does Iron Lad’s Death Qualify?

The Ultimates#7 – Available December 4, 2024 From Marvel Comics

I admit that I credibly overuse the word " gamechanging " when mouth about major story beats , so I wanted to take a moment to toil deeper into what on the dot that means . I certainly think Tony Stark ’s death inUltimates#6 qualifies , but I want to extrapolate why . " Gamechanging , " naturally , borrow from competition to talk about story – so what is something in a secret plan , or a mutant , that totally change the skin color of a secret plan when it happens ? I suppose the best example to apply is an interception in American football game .

Marvel is formally reboot the Fantastic Four ’s origin , with a dark beginning that totally transforms their most iconic curse .

In football game , one squad will be realize firm , incremental advance down the field in one counseling – and then in a single second , the testis is stop , and the natural action dead go in the complete opposite direction . Tony Stark ’s death inUltimates#6 is like an interception ; any progress they were cook has been completely wiped out , and they have given up flat coat to their foeman . What ’s more , Stark is not just their leader , but their benefactor , imply the squad ’s resources and intact ability to function are in risk .

Ultimates #6, She-Hulk holds Tony Stark’s body and cries out ‘Iron Lad is Dead!'

Created in 2000, the Ultimate Marvel imprint redesigned the entire Marvel Comics universe with a new set of origin stories and relationships. The reboot reinterpreted Marvel continuity from scratch in an attempt to simplify and update the company’s 60-year history for modern audiences. With famous comic book writers such as Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, and Mark Millar at the helm, the Ultimate universe (named Earth-1610 within the Marvel multiverse) lasted 15 years and provided plenty of inspiration for the MCU.

My Next Prediction: Ultimates Has Set Up Its Version Of Doctor Doom As The Team’s New Leader

Is The Endgame Reed Richards Vs. Reed Richards?

I suppose I have a honest sense of whereUltimatesis run next , though it could certainly continue to surprise us – and I hope it does . Still , it seems fairly clear thatTony Stark ’s death was , in part , necessary to make way for the Ultimate version of Doctor Doom to take center stage in the taradiddle , as the Ultimates ' next leader . Just as Iron Lad ’s spark in the story so far led to his death , Doom ’s arc is ostensibly design for him to be the torpedo of the Ultimate Universe in the long outpouring .

The option of a Doctor Doom variant – even if he is , technically , OG Marvel hero Reed Richards – would in itself be a surprising , and satisfy sheer forThe Ultimates .

The basal antagonist of the Ultimate Universe isthe Maker , an malign version of Reed Richards . Ultimate Doom is another version of Reed Richards , one who was excruciate and disfigured by the Maker , in a cruel and incomprehensible act of self - destruction . It seems as though the greatest narrative terminus for both characters would be to confront one another in a salient boldness - off , which is in person something I absolutely want to happen . In my impression , that is an awful story , and while I hope it contains many more twists and turn on the way there , I hope that is the end game .

Ultimates #6 cover, Hulk holding Iron Man’s helmet in his hands, Captain America’s shield amidst rubble at his feet.

Fans will naturally look Captain America , Thor , She - Hulk , or eventhe original Human Torchto step into the leaders vacuum provide by the expiry of Tony Stark , and so the choice ofa Doctor Doom variant – even if he is , technically , OG Marvel hero Reed Richards – would in itself be a surprising , and satisfying swerve forThe Ultimates . Meanwhile , whether the Ultimate version of Iron Manis gone for good from theUltimate MarvelUniverse , that is a question for another day entirely .

Ultimates#6is available now from Marvel Comics .

create in 2000 , the Ultimate Marvel imprint redesigned the entire Marvel Comics creation with a new set of origin stories and kinship . The reboot re-explain Marvel continuity from scratch in an attack to simplify and update the company ’s 60 - year account for modern audience . With famous comic book writers such as Brian Michael Bendis , Warren Ellis , and Mark Millar at the helm , the Ultimate creation ( discover Earth-1610 within the Marvel multiverse ) lasted 15 age and provide plenty of inspiration for the MCU .

Ultimates #6, Hulk crushes Iron Lad to death in his suit

Marvel Ultimate Comics

Created in 2000, the Ultimate Marvel imprint redesigned the entire Marvel Comics universe with a new set of origin stories and relationships. The reboot reinterpreted Marvel continuity from scratch in an attempt to simplify and update the company’s 60-year history for modern audiences. With famous comic book writers such as Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, and Mark Millar at the helm, the Ultimate universe (named Earth-1610 within the Marvel multiverse) lasted 15 years and provided plenty of inspiration for the MCU.

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