Today we answer some more fan questions about the weird and wonderful world of comics!
Dear Marvelous Movies,
The Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer looks awesome, and I’m really looking forward to the movie! The whole part about Peter and Doctor Strange opening up the multiverse sounds wild. But the guy at my local comic shop told me that this storyline was actually based on the worst Spider-Man arc ever in the comics! He even said something weird about Peter selling his marriage to the devil. Do you know what he’s talking about?
From,
May Phisto of Hell, Michigan
Marvelous Movies: Hmm. Well, May, that storyline you described sure doesn’t sound like the Spider-Man Clone Saga to me!
May Phisto: Well, then, maybe he meant the other worst Spider-Man arc ever.
MM: Ahhhhhh, yes! That would be One More Day, which actually did involve Spider-Man selling his marriage with Mary Jane to the devil!
MP: Really? What’s up with that?!?
MM: So, you know how the movies can’t seem to go 10 years without rebooting Spider-Man back to a teenager? Well, it turns out the comics have the exact same problem! Adult, married Spidey had gone through so much growth and character development over the years, and the powers that be just couldn’t let that stand. So they decided to wash him down the water spout and knock him back to square one!
MP: Weird that they’d do that. Why not just create an alternate timeline where Peter’s a teenager again, so fans can choose which version of Spidey they like best?
MM: You mean like Ultimate Spider-Man? They did that too! Still wasn’t enough for them.
MP: Dang. So how did all of this play out in the comics?
MM: I’m glad you asked! So, during Civil War, Peter was on Tony’s side and revealed his secret identity to the public! But then Kingpin came after his loved ones and had Aunt May critically shot! Of course, Peter felt guilty and tried everything he could to save her. But the only person who could help was this mysterious, red devil-looking guy!
MP: Wait–so Daredevil stole Peter’s wife?!?
MM: No, not Daredevil. He’d have no reason to steal MJ, since he can’t see how hot she is!
MP: Plus, Daredevil isn’t evil!
MM: You seem to forget that he’s a lawyer.
MP: Fair. But doesn’t the devil usually just steal souls?
MM: Yes, but since Mary Jane is a redhead, she has no soul to steal! So instead the devil offered to heal Aunt May in exchange for them giving up their marriage.
MP: And Peter just went with it? He really chose his 80-year-old aunt over his hot wife?
MM: That Parker guilt is a piece of work, huh? But yep! So the devil changed history so that Peter and MJ were never even married in the first place! And also, nobody remembered that Peter was Spider-Man. Because in the new version of reality, Peter had gotten Doctor Strange to magically make everyone forget!
MP: Weird, but now I’m seeing the connection! So then how do they beat the devil and set reality back on course?
MM: That’s the neat part. They don’t!
MP: Wait, so the devil messes with Spider-Man’s marriage, and then that’s just the end?
MM: Pretty much! And they all live unhappily ever after.
MP: Sounds lame. No wonder everyone hates this story!
MM: But the good news is that, with Peter not married anymore, the comics can portray him as young, hip, and relatable again, and let him sleep around with whoever he wants to!
MP: But Peter Parker has never been hip! And isn’t he supposed to have this big thing about responsibility?
MM: Hey, they didn’t ask us to write Spider-Man. But maybe they should have!
MP: So how did the whole multiverse thing work in this story?
MM: Oh, it didn’t. The movie is adding all that. Although the comics did do Spider-Verse about seven years later!
MP: Well, I sure hope the movie doesn’t botch things up that badly!
MM: Thankfully, it’s got Alfred Molina, so it’s already better!
That’s all the time we have for today! Check out Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters this December!
Marvelous Movies 