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Spider-Man General Discussion

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This thread's for the Spider-Man comics and spin-offs, whether they're decades old or brand new.

  • Apart from the main Marvel Universe titles, Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man "What If?" stories, crossovers, guest appearances in other books, Alternate Universe tales and things like Marvel's manga adaptations are all on-topic here.
  • Spider-Man 'family' books are on-topic (as are their own crossovers, guest appearances etc.) - e.g. Spider-Man 2099, Miles Morales, Spider-Woman, Silk, Spider-Gwen, Venom, Carnage, Black Cat, Red Goblin and Spider-Verse.
  • Characters and comics that originated in Spider-Man but are no longer directly connected to the spider-franchise (e.g. Punisher, Silver Sable) are not on-topic, unless you're discussing historical connections and crossovers. If in doubt, check before you write a long post. If this isn't the right place, there's a more general Marvel Comics thread which covers them.

Technically, Marvel's Infinity Comics (and their predecessors, Infinite Comics) are webcomics, not comic books, but it's fine to talk about their Spider-Man stories here.

Discussions that are only about Spider-Man adaptations in other media (films, video games etc.) are off-topic, but discussing the differences between the adaptations and the original comics is fine - as long as spoilers for the adaptations are tagged.

Please follow the spoiler policy rules - tag spoilers for the latest issues, for any previews or content leaks, and for off-topic comics. When including spoiler tags, try to write so that tropers can make an informed decision before viewing them (e.g. which series and issue will they spoil?).

     Original Thread OP 
Since everyone likes talking about him. I know little about him(Ironically,I got nearly all I know about him from a Batman thread),but he's apparently important so I made this thread. Enjoy.

Edited by MacronNotes on Jul 10th 2023 at 10:58:13 AM

Joshbones Since: May, 2015
#31076: Oct 18th 2023 at 10:03:45 AM

I think Spencer's run peaks when Boomerang moves out. He was really the heart of that whole storyline.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#31077: Oct 18th 2023 at 10:21:54 AM

I liked the retcon to Sins Past and Harry being a demon.

But it went on way way too long.

Honestly, though, my only complaint about Spencer was the thoroughly unnecessary retcon to Squirrel Girl Kraven.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Joshbones Since: May, 2015
#31078: Oct 18th 2023 at 10:34:44 AM

That's probably my biggest issue with Spencer's run as a whole. It seems he was more focused on putting all the toys back in the box than really moving things forward. We don't even see him in school after a certain point.

I think the only new character introduced in the entirety of that run was the female Trapster on Beetle's sinister six.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#31079: Oct 18th 2023 at 10:39:22 AM

He had so many subplots running simultaneously and he was just so bad at balancing them

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Spirit Pretty flower from America Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Hooked on a feeling
Pretty flower
#31080: Oct 18th 2023 at 1:25:20 PM

@Windle

Honestly yeah. With her history MJ getting a symbiote would make some sense, and there's plenty of drama to be had as she works through her disdain for them to trust her's or use her trauma as an excuse to end her arc with her getting rid of her's.

Symbiotes are being introduced and tossed a away left and right now, but at least it makes more sense than Black Widow getting one because... symbiotes are attached to Spiderman's corner of Marvel, and a widow is a Spider?

Edited by Spirit on Oct 18th 2023 at 4:27:03 AM

#IceBearForPresident
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#31081: Oct 18th 2023 at 2:16:38 PM

I'd rather they do characters with their own origins than try to make Mary Jane a corner of a corner of an existing Spider-character.

She was bit by a radioactive slot machine or something.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Tiamatty X-Men X-Pert from Now on Twitter Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: Brony
#31083: Oct 19th 2023 at 12:48:59 AM

"we're going to hook Mary Jane up with a character that we know the fans like, such as Shocker, Black Cat, or Batroc the Leaper." Not gonna lie, I think a lot of people would be on board with any of those.

Shocker is really well-liked as kind of a loser villain, so him dating MJ would be a fun story about a sad sack turning his life around. Like, he's trying to go straight, and he gets a job working with MJ or something, and they get to talking, and she's surprised to find she actually likes him. And Peter's baffled, but supportive.

Batroc is Batroc. Anyone who doesn't love Batroc is simply wrong. He is so damned fun, and genuinely charming, and I can honestly see him shooting his shot, and MJ deciding to go along with it, and yeah.

The appeal of MJ and Black Cat getting together is pretty obvious. It's not like there isn't already mountains of fan art of that pairing.

Honestly, I think most people, even people who want the marriage back, would actually be willing to accept MJ dating someone else, if it was written well. From what I've gathered, the issue right now is just that Wells didn't really write her current romance well.

X-Men X-Pert, my blog where I talk about X-Men comics.
Deadpoolrocks Since: Sep, 2010
#31084: Oct 19th 2023 at 1:32:22 AM

She could have had something with that fireman she was seeing for a bit, that was organic, not hey you are trapped in another universe with just one guy for months off screen and now you love him. if they had at least broken them up in a non idiotic way, but I guess thats the point isnt it.

they can only break up peter and mj in idiotic ways, selling their marriage to the devil, getting trapped in another universe and having fake kids made, wonder what nonsense they will do next time peter and mj get together before they decide no peter cant date mj? my guess is they finally deage peter so they can have him be college age like they obviously want

Zarius Since: Nov, 2012
#31085: Oct 19th 2023 at 2:57:00 AM

[up]MJ and Pedro was hardly 'organic', their whole relationship was built on MJ not really being over Peter and sitting in a burning building like an idiot.

[up][up] Most of us will never accept MJ with anyone else but Peter, as Spencer's run made it clear they are still the end goal anyway and their daughter is destined to be born and defeat the devil, so anyone else will only be delaying the inevitable. If that wasn't enough, Slott's Amazing Fantasy#1000 depicted Peter and MJ as having overcome every obstacle and had grown old together.

Turning her bi and pairing her with Felicia would just be a creatively stale stunt that distracts both characters from focusing on what they do best. Why can't they just be friends?

If you read the comics, you'll find her and Paul aren't even depicted as a romance, it's more of a co-dependent relationship brought upon only by a chain binding spell. Most readers are just waiting on MJ to admit it was all about taking care of the kids or feeling sorry for Paul after losing them and staying out of moral obligation until he's ready to move on.

MJ being with anyone else doesn't work. She's made it clear so many times she considers Peter the most important man in her life, and that she's never ever stopped loving him, she's also said in One More Day itself that regardless of who or what comes in their way, she knows she and Peter will always find their way back to each other.

Most people won't accept Peter without MJ and vice versa because MJ herself has already told us not to.

Edited by Zarius on Oct 19th 2023 at 3:29:41 AM

immortaleditor Since: Aug, 2023
#31086: Oct 19th 2023 at 5:48:26 AM

On a related note, while I’m dubious about him dating MJ because of what the person above says, I think a storyline about Shocker getting a girlfriend would be REALLY funny and maybe even a little heartwarming. Poor dude deserves a win or two, especially since they didn’t commit to his big victory of becoming the head of the Maggia at the end of Superior Foes.

Tiamatty X-Men X-Pert from Now on Twitter Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: Brony
#31087: Oct 19th 2023 at 6:03:43 AM

[up][up] Two things.

First, I do suspect you may be making the classic mistake of assuming that what the most vocal portion of the audience thinks is what the majority of the audience thinks. The vast majority of the audience just wants entertaining stories. They don't spend as much time thinking about this shit as people like us. We are a tiny minority of the audience. All the people who talk about ASM on Twitter and You Tube and other sites probably account for less than 5% of all the people who read ASM every month. So when you say "most people" won't accept MJ having another romantic interest, I think you're probably wrong, and that most people will accept whatever entertains them.

Second, if editorial is committed to Peter and MJ not being a couple - and it seems they are committed to that - I feel like the most effective way of selling that actually is to have MJ dating someone else, and to make that relationship endearing and fun. Because, like I said, most readers will accept her with another person, if the story is told well. I'm inclined to think that even most of the people who want Peter and MJ to get married again are willing to set that aside if the story is good. Because at the end of the day, a good story is a good story, and that's what readers really want to see.

I'd argue a good story where MJ dates the Shocker is better than a bad story where she's married to Peter.

Edited by Tiamatty on Oct 19th 2023 at 9:04:06 AM

X-Men X-Pert, my blog where I talk about X-Men comics.
Zarius Since: Nov, 2012
#31088: Oct 19th 2023 at 6:16:08 AM

[up] If you perceive that I'm making a 'classic mistake' of speaking for most people, what do you think you're doing exactly? I'd argue the same thing. And yeah, I think you're wrong.

You seem to be under the impression editorial's stance on Peter and MJ means it's the end-all/be-all, when a video game just got released featuring their relationship front and center, and believe me, that game is going to mean a HELL of a lot more to a vaster majority of the public than the three or four people still buying Amazing Spider-Man for the variants and none of Wells' garbage.

Editorial had no problem with four years of Peter and MJ together in Spencer's run and the entirety of Beyond. They had no problem promoting Lost Hunt (highlighting a previously thought retconned past with a married and pregnant MJ) while Wells was peddling his run. They are simply allowing Wells to tell a story, and if you go by Wells' interviews, he's said his ideal ending for Spider-Man is for Peter and MJ to be together, and there's a good chance that's what he's building towards.

Editorial aren't committed to keeping Peter and MJ apart, they are committed to keeping them unmarried. There's a difference. People don't need to be married to have a long-term relationship with occasional breaks in between for 'dramatic' purposes.

Brand New Day, Big Time, Superior, Worldwide etc, were overall pretty bad, but there are some 'good' stories with Peter single, what wasn't good about them was whenever the focus was on him and MJ dating other people. Carlie, Carr, Mockingbird, Pedro etc, none of them were particularly captivating stories. Eventually the question is, do people accept Peter and MJ's love life works just as well when they're not together when we have a consistent track record of failure like this?

The only time there was a successful, popular relationship in the post-OMD era was with 'Peter' dating Anna Maria, and that was Otto in Peter's body, so it doesn't count, different characters, different goals. As soon as that ended, so did Anna and Peter. I enjoyed the relationship on that level, but it was no substitute for Peter and MJ.

Edited by Zarius on Oct 19th 2023 at 7:16:24 AM

RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#31089: Oct 19th 2023 at 9:00:03 AM

Have they ever tried pairing MJ up with a non-Spider affiliated superhero? Like, that'd be a way to keep having MJ continually appear, without always having to do the will-they/won't-they dance with Peter - just have MJ appear in a different book.

RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#31090: Oct 19th 2023 at 9:00:29 AM

Closest was Tony.

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#31091: Oct 19th 2023 at 9:31:33 AM

Has Peter ever met Parker Robbins aka The hood in 616 Canon (since he appeared in the recent insomniacs Spiderman comic tie in).

Since the hood is his Corrupted Character Copy

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Zarius Since: Nov, 2012
#31092: Oct 19th 2023 at 9:52:43 AM

[up][up] Yeah, Bendis brought MJ in to be Tony's assitant in Iron Man and they crossed over with Spidey in a battle with Regent where MJ suited up as Iron Spider. MJ and Tony fell out off-panel by the time she got back with Peter in Spencer's run. MJ and Tony never had a romantic relationship.

knightstorm Since: Feb, 2022
#31093: Oct 19th 2023 at 9:58:31 AM

Putting Peter and MJ with anyone else is pointless. Marvel have spent most of the last decade and a half putting them with different love interests...and even Dan Slott admitted several years ago that unless the love interest was MJ or Gwen...readers would hate them anyway. That holds true for MJ as well...none of these other guys they've put her with will be accepted. Marvel are just bashing their heads in a wall constantly rather than just accepting reality.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#31094: Oct 19th 2023 at 10:00:03 AM

Sudden plot twist: Mj starts dating Ben “the Reil Deal” Reilly

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#31095: Oct 19th 2023 at 10:34:18 AM

Has Peter ever met Parker Robbins aka The hood in 616 Canon (since he appeared in the recent insomniacs Spiderman comic tie in).

Since the hood is his Corrupted Character Copy

He is? I don't know much about the Hood beyond him beating up Tigra.

miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#31096: Oct 19th 2023 at 10:44:59 AM

Umh yeah. Even the tagline to his series was With great power …comes great opportunity

Parker Robbins' father worked closely with the Kingpin and had a healthy relationship with his son as he was growing up. As a child, Parker witnessed a battle between Daredevil and Electro, which would have a profound effect on his young adulthood. After his father's death, Parker's mother entered a near-vegetative state and was hospitalized. Deeply troubled, Parker soon turned to a life of crime, and would lie to his mother about the jobs he had found during his visits. Parker's well-meaning nature was juxtaposed with his philandering and thieving ways, such as taking care of his pregnant girlfriend Sara, while visiting a prostitute on the side.

One night, Parker's cousin and best friend John King, a recovering alcoholic and thief, tells him about a job at a warehouse said to be housing valuable goods. Taking the job, Parker accompanies John to the warehouse, where they stumble upon an abandoned mystic ritual, resulting in an encounter with a Nisanti demon. Parker shoots the demon, seemingly killing it, and steals its hood and boots, not wanting to leave empty-handed. After tossing his gun in a dumpster, Parker encounters a gang who want the boots he had stolen off a HYDRA agent before going to the warehouse. Throwing the boots at the gang, he flees and puts on the demon's boots, learning of their levitation powers.

Like the whole Point of the Hood is someone who like Peter is a mostly average joe expect totally amoral. Even the fanboy of other heroes (or at least villains) comes from ultimate Peter.

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#31098: Oct 19th 2023 at 11:19:09 AM

Turning her bi and pairing her with Felicia would just be a creatively stale stunt that distracts both characters from focusing on what they do best. Why can't they just be friends?

Barring the retcon, they have great chemistry and seem fun together.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Zarius Since: Nov, 2012
#31099: Oct 20th 2023 at 12:42:44 AM

[up]And they can still have plenty of that between them while staying friends.

Edited by Zarius on Oct 20th 2023 at 12:43:29 PM

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#31100: Oct 20th 2023 at 12:45:17 AM

I suppose it's how you view the nature of endless serialized storytelling.

There's never going to be an end, so why not try out some odd dating patterns?

Have Spider-Man date Captain Marvel or Kitty Pryde.

Mary Jane dates Wolverine for a bit. Maybe Daredevil or Black Cat.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.

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