Marvel Totally Reinvents an MCU Avenger (By Giving Them an Iconic Spider-Man Moment)

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Ultimates #1! Most of the MCU’s founding Avengers are going through a renaissance, of sorts, within Marvel Comics’ newly-established Ultimate Universe continuity – including even the original Spider-Man himself. However, one iconic Spider-Man moment from Earth-616 continuity seemingly won’t be repeated by Earth-6160’s Peter Parker, as it was given to another MCU Avenger in the Ultimate Universe, which totally reinvents their story in an incredibly exciting way.

In a preview shared by ComicBook.com for The Ultimates #1 by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri, readers are given a first-look at the upcoming flagship series for the newly-established Ultimate Universe. While there is no dialogue or narration boxes, it’s clear from the artwork alone that this issue will pick up right where the previous one-shot comic Ultimate Universe (which, itself, was a sequel to the miniseries that started this entire universe, Ultimate Invasion) left off.

The Ultimates, consisting of Iron Lad (Tony Stark), Doctor Doom (Reed Richards), Thor, Sif, and Captain America, are on a mission to undo the damage the Maker did to this world. The Maker traveled to Earth-6160 to make it his own, using time travel to erase the lives of heroes and villains alike who posed a threat to his power. The Maker was neutralized at the end of Ultimate Invasion (albeit only for the time being), and now the Ultimates are working to fix their world.

“Hawkeye No More”: Clint Barton Experiences Spider-Man’s Iconic Storyline

Hawkeye goes through the same turmoil as Peter Parker in Amazing Spider-Man #50-#52 by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr.

On one of the screens in front of the Ultimates in this preview, there’s footage of (presumably) Clint Barton walking away from a trash can with his Hawkeye costume spilling out of it. This visual is exactly like the iconic image featured in the storyline “Spider-Man No More!” where Peter throws his costume away in identical fashion. The Ultimates captured the moment Clint Barton stopped being Hawkeye, and they’re determined to bring him back into the superhero fold.

While it’s unclear why Clint Barton walked away from being the vigilante Hawkeye, the fact that he did so raises a number of interesting questions. Perhaps, like Peter Parker in “Spider-Man No More!”, Clint felt unappreciated as a superhero. No matter what he did, he was always somehow painted as the bad guy, so he walked away from the whole thing. That’s why Spider-Man briefly left the hero’s life, anyway, and given the similarities already present, it’s possible the same is true for Hawkeye.

It’s also possible that the lack of another hero’s influence inspired Hawkeye to throw away his costume: Captain America. In Earth-616, Captain America was the leader of the team of the Avengers Hawkeye joined, and the two butted heads constantly. However, as much as they couldn’t stand one another, their constant conflict taught Hawkeye to be a better hero. In the Ultimate Universe, however, Captain America was still frozen (indeed, he gets thawed out in this very preview), meaning Hawkeye was robbed of his influence – which may have been why he was willing to quit, no matter the exact catalyst.

The New Ultimate Universe May Be Telling the Hawkeye Story the MCU Failed To

The Kingpin rose to power during the period of time Spider-Man was off the streets, meaning the web-slinger inadvertently gave rise to one of the most dangerous villains in the Marvel Universe. Recently, Kingpin made his debut in the MCU with Disney+’s Hawkeye limited series. He came over from the established continuity of Daredevil and the Defenders Saga (which originally aired on Netflix and was not initially MCU canon), but Kingpin wouldn’t become a part of the MCU for the first time until Hawkeye – and Clint Barton knew exactly who he was.

If Clint Barton walking away from being Hawkeye in Earth-6160 yielded the same outcome as when Spider-Man did the same thing in Earth-616, then that means Kingpin is only in power in the Ultimate Universe because Hawkeye wasn’t there to stop him. Readers know the Kingpin is a puppet of this world’s ruling class, and they also know he’s just as ruthless as he’s always portrayed, so his villainy isn’t in question in the Ultimate Universe. However, his rise to power (and who’s really to blame for it) certainly is.

Readers have no idea how old the footage the Ultimates are watching is, and the only reference to Wilson Fisk’s power is in Ultimate Spider-Man, where his character is still very shrouded in mystery. Perhaps Hawkeye was New York City’s greatest hero before the Ultimates helped create Spider-Man (as detailed in Ultimate Spider-Man #1), and when he walked away, the Kingpin was free to move into a position of power.

Not only that, but perhaps the Kingpin himself used the Daily Bugle (which he owns in the Ultimate Universe) to create bad press about Hawkeye, forcing him to quit. That was the source of Spider-Man feeling unappreciated in the original “Spider-Man No More!”, meaning Hawkeye’s version could have been orchestrated by Wilson Fisk to effectively eliminate a troublesome hero.

What Hawkeye’s Ultimate Universe Storyline Could Mean for the Continuity’s Future

While it’s intriguing that Hawkeye had his own ‘No More’ event that took place before the new Ultimate Universe even kicked off, what’s perhaps more intriguing is that he was even around to have one at all. The Maker (as shown in Ultimate Invasion) was insanely meticulous when it came to eradicating anyone who could possibly challenge his global dominance – and it seems like Hawkeye didn’t make the cut. Barton was free to become Hawkeye just as he did in Earth-616, meaning the Maker clearly didn’t see him as any sort of threat – and that may be his undoing.

Hawkeye is constantly being underestimated in Marvel Comics, and there’s one storyline that’s arguably the best at showing how undeserved that status quo is: Age of Ultron. In the opening pages of that 2013 event, Hawkeye is shown killing a small army of enemy soldiers single-handedly, traversing the Ultron-ruled wasteland, and rescuing Spider-Man. Hawkeye remained a hero while the other ‘superheroes’ cowered in their secret base – including and especially Captain America.

Ultron underestimated Hawkeye in Age of Ultron by allowing him to live rather than killing him early on during his reign – and that storyline proved immediately how foolish that was. And now, it seems the Maker has just done the same, as it’s more than likely the Ultimates will recruit Hawkeye, meaning he’ll become integral to taking the villainous Reed Richards down once and for all upon his inevitable return.

No matter which direction Marvel Comics decides to go, the simple act of giving Hawkeye his own “Spider-Man No More” moment totally reinvents the MCU Avenger in the Ultimate Universe, and only time will tell exactly how dramatic that reinvention proves to be.

The Ultimates #1 by Marvel Comics is available June 5, 2024.

Source: ComicBook.com