Should Spider-man have been married in the first place?

[Alan2099]

This isn't to talk about whether you like them editing the marriage out of history, whether One More Day was a good idea or not, this goes back further.

Way back in the day should Spider-man have ever gotten married to begin with or would his adventures have worked better over the years without him having a wife?

[RDMacQ]

Maybe there should be more options. Like, "Don't Care," or "No, I don't think he should've gotten married, but I don't think it affected the quality of the book" or just an "Other" option.

[Matt Linton]

I voted "No", though I agree with RD that there should have been a "didn't affect the quality of the book" qualifier.

[Patrick Hultquist]

I was a subscriber when Peter was married. There was a proper lead in for a few years already where MJ knew Peter's ID, (This was before the stupid retcon where she knew all along.) they were in a committed relationship with each other, and they were making decisions with each other in mind. Based on the character's prior history of growth, it seemed like a natural development.

[Gordon Smith]

A young man with no financial resources to think of who is also living an extremely high-risk lifestyle in which members of his family and friends are in grave and ongoing danger of being killed, and whose volunteer activities as a masked vigilante will condemn his spouse to unending fear, worry and loneliness (and possibly put her at risk of being incarcerated if he is ever unmasked) is a very poor prospect for marriage. I think one could reasonably argue that, in view of this, Peter Parker was being foolish and irresponsible when he got married, especially since he did it somewhat impulsively and for a rather specious reason (*), and therefore, rather than demonstrating any true progression in terms of character and maturity, the fact that he was getting married under these circumstances, with a disastrous train-wreck all but utterly certain, in fact shows that he was still an essentially immature naif who hadn't really progressed at all.

(*) His reasoning for getting married may be paraphrased thusly; ''My life is stale and nothing is happening with me. I need to do something different. Lucky me, for a change I know just what to do. I need to get married pronto!''

[Grapeweasel]

Yes.

To Gwen Stacy.

Now you've made me all weepy.

[RDMacQ]

I voted "No", though I agree with RD that there should have been a "didn't affect the quality of the book" qualifier.

OK, then. But that uses up the one thing that we're allowed to agree upon each week!

[cpahl2000]

What the point? He Is not married anymore so, it doesn´t matter.

[Endless Flight]

I thought it was a good idea at the time, and I'm sticking with it.

[Keehar]

I'd have preferred if he had not got married. At least to MJ anyway. Their marriage was boring for the most part. It never went anywhere interesting. It was more of a hindrance.

I found Peter's life alot more interesting when he wasn't married.

[cpahl2000]

I thought it was a good idea at the time, and I'm sticking with it.



Me too but marvel doesn´t .

[Endless Flight]

Me too but marvel doesn´t .

In my mind, he was married, and there's nothing Marvel can do to stop making me think that way. :biggrin:

[Patrick Hultquist]

In my mind, he was married, and there's nothing Marvel can do to stop making me think that way. :biggrin:

So Mephisto's magic had no effect on you?

[RDMacQ]

So Mephisto's magic had no effect on you?

Mephisto was in the book? When did this happen? Did it have anything to do with Pete and MJ breaking up?

[Hanzo the Razor]

I don't think he should have been; I think superheroes in general work better unmarried, especially ones that are youth-based like Spidey.

(And as a massive Superman fan, I don't think he should be married either)

[cpahl2000]

In my mind, he was married, and there's nothing Marvel can do to stop making me think that way. :biggrin:



In my mind too.

[Endless Flight]

So Mephisto's magic had no effect on you?

Mephisto can have a strong influence on the weak-minded. :biggrin:

[cpahl2000]

So Mephisto's magic had no effect on you?




Neither on me. I don´t embrace Evil, different from peter.

[Rev. Calibos]

I think 'no'.

I think that it was an exciting idea at the time but overall it only hurt the books because by having him settle down you take away one of the more interesting foundations of Spider-Man, the romantic aspect of the book.

Not that married folks live unromantic lives or anything, but a big part of Peter's life revolved around his romantic triumphs and defeats.

Watching that 'Ol' Parker Luck running true to form' was an enjoyable part of the book as we saw his heart get broken and then, mere weeks later, turn around and find himself dating a supermodel or some other gorgeous catch.

Part of the fun of the book was watching Parker cry in his cheerios about his romantic woes only to see him turn around and find a date with a really good looking girl who was all about him.

Peter had some play and he didn't even realize it, lol.

Being married was different but it took away one of the more interesting aspects of the character, a single Peter Parker, former wall flower, who finally is able to get out into the dating pool.

[Alan2099]

I think 'no'.

I think that it was an exciting idea at the time but overall it only hurt the books because by having him settle down you take away one of the more interesting foundations of Spider-Man, the romantic aspect of the book.

Not that married folks live unromantic lives or anything, but a big part of Peter's life revolved around his romantic triumphs and defeats.

Watching that 'Ol' Parker Luck running true to form' was an enjoyable part of the book as we saw his heart get broken and then, mere weeks later, turn around and find himself dating a supermodel or some other gorgeous catch.

Part of the fun of the book was watching Parker cry in his cheerios about his romantic woes only to see him turn around and find a date with a really good looking girl who was all about him.

Peter had some play and he didn't even realize it, lol.

Being married was different but it took away one of the more interesting aspects of the character, a single Peter Parker, former wall flower, who finally is able to get out into the dating pool.

I agree with this completley and you've said ti much better than I could have.

In many ways it was like killing off a popular character. You get the shock of one single god storyline, but the writers aren't thinking ahead to what happens after that.

[Endless Flight]

In many ways it was like killing off a popular character. You get the shock of one single god storyline, but the writers aren't thinking ahead to what happens after that.

Alan, you act as if there's nothing to do for a married superhero.

Should he have just hung up the threads after getting married to MJ?

[Matt Linton]

Not Alan, but I do think that if Peter were to settle down and get married, he'd retire as Spider-Man. He wouldn't necessarily turn a blind eye if he saw something going on, but he wouldn't be out on patrol or looking for action to sell some pictures, either. And that goes double for the second he found out that his wife was pregnant.

[Rev. Calibos]

Alan, you act as if there's nothing to do for a married superhero.

Should he have just hung up the threads after getting married to MJ?


There's TONS of stuff for a married superhero to do, just look at Clark and Lois over at DC.

The thing is though, one of the biggest differences between Superman and Spiderman was their romantic subplots.

For decades Superman led Lois on, letting her pine for Superman but all the while winking at the reader when she'd take a swipe against that 'milksop' Clark or somesuch.

Clark could have f****d her silly whenever he wanted to. He could have f****d Lois and Lana and then the BOTH of them and....

Well, you get the point.

Pete? Pete was an awkward sonofagun. His body was radically changed by that spider bite but it took his brain YEARS to catch up, lol.

He went from nerd to superhero in two seconds flat, yet for YEARS he still had girl problems.

He could beat the living hell out of Doc Ock and save the Observatory but he couldn't get back in Betty Brant's good graces?

Conversely, he could be beaten within an inch of his life by a gigantic robot barely surviving and saving the city only to find out that the Bugle is dragging him over the coals AGAIN (ungrateful bastards!) his Aunt thinks he's DEAD and he flunked his BioChem Final.

BUT.....Felicia is headed over and has some plans for our young hero......


I NEVER cared about Superman's romantic life because he could have had anyone he wanted.

Peter? I grew up with him. I had a lot of the same problems that Peter had dating.


Of course his life isn't over when he gets married, but I think that that part of his character is important enough to hold off getting married for a good, long while.

Certainly not at his, what, 25th anniversary?

[CyberHubbs]

Alan, you act as if there's nothing to do for a married superhero.

Should he have just hung up the threads after getting married to MJ?

More or less, yes.

[Endless Flight]

Not Alan, but I do think that if Peter were to settle down and get married, he'd retire as Spider-Man. He wouldn't necessarily turn a blind eye if he saw something going on, but he wouldn't be out on patrol or looking for action to sell some pictures, either. And that goes double for the second he found out that his wife was pregnant.

Yes, but he also makes a living shooting pictures of Spider-Man. He'd be a terrible husband and father by not bringing in some kind of substancial income. You could make the case that not only is being Spidey his responsibility, but it's also his livelihood.

[Endless Flight]

Of course his life isn't over when he gets married, but I think that that part of his character is important enough to hold off getting married for a good, long while.

Certainly not at his, what, 25th anniversary?

I think that was long enough.

[Endless Flight]

More or less, yes.

Then Mr. Fantastic should have hung 'em up in the mid 60s! :smile:

[Rev. Calibos]

Yes, but he also makes a living shooting pictures of Spider-Man. He'd be a terrible husband and father by not bringing in some kind of substancial income. You could make the case that not only is being Spidey his responsibility, but it's also his livelihood.

Yet once he 'retired' he could then focus on getting his degree and finally getting a full time job that pays a LOT more instead of doing mere freelance work and living paycheck to paycheck.

[CyberHubbs]

Then Mr. Fantastic should have hung 'em up in the mid 60s! :smile:

Not so bad when your entire family has powers and your wife is more powerful than you. In Peter's case, he'd be drawing MJ into all the crap he deals with on a normal basis.

[Endless Flight]

Yet once he 'retired' he could then focus on getting his degree and finally getting a full time job that pays a LOT more instead of doing mere freelance work and living paycheck to paycheck.

It's just not that easy to 'retire' cold turkey.

Look at professional sports. Many drag out their careers much too long, even after making enough money to live off of the rest of their lives, just because it's what they want to do. And some sports, like football, are very dangerous, especially to these older athletes. Some have families...large families. Why continue to play? Because that's what they want to do.

Peter could have quit being Spider-Man right after he found his uncle's killer. But he didn't.

[Endless Flight]

Not so bad when your entire family has powers and your wife is more powerful than you. In Peter's case, he'd be drawing MJ into all the crap he deals with on a normal basis.

That's what secret identities are for. :smile:

[Endless Flight]

If Peter was really concerned about his family, he would have quit being Spider-Man so Aunt May wouldn't have had a heart attack if she found out.

He already showed a willingness before he was married to allow situations to occur where his family would be in dangerous situations.

[CyberHubbs]

That's what secret identities are for. :smile:

Yeah, those work out so well. :wink:

[Jim Thompson]

The nature of Peter Parker's character leads me to believe he would get married at some point. What a marriage would likely represent to him would be too great a draw for him not to do it at some point, I think. For Peter Parker, it would be a natural part of his growing up.

[CyberHubbs]

The nature of Peter Parker's character leads me to believe he would get married at some point. What a marriage would likely represent to him would be too great a draw for him not to do it at some point, I think. For Peter Parker, it would be a natural part of his growing up.




Which is fine. Growing up comes with costs, right? Sometimes -- often times? -- there isn't a happy medium. It's one thing or another. When you get married, you change a few things. Especially if you expect children. You go out with friends less, maybe you stop thrill-seeking as much as you did before. I don't get the feeling that Peter even tried to compromise.

[Jim Thompson]

Which is fine. Growing up comes with costs, right? Sometimes -- often times? -- there isn't a happy medium. It's one thing or another. When you get married, you change a few things. Especially if you expect children. You go out with friends less, maybe you stop thrill-seeking as much as you did before. I don't get the feeling that Peter even tried to compromise.I'm just answering the question in the thread's title, mate. What Marvel did in the execution of the concept seems, to me anyway, to be a different question.

[NowTheWorld]

Spider-Man's a book about a real guy, and real people really grow up. Yes, he should have been married.

[Alan2099]

The nature of Peter Parker's character leads me to believe he would get married at some point. What a marriage would likely represent to him would be too great a draw for him not to do it at some point, I think. For Peter Parker, it would be a natural part of his growing up.




I'd agree with that, but to me that feels more like it would work as the Final Spider-man storyline, where he settles down and lives happily ever after. Not saying he couldn't show up now and again with the occasional min or team-up, but it seems that if he's ready to settle down, then most of his wild adventures are pretty much over with or at the very least, really winding down.

[Jim Thompson]

I'd agree with that, but to me that feels more like it would work as the Final Spider-man storyline, where he settles down and lives happily ever after. Not saying he couldn't show up now and again with the occasional min or team-up, but it seems that if he's ready to settle down, then most of his wild adventures are pretty much over with or at the very least, really winding down.That would be more of a fantasy than anything else, for me. Getting married has treated me well, but it hasn't been this white-picket fence thing I hear people talking about here. It's a new series of challenges and considerations, nearly all of which seem to fit beautifully into the story of Peter Parker.

[Endless Flight]

When you get married, you might as well die, right Jim? :biggrin:

[Rev. Calibos]

I'd agree with that, but to me that feels more like it would work as the Final Spider-man storyline, where he settles down and lives happily ever after. Not saying he couldn't show up now and again with the occasional min or team-up, but it seems that if he's ready to settle down, then most of his wild adventures are pretty much over with or at the very least, really winding down.

That's how I feel too. Our comic heroes our are mythology and for most, when they think about mythology they consider the Greek gods and goddeses.

Most heroes of greek myth never really settled down to have a happy ending, usually ending up in wedded bliss was the death knell for most of them as their very identity was subdued by the responsibilties they had as husbands and fathers.

The sacrifices that Peter makes as Spider-Man, the responsibility he feels to use his powers for the greater good don't match up well with settling down.

No matter what he does he's always going to feel the need to go out there and fight crime, that's always going to take precedence over whatever longterm relationship he has whether he's married or just dating.

We of course want to see our heroes win the day, save the girl and have a happy ending, but the adventures of Spider-Man are far from over.

Until that 'Last Spider-Man Story' I think that having him settle down with anyone runs counter to the very concept of what a hero is.

[Jim Thompson]

When you get married, you might as well die, right Jim? :biggrin:To hear some tell it. It's amazing Reed Richards is still around!

[Endless Flight]

There is going to be no 'last' Spider-Man story, so why wait to get married? :biggrin:

[Alan2099]

That would be more of a fantasy than anything else, for me. Getting married has treated me well, but it hasn't been this white-picket fence thing I hear people talking about here. It's a new series of challenges and considerations, nearly all of which seem to fit beautifully into the story of Peter Parker.

I understand that might not be the reality of the situation, but for storytelling purposes, it tends fit much better that way.


To hear some tell it. It's amazing Reed Richards is still around!
let's face it, not too many people are lining up for the Amazing Solo Adventures of Mr. Fantastic. (Plus his hole immediate family has super powers, so that makes a difference as well. Him being married to MJ is a huge difference than if he had settled down with Black cat, SIlver Sable, Spider-Woman, or any of those types.)

[Endless Flight]

I understand that might not be the reality of the situation, but for storytelling purposes, it tends fit much better that way.

Well, Marvel is the "House of Ideas" (insert snicker), so they shouldn't go with the tired storytelling trends of the past.

[Rev. Calibos]

There is going to be no 'last' Spider-Man story, so why wait to get married? :biggrin:

Well, for me it's just a question of practicality.

Let's say that your spouse was a superhero. They go out, fight crime, put themselves in danger every night.

Every night you sit at home sick with worry. You might turn on the televison and see your better half fighting a dinosaur in Central Park.

For two seconds you think 'Wow. A dinosaur. In Central Park' but then you see your significant other in heated battle.

And that's not to say that this isn't commonplace. I'm sure that every cop has someone at home that worries, every soldier overseas has someone back in the states that worries.....but for a superhero the danger is tenfold.

There might be time travel at some point for instance. :biggrin:


Because of the unique circumstances that comes with being Spider-Man I can't see how he would realistically settle down with anyone knowing what being married to Spider-Man would entail.

[Jim Thompson]

I understand that might not be the reality of the situation, but for storytelling purposes, it tends fit much better that way. I personally don't find this to be the case.

[Endless Flight]

All this talk about Spider-Man not being able to be married...

He was married for twenty years! They were able to write some stories about him being a hero too, believe it or not.

[Rev. Calibos]

All this talk about Spider-Man not being able to be married...

He was married for twenty years! They were able to write some stories about him being a hero too, believe it or not.

True, but they could have told equally good stories with a single Peter too.

Again, I started reading Spider-Man a bit before the marriage and I started with reprints.


One of the things that made the book fun was seeing Peter handle the women in his life. Impressing Gwen with his motorcycle, pissing off MJ with a casual comment, missing dates because of some super villain hijinks....

Not that being married didn't lead to some equally interesting stories, it's just different.

[CyberHubbs]

All this talk about Spider-Man not being able to be married...

He was married for twenty years! They were able to write some stories about him being a hero too, believe it or not.

Of course they were. But was it the right thing to do? To be fair, also, he wasn't *married* for all twenty years.

[Hanzo the Razor]

Do any of you think Peter was being irresponsible in getting married when he is actively putting himself in incredibly dangerous situations every day and has dozens of enemies looking to hurt him and his family if they only knew his identity?

[Endless Flight]

Of course they were. But was it the right thing to do? To be fair, also, he wasn't *married* for all twenty years.

As long as it makes some sense, sure, why not?

It didn't strike me as being so left-field, it was impossible.

[Endless Flight]

Do any of you think Peter was being irresponsible in getting married when he is actively putting himself in incredibly dangerous situations every day and has dozens of enemies looking to hurt him and his family if they only knew his identity?

I dunno. Did you think he was irresponsible when he was single and Aunt May was put in harm's reach a few times? After all, she is the woman he gave up his marriage for.

[Hanzo the Razor]

Having a previously existing family and makign the commitment of marriage are different.

[Endless Flight]

Having a previously existing family and makign the commitment of marriage are different.

I don't think in his case, it's any different. He apparently believes that Aunt May is the most important woman in his life, based on the events of One More Day.

[RDMacQ]

As long as it makes some sense, sure, why not?

It didn't strike me as being so left-field, it was impossible.

Yeah. For all this talk that of "There are many heroes that can be married, but Spider-Man obviously isn't one of them" sure seems to overlook the two decades where he WAS married and it didn't prohibit story production one bit. Its ignores specific evidence with directly contradicts that point, which is staring them directly in the face. I understand the desire to want to sell the necessity of the new direction, but saying something like that just seems bloody stupid.

[Dark Soul # 7]

It was a good idea and it would've been a good idea to let him stay married.

[_OM_]

A young man with no financial resources to think of who is also living an extremely high-risk lifestyle in which members of his family and friends are in grave and ongoing danger of being killed, and whose volunteer activities as a masked vigilante will condemn his spouse to unending fear, worry and loneliness (and possibly put her at risk of being incarcerated if he is ever unmasked) is a very poor prospect for marriage.

...And yet that doesn't keep millions of them from at least shacking up with good looking women who obviously could do one hell of a lot better.

[Will.S]

This is a somewhat difficult hypothetical question to answer.

I've been reading a married Spider-Man since I started reading comics so I can't help but be colored by that fact. There are probably just as many lousy depictions of the marriage as there are good ones so it depends on how well the person who'd read the material previous to the marriage thought the build up to it really was.

Another question is whether the stories we got as a result of the marriage justified the marriage and genuinely entertained the person. Personally, I don't have enough reading experience to really answer the first question but I've enjoyed the JMS take on the couple as well as the stories since the marriage that happened to contain a married Spider-Man.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can enjoy a married Spider-Man just as much as a single one provided the parameters to getting married or separated are done in a natural or non contrived way.

[Dagger]

I'd have preferred if he had not got married. At least to MJ anyway. Their marriage was boring for the most part. It never went anywhere interesting. It was more of a hindrance.

I found Peter's life alot more interesting when he wasn't married.
Me too. Felicia was much more interesting than MJ ever was. Plus, she's hotter.

[RDMacQ]

Me too. Felicia was much more interesting than MJ ever was. Plus, she's hotter.

Yeah, its not like MJ was a supermodel or anything.

[RDMacQ]

This is a somewhat difficult hypothetical question to answer.

I've been reading a married Spider-Man since I started reading comics so I can't help but be colored by that fact. There are probably just as many lousy depictions of the marriage as there are good ones so it depends on how well the person who'd read the material previous to the marriage thought the build up to it really was.

Another question is is whether the stories we got as a result of the marriage justified the marriage and genuinely entertained the person. Personally, I don't have enough reading experience to really answer the first question but I've enjoyed the JMS take on the couple as well as the stories since the marriage that happened to contain a married Spider-Man.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can enjoy a married Spider-Man just as much as a single one provided the parameters to getting married or separated are done in a natural or non contrived way.

Well said. Excellent post.

[Jim Thompson]

Well said. Excellent post.Well -- except he didn't exactly answer the thread's question. :tongue:

[Hanzo the Razor]

I don't think in his case, it's any different. He apparently believes that Aunt May is the most important woman in his life, based on the events of One More Day.

Well, I'd agree with you if he choose May's life over Mary Jane's life; he chose the situation that kept both people alive.

[Mister Mets]

My stance on this issue is well-known: Spider-Man shouldn't have gotten married to Mary Jane Watson in 1987.

It was rushed, contrary to the portrayal of the characters in earlier issues and a poor decision for the long-term success of the franchise. If you've got to marry Spider-Man, I think you have to wait until you're sure his adventures in the Marvel Universe are coming to an end within a few years.

[Endless Flight]

If you've got to marry Spider-Man, I think you have to wait until you're sure his adventures in the Marvel Universe are coming to an end within a few years.

But you, I, and everyone else here knows that, until Marvel goes out of business and no one else owns their IP, Spider-Man's adventures will always continue. In your scenario, he'd never get married.

[Alan2099]

But you, I, and everyone else here knows that, until Marvel goes out of business and no one else owns their IP, Spider-Man's adventures will always continue. In your scenario, he'd never get married.

No reason to stop them from telling the story though. We know Batman will never grow old and give up being Batman, but that didn't stop DC from doing Dark Knight Returns and Batman Beyond.

It just means that they won't ever do it in continuity, and really that's probably for the best anyway.

[Will.S]

Well said. Excellent post.
Thanks.


Well -- except he didn't exactly answer the thread's question. :tongue:
Yeah, I just can't directly answer that so I can't really vote.

[_OM_]

My stance on this issue is well-known: Spider-Man shouldn't have gotten married to Mary Jane Watson in 1987.

...On the other hand:

a) Gwen wasn't an option.

b) Black Cat's not a "nice enough girl" for the likes of Peter.

c) Marvel had to do SOMETHING to beat DC at the punch. Recall at that time that Byrne was relaunching Superman, and there actually were really goofy hints being dropped that Byrne might just throw everyone a curve ball and have Clark & Lois married. Of course, that curve ball turned out to be having Ma & Pa Kent still alive - the best thing he did for the mythos, natch.

...Remember, we're dealing with the two big kids on the block, While they're not exactly bullying one another, they do call each other out on quite a few occasions, and have been known to imitate, rip-off, and try to show each other up on far more occasions than that.

...One other thing that I feel is in favor of having not only Peter married period, but any major super-hero is that it gives the characters one more source of inspiration and motivation for young readers. That, of course, being that you marry someone and you make the marriage [I]work[/I. God/Yahweh/Roddenberry knows that the parents *and* the kids of the last couple of generations could have taken that lesson to heart.

[TROUBLEZ]

I voted he probably should never got married in the first place because it creates a more 'me against the world' type of scenario except Peter's postive personality would balance it out.

However, undoing all the milestones in Spider-man's history takes greatly away from the character and what set him apart from other big superheroes.
Life and death actually meant something in the Spider-man universe. Actions all carried consequences, unlike DC with their constant reboots.

Important events:
Gwen Stacy's Death-STILL DEAD BUT SLEPT WITH NORMAN????
The Green Goblins Death-UNDONE
The mystery of Hobgoblin
The Alien symbiote
Mary Jane finds out Peters ID
The Marriage-UNDONE
Kraven's last hunt-STILL DEAD BUT KEEPS HAVING KIDS
Harry's spiral into insanity, his last act of friendship and his death-UNDONE
Aunt May's Death-UNDONE
Clone Saga-????
Aunt May finds out Peters secret-UNDONE
Spidey's reveal to the world-UNDONE

[Scott Taylor]

He was married and it is in continuity and it is part of who Peter Parker is as a character. Should he have gotten married? Same as asking whether he should have donned a Spider-Suit and started fighting crime. He did, it happened and its part of his history. Getting married is a natural progression for him and most humans. His parents were married, his Aunt May and Uncle Ben were married, he wanted to marry Gwen before she was killed. He should have gotten married at some point, it made total sense.

As to the argument about the marriage being rushed and feeling unnatural, sure I agree with that. But that happens all the time in comics and people get used to it, just like many have with OMD. Characters survive even if they get undermined by stupid editorial decisions.

And finally I think there is value in showing marriages that work in comics. Having said that, I also think that Marvel hasn't ever done a good job with the Spider-Marriage. You can really tell that Marvel has been internally torn about the marriage since the get-go.

[Chris N]

I don't believe he should never have been married. But their timing/reasons/execution were so terrible. So that marriage should never have happened.

Honestly, instead of the whole One More Day thing, Marvel should have just had Roger Stern write Amazing Spider-Man #251 then continued from there.

[Endless Flight]

No reason to stop them from telling the story though. We know Batman will never grow old and give up being Batman, but that didn't stop DC from doing Dark Knight Returns and Batman Beyond.

It just means that they won't ever do it in continuity, and really that's probably for the best anyway.

That's probably for some people's best. Not everyone's.

It's been proven that a married Spider-Man can have strong sales for Marvel. In my opinion, it was done for nothing other than editorial reasons.

[DrDoom616]

I hate this, next people will be saying that Sue and Reed should never have married, or Black Bolt and Medusa.

Peter and MJ were married, simple as, if they wanted to end that marriage then they should have a done it properly, like a divorce or something, OMD sucks ass and BND is total horseshit.

[Jim Thompson]

I voted he probably should never got married in the first place because it creates a more 'me against the world' type of scenario except Peter's postive personality would balance it out.

However, undoing all the milestones in Spider-man's history takes greatly away from the character and what set him apart from other big superheroes.
Life and death actually meant something in the Spider-man universe. Actions all carried consequences, unlike DC with their constant reboots.

Important events:
Gwen Stacy's Death-STILL DEAD BUT SLEPT WITH NORMAN????
The Green Goblins Death-UNDONE
The mystery of Hobgoblin
The Alien symbiote
Mary Jane finds out Peters ID
The Marriage-UNDONE
Kraven's last hunt-STILL DEAD BUT KEEPS HAVING KIDS
Harry's spiral into insanity, his last act of friendship and his death-UNDONE
Aunt May's Death-UNDONE
Clone Saga-????
Aunt May finds out Peters secret-UNDONE
Spidey's reveal to the world-UNDONEHadn't looked at it in that light, but I think you're on to something here.

[Endless Flight]

Well, when many important past events get undone, it just tells the long-term reader that he's basically reading a book where anything can change on a whim. It's not good.

[Jim Thompson]

Well, when many important past events get undone, it just tells the long-term reader that he's basically reading a book where anything can change on a whim. It's not good.It make the book a lot harder for me to take seriously when it becomes clear any major "change" in the character's status is temporary at best. It really seems to mean the company is never going to take a risk and do something truly innovative with their characters -- which used to be Marvel's strength as a comics company.

[Endless Flight]

That's why I usually snicker if somebody calls Marvel the "House of Ideas" still. They lost that sometime during the 80s-90s.

[AllisterH]

Not Alan, but I do think that if Peter were to settle down and get married, he'd retire as Spider-Man. He wouldn't necessarily turn a blind eye if he saw something going on, but he wouldn't be out on patrol or looking for action to sell some pictures, either. And that goes double for the second he found out that his wife was pregnant.

THIS

I think this was the wole point behind the clone debacle. To give Peter a nice sendoff and say "Peter gets ghs "reward" and gets to retire" and we get a reset Spidey.

The problem was of course, people freaking out about not reading the original spiderman...

[Mister Mets]

But you, I, and everyone else here knows that, until Marvel goes out of business and no one else owns their IP, Spider-Man's adventures will always continue. In your scenario, he'd never get married.
Well, Marvel could decide they'll do a universe-wide relaunch. Or that they're going to conclude the "616" Universe.

But I wouldn't mind half a century of adventures of a single Spider-Man within the Marvel Universe.

[Endless Flight]

Well, Marvel could decide they'll do a universe-wide relaunch. Or that they're going to conclude the "616" Universe.

That's what they should do about once every 20-30 years, but they haven't, and probably won't.

[DrDoom616]

But I wouldn't mind half a century of adventures of a single Spider-Man within the Marvel Universe.

Oh you mean like the first half a (almost) century after issue 1?

already been done

[whiteshark]

I voted no.

Best stories of Spider-Man were during the 60`s and 70`s,and not the years while Spider-Man was maried.
So by that line of thought,having Spider-Man maried didnt made the stories in any Spider-Man title better at all.