Peter Parker’s choice to marry Mary Jane was of the worst decisions Spider-Man ever made, and their marriage was doomed from the start. Fans demanded the two get married, but long before the demon Mephisto dissolved their marriage in 2007, Peter was having second thoughts about the entire wedding. The proof can be found in 1987’s Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 – their wedding issue – in which Peter just can’t get over old wounds.
The death of Gwen Stacy hit Peter incredibly hard and brought his mental health to an absolute low, but Mary Jane helped him in his darkest moments and the two eventually confessed their feelings for one another. Both were in love, but both had difficulties maintaining the relationship – Peter was habitually late and made pathetic excuses, Mary Jane didn’t want to tie herself to one person – and they broke up and reunited on several occasions. Shockingly, Mary Jane actually turned down Peter’s proposal twice – first in Amazing Spider-Man #182 (she wasn’t ready for marriage) and again in Amazing Spider-Man #291 (she just wanted to be friends). But after reconsidering, she finally accepted, and the wedding was on.
Peter’s worries begin long before the ceremony. He’s worried he won’t be able to support Mary Jane’s fast-paced lifestyle. He reminisces about his ex Betty Brandt. He’s unsure of everything (especially when J. Jonah Jameson advises Peter on marriage: “I got two words for ya: be sure!”). MJ’s upset that Peter bought a ring without consulting her – and for her part, she still thinks fondly of her rich ex-boyfriend Bruce – who’s offered two tickets to Paris to tempt her out of her wedding. Finally, there’s the matter of Gwen Stacy. Almost immediately upon returning to his apartment after a night with Mary Jane, Peter looks at Gwen’s picture. After all these years, he still simply cannot let her go.
If that wasn’t enough, the following nightmare sequence is the proverbial smoking gun, and it signifies much more than simple wedding jitters or nervous energy. Peter – wearing his Spider-Man costume – is surrounded by superheroes and villains. Doctor Octopus plays the organ. Even Uncle Ben is present (“You didn’t think a little thing like being dead could keep me away, did you?”). Flash Thompson forgets the ring…at which point Gwen Stacy walks down the aisle, gives Peter the ring, kisses him, and vanishes. Suddenly, every villain attacks Peter at once, separating him from Mary Jane, who is left alone at the altar. They restrain Peter, reach for Mary Jane…and Peter wakes up in a cold sweat. Lest the reader think it’s only Peter who has second thoughts concerning marriage, the next page depicts Mary Jane walking down the street at 3:00 AM and entering Bruce’s sports car.
The wedding goes quite well: Peter and Mary Jane say their vows, the officiant pronounces the couple husband and wife, and during the reception, Mary Jane reveals the tickets offered to her by Bruce – she explains they were a “wedding present from a friend.” But the marriage itself would be tumultuous, full of mistrust, half-truths, and worst of all, stagnation: writers simply didn’t know where to take the couple after marriage. Any writer who proposed the two have a child was quickly shot down by Marvel editorial; a married Spider-Man was difficult to relate to as it is. Finally, in 2007, Mephisto magically dissolved their marriage and their memories of a life together in Spider-Man: One More Day. Though fans cried foul, the decision was understandable, and perhaps the writers of Spider-Man realized what fans had long suspected: Peter Parker and Mary Jane were married too soon…and to the wrong person.
