It Took Years, But Marvel Just Shared the Real Reason It Broke Up Spider-Man and MJ’s Marriage

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A high-ranking Marvel Comics Editor has clarified the real reason for the publisher’s highly controversial decision to magically annul Spider-Man and Mary Jane’s marriage in 2007’s infamous “One More Day” storyline, which in many ways has defined the last twenty years of Spider-Man storytelling. According to Tom Brevoort, it was not a matter of making Peter Parker single, but rather keeping him youthful.

In the latest edition of Brevoort’s Substack newsletter, the Senior Editor at Marvel, who was involved in the development of “One More Day,” reminded readers that the “problem” they were trying to “solve” with the story was not that Peter was married to Mary Jane, in particular, but rather that the hero being married at all was at odds with Marvel’s vision of a perpetually young hero.

The arc was eventually handed down to author J. Michael Straczynski to write, and despite being widely disliked, Marvel has stuck to its decision to erase Peter and MJ’s marriage ever since.

Marvel Wants Spider-Man Forever Young

Tom Brevoort’s latest comments on “One More Day,” a story he is unfortunately put in the position of defending all-too-often, came in response to a fan’s question about whether “killing off Mary Jane [was] ever considered as a way to resolve the problems with Spider-Man’s status quo,” an idea Brevoort quickly shot down. As the Editor explained:

I’d say because making Peter Parker a widower would make him seem even older than being married, which was the exact opposite of what everybody was trying to achieve.

In other words, the goal of “One More Day” was to dial back the maturation of Peter Parker, and leaving him to cope with the tragic death of his wife would have put even more “adult” weight on him, rather than alleviating it.

This isn’t the first time since “One More Day” fundamentally changed the landscape of Spider-Man storytelling at the end of 2007/start of 2008 that someone at Marvel has clarified the rationale behind the decision, but it is always worth noting when it comes up again. That is because the true purpose of the story, right or wrong, is often lost in translation, or misunderstood by Marvel fans, as having been about breaking up Peter and Mary Jane, specifically. In fact, it can be argued that one of Marvel’s greatest love stories was derailed by the decision.

Spider-Man Might Never Grow Up, But Marvel’s Controversial “One More Day” Decision Continues To Age Poorly

Why The Publisher Hasn’t Gone Back On The Marriage Erasure Plot

When it comes to Marvel love stories, Spider-Man and Mary Jane are, with little doubt, the couple with the most mainstream recognition. Though Mary Jane wasn’t initially meant to be Peter Parker’s true love, she came to be precisely that, and that hasn’t changed, even all these years after “One More Day.” For perspective, “One More Day” was published twenty years after the Parkers tied the knot in-continuity, and now, it has been almost as long since Marvel nixed their marriage. Yet Mary Jane is still looked at as the defining love of Spider-Man’s life.

So, the question is why Marvel has come to conflate Peter Parker “getting old” with a prosperous romance with Mary Jane, as much as fans have long believed that Marvel equates Peter being single with being “young.” Especially considering that fans eagerly consume any shred of hope that the publisher feeds them about a potential reunion between the couple; notably, Marvel’s Ultimate Universe is currently portraying an early-career Spider-Man who is also married to MJ, with children, and yet hasn’t lost any of his vitality or relatability as a hero.

All of that is to say, it is one thing to question Marvel’s Editorial direction for Spider-Man, circa 2007, in hindsight, and it is another thing entirely to ask why the publisher has so stubbornly held fast to the “One More Day” edict for nearly twenty years. Usually, the publisher displays little hesitation to subvert, or undo earlier plotlines; “One More Day” was an example of this in itself, yet it has continued to be seemingly sacrosanct at Marvel, who, moreover, have committed to having both Peter and Mary Jane romantically move on from each other.

Marvel Is Currently Featuring An Adult, Married Spider-Man In An Alternate Timeline, So Why Not Mainstream Marvel?

Ultimate Spider-Man Gives Webhead Fans What They Want

The case of Jonathan Hickman’s current Ultimate Spider-Man run is especially perplexing for long-time fans of the Webslinger. In regard to its depiction of a happily married Peter Parker trying to adapt to life as Spider-Man, this certainly seems designed to appeal to those readers who wish the couple could be together in the mainstream Marvel canon. Yet because it has the effect of serving as proof that a married-with-children Spider-Man could work perfectly fine in the main continuity, it seems directly at odds with the company’s unwillingness to go in this direction.

Of course, the ongoing nature of Ultimate Spider-Man means that tragedy could be in store for the Parker family, possibly once more validating the idea that Spidey is better off without a family. Yet as the series has progressed, readers have made it clear this is not what they want, and instead of responded most positively to the moments in which the book’s creative team have embraced the possibilities of telling a story about an adult Spider-Man, and been better off for it.

There’s No Such Thing As “Never” At Marvel Comics, Meaning Fans Can’t Give Up Hope Of A Peter/MJ Romance Revival

It Remains A Longshot For Now

Marvel Comics has had its share of controversial storylines throughout its history, but few have had the lasting impact that “One More Day” has wrought on the Spider-Man franchise. It is not wholly hyperbolic to say that the arc looms over every Spider-Man story that has happened since, at least to some degree. Peter Parker might not have aged, or matured, too much in the past twenty years, but multiple generations of Marvel readers have grown up feeling as though something is “off” about the publisher’s most prolific, iconic superhero.

It can’t be said that Marvel is “wrong” to keep Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson apart, or to have kept their wedding out of continuity for decades; superhero lore is, by design, highly malleable, and Marvel has the right to do what it feels is best for the character. At the same time, the absence of Peter and Mary Jane’s fan-favorite romance has given the impression, since “One More Day” was published, that some essential ingredient in the stew that makes a successful Spider-Man story is missing.

In the end, all Peter/Mary Jane ‘shippers can do is continue to hold a vigil for the legendary couple, and to hope that one day, the Editorial winds will change at Marvel Comics, and that they will allow for that flame to be rekindled. If and when this eventually happens in mainstream Marvel canon, it is going to be a comic book moment decades in the making, a triumphant Spider-Man moment that will hopefully be worth the protracted wait.

Source: Tom Brevoort Substack

“}]] Marvel reiterates its position on Peter/MJ.  Read More