Warning! Spoilers for The Ultimates #6-12 ahead!

Marvel's Ultimates series is about to drop a bombshell twist, putting a new spin on the death of Iron Man, with massive implications for the next chapter of the book's ongoing story; the issue's preview offers a horrifying image of the villainous Ultimate Hulk literally tearing Tony Stark in half, Iron Man suit and all, in a vision of a brutal fate that the hero only narrowly avoided

The preview for The Ultimates #12, written by Deniz Camp, with art by Juan Frigeri, stops just short of the issue's big reveal, but the early release pages offer just enough context, combined with the hints that have been dropped over the preceding few issues, to make it clear what to expect, at least from the next few pages.

"Tell them, Doom," Iron Man says, in front of the gathered Ultimates, watching footage of his own dead "tell them or I will," with the explanation itself saved for the full issue.

Ultimate Marvel Pulls Back The Curtain On What Really Happened When Iron Man's Ultimates Fought The Hulk

The Ultimates #12, Written By Deniz Camp; Art By Juan Frigeri; Color By Federico Blee; Lettering By Travis Lanham

Marvel Comics faked readers out last year by seemingly pulling back in the next issue to reveal that this young, idealistic version of Tony Stark had in fact survived. The move drew criticism from some fans at the time, but now, six issues later, it has become clear that there is a greater narrative design at play here. While that doesn't change the fact of the fake-out at the time, it does add some context to the decision, and more importantly, it promises a paradigm shift for this Ultimates run moving forward.

Since The Ultimates #6, which featured the fledgling team’s confrontation with the Hulk and his minions, there have been hints throughout subsequent issues that there was more to the fight than readers saw, and more to it than the team ed. It appears that The Ultimates #12 is set to reveal that Doctor Doom used time travel to undo the team’s catastrophic defeat, and collective demise, at Hulk’s hands. How this will impact the individual , and Doom’s standing with them, remains to be determined, it does immediately ratchet up the tension for their next battle with Hulk.

Yes, Iron Man Really Did Die In Battle Against The Hulk, And So Did The Rest Of The Ultimates

The Ultimates #6, Written By Deniz Camp; Art By Juan Frigeri; Color By Federico Blee; Lettering By Travis Lanham

The Ultimates #6 featured Iron Man, here known as Iron Lad, leading his freshly formed team of heroes into a fight that they were totally unprepared for, and it was seemingly young Tony himself that paid for this with his life. Ultimates #7 reversed course, revealing it hadn't killed off the character after all, but now Ultimates #12 is poised to explain that this "reversal" was much more dramatic than previously thought. In truth, it involved the heroic Doctor Doom, in this continuity a version of Fantastic Four's Reed Richards, meddling with an already messed-up timeline to save the team.

If the Ultimates want to defeat the Maker, they must first get through Hulk, but now it seems that much more impossible.

As much as fans' instinct will be to look back at the previous arc in a new light, given this revelation, even more tantalizing are the implications for The Ultimates next arc, given the series comes with a ticking clock. Doom is not this continuity's only Reed Richards variant; the overarching villain of Marvel's Ultimate Universe is the Maker, another incarnation of Richards, and though he is currently locked away, his return grows closer with each ing month. If the Ultimates want to defeat the Maker, they must first get through Hulk, but now it seems that much more impossible.

Iron Man And The Ultimates Must Confront Their Mortality If They Want To Save The Universe

Their Heroic Journey Just Got More Complex

The truth of the Ultimates' deaths in battle against the Hulk will have major narrative implications, but it can also be expected to take a deep psychological toll on the book's cast moving forward. Rather than veteran heroes, the Ultimates are new to superheroics, and remain largely untested, all in the face of overwhelming odds. Before they have hope of victory, their situation will first grow even more grave, and at the center of it all is Iron Man, who will have to be the first to come to with his own death if he wants to be a leader.

The Ultimates #12 will be available May 21, 2025 from Marvel Comics.