Marvel Brings Popular Spider-Man Hero Back From the Dead

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There’s a running joke that Uncle Ben and Bruce Wayne’s parents are the only characters who stay dead in superhero comics. This is especially true in the Ultimate Universe, where Harry Osborn pretended to die so he could fully commit to fighting crime as the Green Goblin. Now, it looks like another hero connected to Spider-Man has also found a way to avoid permanent 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.

Ultimate Spider-Man #22 officially establishes that Gwen Stacy is believed to be dead, which deeply affects her husband, Harry Osborn. Distraught, the Green Goblin isolates himself from everyone except Peter Parker. He only continues to meet with Peter to pursue their shared goal of taking down the Kingpin, and it appears Harry is dangerously planning to confront Wilson Fisk alone, potentially as a suicide mission.

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’s obvious Gwen Stacy isn’t truly gone, but the ending of Ultimate Spider-Man #22 leaves her return a mystery. Did she somehow survive the events with Mysterio and is now pretending to be a ghost? Is she simply faking her death, like Harry? Or did she actually die and return as a spirit alongside the other Mysterio illusions? If so, why does her speech bubble look different from theirs?

It’s not clear what’s happening, but one thing is certain: whether she’s living or undead, she’s seeking revenge.

Ultimate Spider-Man #22 is now available at comic shops everywhere.

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2025-10-22 20:56