Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Ultimates #6!When Phil Coulson died in theMCU’s firstAvengersmovie, I was honestly heartbroken. The guy had been around since the firstIron Man, and had as much a hand in the formation of the Avengers as Nick Fury himself. Plus, in the MCU films leading up toThe Avengers, we got to know Coulson, making his death a legitimate punch to the gut. However, as impactful as Coulson’s MCU death was, it doesn’t hold a candle to what Marvel Comics just did in itsnew Ultimate Universe- and I can’t believe what I just saw.
InThe Ultimates#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 breaking into another one of the Maker’s vaults. The team of heroes hopes to free some other heroes the Maker has imprisoned behind this vault door. However, once they open it, the Ultimates find that this isn’t a prison at all - or even a real vault. This was a doorway to K’un-Lun, and on the other side, waiting patiently for them to arrive, was none other than the Hulk.
Ultimate Hulk isn’t the world-class hero he is in Earth-616, he’s a villain of the highest order. Hulk is a member of the Maker’s Council, he’s the leader of his own cult, and he’s responsible for conducting a number of horrific gamma experiments on human subjects. To make matters worse, thisHulk 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 Marvel’s New Ultimate Universe
When thefight between the Ultimates and Hulk(plus his gamma-mutated minions) first broke out, I was extremely excited. This is the first real battle the new Ultimates have been in, and the fact that it was against the Hulk made the whole thing even more epic, since it mirrored the first battle of the original Ultimates in Earth-1610 (UltimatesVol. 1 #5). Plus, the action was absolutely stellar. So, after I read it, I was not disappointed. I was, however, incredibly shocked.
Phil Coulson’s death served the purpose of giving the Avengers someone to ‘avenge’, making him their driving force while taking on Loki and his forces in the MCU. Now, the Ultimate Universe has given that role to Tony Stark himself.
Hulk killed Tony Stark! That’s an insanely bold choice for the new Ultimate Universe, especially since Tony Stark is the one who practically formed the Ultimates, and has championed the fight against the Maker and all his villainous drones (Hulk included). 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 Get the Same Twist as MCU’s Phil Coulson
MCU’sAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Brought Coulson Back from the Dead
While killing off Tony Stark in the new Ultimate Universe is, indeed, a daring creative decision, I’m not convinced it’s a very good one. Sure, I definitely didn’t see that coming, and keeping things fresh and unexpected is generally a good thing, but I’m also super bummed about losing such a key character in this continuity - way more bummed than I was afterthe MCU killed Coulson. So, hopefully, the Ultimate Universe will do to Tony what the MCU did to Coulson inAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: bring him back.
Iron Man Permanently Loses His Most Powerful Armor (That Made Him Thor’s Equal)
Iron Man just lost the most powerful suit of armor he’s ever created, one that put him on Thor’s level of power - and that loss might be permanent.
Comic book resurrections are a dime a dozen, so it wouldn’t be hard to bring Ultimate Tony Stark back to life (or just reveal that he wasn’t really dead in the first place). That wouldn’t be as daring, 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 just surpassed theMCU’s Phil Coulson death in one of the most daring decisions I’ve ever seen: by killingIron Man.
The Ultimates #6by Marvel Comics is available now.
Iron Man
TheIron Manfranchise is a cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), marking the beginning of the interconnected superhero films that have become a global phenomenon. The franchise follows Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor, who creates a suit of armor to become Iron Man. His journey from a self-centered playboy to a self-sacrificing hero plays a pivotal role throughout the MCU’s Infinity Saga.
