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Marvel’s treatment of Spider-Man might just be the best example of a company completely derailing and fumbling the popularity of one of its greatest characters. What made Spider-Man originally so interesting was the fact that readers got to see him grow up and see his life change. They got to see Peter go through the same changes as them, but all of this was derailed by one hated Spider-Man story: One More Day.
When Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created Spider-Man, it was with a very simple goal. Every other hero of the time was a larger-than-life character, like Thor or Captain America, that kids could look up to and aspire to be but couldn’t really relate to on a personal level.
That’s why Peter Parker was created. He was meant to be a hero who would face the same problems as the average kid – with a superhero twist. It was a genius move and rocketed Spider-Man to immense popularity, and he continued to grow and age with his audience.
Spider-Man Started Growing Up Over the Years
But Not Everyone at Marvel Was Happy with That…
When Peter Parker started out, he was just a high school kid who was learning how to be a hero. At first, he didn’t even want to be a hero, only wanting to use his powers to make money for himself and his family. He literally says at one point that the rest of the world can rot as long as he can take care of himself and his family. Over the years, Peter grew out of this mentality and went through many life changes. He started out as an angry young teenager, then he finished high school and went on to college, and he even got a new group of friends.
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Peter Parker met Mary Jane Watson while in college, and she would eventually become his wife. Peter was doing what almost no comic characters get to do: growing up. Avid fans had seen him go from a high schooler to a college student, and it looked like his development wasn’t done there. Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson started up a relationship, a very serious one, and it seemed like it would very soon lead to wedding bells.
Beyond Becoming a Hero, Spider-Man Experienced Another Major Life Event
He Had a Beautiful Wife and Was Finally an Adult
After Peter and Mary Jane dated for several years, they finally took the next step and got married. Fans had watched Peter go from a young child who was struggling with power and responsibility to an adult with a wife who was even considering starting his own family. It was a massive change to the character, and the vast majority of fans loved it. What made Peter special was that fans actually got to see him grow up and change. Unfortunately, the idea of Peter getting older didn’t land well with some higher-ups at Marvel, and the choice was made to break the couple up.
That set into motion the story that fans often cite as one of the worst Spider-Man stories ever told.
It was decided that Peter was simply getting too old and that fans didn’t want a Peter Parker who was a husband and potential father. Instead, they needed him back in high school so he could be relatable again. While a lot of fans disagreed, Marvel didn’t care, and that set into motion the story that fans often cite as one of the worst Spider-Man stories ever told. Spider-Man: One More Day was the story that broke the Spider-Man fanbase, as Peter Parker ultimately gave up his marriage to Mary Jane Watson by making a deal with the literal devil.
In Spider-Man: One More Day by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada, Aunt May is shot due to Spider-Man revealing his secret identity during Civil War. Desperate to keep Aunt May alive, Spider-Man makes the rounds in the superhero community, asking anyone he can for help. Bizarrely, no one can help Spider-Man. There’s apparently no magic or science in the Marvel Universe that is capable of undoing a bullet wound. Because of this, Peter turns to the only place he feels he can: Mephisto. Peter asks Mephisto to save his aunt, and the demon lord agrees, but only if Peter gives up his marriage to Mary Jane.
Spider-Man Gave Up His Marriage and Decades of Character Development
One More Day Begins in The Amazing Spider-Man #544 by J. Michael Straczynski, Joe Quesada, Danny Miki, Richard Isanove, and Chris Eliopoulos
In a decision that fans still haven’t gotten over, Peter agreed to Mephisto’s terms and gave up his marriage to Mary Jane Watson, all to save Aunt May and get his secret identity returned to him. It was a major moment that completely undid decades of character development for Peter and for fans, and no one has really gotten over it in the decades since. Despite the story having happened nearly twenty years ago, neither Spider-Man nor the fans have gotten over it. Spider-Man and Mary Jane haven’t been together since, not in any real capacity, and it looks like they will never be together again.
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One More Day was one of the most devastating stories ever told in terms of character development. The thing that made Spider-Man special was seeing how he grew up, but this one story has frozen him in time. He’s never managed to move past this story or mature. He’s still single, and any time he does enter a relationship, it never lasts long. He’s constantly frozen in this state of not being a teenager anymore but not quite being an adult either. It’s this bizarre personal limbo that Peter just can not seem to escape.
For Really No Gain at All
Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson were one of the most iconic romances in comic books, right up there with Batman and Catwoman or Superman and Lois Lane. But for some reason, Marvel felt that it made Spider-Man simply look too old. The company seemed to believe that being married and having a loving family was something comic book readers simply could not relate to. Marvel then completely burnt down decades of Spider-Man’s character development and story history for nothing. No new amazing stories have come out of the consequences of One More Day, and instead, fans have spent decades hating it.
One More Day is an infamous story, perhaps the most infamous story of any comic book character. Plenty of characters have had missteps over the years, but Marvel put this story out nearly twenty years ago and has been steadfast in not undoing it. One More Day is a shadow that continues to loom over all Spider-Man stories published today in the 616 universe. For whatever reason, Marvel has decided that Spider-Man can not be married in the main universe, so the publisher essentially had Satan himself tear their marriage apart, and so Peter and Mary Jane are not getting back together anytime soon.
Spider-Man: One More Day is available now from Marvel Comics!
“}]] This one story decimated Spider-Man and his fans. Read More