Marvel has just redefined its new Ultimate Universe by killing off Tony Stark's Iron Lad, the leader who has assembled and empowered the team up until now. Ultimates #6 sees the team fully assembled at last, preparing to engage in a rescue mission. However, the Ultimates are led into a trap by Bruce Banner's Legendary Hulk. With Doom’s escape plan for the Ultimates disabled, the heroes are left with no choice but to fight against the Hulk and his Immortal Weapons for their lives, while waiting for Doom to teleport the team out.
Towards the end of the fight, Tony Stark is placed into a vice grip by the Hulk and crushed in his armor. She-Hulk engages Hulk in battle to try and save Tony, but she too is overpowered. Just before Hulk can deliver the killing blow, Doom is able to reconnect the team to the Ultimates Network and teleport them out of Hulk's base in K’un-Lun.
However, Doom is too late to save the entire team, as the Hulk’s attack ultimately claims the life of Tony Stark. This is a devastating loss for the Ultimates, as Tony was the lead architect of the team, providing the majority of their advanced weaponry, gear and even powers. Ultimates #6 comes from Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri, Travis Lanham and Federico Blee.
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Tony Stark Is Killed by the Hulk
The Ultimates Assemble for the First Time, Only to Meet Tragedy
Introduced at the start of the new Ultimate Universe in 2023’s Ultimate Invasion by Jonathan Hickman, Bryan Hitch, Joe Caramagna and Alex Sinclair, this teenage version of Tony Stark was a vital player. He took on the identity of Iron Lad in honor of the Ultimate Iron Man, Howard Stark, creating a super-powered resistance movement against the villainous Maker. As such, he not only assembled the Ultimates, but visited the heroes whose powers had been stolen by the Maker, attempting to give them the lives they should have had. It's because of Tony that heroes including the Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Ant-Man and Wasp, and Ultimate Hawkeye even exist.
The Maker commands a team of villains who run the world as part of his regime, including Hulk and Colossus. The Ultimates have been working to destroy the Maker's power base while he's in exile, though Hulk's last words to Tony are that by causing chaos, the Ultimates actually made the world powers even more loyal to the Maker's regime.
Tony’s death is a massive blow to the Ultimates, robbing the team of their leader as well as placing them at a massive disadvantage. Tony Stark played a key role in not only providing the Ultimates with their powers, but also driving the team forward against the Maker while planning out their larger campaign. Without him, the fight against the Maker and his forces becomes much more difficult, and one lacking in crucial direction.
Marvel's Ultimate continuity has a long-standing tradition of hero deaths being permanent.
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The Ultimate Universe Has Always Been Darker Than Marvel's Mainstream
Its Deaths Tend to Be Permanent - A Terrible Sign for Tony
The death of Tony Stark in the new Ultimate Universe is shocking, and it's likely to be permanent. Tony's death brings to mind the original 2000s-era Ultimate Universe's relationship with death. Aside from a few examples towards the end of the original Ultimate Universe, most notably Peter Parker, the majority of characters killed off were never resurrected. This included mainstays of the mainline Marvel Universe such as Wolverine, Daredevil, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, Black Widow, and the Asgardians aside from Thor. The original Ultimate Universe was never afraid of killing off major characters, and Tony Stark's death proves that this tradition is alive and well in the new version.
The death of Tony Stark is a massive twist to the Ultimate Universe, as well as a major defeat for the Ultimates. While their future is now uncertain, whatever path they take to defeat the Maker will surely be a more challenging one without him. Tony's death additionally proves that the Ultimate Universe’s willingness to kill major characters remains a major part of the continuity's identity. While it's unclear if Tony will remain dead, the historical precedent points in that direction. The Ultimate Universe has been changed forever, and now the Ultimates will have to decide what they do next without their former leader Tony Stark.
The Ultimates #6 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Ultimate Marvel
Created in 2000, the Ultimate Marvel imprint redesigned the entire Marvel Comics universe with a new set of origin stories and relationships. The reboot reinterpreted Marvel continuity from scratch in an attempt to simplify and update the company's 60-year history for modern audiences. With famous comic book writers such as Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, and Mark Millar at the helm, the Ultimate universe (named Earth-1610 within the Marvel multiverse) lasted 15 years and provided plenty of inspiration for the MCU.
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