18 Years Later, It’s Never Been Clearer How One More Day Broke Spider-Man

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Warning: Spoilers for All-New Venom #5!One infamous storyline has had severe ramifications on not just Spider-Man’s life, but one of his biggest supporting characters. 2007’s “One More Day” tale has tremendously impacted Marvel’s approach to writing the Peter Parker character, as well as his surrounding stories, in ways that most fans don’t approve of. Some argue that “One More Day” continues to hold Spider-Man back in modern arcs.

As much as many fans aren’t happy with Marvel’s writing of Spider-Man, most are even more displeased with Marvel’s treatment of Mary Jane Watson, particularly ahead of All-New Venom #5 by Al Ewing and Carlos Gómez. Mere days before the issue’s official release, news leaked that prompted Marvel to announce that Mary Jane had become the new Venom. The news has already divided audiences.

Since 2007, Marvel has gone through extreme lengths to keep MJ away from Spidey. Becoming Venom is the latest attempt to do so, even when most fans want Marvel to go back to basics.

Marvel Doesn’t Know What to Do with Mary Jane Watson Now That She Can’t Be with Spider-Man

All-New Venom #5 by Al Ewing, Carlos Gómez, Frank D’Armata, and Clayton Cowles

Amidst the social media reaction to MJ becoming the new Venom, Marvel was quick to try to silence cynical critics, but it’s important to look at the criticisms from the critics’ perspective. Whether they are right or wrong in their assessment, it’s all too easy to dismiss critics, even when they aren’t just critics, but fans and loyalists to Spider-Man as a brand and character.

While it’s a problem for a so-called critic to let nostalgia for the past prevent them from being optimistic about Spider-Man’s future, this isn’t so much nihilism as it is Spider-Man fans recognizing Marvel repeating past missteps. Ever since “One More Day,” even as Marvel has insisted on Spider-Man keeping the same status quo to the point that his being single has become a company mandate, Marvel has constantly tried to shift MJ’s status quo in hopes that it keeps Peter within his own. As a result, MJ has experienced multiple rebrands with varying success, albeit not much.

Mary Jane Watson Once Played Assistant to Tony Stark

Following “One More Day,” Mary Jane Watson remained a member of The Amazing Spider-Man’s cast. But without being allowed to fill a role as Peter Parker’s love interest, she was reduced to a mostly background role. Off on her own adventures, she founded her own nightclub in Chicago, which she appropriately called Jackpot. This story opened the door to her transitioning to the cast of Invincible Iron Man during Brian Michael Bendis’ run on the series. When Madame Masque attacks Iron Man at Jackpot, MJ manages to save Tony’s life, and in return, he offers her a job as an administrator.

Initially, Tony Stark respected Mary Jane, to the point that they were more like business partners, working side-by-side. At worst, MJ was slightly below Tony in the Stark Industries hierarchy. She officially accepted a position as his executive administrator. However, following Civil War II, Tony was plunged into a coma, bringing into power his replacement, his biological mother, Amanda Armstrong. While working for Amanda, MJ’s position mysteriously changes to executive assistant without explanation. The series was an attempt to elevate MJ without Spider-Man by her side, and somehow, the series finds a way to diminish her worth.

Once Bendis’ time with Iron Man was over, so was Mary Jane’s, as a new era with the character prompted MJ’s exit from Stark Industries. Marvel’s intentions with Mary Jane Watson seemed genuine and even respectable when she first joined the series, but along the way, the dominoes for MJ’s ascension fell as quickly as they were propped up. Her time at Stark Industries was notable for the character, as she formed a fulfilling bond with Tony, but once she received a demotion to assistant, the writing was on the wall for her career.

MJ’s Romance with Paul Has Only Made Spider-Man Fans Angry

The Stink of Paul Rabin from Amazing Spider-Man is Starting to Rub Onto MJ

In recent stories, Mary Jane Watson’s character suffers in the minds of critics not just for how she’s written in the comics, but because of who she is attached to. Zeb Wells’ run as lead writer of The Amazing Spider-Man brought Mary Jane Watson back into the cast, but not as a love interest for Peter. Instead, she played a supporting role as Peter’s ex, who was now seeing Paul Rabin, who quickly turned into the most hated character in Spider-Man history. He’s so despised, hints that he could’ve been Venom might’ve discouraged readers even more than MJ becoming Venom.

Critics have written at length by now about why fans seem to hate Paul so egregiously, but not enough has been written about how this hate affects MJ. Hatred for Paul is different from hatred for an actual supervillain who fans want to see get his comeuppance. Most readers hate Paul to the point that they just want him to go away and can’t stand the sight of him. If people don’t want to see her boyfriend appear in Spider-Man stories, then Mary Jane suffers as a result, seeing as she’s constantly paired with Paul and gets hit with the side effects of fans’ hatred.

Marvel Missed the Mark with MJ Being Spider-Man’s Superhero Partner

Jackpot Promotes MJ’s Independence, But Fans Want Her Romantically with Spider-Man

Marvel decided that while keeping Mary-Jane and Spider-Man romantically separate was paramount, the two should continue their platonic relationship. At first, this merely meant that MJ remained a friend to Peter with boundaries in place, but in time, Marvel opted to expand MJ’s reach by making Spider-Man and MJ partners in crime-fighting as fellow superheroes. Mary Jane gained superpowers and adopted the name that was once used for her nightclub. Jackpot became MJ’s codename and costume on the battlefield that she shared with Spider-Man.

Much like her time as Iron Man’s administrator/assistant, this stort was inititally a respectable change of pace for MJ. By making a difference in the superhero realm, MJ proved that she was always more than just Spider-Man’s girlfriend, finally producing a net positive for their relationship ending. Sadly, though, constantly putting MJ in proximity to Peter only made readers want to see her with Spider-Man even more. If she wasn’t dating Spider-Man, most critics refused to give MJ or Jackpot storylines the time of day.

Should Marvel Comics Stop Trying to Reinvent Mary Jane Watson?

Is It Time for Marvel to Give Spider-Man Fans What They Want?

Considering that Marvel has turned Mary Jane Watson into Venom less than two years following her resurgence as Jackpot, it’s safe to say that Jackpot is yet another failed rebrand for Mary Jane. Given the number of times that Venom has switched hosts over the years, her time as the symbiote’s host is unlikely to be permanent, meaning that it’s easy to write off her time as Venom as yet another rebrand that’s bound to fail for MJ. One failed rebrand after another gives readers the impression that Marvel simply doesn’t know what to do with Mary Jane Watson.

Ever since “One More Day,” Marvel has made numerous attempts to provide as much of a brand-new day for Mary-Jane as it’s tried to give Spider-Man. Yet, none of her fresh starts seem to stick. One has to wonder if keeping her apart from Peter is backfiring for Marvel, and it’s proven to be a bigger detriment to Mary Jane’s longevity than Spider-Man’s. For Mary Jane Watson’s sake at least, maybe now is the time for Marvel to relent in its commitment. Maybe it’s time to stop trying to reinvent the wheel with MJ and reunite her with Spider-Man.

All-New Venom #5 is available now from Marvel Comics.

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