It is often joked that the only people who stay dead in superhero comics are Uncle Ben and Bruce Wayne’s parents. This is certainly true in the Ultimate Universe, where Harry Osborn faked his death to fight crime as the heroic Green Goblin full-time. Now another hero tied to Spider-Man seems to have joined Harry in cheating death.
Ultimate Spider-Man #22 by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto opens with a three-month time-jump. The previous issue ended on a cliffhanger, with a bomb endangering the Mysterio organization. In the Ultimate Universe, the Mysterio identity is shared by five people, including this Earth’s version of Gwen Stacy. They also have access to true illusionary magic through an amulet. Mysterio had been part of the Sinister Six led by Wilson Fisk, but was secretly working to undermine him and The Maker. However, their treachery was discovered by Mister Negative, who mind-controlled one of the five Mysterio agents into bombing their headquarters.
The action of Ultimate Spider-Man #22 confirms that Gwen Stacy is presumed dead. Obviously, this has a tremendous impact on her husband, Harry Osborn. The Green Goblin cuts himself off from virtually all human contact, except Peter Parker. Even then, he only meets with Peter to continue fighting the Kingpin together. It is also suggested that Harry is planning a suicide run, going after Wilson Fisk by himself.
What dead hero just returned in Ultimate Spider-Man?
However, the final pages of Ultimate Spider-Man #22 suggest that Harry is not as alone as previously indicated. As he scouts out Kingpin’s headquarters planning his attack, he speaks with an unseen figure. The final page reveals this figure as a spectral Mysterio, who seems to speak with five voices based on the word balloons. However, one of the balloons, which belongs to Gwen Stacy, is presented without the same visual distortion as the other four.
It is clear that Gwen Stacy has survived in some form. However, the cliffhanger ending of Ultimate Spider-Man #22 obscures just how this trick was accomplished. Did Gwen Stacy alone survive among the Mysterio members and take on a ghostly appearance to play at being back from the dead? Is she following Harry’s example in faking her death? Or did Gwen Stacy honestly die and come back as a vengeful spirit along with the rest of Mysterio? If so, why is her word balloon different?
The answers are unclear, but the one thing that is certain is that — undead or alive — she is out for revenge.
Ultimate Spider-Man #22 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
