In 2007, Marvel Comics made the shocking decision to end the marriage of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson-Parker in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man.
J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada's "One More Day" saw Peter and MJ enter a bargain with the devil Mephisto in an effort to save his Aunt May's life after she was shot. The villain agreed to save her in return for their marriage and it's since been suggested he did so to stop them from having a daughter - Spider-Girl - who would eventually become his greatest enemy.
As a result of Mephisto's spell, the world forgot Peter was Spider-Man (after he'd revealed his identity to the world in Civil War) and history was rewritten to make it so that these two had never got married.
Even sixteen years on, fans remain keen to see them reunite and, surprisingly, Marvel Comics published a letter explaining - in a far more balanced manner than what you'll typically see online - the perspective of those who want to see Spider-Man grow up, get married, and have children.
"I'm sure the entire team receives an absurd amount of hate mail about 'One More Day.' I'm a part of the vast majority of people who hate that entire storyline. I'm sure it was written with love for the character, and I do not in any way think that 'I could write it better!' or anything as it isn't my job–it's yours. With that said, I'm just genuinely curious as to why the Peter Parker of Earth-616 can't just…develop? Why shouldn't he be allowed to be married? Have a kid? Bruce Wayne has a ton of kids if you count all of the Robins. If you don't, then he has Damian Wayne. Clark Kent has Jon Kent and Lois Lane. Characters having their families doesn't make them unlikable or change the status quo enough to hurt them. We like them being happy."
"I know Peter being married and having a kid shakes up the status quo, but that does not have to be a bad thing. It does not feel like Peter is developing in any way. What would have been Aunt May's death during 'One More Day' was a large, dramatic, and fitting repercussion from Peter revealing his identity and could have stayed that way for Peter to realize how heavily his actions influence his loved ones. I don't think necessarily that me sending this is going to even change anything. I feel like you probably get tens of thousands of letters a month complaining about this exact thing."
"So, I guess I'm wondering, if the Spidey team knows that a vast majority of fans dislike how things went down, then why is that still how things went down? Why hasn't it been retconned or something? I know sales are still good, but maybe sales would be even *better* if Spidey fans got what they've been mailing you that they've wanted for years?"
Amazing Spider-Man editor Nick Lowe responded with the following:
"Thanks for writing, A Spidey Fan, and I truly appreciate your civil and respectful tone. Going to respond to a few things here. We get fan mail, but we certainly don't get a lot of mail about 'One More Day.' That came out fifteen years ago. From my POV, you're overstating the 'vast majority' thing. Most months, we don't get any letters about 'One More Day.' When we do a story with Peter and MJ, we sometimes get a dozen emails from fans who want them married again, like you.
We get more letters from people talking about other things altogether! We don't get "tens of thousands of letters a month" about anything, to be honest, as most readers just read the book and feel however they feel about it. You're passionate, which I totally respect and appreciate, but you're also making a lot of assumptions about a large fan base and retailer community. Sorry to say, but these assumptions aren't borne out by our metrics. Again, I respect your opinion and appreciate you writing in."
This feels a tad dismissive and arguably boils down to, "It was a long time ago and not as many people care as you think." Then again, in Lowe's defence, we're talking about a storyline which came out the same year as Spider-Man 3 and a year before the MCU even began.
The point is, a great deal of time has passed and there is a contingent of fans obsessed with this marriage being restored who, Marvel Comics seems to think, simply need to get over it and move on.
What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.