Spidey and MJ Save The World (Amazing Spider-Man #672 spoilers)

[stillanerd]

Ever since "One More Day," it seems like Marvel has done everything they can to diminish Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson as a couple, and not just in ret-conning their previous marital status and giving Peter various other love interests to pursue. But then along comes the finale to "Spider-Island" to suddenly remind us why fans loved these two as a couple in the first place.

First of all, we get an explanation as to why MJ seemed to be the last one in New York to develop Spider-powers:



So...yeah. Peter's fear that he may have given Carlie a "Spidey Transmitted Disease" as a result of "sharing a toothbrush" (among other things) back in Amazing Spider-Man #667? Turns out it he had the right idea, albeit a different girl with different results.

Anyway, Spidey and his clone Kaine team-up against The Queen (who now has transformed into a giant 28-story half-woman, half-spider creature) only for the Queen to swat Spidey away like...well, a bug. And who comes in for the save?



Spidey's plan? To use Doc Ock's miniature octo-bots (the one's from Amazing Spider-Man #600) to administer the Anti-Venom cure to all those infected with the "Spider-Island virus." So he and MJ go up to the Empire State Building to better broadcast the signal, leading to this moment:



Due to everyone being cured, the Queen is weakened, allowing Kaine to deliver the killing blow. The day is saved, and what do Peter and MJ do the celebrate? They snuggle!



And if that weren't enough, Peter seems to have completely forgotten all about Carlie Cooper. You know, the woman who is supposed to be his actual girlfriend? :-P

Okay, maybe this doesn't necessarily mean Peter and MJ will get back together again right away, but it sure seems things are moving in that direction, do they not?

Comments

[his_spiffynesss]

Haven't the numbers for Spidey been going down steadily? Maybe it's reached the "it's a dog" point and they just have to do something.

[cyberghostface]

Perhaps, but just ousting Carlie (and I don't see her leaving just yet) would be the equivalent of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It's the same thing with Big Time--it pretty much went "It's safe now, you can come back! We're going to have a consistent creative team! Everything's different now! Etc, etc!" and no one returned.

Nothing short of a complete creative overhaul and restoration of the former status quo is going to bring back all the falling readers. But Steve Wacker and co. have been stubborn in saying that the marriage won't be coming back, and if they readership starts to fall, they'll just find different ways to boost readership.

Word on the street is that it was none other than Bendis who said to them that the only way they'll get those readers back is by restoring the Spider-Marriage, this was years ago so it looks like it fell on deaf ears.

[jaybee3]

Not only do I not think that the marriage won't return (outside of Stan's newspaper strip) as long as Joe Queseda and Steve Wacker are still around but MJ/Peter won't get "together" (except as a tease like here) as long as the current Powers That Be are in charge. That would be admitting they made a mistake. And when it comes to both Marvel and DC thats something they almost never do (Dan Didio still defends Countdown and Amazons Attack!)

It's almost a Hal Jordan situation IMO. By the time Green Lantern:Rebirth came around the only person of the old guard from the 90s who had been involved with the destruction of Hal and the creation of Emerald Twilight from the DC Brass/Editorial was Paul Levitz (who was soon retired) and Mike Carlin (who was phased out of DC not long after). Everyone else (Denny O'Neil, Kevin Dooley and the late Archie Goodwin) were gone and Didio and Johns who grew up with Hal brought him back.

That's probably what's going to end up happening with Peter/MJ. When the next generational shift happens at Marvel we'll see some changes (or possibly a reboot).

[fifthie]

You're probably right and it's a shame since Marvel's now apparently willing to just go ahead and put out comics that only work if you assume that every person reading them is going to mentally cross out "ex-girlfriend" and scribble in "wife", but it still won't just come out and admit that it's fucking stupid for Pete and MJ to not be married.