Peter Parker and Mary-Jane Watson take a swing through the Manhattan skyline on Anand Ramcheron’s variant cover to Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 3 #9 (2024), Marvel Comics
Though the book was eventually brought to life under the direction of its current writer Jonathan Hickman, original Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 3 scribe Donny Cates says that the idea of Earth-6160’s Peter Parker being a being a more mature – and explicitly married – version of his usual self was always an integral part of the series’ identity.
Peter Parker embraces his destiny in Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1 #1 (2024), Marvel Comics. Words by Jonathan Hickman, art by Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson, and Cory Petit.
A former Marvel Comics rising star whose career was brought to a sudden albeit thankfully temporary stop due to his involvement in a near-fatal car accident, Cates was the publishers first choice to helm the web-slinger’s Earth-6160 revival, their decision ostensibly influenced by his handling of Eddie Brock and his better half in during his King in Black-centric run on Venom Vol. 4.
“I was not supposed to do that book,” the aforementioned Hickman told Off Panel podcast host David Harper during a May appearance on his show. “Even before [Chip Zdarsky got the offer], the Ultimate Invasion crossover thing that I did with [artist Bryan] Hitch, I was not supposed to do that book.”
The Illuminati confronts The Maker in Ultimate Invasion Vol. 1 #1 “Chapter One: Good Artists Copy” (2023), Marvel Comics. Words by Jonathan Hickman, art by Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Alex Sinclair, and Joe Caramagna.
“Donny was going to do that book, and he had been kind of working on it in the background over the years,” he told his host. “And, you know, he had some stuff go on and they asked me to come in and help, then take over. And obviously, I took it in a, you know, different direction.”
However, despite Hickman’s admitted deviation from Cates’ original web-covered blueprints, he did pick up on one of his predecessor’s main ideas – namely, that the Ultimate Peter Parker would be far more mature and relatable to older readers than his Earth-616 counterpart.
“My entire pitch for [Ultimate Spider-Man] was that people want him to be married, to have kids,” Cates told Popverse‘s Dave Buesing during a recent interview regarding his comic book past, present, and future. “Do it for them! What are we doing here? There’s an entire contingent of people screaming for him and Mary-Jane.”
Peter Parker and Mary-Jane confront the reality of his new side gig in Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 3 #14 (2025), Marvel Comics. Words by Jonathan Hickman, art by Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson, and Cory Petit.
“The thing is that people who read those original Ultimate Spider-Man books are now my age, right?” he posited. “And Spider-Man’s not really a cipher for us anymore. Because we’ve all got jobs and kids and stuff like that. And the idea of great responsibility is way different than Peter’s life.”
“So you have to see what’s harder?” he continued. “To be Spider-Man with these ideas of responsibility when you have no one at home waiting for you? It’s hard when there’s a lot; it takes more of a hero, but he does it even though he has these things at home, to me.”
“Spider-Man has always been there for me, and I pitched it because I wanted to have a Spider-Man for me,” Cates further recalled of his plans for the Spider-Man of Earth-6160. “So I said, ‘The ultimate Spider-Man for us would look like us; a little gray in the beard, has to go to the store and get stuff for the kids.’ I was like, ‘That’s what people would respond to now because we grew up and didn’t have a Peter for us anymore.’”
Peter Parker turns to Mayday for costume advice in Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1 #3 (2024), Marvel Comics. Words by Jonathan Hickman, art by Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson, and Cory Petit.
To this end, Cates then detailed how at its core, his vision for Ultimate Spider-Man – as well as the wider Ultimate line itself, whose return he had been setting up across his Venom run – centered on the universe’s heroes and villains facing “the choice of being who they’re gonna be. Rather than these things happening to them.”
“I think it’s a powerful distinction, and it becomes the ultimate choice,” explained Cates. “And it’s all obviously anchored by Peter.”
Peter Parker does not take kindly to Kraven threatening his family in Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 3 #14 (2025), Marvel Comics. Words by Jonathan Hickman, art by Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson, and Cory Petit.
Though Cates was never able to bring his Ultimate plans to fruition, with Hickman’s aforementioned change in direction bringing a number of his long-running plot threads – including The Maker’s possession of his universe’s symbiote, his returning to the original Earth-1610 (rather than the renewed Earth-6160), and Eddie Brock warning the entire Marvel Universe of the villain’s plans – to an unfortunately sudden end.
However, far from feeling any resentment towards his successor, Cates has nothing but respect for Hickman’s creative choices.
The Maker unleashes a secret weapon against Eddie Brock in Venom Vol. 4 #26 “Venom Beyond: Part 1” (2020), Marvel Comics. Words by Donny Cates, art by Iban Coello, Juan Gedeon, Jesus Aburtov, and Clayton Cowles.
“I created the Ultimate Spider-Man that Jonathan’s doing,” he explained. “I pitched that in the room a couple of months before we were gonna start on it, CB [Cebulski, Marvel Comics’ editor-in-chief] loved it. We built up the entire series. That’s why the Maker plot is in Venom.”
“I wrote the outline and some of the scripts for [an unused version of] Ultimate Invasion,” Cates noted. “And then my car accident happened.”
“People have asked about why Jonathan’s version doesn’t adhere to where mine was, and I think it’s important to note that Jonathan probably doesn’t feel comfortable taking story points from a guy in the hospital who can’t write it,” he ultimately affirmed. “And I respect that. I think that Ultimate Spider-Man is a great f–king book. I do.”
The Maker returns home in Venom Vol. 4 #26 “Venom Beyond: Part 1” (2020), Marvel Comics. Words by Donny Cates, art by Iban Coello, Juan Gedeon, Jesus Aburtov, and Clayton Cowles.
Mentioned In This Article:Donny CatesMarvelMarvel ComicsSpider-ManUltimate Spider-ManUltimate Spider-Man (Vol. 3)Ultimate Universe
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Donny Cates says his original pitch for Marvel Comics’ ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ reboot aimed to give older fans a relatable Peter Parker. Read More