Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Ultimates #6! When Phil Coulson died in UCMis the first Avengers movie, I was honestly heartbroken. The guy was around since the first Iron Manand had as much participation in the formation of the Avengers as Nick Fury himself. Additionally, in the MCU films leading up to The Avengerswe met Coulson, making his death a legitimate gut punch. However, as impactful as Coulson’s death was in the MCU, it doesn’t compare to what Marvel Comics just did in their new Ultimate Universe – and I can’t believe what I just saw.
In The latest #6 by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri, the Ultimates – consisting of Iron Lad, Captain America, Thor, Sif, America Chavez, Ant-Man, Wasp, Hawkeye, She-Hulk and the Human Torch – are raiding another of the vaults of the Creator. The team of heroes hopes to free some other heroes that the Creator has imprisoned behind the vault door. However, after opening it, the Ultimates discover that it is not a prison – not even a real safe. This was a gateway to K’un-Lun, and on the other side, patiently waiting for them to arrive, was none other than the Hulk.
Ultimate Hulk isn’t the world-class hero he is on Earth-616, he’s a villain of the highest order. Hulk is a member of the Council of Creators, is the leader of his own cult, and is responsible for conducting a series of horrific gamma experiments on humans. To make matters worse, this Hulk also wields the power of Iron Fist, making him even more terrifyingly powerful. So when the Ultimates challenge him, it should come as no surprise that one of the heroes ends up dead. And that hero was Iron Lad, aka Tony Stark.
The Hulk kills Tony Stark in the new definitive Marvel universe
Hulk crushes Iron Lad in his suit like it’s nothing
When the fight between the Ultimates and the Hulk (plus his gamma-mutated minions) began, I was extremely excited. This is the first real battle the new Ultimates fight, and the fact that it was against the Hulk made it all the more epic, as it mirrored the original Ultimates’ first battle on Earth-1610 (Finals Vol. 1#5). Plus, the action was absolutely stellar. So after reading it I was not disappointed. I was, however, incredibly shocked.
Hulk killed Tony Stark! This is an incredibly bold choice for the new Ultimate Universe, especially since Tony Stark is the one who practically formed the Ultimates and advocated fighting the Creator and all of his villainous drones (including Hulk). But now, Tony Stark is dead, crushed in his Iron Lad suit by the Hulk like it was nothing. The final page of this comic shows She-Hulk cradling Stark’s corpse, and seeing that was more of a gut punch than watching Phil Coulson get stabbed by Loki in the MCU.
Hopefully Ultimate Tony Stark will have the same twist as the MCU’s Phil Coulson
MCUs Agents of SHIELD Brought Coulson back from the dead
While killing off Tony Stark in the new Ultimate Universe is indeed a bold creative decision, I’m not convinced it’s a very good one. Of course, I definitely wasn’t expecting this, and keeping things fresh and unexpected is generally a good thing, but I’m also super bummed about losing such an important character in this continuity – much more bummed than I was afterward. the MCU killed off Coulson. So hopefully the Ultimate Universe will do to Tony what the MCU did to Coulson in Agents of SHIELD: bring him back.
Comic book resurrections are a dime a dozen, so it wouldn’t be difficult to bring Ultimate Tony Stark back to life (or just reveal that he wasn’t actually dead in the first place). It wouldn’t be as bold, shocking, or impactful, but I firmly believe that bringing Ultimate Tony Stark back from the dead would be better for the overall story. But no matter what happens in the future, I still can’t believe Marvel has surpassed the UCMPhil Coulson’s death in one of the boldest decisions I’ve ever seen: killing Iron Man.
The Ultimates #6 from Marvel Comics is now available.