We've known about "The Death of Spider-Man" since late last year, but since then debate has raged over whether or not Ultimate Peter Parker's death would be thematic/metaphorical or for real dead-as-a-doornail.
One day before the release of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #160, the chapter that holds the answers, Marvel sent out a press release to generate some buzz (read: sales) for the issue. In it, Marvel confirms that Peter Parker will indeed be kicking the bucket.
"10 years ago, Brian Bendis and Mark Millar changed the way people saw super heroes with the birth of the Ultimate Universe. With 'Death of Spider-Man' the two have done it again, creating a story just as big, and something that would really resonate with fans." said Mark Paniccia, Marvel Senior Editor. "But Peter's death doesn't signal the end of their larger plan—it's the start of one of the most ambitious stories you've ever read in comics."
"We've never seen a world without Spider-Man, a world without Peter Parker, so his death is a significant event for the Ultimate Comics Universe and we're going to see how quickly it changes everything. Readers are in for something very new…and surprising because everything that happens in Ultimate Spider-Man #160 and Ultimate Comics Fallout sets the stage for even bigger stories," added Axel Alonso, Marvel's Editor in Chief.
Writer Brian Bendis told USA Today, "It occurred to me that if Peter passed away in a meaningful way, he could be the Uncle Ben character to a new Spider-Man, which then continues it to be a real Spider-Man story."
He continued, "Why I've killed him? That's another thing for another therapy session, but this could not be more important to me. To screw it up would be a complete failure on my part on numerous levels. Not only has he passed away, he did it very publicly, he did it with his mask off. A lot is revealed about the character to the public they didn't know about."
So there you have it, folks. We can't say we're all that surprised. Peter Parker is out, and someone new is in. The story will continue in this summer's Ultimate Comics Fallout with a brand new Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1 to follow.