Ultimate Spider-Man Learned Peter’s Power & Responsibility Lesson from a Shocking Character

Summary

• Harry Osborn teaches Peter the lesson of responsibility in the new Ultimate Universe, taking on the role of Uncle Ben.
• The world is controlled by supervillains, motivating Peter to step up and fight against the evil Maker’s Council.
• Concerns arise over whether Harry Osborn is truly a good guy, as his intense methods may lead him down a dangerous path.

Contains spoilers for Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) #4!Every version of Peter Parker eventually learns that with great power comes great responsibility, but the new Ultimate Universe incarnation of Spider-Man has just been given that lesson from a hero no-one expected. In this topsy-turvy world, Uncle Ben is still very alive, and Spidey instead learns his most important lesson from the character who’s usually his greatest frenemy. However, whether that frenemy lands on the side of heroism or villainy in this new world remains to be seen.

In Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) #4 by Jonathan Hickman, David Messina, Matthew Wilson and VC’s Cory Petit, Peter Parker is given his famous lesson in power and responsibility by none other than Harry Osbornthis world’s seemingly heroic Green Goblin. After teaming up together to take down Bullseye in the previous issue, Peter and Harry reveal their secret identities to each other. While they are getting dinner with their wives, Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy, respectively, Harry takes a moment to impart some wisdom to Peter.

The classic quote
“With great power there must also come great responsibility”
originally came from a Stan Lee-penned narration box in
Amazing Fantasy
#15, but was eventually retconned as a proverb of Uncle Ben’s.

In contrast to Uncle Ben’s original wisdom, which was more general, Harry is explicitly talking about Peter’s use of his superpowers. Harry and Peter both know that the world they live in, Earth-6160, is a secret dystopia, but Peter is reluctant to actively fight the powers that be, preferring to stop petty crime. However, as Harry says, Peter will be forced to decide how to use his power soon enough. This world won’t let Peter Parker sit by idly.

The New Ultimate Universe Needs Spider-Man To Step Up

In this new Ultimate Universe, the world is secretly under the control of a council of supervillains assembled by The Maker, the evil Reed Richards of the original Ultimate Universe. As seen in Ultimate Universe #1these villains orchestrated a terrorist attack on New York City, which killed thousands of people, including Norman Osborn. Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) #1 then shows the takeover of The Daily Bugle by Wilson Fisk, a stooge of The Maker’s Council. This motivates Harry to attack Fisk anonymously as the Green Goblin, and to look for a way to bring down this larger order.

Ultimate Universe #1
is written by Jonathan Hickman, penciled by Stefano Casselli, colored by David Curiel and lettered by Joe Caramagna.
Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) #1
is written by Jonathan Hickman, illustrated by Marco Checchetto, colored by Matthew Wilson, and lettered by VC’s Cory Petit.

The question of whether Peter will step up to help save the world is a crucial one, because there’s a ticking clock for him to do so. In this new world, The Maker used time travel to stop key people like Peter Parker from ever becoming superheroes in the first place. Now, the new incarnation of the Ultimates is traveling around re-powering those heroes. Ultimate Spider-Man #1 sees the Ultimates’ leader, Tony Stark aka Iron Lad, calling on Peter to step up, similarly to Harry’s wishes. The conclusion of the miniseries Ultimate Invasionsees The Maker disappearing, shut off from the rest of the world in his Latverian home. However, this imprisonment is not permanent and he’s poised to return, deadlier than ever, two years from the start of Ultimate Spider-Man.

Ultimate Invasion
is written by Jonathan Hickman, penciled by Bryan Hitch, inked by Andrew Currie, colored by Alex Sinclair and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna

Harry Osborn Could Get “Uncle Benned”

One thing suggested by Harry Osborn taking on Uncle Ben’s role in the new Ultimate Universe is that Harry himself might not be long for this world. For the original Spider-Man, it’s not just Uncle Ben’s wisdom that pushes Peter towards heroism. It’s his lesson in responsibility in tandem with Uncle Ben’s preventable death caused by Peter’s own selfishness. Harry’s one-man war on Fisk is brave, but more than a little self-destructive. If he dies in his mission, then this might be the catalyst that forces Peter to take the battle to Fisk and the larger villainous order. This is especially likely if Peter feels like his own hesitation to step up costs Harry his life.

Interestingly, Peter Parker hasn’t been directly inspired to fight this unjust order despite it already causing him personal loss. In addition to Norman Osborn, Aunt May was one of the victims of the terrorist attack on NYC. Peter knows that there’s far more to the attack, but he seemingly hasn’t internalized that his aunt was among those killed by the callousness of the evil Maker’s Council. In fairness, this Peter Parker has a larger family to care about besides himself. However, it’s still a very different Peter. Maybe Harry Osborn’s wisdom will help him finally get justice for Aunt May and this whole wider world.

Is Ultimate Harry Osborn Even A Good Guy?

One other question posed by the new Ultimate Spider-Man series is how “good” this Harry Osborn actually is. While Harry’s crusade against Fisk is just, he’s very intense in how he carries it out. So far in his attacks, he’s shown little hesitation about using potentially lethal force. Could there come a moment when Harry goes too far in his quest for “justice” and become the very thing he’s trying to defeat? What happens if someone close to him or Peter accidentally gets caught in the crosshairs of Harry Osborn’s war on Wilson Fisk?

The possibility of Harry turning evil or going too far in his methods is relevant because of writer Jonathan Hickman’s fascination with self-righteous heroes who can justify horrible behavior for the greater good. He’s shown this time and again through Reed Richards, the Earth-616 version of Iron Man, and Professor Charles Xavier. The new Ultimate Universe’s Harry Osborn might be heroic in his goals, but he’s still the Green Goblin. Is Hickman, himself an expert at messing with readers’ expectations, subverting the idea of the Green Goblin being a villain? Or is he actually playing the Green Goblin straight?

What would it mean for Peter if the person who gives him his most important lesson in power and responsibility doesn’t live up to that ideal themselves? If Peter internalizes this life lesson just before Harry makes a turn for the worst, then what value does the message have? Can it be separated from the person who conveyed it? It almost has to. If Harry Osborn breaks bad, then Peter will have to figure out his own definition of responsibility. In a series about an older Spider-Man finally growing into himself, there’s no more relevant struggle for the new UltimateUniverse‘s Peter Parker.

Ultimate Spider-Man
#4
is available now from Marvel Comics.