Ultimate Spider-Man kicked off with the premise of exploring an adult Peter Parker's transformation into Spidey against the backdrop of his marriage to Mary Jane Watson while raising their two kids.
Now, Ultimate Spider-Man #13 puts a new twist on the story. And while fans of Peter and MJ's marriage don't have anything to worry about, what happens next could have a profound impact on Peter's family that may just change everything.
Spoilers ahead for Ultimate Spider-Man #13
Ultimate Spider-Man #13 by writer Jonathan Hickman, artist Marco Checchetto, color artist Matthew Wilson, and letterer Cory Petit picks up where the previous issue left off, following Mary Jane's discovery that Peter has been replaced by his shapeshifting AI suit.
Though MJ and Peter's family don't know where he is, we do, as both Peter and Harry Osborn, his ally the Green Goblin, have been captured by Kraven of Kingpin's Sinister Six.
Taking Harry and Peter into Mole Man's underground domain of the Savage Land with a plan to hunt them to the death, or die at their hands in the process, Kraven sets up a Most Dangerous Game style trap.
As Harry and Peter find themselves in the clutches of a killer with Peter having to use his powers to protect Harry, who is powerless without his armor, things are also changing back on the surface. For one thing, Peter's AI suit has continued operating as Peter, even taking his form, to safeguard Peter's family and his reputation.
But the suit's actions go beyond just imitating Peter, as it's revealed that the suit itself is teaching Peter's son Richard how to be Spider-Man, taking him out for web-swinging lessons, and even helping Richard thwart a low-level criminal.
Even though Richard seems to be taking to being Spider-Man with aplomb despite not having any powers, with the suit telling him he's getting the hang of it more easily than his father, an unexpected challenge shows up at the end of the issue, threatening to put Richard in far more danger than the suit itself planned for.
As Richard and the suit ride high on having stopped a criminal, none other than Felicia Hardy shows up, looking to get revenge on Spider-Man for having defeated her father and predecessor as the Black Cat, part of Kingpin's Sinister Six.
With Peter and Richard now both in life threatening danger, it's feeling a lot like there's a chance we could see some big shake-ups in the cast moving forward, depending strongly on what happens with Richard's first fight against a supervillain.
The story continues in February 26's Ultimate Spider-Man #14.
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