It took two years to finally reach this point, but here we are. What started off as a story of family, responsibility, and power in a world where heroism is chosen and corruption is the norm, Ultimate Spider-Man has been the flag bearer for the newly revamped Ultimate Universe and everything it entails. For two years, we watched Peter Parker and his family fight against the iron-clad grip of Wilson Fisk on New York. Here at the end of it all in Ultimate Spider-Man #24, we get the fight and finale readers wanted, but it falls just a little short of what they deserved.
It is no secret by this point that Ultimate Spider-Man had more to tell of its story. Hickman clearly had a whole mythology planned out, which was to be told piece by piece to drive us deeper into this world of Marvels. But with Marvel Editorial in its infinite wisdom choosing to shutter the Ultimate Universe this early on, this issue in particular highlights the rush to wrap up narrative threads. It also somehow still teases new status quos that we might never get to see. Ultimately, this leads to a finale that was probably the most anticipated by fans, but it will end up being the most divisive book in the Ultimate line despite being twice the length of a regular issue.
It’s All About Family
Cue the Fast and Furious memes, stat! With the final battle having started in the previous issue, issue #24 picks up the slack right in the thick of things. Peter puts the mother of all beatdowns on Fisk and Mister Negative. He utilizes tech developed by Octavius to nullify the durability of Fisk and beat the Pillsbury Doughboy right off of him. At the same time, Richard and Felicia are still fighting against the nanotech defenses of Fisk Tower. The tower has taken a page out of the book of Richard and turned itself into a white version of Venom. It is an Anti-Venom, if you will. As both Parker men fight their respective battles, Harry Osborn is off watching in anguish as his wife, who is also Mysterio, cuts a deal with Henry Duggary for complete control of the city as well. All in all, there are a lot of spinning plates, and each has its own stakes attached.
In the end, Peter forgoes finishing off Fisk to save his son instead. But Fisk has pretty much lost everything, considering everyone now knows of his evil plans and his empire is completely shattered. With the family of Peter now safe, as Richard took down the nano-tech defenses himself, and with Fisk exposed, our heroes have victory in the moment. Fisk and Mister Negative, however, are left with nothing. While Fisk believes he can rebuild and regain his former glory, Mister Negative feels differently. He asks Fisk to lower his expectations, preferably all the way to the ground floor of his tower. Using his powers, he convinces Fisk to take a little walk off the ledge. But leave it to the Kingpin to make even his last act as petty as possible, as he grabs Mister Negative and takes him down with him. And thus ends the final saga of the Kingpin of Crime, turned to mush on a New York City street. Huzzah!
But that is not all. The epilogue is where things get really spicy. Jonah and Ben are still determined to continue their independent reporting jobs, because this world needs their brand of truth. Harry and Gwen stand at odds farther than they have ever been now that Mysterio effectively rules New York on behalf of the Maker. Harry turns to Peter for advice on how he manages to keep himself going in the face of everything. To this, Peter simply recalls the time he found out MJ was pregnant with their first child. Choosing family and responsibility, Peter did the right thing and chose to build a future with her despite being young and in college.
Now, here in the present at the end of their story for now, that message still drives Peter ever forward. For all his life, Peter knew something was missing. For the longest time, he thought it was the powers that had been stolen from him. But now, Peter knows with absolute certainty that what was missing was not what mattered the most. In the end, for Peter Parker and Spider-Man, family mattered the most.
Making a Mad Dash Towards the Finish Line
From the very start of this series, Jonathan Hickman clearly had a set structure in mind for this telling of the world of Spider-Man. There was always an incredible sincerity to the idea of a Peter Parker who chooses to be Spider-Man. He is a man who reaches out to his loved ones, shares his fears and doubts about how a part of him feels missing, and seeks their blessing to embrace great responsibility and great power. That is something powerful. A lack of fulfillment or feeling like something is missing in our life is something every single one of us faces at some point or the other, even if our lives are going great. There is something truly heartfelt about a Spider-Man who is driven by wanting to take control of his life and be who he knows he is meant to be deep down, rather than simply being motivated by guilt.
Make no mistake, this is still Spider-Man at its core. It is still Peter Parker at its core. But he has finally grown along with the rest of us. That matters to us. That inspires us. That is how things started with this run, and now in Ultimate Spider-Man #24, we see the culmination of that journey. For the most part, it is an ending that needed to be told, but it is one that should have been given more years to be told right.
The final battle across multiple fronts delivers, with Spider-Man fighting like a man possessed. His whole world and his family are on the line. Hickman translates all that frustration and all that pent-up rage for the machinations of Fisk over this entire run into every punch Peter throws. Even then, with the boiling point of violence reaching its apex, Peter does what we know he will. He puts vengeance aside to save his son when he needs him the most. Granted, Richard does manage to solve his own issues in truly heroic fashion, with more than a little help from Venom, but it is the smaller moments like this that really speak to the heart of the character dynamics that have made this series so good. More so than any of the action set pieces or spectacle, it has always been the emotional core that has made Ultimate Spider-Man such a force to be reckoned with. It is definitely all here in its glory for readers to enjoy.
The story of Fisk comes to a close in grim fashion as well, hopefully leaving no wiggle room for his return. I would not say it is a fitting ending all things considered, but his death actually had a sense of finality to it as opposed to so many other parts of this issue. It is kind of interesting that even in defeat, Fisk was still planning to live up to his values and worldviews. This mirrors the commitment of Spider-Man to his own ideals even in the face of the impossible. But while Peter drew strength and resolve from his allies and loved ones, the continued schemes of Fisk against his own allies are what ultimately seal his fate as Mister Negative puts an end to any hope of a return. It is a cool parallel, all things considered, and it works well to close out this series.
In contrast, however, while there is a tremendous amount of potential to the whole shared conscious consensus of Mysterio, the final outcome feels a little weak. Gwen being established as this Alien-X type villain who forgoes everything personal and emotional for the sake of ultimate power is a great telling of the character. But by the end, her retaining her position only through a strategic alliance with Captain Britain, and by extension the Maker, just feels rushed in its execution.
This is doubly true for how this entire series of events is rushed through across expositionary dialogue across four to five pages. Honestly, we would have needed more issues to actually even begin to establish and then resolve this in any meaningful way. This is just one of the many areas where any notion of depth, which is something the series did exceptionally well in its first year, is thrown aside for a sloppily quick resolution. It feels as though someone in editorial wanted to put a lid on the Ultimate Universe rather than give it the room it needed to breathe.
Additionally, there is a great epilogue that tries to cap off things. However, I do still feel the flashback with a younger MJ and Peter could have been presented in earlier issues rather than feeling weirdly shoehorned in here. On its own, it is a great segment that establishes the strong, grounded roots of the relationship between MJ and Peter in this universe. It also frames their current dynamic as only having gotten stronger. But here, with all the rushed exposition and resolution already being delivered across the pages of issue #24, it feels like Hickman is being forced to beat readers over the head with the idea that Peter is responsible.
It kind of undercuts the actual final epilogue of Peter admitting exactly how the things he thought were missing from his life were not as important as the things he already had and was committed to. That is a really powerful way to end this series. I feel like this could have been damn near perfect if it did not feel like the writers were being forced to wrap up their story in such a rushed manner. It is a massive shame for the kind of stellar work Hickman had been putting out. This is now starting to become indicative of how other Ultimate titles and even other Marvel books are genuinely suffering due to having the stories the creatives want to tell being cut far too short.
Painting the Parker Picture
Both Marco Chechetto and David Messina dole out their best works in terms of action and emotion throughout the course of the book. It is a great choice to have Chechetto focus on the more action-packed sections of the book. He brings his trademark grim and gritty brutality to perfectly heighten the already sky-high stakes. Meanwhile, Messina handles the talking segments equally well, putting emotional depth at the forefront of every interaction that occurs between all our characters. It is a winning combination that gives every creative involved with this series since its very beginning their much-deserved flowers.
The action sequences from Chechetto are truly something to behold. The fight between Kingpin and Spider-Man is brutal and precise, with every shred of animosity and frustration being felt on the pages. You can almost feel the hate in every punch between Peter and Fisk, and rightfully so, as they go to war. Similarly, the gruesome circumstances of the death of Fisk are also drawn perfectly. Both his literal fall from grace and the aftermath are highlighted in stark view.
Richard’s fight against the Anti-Venom is also done well, with the lines from Chechetto showing off Venom in all his bloodthirsty glory against an equally formidable and malleable opponent. The symbiote is still visually reminiscent of its classic counterpart, while still having very strongly stated nano-tech characteristics shown effectively. There is a special kind of satisfaction to Venom doing what he does best and biting some heads off.
Meanwhile, Messina handles the real conversations with much-needed depth and spacing. Peter and Mary Jane look their age and are fully articulate in their feelings through the linework of Messina. Similarly, the interaction between Harry and Gwen feels just as painful in contrast to the love that Peter and MJ share. These are two clashing dynamics that are both given their own respective emotional resonance, thanks to the impeccable ability of Messina to draw human emotion.
Honestly, the character work from Hickman lives and breathes thanks to the work both these artists put in. The final coloring done by Matthew Wilson is the vibrant cherry on top of this sundae of visual splendor.
Wealth and Fame, He's Ignored. Action is His Reward
Like a lot of my peers, I read the first Ultimate Spider-Man comics back in the early 2000s. This was when Gotham Comics first launched single issues of the book here in India. For many of us, it was our first real foray into Spider-Man comics, and every second of it was worth it. We read a years-long journey of great power and great responsibility with a kid who grew up to become one of the greatest superheroes. Now, in 2026, we get to see another ending to a new beginning. We had a Spider-Man who actually grew up with us. He was not dragged through the mud or completely prevented from growing beyond a troubled single man with issues. Ultimate Spider-Man #24 fulfills that promise of an ending, even if it does so reluctantly. Everyone knows there was more to tell for the players involved in this saga.
I do not know what the future holds for Peter Parker and his family. I do not know how things will fare in the final battle against the Maker. But I know that with all of that aside, Ultimate Spider-Man has been a series so many of us will look at for years to come with so much joy and sadness. While the good times were truly amazing and spectacular, the regrettable lows just feel like so much was left unsaid. Perhaps there is something deeply and truly missing from this story, even if, like with the final thoughts of Peter, the things that really mattered were there all along. I am both heartbroken that it is over for now, yet I am also so grateful that I was able to experience it in the first place.
Final Verdict: Ultimate Spider-Man #24 reluctantly brings a close to this epic of great power and responsibility; telling its story in sincerely heartfelt fashion but falling short of triumphant simply because of everything that was rushed or left unsaid.