If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.
The characters of Spider-Man and Mary Jane "are better served" if they remain unmarried, says longtime Marvel editor
With the latest in a series of comments from Marvel editorial about Peter's marriage to Mary Jane, Tom Brevoort responds to a fan that argues a holy union wouldn't diminish Spider-Man comics
Popverse's top stories of the day
- My (pseudo) apology to My Dress-Up Darling
- The Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont has come out of retirement for Stranger Things' final Netflix season
- Why both Louise Simonson and Chris Claremont "weren't sure" Marvel's New Mutants was a good idea
Like any celebrity, Spider-Man is facing a great deal of scrutiny about his marriage, or lack thereof. We at Popverse aren't immune to interest in the subject either - you may recall our reporting last week on Marvel's Tom Brevoort speaking to the Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson union. Now, the longtime Executive Editor has more to say on the subject, and as The Daily Bugle would surely want us to, we've tuned in to hear it.
Brevoort's latest comments come from his weekly substack newsletter, Man with a Hat. In this week's edition, fan Stephen Nulty writes in to defend the idea of good stories coming out of a comic wherein Spider-Man and Mary Jane are married. "[...] people who want to write compelling relationships/drama between settled characters can do it," Nulty says, "they just have to imagine it's possible."
Brevoort (who we should point out, is not the current Spider-Man editor, but the X-Men's), partially agrees with Nulty's statement. "[...] your point that good stories can be told about married people isn’t wrong," Brevoort writes, but then follows up by saying, "However, the question in this instance is about these specific characters—and there, I tend to think that those properties are better served with their main characters unattached."
Acknowledging that Marvel fans are welcome to disagree ("that’s what makes horse races," he quips), Brevoort reiterates his idea that a Peter/MJ marriage in particular not working in the mainline Marvel Comics universe. "I’m not worried about any possible story about a married person being all that it can be," he says, "I’m worried about a specific individual character, Spider-Man."
It's surely not a great omen for fans who love that individual character and wish to see him, well, less individual, but at least 616 Peter Parker isn't alone in his frequent loneliness. Later in the substack, Brevoort answers a question about a longterm romantic partner for Wolverine, saying:
"Kind of the same answer that I gave above [...] I don’t know that Wolverine is best served in the same sort of relationship that might work for Rogue and Gambit or Cyclops and Phoenix. Perhaps there could be, but we’re not really there yet."
Oh well. At least a different Marvel Peter has found lasting love.
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 10 best Spider-Man comic books, our Spider-Man movie watch order, and if you want our opinions on the subject, read our articles ranking Spider-Man's actors and Spider-Man's girlfriends.
Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news
Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy
Let Popverse be your tour guide through the wilderness of pop culture
Sign in and let us help you find your new favorite thing.
Comments
Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.