Ultimate Spider-Man has provided fans with several twists and turns from your typical Spider-Man story, and the recent developments with the symbiote suit are just the tip of the iceberg. The majority of stories featuring the symbiote have it coming from outer space, but Ultimate Spider-Man goes a different route by having the symbiote be an artificial intelligence picotech costume. It originates with Tony Stark but also has upgrades from Otto Octavius as well, making it truly unique. But the latest issue of Ultimate Spider-Man goes a step further by redefining the symbiote mythos like never before. WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Ultimate Spider-Man #13. Continue reading at your own risk!
Ultimate Spider-Man #13 comes from the creative team of Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson, and VC’s Cory Petit. The bulk of the issue deals with Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and Green Goblin (Harry Osborn) being prisoners of Kraven the Hunter, who is a member of Kingpin’s Sinister Six. But back in New York City, a black-clad Spider-Man is still patrolling the streets. But if Peter is missing in action, who is dressing up as Spider-Man?
In a surprising move, it’s Peter Parker and Mary Jane-Watson’s son, Richard Parker, who is working together with the symbiote/picotech suit. And to make things even better, they seem to have a wonderful working relationship going that can lead to some interesting developments in future issues.
image credit: marvel comics
The previous issue of Ultimate Spider-Man revealed that the symbiote had taken Peter Parker’s place inside his family while Peter is missing. We also learn Peter and Harry Osborn haven’t been seen in two months. During Peter’s absence, Richard has secretly worn the symbiote and swung through the city stopping petty crimes. It freaks Richard out that the symbiote can make itself look like his Dad, but it does help that the symbiote is encoded with Peter’s brainwaves. So it has Peter’s speech pattern down to near perfection.
A good example of this is when Richard asks if his Mom and the suit have had any intimate moments while Mary Jane was unaware it wasn’t her husband. The symbiote reacts with wide eyes and outstretched arms, similar to how one would expect Spider-Man to respond if in the same position. The symbiote reveals Peter gave it three rules if something were to ever happen to him. One: No touching Mary Jane. Two: Protect the family. No matter what. And Three: No touching Mary Jane.
The symbiote also tells Richard that his father is alive, even though he’s been missing for two months. If Peter was dead, the suit would be able to sense it, alluding to the bond that a symbiote has with its host. Naturally, Richard asks if the symbiote can use that sense to find Peter, but it explains it doesn’t work that way. Plus, Peter balked at having the symbiote leave a trace of itself in his bloodstream so it could find him if anything were to happen. That’s a decision Spider-Man is probably rethinking considering the predicament he finds himself in.
image credit: marvel comics
After stopping a petty criminal late at night, Richard Parker and the symbiote are swinging back home when their tendril web is sliced from out of nowhere. The duo crash lands on a rooftop where they’re confronted by Felicia Hardy, the new Black Cat. Felicia replaces her father, the original Black Cat, who was left paralyzed after fighting Spider-Man and Green Goblin a few issues earlier. It would appear Felicia Hardy is looking for some payback, and is starting with Spider-Man. Unfortunately, the Spider-Man she finds isn’t the one that injured her father, but his teenaged son.
One can assume next issue will feature a fight between Black Cat and the Symbiote Spider-Man. But if their relationship in the Ultimate Universe mirrors that of Spider-Man and Black Cat on Earth-616, we could see some sparks start to fly. They both appear to be around the same age, so a romantic relationship between Richard and Black Cat isn’t out of the question. And that can happen with or without Black Cat discovering Richard’s secret identity.
There are some interesting developments going on with the black symbiote suit in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man, including a new host. Read More