Notice! Major spoilers for Ultimates #6!
A few weeks ago, I predicted that Wonder would kill the Ultimate version of Iron Manas an important turning point for its relaunch Ultimate wonder title line – and I was right. I say this not to brag, although I’m certainly pleased with that, but because I’m thrilled that they’re moving forward with this story.
The latest #6 – written by Deniz Camp, with art by Juan Frigeri – finally brings together his incarnation of the Avengers for the first time to fight the Hulk, leading to the team’s first casualty: their leader, Tony Stark, known in this continuity as Iron Lad.
It wasn’t a “gut feeling” that made me think this would happen, or a lucky guess; instead of, There was no better choice for a character’s death The latest in an unexpected new directionand I’m glad Marvel allowed the book’s creative team to go there.
“Iron Lad Is Dead”: I Knew Tony Stark Would Have to Pay the Price for His Team’s Inexperience as Heroes
The latest #6 – Written by Deniz Camp; Art by Juan Frigeri; Color by Federico Blee; Travis Lanham Lyrics
First of all, I bet Ultimate Tony Stark’s death was probably planned well before Jonathan Hickman’s 2023. Final Invasion miniseries, which relaunched Marvel’s End Universe, almost ten years after Hickman destroyed the previous incarnation, more or less because it got too confusing. The fun thing about Ultimate Marvel 2.0 is that it tells an overarching story, in real time – so it seems unlikely to me that a major plot point like the death of the character who is arguably the story’s central protagonist wouldn’t be planned as of now. the jump.
As I argued in my prediction article, killing any other member of the Ultimates would have furthered Tony Stark’s arc, but killing Stark promotes every character in the book arc. The latest So far it’s been a story about an inexperienced leader assembling a team of inexperienced heroes. On an abstract narrative level, having one of the recruits pay the price for their collective shortcomings makes the story more about the leader’s failure and subsequent growth; the leader who pays the price tells the team’s story.
Marvel told fans an Ultimate would fall – but no one wanted to believe it would be Tony Stark
The latest #6 – Available now from Marvel Comics
Of course, I didn’t predict Tony Stark’s death completely out of the blue – Marvel announced the death in the advance synopsis of Finals #6. Or rather, they teased a character’s death as part of the hype for the end of the series’ first arc, giving fans months to pore over previous issues for details and speculate about who it would be. I certainly wasn’t the only one who figured out I was going to be Iron Lad, and the only reason more people haven’t made the same prediction is a matter of fandom.
Fans may find it difficult to consider how their favorite character best fits into a story; instead, they tend to see it in terms of how the story can best serve the character
In other words, fans have favorite characters. They become attached to the characters. They develop expectations for these characters. All of these things are precisely what make a death like Tony Stark’s in Finals #6 super impactful, but it also prevented most fans from realizing what would happen. Sometimes fans can find it difficult to consider how their favorite character best fits into a story; instead, they tend to see it in terms of how the story can best serve the character. In my opinion, this led fans to disregard the possibility of the series killing off Stark.
Iron Lad’s death – how it happened and what I think it means for the endings
An incredibly brutal scene
In Finals #6, Tony Stark leads his entire team on their first mission – taking a completely unprepared group into a confrontation with the Hulk, who in this world also wields the powers of Iron Fist. The action that dominates much of the issue is intense, culminating in Hulk grabbing Iron Lad in his massive hands and crushing him to death in his suit. What I really appreciate about the way the moment is staged is that it’s not a familiar heroic sacrifice for Stark, but rather the result of him being utterly defeated.
Most books about superhero teams end their first arc with a victory and the establishment of a status quo – but Camp’s Finals reject this story beat.
The dramatic effect of the death scene is great, but a writer like Deniz Camp could, and would have, achieved the same effect by killing off any member of the Ultimates. What caused Tony Stark’s death was the key she threw in The Ultimates, promising an entirely new paradigm for the series moving forward after just one arc. Most books about superhero teams end their first arc with a victory and the establishment of a status quo – but Camp’s Finals rejects the story beat, leaving a completely undefined narrative boundary in front of you for the next arc.
What exactly does “game changing” mean for a story and does Iron Lad’s death qualify?
The latest #7 – Available December 4, 2024 from Marvel Comics
I admit that I probably use the word “game changer” too much when talking about major events in history, so I wanted to take a moment to delve into what exactly that means. I certainly think that Tony Stark’s death in Finals Number 6 qualifies, but I want to extrapolate why. “Game Changer” naturally borrows from competition to talk about history – so what is something in a game, or sport, that totally changes the look of a game when it happens? I think the best example to use is an interception in American football.
In football, a team will make steady, incremental progress up the field in one direction – and then, in a single moment, the ball is intercepted and the action suddenly goes in the completely opposite direction. Tony Stark’s death in Finals #6 is like an interception; any progress they were making was completely wiped out and they ceded ground to the enemy. What’s more, Stark is not only their leader but their benefactor, which means the team’s resources and entire ability to function are in danger.
My Next Prediction: Ultimates Sets Up Its Version of Doctor Doom as the New Team Leader
It’s the end of the Reed Richards vs. Reed Richards?
I think I have a good idea of where Finals will be next, although it will certainly continue to surprise us – and I hope it does. Still, it seems quite clear that Tony Stark’s death was, in part, necessary to make room for the Ultimate version of Doctor Doom to take center stage as the next leader of the Ultimates.. Just as Iron Lad’s arc in the story so far has led to his death, Doom’s arc is seemingly designed for him to be the hero of the Ultimate Universe in the long run.
Choosing a Doctor Doom variant – even though he’s technically OG Marvel hero Reed Richards – would itself be a surprising and satisfying change for The latest.
The main antagonist of the Ultimate Universe is Maker, an evil version of Reed Richards. Ultimate Doom is another version of Reed Richards, who was tortured and disfigured by the Creator, in a cruel and inexplicable act of self-destruction. It seems like the biggest narrative outcome for both characters would be for them to face off in a spectacular showdown, which personally is something I absolutely want to see happen. In my opinion, this is an amazing story, and while I hope it contains many more twists and turns along the way, I hope this is endgame.
Fans will naturally expect Captain America, Thor, She-Hulk or even the original Human Torch to step into the leadership vacuum left by Tony Stark’s death and thus the choice of a variant of Doctor Doom – even though he is, technically, , OG Marvel hero Reed Richards – would itself be a surprising and satisfying change for The latest. Meanwhile, if the Ultimate version of Iron Man disappeared forever from Ultimate wonder Universe, that’s a question for another day.
Finals #6 is now available from Marvel Comics.