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If you ever go to a Spider-Man panel at a comics convention, it’s inevitable that someone will ask about Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship. It’s a testament to how much fans care about the relationship. That’s why it came as no surprise when a fan asked Amazing Spider-Man writer Joe Kelly about the romance during a MegaCon 2026 panel. Kelly, who has been writing Spidey on and off for nearly two decades, was not surprised by the question.

“Lately I’ve just been answering this question and letting the internet do what it will,” Kelly joked. “I love that people are so passionate about these characters. When I am a fan, I am the same way. The prequel Star Wars films, I was the guy who was like, ‘This isn’t my Star Wars.’ I was one of those guys.”

While Kelly is a fan of Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship, a reread of Silver Age Spider-Man stories changed his perspective on the character’s love life.

“When I got [this assignment on Amazing Spider-Man] and I went back and I was reading those early books, I actually did not remember how far down the road [Peter Parker] was with Gwen when she died. They were going to get married. He was going to propose. I think there’s an argument that Gwen was his soulmate. I think that there’s an argument, and that she was taken away, and that has not been undone,” Kelly argued. “Is Mary Jane always going to be, like, [an] also-ran? I don’t know. But there is a part of that which I think people don’t want to talk about because Gwen is not in the picture.”

Don't take that to mean that Kelly isn't a fan of the Peter/Mary Jane relationship, though.

“But that being said, I read all those books when [Peter and Mary Jane] were together,” he continued. “That was when I was collecting comics. That is a couple that I’m used to. I love seeing them together when they’re in other media and stuff like that. I thought it was so very smart how they do it in Ultimate, and it was very fun to see them with a family. So, I like them. I think they’re great. I think Gwen maybe would’ve been a better fit.”

Whether you agree or disagree, it doesn’t sound like the conversation surrounding Spider-Man’s love life is slowing down anytime soon.

Marvel's most reliable superhero has proven he can do a whole lot more than just 'whatever a spider can.' Swing into Spidey's history with Popverse's...

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Just watch out for that radioactive blood.