Contains Spoilers for The Ultimates (2024) #7!Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe is full of surprises, but what looked like a massive death in the pages of one of its premiere titles has now been proven to be a fake out, as the young Iron Man's survival has been confirmed. The Ultimates haven’t actually lost their leader, but the near-fatality is still a big deal, in of what it means for both the present and the potential future of this entire timeline.

The Ultimates (2024) #7 – written by Deniz Camp, with art by Juan Frigeri – has revealed that Ultimate Tony Stark, who seemingly died in Ultimates #6, is still barely alive thanks to a life system, walking back a potential gamechanging moment from the prior issue.

Previously, the Ultimates went up against this world’s Bruce Banner, a battle they clearly weren't ready for. The confrontation ended with the declaration from She-Hulk that “Iron Lad is dead!” Of course, in time-honored comics tradition, this was a mislead, though Tony is far from unharmed.

Marvel Pulls Off A Major Bait-And-Switch, As Ultimate Tony Stark Is Revealed To Be Alive

The Ultimates #7 – Written By Deniz Camp; Art By Juan Frigeri; Color By Fedrico Blee; Lettering By Travis Lanham​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​

the secretive rule of the despotic Maker and his council of supervillains in Ultimate Invasion, the miniseries by Jonathan Hickman that relaunched the Ultimate Universe. With Howard dead, the massive weight on Tony's shoulders has increased exponentially, as he tries to recruit this world’s superheroes to his side before the Maker’s return.

Tony’s injury might actually push him towards being a more familiar Iron Man than before. This is a Tony Stark who hasn’t needed this world’s Reed Richards, aka the heroic Doctor Doom. Reed does have some knowledge of Earth-616 however, so maybe this design is based off mainstream Iron Man’s.

Ultimates Was Told Readers Tony Wasn't Going To Die, Even As It Claimed He Had

Ultimate Iron Lad's Arc Remains Unfinished

Certainly, there will be some fans who aren’t exactly happy with this fakeout. It is frustrating to not be able to believe the text in front of you. On the other hand, this kind of pull back from the brink of a shocking moment is standard in comics. There’s an implicit skill in making a character death feel earned, and it never entirely felt to me like Ultimates was really ready to kill off Tony. He simply had too much yet to do. For one, Tony’s character arc clearly wasn’t complete by the time of his ‘death’.

Tony was actually the least likely to die out of the Ultimates just yet. He is on a journey, and this near-death experience is clearly just another step on the path he’s walking.

Tony has been struggling with his place in this version of the Ultimate Universe, and how best to resist the Maker’s regime, even as he feels massive guilt over every minor loss. He wants to protect everyone but knows that it likely won’t be possible. From this angle, Tony was actually the least likely to die out of the Ultimates just yet. He is on a journey, and this near-death experience is clearly just another step on the path he’s walking.

To Be Honest, It Might Have Been Better If Ultimate Tony Stark Really Had Died

Iron Lan Has A Dark Future Ahead

There’s also one major reason why Tony Stark can’t die just yet in this new Ultimate Universe, and it’s because readers have already seen his future. Ultimate Invasion all but confirmed that this world’s Kang the Conqueror is an evil future Tony, and that can’t happen if he’s dead. Maybe Tony’s grievous injuries push him towards a darker path, and maybe his condition explains why we never see Kang out of costume. Whether Iron Man is headed towards villainy, or this is just a potential dark future, he’s still alive, and that’s only a good thing for this Ultimate Universe.

The Ultimates (2024) #7 is available now from Marvel Comics.