Since I’m not a habitual reader of the actual comics for any character, I was a bit miffed today when I saw the story on Yahoo that Marvel has “erased” the marriage of Peter and MJ in the comics, and Peter is again a nerdy, single bachelor. My reaction was immediate and hot: WTF!
Before you jump to conclusions, don’t assume I’m a fan of this couple simply because of the movie or simply because I’m a girl. I know the marriages of Peter Parker and Clark Kent have always been a source of controversy among the comic book community, and you can probably figure out pretty easily which side I’m on. But, I had three older brothers, and growing up, I would occasionally read some of their Spider-Man titles. I wasn’t drawn to the action or colorful illustrations. I was drawn to Peter’s relationships with Aunt May, Harry, and of course, Mary Jane. I knew before the movie that Gwen Stacy was Peter’s first love, not Mary Jane as portrayed in the movie, but I have to say I was glad Sam Raimi did the film that way. When I watched the Spider-Man cartoon every Saturday morning on Fox while in high school, I rooted for Peter to choose Mary Jane, not Felicia Harding or any of the other female characters with whom he so easily became besotted. I was comforted to know Peter and Mary Jane had already married in the comics, so it seemed only natural for them to be the couple focused on in the first movie. Occasionally I’ve picked up the comics and have shuddered when they tried to break these two up in one ridiculous storyline after the next. As for attributing my love of this couple simply to my being a girl … well, I wouldn’t exactly describe myself as being a girly-girl, by any means. It’s no secret that as the more emotional sex women tend to be drawn to soap opera elements in a story, but I also thought Marvel and DC Comics, especially, had made a push a couple of decades ago to attract more female readers. So, is Marvel now sending a message they don’t want those female readers? Or is this simply another publicity stunt — like the death of Superman — to generate news stories and interest in an industry with slowly dwindling profits? Boy, do I hope it’s the last. If Supes can come back from the dead, so can Peter and MJ’s marriage.
What really makes me so mad about this is the societal and political ramifications of this decision, if it isn’t just a publicity stunt. It all boils down to what Joe Quesada, Marvel's editor in chief, implied in the interview I read. He basically said that it makes no sense and is bad for business to have a superhero be married in a comic book. Again, WTF! A lot of children read comics, and since most kids these days don’t get to see a real-life example of a stable, healthy marriage, seeing Spider-Man or Superman being happily married is a wonderful testament. Not to mention, does it set a better example for a young boy to see that nerdy Peter Parker never got the girl, or that if nerdy Peter Parker can land a hot wife like Mary Jane, then maybe I can too someday! I agree that making a marriage the focus of any comic book story is a bad idea and might turn off the majority of readers, but just knowing that the hero tries to lead a normal life when he’s out of costume has always been a driving source of tension and plot. If they were going for reality, they could have had the couple divorce, or killed off Mary Jane once and for all. Instead, the storyline literally erased the marriage! Poof! Gone!
Quite frankly, I can’t stand when they rewrite comic book history like this. Much better to have never had Peter and MJ marry at all, in my opinion.
Sorry. This news article really blew me up when I read it at work today. I felt a little like I’d just been slapped in the face! I’ll definitely be sending disgruntled letters to Marvel letting them know exactly how I feel about it. Not that I think it will make much difference. But, if DC even thinks about doing something similar with Clark Kent and Lois Lane, there will be hell to pay!
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