Marvel confirms major hero's death is permanent and canon

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By

Robert Wood

Published May 10, 2026, 7:30 PM EDT

Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.**

Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.

Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.

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In a shock move, Marvel** has confirmed that a major hero's death wasn't just for show, and that there are no plans to resurrect them. Not just that - that it's canonically impossible for them to return. However, fans aren't quite buying these denials - here's everything you need to know.

In superhero stories, death is commonplace and rarely permanent. Whether hero or villain, resurrection is all but guaranteed in a world where the story never ends and there are a hundred different ways to return from the afterlife.

However, there are a few exceptions, and as Marvel declares a beloved hero gone for good, there's good reason to take the claim seriously...

Ultimate Spider-Man Is Gone for Good

Featured Image: Meet the Parkers Ultimate Spider-Man Family Teaser

In a new preview of Ultimate Endgame #4_, Marvel seemingly confirms that Ultimate Spider-Man won't be returned to life after being slain by the Maker. Last issue, Spider-Man was killed as part of the Ultimates' attack on the Maker's base, as the genius villain manifested in a surprisingly familiar form, cutting down the father of two.

Now, in a new preview of the following issue, Tony Stark confirms that he can't use his time travel armor to prevent Peter's death or bring him back, definitively stating, "Peter Parker is gone." The issue is coming from Deniz Camp, Jonas Scharf, Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson, Edgar Delgado and Cory Petit.

The Ultimate Universe will permanently and fully end with Ultimate Endgame #5, so there's very little time to reverse Peter's death. At the same time, his son Richard is Ultimate Venom, setting up a thematically appropriate replacement. All signs suggest Marvel really did just permanently kill off this imprint's flagship hero.

Peter Parker's Last Words Were Perfect

_ SPIDER-MAN VS CARNAGE IN ULTIMATE ENDGAME

In the Ultimate Universe, the Maker prevented a teenage Peter Parker from gaining his powers. Once Tony Stark's Ultimates began their revolution, they sought out Peter - now a family man - and granted him the powers he should always have had.

Over in his own series, Peter succeeded in taking down the Kingpin, freeing New York from the supervillain syndicate that held the city in its grip. Now, he's been taken down trying to free the entire world, with a final message expressing his love for his family and his desire for them to go on without him.

PETER PARKER'S LETTER TO HIS FAMILY IN ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN

It was an epic exit for the hero who has defined this alternate universe to many fans, and yet despite Tony's statement that Peter won't return, there are still those who don't believe. So is Ultimate Spider-Man really gone?

Why Fans Still Aren't Buying Peter Parker's Death

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VS THE MAKER

Fans have been speculating since the beginning that Peter Parker would die, leaving his son Richard as the new, teen Spider-Man. However, something about his Ultimate death just doesn't feel right.

While Peter's death was epic on paper, it felt relatively random in the issue itself, tied to the Maker randomly manifesting the Ultimate version of the Carnage symbiote. It simply didn't have the tone of a permanent exit for such a prominent hero, with fans particularly excited about Ult Peter Parker because the continuity restored his marriage to Mary Jane Watson (long retconned out of mainstream lore.)

Tonally, it feels more likely that Ultimate Endgame _will end on the triumph of somehow bringing Peter back, rather than anticlimactically killing him off two issues before the end.

Counter-intuitively, it would also be unusual for the next issue to open with the statement that he can't return if he was actually permanently dead. If Marvel was killing off the character forever, all the pomp would happen in the issue where he actually died. Tony's statement feels more like it's lowering expectations before Peter finds a way to return.

How Ultimate Spider-Man Can Return

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There are also endless ways for Peter Parker to return. In this world, the Venom symbiote is instead a complex AI based on Peter's own personality, meaning there's a copy of his mind floating around. This universe is also built on the idea of time travel totally altering the timeline - while Iron Man says he can't save Peter, that doesn't mean another character like Kang or Immortus won't be able to.

If the Ultimate Universe really has killed off Ultimate Spider-Man in a mid-finale battle against Carnage, it will be a disappointing ending for the character. But ironically, as Tony Stark insists that Peter Parker absolutely can't return, there's more hope than ever that Ultimate Spider-Man's story isn't over yet.

Ultimate Endgame #4_ is coming May 13 from Marvel Comics.