2024 saw Marvel's most significant death since 1973... Then the impossible happened

In 2024, Marvel has seemingly given fans the biggest canonical death since 1973's 'The Night Gwen Stacy Died' as the new Final Universe continuity killed off its central character. However, Marvel followed up this shocking death with an additional twist that fooled fans once again, making it clear that anything can happen in this new line of comics.

Marvel killed off Tony Stark in its final continuity

Hulk crushed the iconic Marvel hero

In The Ultimates #6 - by Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri, Federico Blee and Travis Lanham - Tony StarkThe Ultimates Network has fallen into a trap set by Bruce Banner's Legendary Hulk - one of a conspiracy of villains who secretly rule the world. Hulk has unleashed his Immortal Weapons – the world's greatest martial artists, now enhanced with gamma powers.

While some of the Ultimates managed to defend themselves, dealing fatalities to Hulk's minions, Tony Stark's Iron Lad wasn't so lucky. After punching the young hero, Hulk grabbed Tony Stark with both hands and sagged into his chest, with She-Hulk ending the issue by declaring: "Iron Lad is dead."

Tony Stark's death didn't seem possible

The new definitive universe is built on the back of Tony Stark

Marvel's new Ultimate Universe is set in an alternate reality where the villain Maker has altered the timeline, using his knowledge of major Marvel events to prevent the Age of Superheroes from happening. The Creator ensured that all of Marvel's iconic heroes were killed, corrupted, or never gained their powers. However, in 2023 Final Invasion (Jonathan Hickman, Bryan Hitch, Alex Sinclair, Andrew Currie, Joe Caramagna), Tony and his father learned the truth.

While Tony's father trapped the Maker in his own laboratory, Tony donned a suit of armor and began forming the Ultimates Network, aiming to dismantle the Maker's power structure before his return. That series suggested that Tony's path may corrupt him, with the implication that he will become this world's version of Kang the Conqueror. So far, Tony has assembled an iconic roster of Avengers heroes, most with a new twist on the originals:

Full Ultimates List Explained (Earth-6160)
Codename	real name	Notable powers and features	First Appearance (Final Canon)
Iron Lad	Tony Stark	Advanced technology including battle armor	Final Invasion #2
Ruin	Reed Richards	Advanced technology and genius intellect	Final Invasion #2
Thor	Thor	God of Thunder, Asgardian physiology (including advanced strength and durability), enchanted hammer	Final Invasion #2
Sif	Sif	Asgardian Physiology (including advanced strength and durability)	Final Invasion #2
Captain America	Steve Rogers	Maximum human physiology, unbreakable shield	Final Invasion #4
Human Torch	Jim Hammond	Android physiology, capable of creating and manipulating flames, flying	Free Comic Book Day 2024: Ultimate Universe/Spider-Man #1
Janet Van Dyne-Pym	Wasp	Decreasing and increasing powers	The Ultimates #1
Hank Pym	Ant-Man	Decreasing and increasing powers	The Ultimates #1
America Chavez	America Chavez	Teleportation	The Ultimates #2
She-Hulk	Lejori Joena Zakaria	Immense strength and durability	The Ultimates #3
Hawkeye	Charlie Ramsey	'Quiver' can print high-tech arrows on demand	The Ultimates #5

Tony's death is something that didn't even seem possiblegiven how much of history and the world was built upon him, making this the most significant death since The Green Goblin's murder of Gwen Stacy heralded a new, darker era of comics in the pages of Spider-Manchanging what seemed possible in the Marvel Universe.

Tony Stark's death just ushered in a new era of Ultimate Comics

As the team breaks up, Iron Lad isn't playing the role fans thought

Tony Stark is one of Marvel's most iconic and recognizable characters, with Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal in the MCU making the character central to Marvel lore. With Tony acting as the lynchpin of the Ultimates, the plot thread of his potential transformation into Kang and his inherent A-list status, it was a huge shock when he was killed, with the following issue showing the team going their separate ways - still fighting against the Creator, but no longer as a team.

Tony Stark's death was especially surprising because the Ultimate Universe brand is known for having long-lasting deaths. The original Ultimate Universe, published in the 2000s, killed off major characters like Wolverine, Daredevil, and Doctor Strange without ever resurrecting them, as is usually inevitable in superhero comics. Of course, this only made the conclusion of the next issue even more shocking...

Marvel Instantly Reversed Tony Stark's Death

It is clear that the reversal was Always Part of the Plan

While Finals #6 apparently ended with Tony's death, The Ultimates #7 revealed that he is still alive. Hulk broke Tony's limbs and damaged his heart, apparently giving him the injury that was part of his origin story in the MCU and mainstream comics. However, although She-Hulk believed it was too late for Tony, it appears that Doom was able to save his life. In this continuity, the man known as Doom is Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, enslaved by the Creator after his family's origin story was sabotaged.

The Ultimate Universe Is Taking a Huge Risk

But a false death is different from a true resurrection

Finals #6 and #7 gave fans a double whammy, killing off a character who seemed untouchable and then revealing that this grand feat wasn't what it seemed. Of course, the Ultimate Universe is walking a fine line - In a continuity famous for lasting death, there is the possibility of angering fans with what is essentially a fakeout. In mainstream Marvel comics, fans know that heroes' deaths will always be undone, to the point where some readers complain that this robs death of its meaning.

At the same time, there's a hard line between a shoehorned resurrection years later and a twist in the next issuewhere it becomes clear that reversal was always the plan. The Ultimate Universe is still in 'death means death' territory, and could emphasize this by ensuring that Tony's injuries are significant, keeping him out of the game for a long time (easily done, as every issue of The endings see another month pass in the world of history.

Killing off Tony Stark and immediately revealing his survival was the boldest move in 2024 comics, emphasizing the creative license that the new Ultimate Universe likened to the mainstream. However, with the revelation that Tony Stark is still alive, the Final Universe performed a trick that could cause great reputational damage if it becomes a habit.