EARTH-1610: The Ultimate universe began as a way for creators to work with modernized versions of Marvel characters, free from the hurdles of continuity. Ultimate Spider-Man was created, featuring a younger Peter Parker, who was bitten by a spider that was genetically enhanced by the Oz formula, which was created by Norman Osborn. Parker became Spider-Man like in the 616, and faced off against numerous villains as a mainstay of the Ultimate universe. Unfortunately, during his final battle with Norman Osborn, who had used another version of Oz on himself to become the Green Goblin, Parker sacrificed his life to save his family. A hero to the city, the legacy of Spider-Man is then carried on by Miles Morales, who is yet another victim of the Oz formula. Miles receives similar powers to Peter, with additional abilities like a cloaking mechanism and an electrical venom blast. Miles eventually receives a pair of Peter's web-shooters from Parker's family (Aunt May and Gwen Stacy), who encourage him to continue as the new Spider-Man. Morales would suffer a number of tragedies during his time as Spider-Man. His uncle - the thief known as the Prowler who was responsible for Miles getting bitten - dies of a heart attack due to Miles' venom blast. His mother is killed by a stray bullet during a fight with the Venom symbiote, and his father thinks Spider-Man is a menace. Morales is mentored by Jessica Drew AKA Spider-Woman AKA the female clone of Peter Parker, and has even met the 616 version of Peter Parker in the series Spider-Men, which is set to receive a sequel.
Honorable Mentions:
Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham: When a spider named Peter is bitten by a radioactive anthropomorphic pig named May Porker, he is transformed into a pig with spider-powers... or is that a spider with pig powers? Either way, he dons a costume and becomes the Spectacular Spider-Ham!The Spider: Appearing multiple times in the Exiles series, this version of Peter Parker was a red-haired mass murderer who bonded with the Carnage symbiote. Not much is known about his origin, but his blood lust, killing spirit, and unique sense of humor are well documented in the series. Ghost Spider: This Peter Parker was unique in that he was actually raised by Ben Parker, who helped Peter train with his powers, where he became famous as the Amazing Spider. After creating a dimensional portal, Spider begins draining alternate reality versions of himself of their power to make himself stronger, which leads to him becoming the Ghost Spider after he dies and returns from hell, in a long and kind of confusing story Pestilence: We have seen a couple different versions of Spider-Man as one of Apocalypse's Horseman, and both versions interestingly enough were Pestilence. Very little is known about either, save they were at some point corrupted by the eternal mutant Apocalypse. Which is your favorite alternate version of Spider-Man? What other Spidey's would you add to the list? Let us know in the comments below!
Sent to Earth from a dying planet, young Scott Fraser grew to adulthood in Alberta, Canada with a love for comics, film, games, and all things deep fried. He has dedicated his life to pedantic ramblings about continuity, superhero superiority, and Han shooting first. He also writes for Geek Magazine.
