[8.1/10] I enjoyed this one a lot. On a purely aesthetic level, it was fun to see two bigguns like Rhino and The Hulk square off. While the show let the rumble run a little long, and while some of the scenarios it plopped them into were a bit contrived (hello fight in pseudo-MSG!), the actual action of seeing Hulk and Rhino go toe-to-toe was unique and entertaining. The sonic booms and comic destruction with each clash were very memorable.
But I also like the character work in the episode just as much, if not more. I appreciate that Alex freaks out not only at the fact that there’s unlikely to be a cure for his condition, but at what he sees as the unfairness of his bully getting superpowers and getting to join Shield. Ultimate Spider-Man’s been long on mustache-twirling villains who are evil for evil’s sake, and short on those with understandable motivations behind their questionable actions. Getting to see Rhino’s understandable distress and anger over his situation makes those big clashes seem more meaningful.
I also like everyone’s different responses to it. Flash genuinely wants to apologize and try to reassure Alex. Hulk sees him as just another rampaging baddie to be neutralized. And Spider-Man knows what it’s like to be the kid pushed into the locker and wants other people to empathize with the kid. Lord knows we’ve done “Spider-Man tries to reach the man inside the monster” before (hell, we’ve done it with Hulk), but the way that Spidey gets through to Rhino by treating him like a human being, and convincing his allies to do the same is a canny choice. And having Rhino turn things around by trying to save the tunnel (which, in fairness, he helped almost destroy in the first place), after being told that he too could be a hero, is a nice way to blend the action and character work in the episode.
Throw in nice details like Alex and Flash’s shared apology, the debut of the Hulkbuster Iron Spider armor, and the pathos of Alex not being able to return home, and you have one of the best standalone stories that Ultimate Spider-Man has pulled off thus far.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-02-04T23:52:56Z
[8.1/10] I enjoyed this one a lot. On a purely aesthetic level, it was fun to see two bigguns like Rhino and The Hulk square off. While the show let the rumble run a little long, and while some of the scenarios it plopped them into were a bit contrived (hello fight in pseudo-MSG!), the actual action of seeing Hulk and Rhino go toe-to-toe was unique and entertaining. The sonic booms and comic destruction with each clash were very memorable.
But I also like the character work in the episode just as much, if not more. I appreciate that Alex freaks out not only at the fact that there’s unlikely to be a cure for his condition, but at what he sees as the unfairness of his bully getting superpowers and getting to join Shield. Ultimate Spider-Man’s been long on mustache-twirling villains who are evil for evil’s sake, and short on those with understandable motivations behind their questionable actions. Getting to see Rhino’s understandable distress and anger over his situation makes those big clashes seem more meaningful.
I also like everyone’s different responses to it. Flash genuinely wants to apologize and try to reassure Alex. Hulk sees him as just another rampaging baddie to be neutralized. And Spider-Man knows what it’s like to be the kid pushed into the locker and wants other people to empathize with the kid. Lord knows we’ve done “Spider-Man tries to reach the man inside the monster” before (hell, we’ve done it with Hulk), but the way that Spidey gets through to Rhino by treating him like a human being, and convincing his allies to do the same is a canny choice. And having Rhino turn things around by trying to save the tunnel (which, in fairness, he helped almost destroy in the first place), after being told that he too could be a hero, is a nice way to blend the action and character work in the episode.
Throw in nice details like Alex and Flash’s shared apology, the debut of the Hulkbuster Iron Spider armor, and the pathos of Alex not being able to return home, and you have one of the best standalone stories that Ultimate Spider-Man has pulled off thus far.