Marvel Flips Spider-Man’s Most Famous Quote in Surprising New Series

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Ultimate Spider-Man #11!Spider-Man’s most famous quote is, “with great power there must also come great responsibility”. This quote ran across the top of the final panel of Spider-Man’s first-ever comic book appearance, setting the tone for the entire series. It was later attributed to Uncle Ben, who gave this piece of life advice to Peter. And now, in Spider-Man’s new Ultimate Universe comic series, Uncle Ben has just said this famous quote to Peter again (in so many words), only this time, his words carry the opposite meaning.

In Ultimate Spider-Man #11 by Jonathan Hickman and David Messina, Spider-Man is patrolling New York City when he comes across a bank heist in progress. So, Spidey swings into action and takes down the bank robbers with relative ease. At least, until their leader shows up: Mr. Negative. Mr. Negative has the power to take over people’s minds, turning them into his unwilling minions. He does this to everyone in the bank, and they attack Spider-Man with everything they have. After returning home to recover from his loss, Peter goes off to meet with his Uncle Ben.

When they get together, Uncle Ben tells Peter that he knows he’s Spider-Man, and he’s aware of the danger he and his entire family are in (and the fact that Spider-Man just got beat up only proves Ben’s point). Then, Ben essentially tells Peter that ‘with great power comes great responsibility’. However, rather than saying Peter has a responsibility to use his ‘great power’ for good (as the original mantra implied), Ben says that Peter has a responsibility to not use his ‘great power’ at all.

What Spider-Man’s New “With Great Power” Mantra Means

Peter Parker has a Responsibility to More than Just the Greater Good in the Ultimate Universe

Why would Uncle Ben essentially tell Peter not to use his powers in the Ultimate Universe? This is the same guy who said “with great power comes great responsibility”, after all, which means he should be encouraging Peter to use his powers as the superhero Spider-Man. Peter has the power to save people from harm, therefore he has a responsibility to not sit by and let bad things happen, and actually go out and use his abilities for good. That’s what the original mantra meant, but what Uncle Ben says in the Ultimate Universe totally flips that.

This version of Peter Parker is married and has two children, he’s no longer the teenage-throughout-college-age Spider-Man from Earth-616 that fans know and love. In other words, Peter has just as much – if not more – of a responsibility to his wife and kids as he does the people of New York City, which means the truly responsible thing to do would be to not use his powers at all. It would take a lot of strength, but as Uncle Ben implies in this issue, he has a responsibility to do just that.

Spider-Man Has Never Been in More Danger than in the Ultimate Universe

Peter Parker Has More to Lose Than Ever, & He’s Surrounded by Villains

Not only does Spider-Man have his wife, kids, and other family members/loved ones to consider in his decision to become a superhero in his 30s, but he also has to consider the fact that he is in more danger than he even knows. In fact, if one were to compare this Spider-Man to other prominent versions of Spider-Man in Marvel Comics, it’s fair to say that this one is in more danger than practically any of his counterparts – with far more to lose.

Spider-Man is currently trying to take down the Kingpin, who has sent his Sinister Six after the web-slinger with orders to kill on-sight. The Kingpin secretly works for the Maker’s Council, as he was given New York as a territory under the global umbrella of the shadow organization. That means the Kingpin’s resources are vast, far exceeding the scope of this new Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. And the worst part? Spider-Man doesn’t even know how powerful the Kingpin is, meaning he’s swinging head-first into a situation that he very well may not survive.

Plus, Spider-Man is currently partnered with the Green Goblin and Otto Octavius (who’s destined to become Doc Ock), and both of them know his secret identity and are familiar with his family. It’s only a matter of time before Green Goblin and Doc Ock become villains in the Ultimate Universe (the seeds for that have already been planted), which makes Spider-Man’s situation even more dire. And, again, he has no idea how much danger he’s actually in.

When considering all the facts, it’s clear why Uncle Ben gave Peter the “with great power” talk, but with the opposite meaning of the original. Spider-Man is facing global and hidden threats alike, and is totally ignorant to the severity of his situation, which could result in the death of his entire family. While it would be hard, it seems the most responsible thing for Peter to do would be to not use his powers at all, which is what Uncle Ben tells him by flipping Spider-Man’s most famous quote.

Ultimate Spider-Man #11 by Marvel Comics is available now.