2024 Saw Marvel’s Most Significant Death Since 1973… Then the Impossible Happened

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In 2024, Marvel seemingly gave fans the biggest canon death since 1973’s ‘The Night Gwen Stacy Died,’ as the new Ultimate Universe continuity killed off its central character. However, Marvel followed up this shock death with an additional twist that wrongfooted fans once again, making it clear that anything can happen in this new line of comics.

Marvel Killed Off Tony Stark In Its Ultimate Continuity

Hulk Crushed the Iconic Marvel Hero

In The Ultimates #6 – from Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri, Federico Blee and Travis Lanham – Tony Stark‘s Ultimates Network walked into a trap set by Bruce Banner’s Legendary Hulk – one of a cabal of villains who secretly rule the world. Hulk unleashed his Immortal Weapons – the world’s greatest martial artists, now enhanced with gamma powers.

While some of the Ultimates managed to hold their own, dealing out fatalities to Hulk’s minions, Tony Stark’s Iron Lad wasn’t so lucky. After pummeling the young hero, Hulk took Tony Stark in both hands and caved in his chest, with She-Hulk ending the issue by declaring, “Iron Lad is dead.”

Tony Stark’s Death Didn’t Seem Possible

The New Ultimate Universe Is Built on Tony Stark’s Back

Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe takes place in an alternate reality where the villainous Maker has altered the timeline, using his knowledge of Marvel’s mainstream events to prevent the Age of Superheroes from ever coming to pass. The Maker made sure that every iconic Marvel hero was either killed, corrupted, or never gained their powers. However, in 2023’s Ultimate Invasion (Jonathan Hickman, Bryan Hitch, Alex Sinclair, Andrew Currie, Joe Caramagna), Tony and his father learned the truth.

While Tony’s father trapped the Maker in his own lab, Tony donned a suit of armor and began forming the Ultimates Network, set on dismantling the Maker’s power structure before his return. That series hinted that Tony’s path might corrupt him, with the implication that he’ll become this world’s version of Kang the Conqueror. So far, Tony has gathered an iconic roster of Avengers heroes, most with a new twist on the originals:

Tony’s death is something that didn’t even seem possible, given how much of the story and world have been built on top of him, making this the most significant death since Green Goblin’s murder of Gwen Stacy heralded a new, darker age of comics in the pages of Spider-Man, changing what seemed possible in the Marvel Universe.

Tony Stark’s Death Just Kicked Off a New Era of Ultimate Comics

As the Team Fractures, Iron Lad Isn’t Playing the Role Fans Thought

Tony Stark is one of Marvel’s most iconic and recognizable characters, with Robert Downey Jr.’s MCU portrayal making the character central to Marvel lore. With Tony acting as the lynchpin of the Ultimates, the dangling plot thread of his potential transformation into Kang, and his inherent A-list status, it was a huge shock when he was killed off, with the following issue showing the team going their separate ways – still fighting the Maker, but no longer as a team.

Tony Stark’s death was especially surprising because the Ultimate Universe imprint is known for having lasting deaths. The original Ultimate Universe, published in the 2000s, killed off major characters like Wolverine, Daredevil and Doctor Strange without ever resurrecting them, as is usually inevitable in superhero comics. Of course, that just made the conclusion of the next issue even more shocking…

Marvel Instantly Reversed Tony Stark’s Death

It’s Clear the Reversal Was Always Part of the Plan

While Ultimates #6 seemingly ended with Tony’s death, The Ultimates #7 revealed that he’s still alive. Hulk broke Tony’s limbs and damaged his heart, seemingly giving him the injury that was part of his origin story in the MCU and mainstream comics. However, while She-Hulk believed it was too late for Tony, it seems Doom was able to save his life. In this continuity, the man known as Doom is Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, enslaved by the Maker after his family’s origin story was sabotaged.

The Ultimate Universe Is Taking a Huge Risk

But a Fakeout Death Is Different from a True Resurrection

Ultimates #6 and #7 gave fans a one-two punch, killing off a character who seemed untouchable and then revealing that this major stunt wasn’t what it seemed. Of course, the Ultimate Universe is walking a fine line – in a continuity famous for lasting death, there’s the possibility of angering fans with what’s essentially a fakeout. In Marvel’s mainstream comics, fans know that hero deaths will always be undone eventually, to the extent that some readers complain it robs death of meaning.

At the same time, there’s a hard line between a shoe-horned resurrection years later and a twist in the next issue, where it’s clear the reversal was always the plan. The Ultimate Universe is still in the territory of ‘death means death,’ and it can emphasize this by ensuring Tony’s injuries feel significant, keeping him out of play for a long time (easily done, since each issue of The Ultimates sees another month pass in the world of the story.

Killing Tony Stark then immediately revealing his survival was the boldest comics move of 2024, emphasizing the creative license that the new Ultimate Universe has compared to the mainstream. However, with the reveal that Tony Stark is still alive, the Ultimate Universe has pulled off a trick that could cause some major reputational damage if it becomes a habit.

“}]] A franchise-defining death was just the start.  Read More