Does Peter Parker finally have it all in Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe?

Fans have clamored for years about the sad state of affairs that Peter and Mary Jane are in, in the Marvel U. Well, hold that thought…

Family (Spider) Man

For decades, literally, Peter Parker and Mary Jane were husband and wife. It was a staple of the Marvel Universe in general, and a fan-favorite one at that, spawning a whole mess of important story points, not the least of which was Mrs. Parker’s involvement in Venom’s origin.

As time went on though, Marvel had other ideas. Writers separated the two, first with a disastrous story arc that will remain nameless here, and then a series of false-starts that finally saw them seemingly go their separate ways for good. MJ is even a completely superhero at this point in the Marvel U proper, called Jackpot.

But what if there was another timeline where all of that never happened? In fact, what if that other timeline saw Pete and MJ marry and have kids before he even became Spidey? It seems as though that’s the new premise for Ultimate Spider-Man, the first ongoing series in the reborn Ultimate Universe line of books.

Meet Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson—MR. & MRS. PARKER! They’re one of pop culture’s most iconic couples, and now readers will see them stronger than ever in the Ultimate Universe. To celebrate, Peter and MJ’s romance will be featured on a series of picture perfect variant covers by Elizabeth Torque that will adorn the first four issues of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN. Spidey superstar Ryan Stegman also spotlights the whole Parker family on a new promotional piece.

“When we decided that we were going to do a book about an older Peter Parker becoming Spider-Man, we really wanted to lean into him starting his super hero life from a very different place than what’s traditionally expected,” Hickman explained. “Peter and MJ being married is one of many decisions we made that underline this being quite a ‘different’ kind of Spider-man story.”

Marvel Comics press release

“Different” indeed, but very familiar as well, and a sight for sore eyes if you’re a long time fan. As you can see there, you can expect to see Jonathan Hickman in the drivers seat for this new series, with Marco Checchetto onboard for art.

Also of note is that the above pieces, from Marvel mainstay Ryan Stegman and Elizabeth Torque, are just teases of what’s to come. The actual launch edition of the new book will sport a standard cover from Checchetto, and single variant, courtesy of Torque. Look for it on stands on January 10th, 2024.