Here's why Spider-Man can't have a lasting marriage on comic book pages

Don't you love it when Peter finally gets married to Mary Jane and it seems they'll live happily ever after until they don't? Well, if the critical receptions of Spider-Man: One More Day and Zeb Well's The Amazing Spider-Man are anything to go by, chances are you don't enjoy those kinds of stories. Readers are confused as to why Marvel feels there is a need to tamper with their relationship when everyone just wants to see them happy. Well, it turns out there is a big reason for these decisions, and it's not just bad writing.

Marvel as an institution won't allow Spider-Man to get married

Fresh out of Zeb Well's The Amazing Spider-Man, many fans have wondered if Peter and Mary Jane will ever tie the knot again. So during Baltimore Comic Con, that was one of the main questions asked to veteran Marvel editor Tom Brevoort (as reported by Popverse). Unsurprisingly enough, he said that's not a likely possibility. Furthermore, he also gave a bit more insight as to the why:

"If you're working for Marvel, the ground rules are all the characters are Marvel's and Marvel as an institution gets to decide what's right and what's wrong for these characters. So there are certain things you don't want Spider-Man to do (...) He can get back with Mary Jane, he just can’t actually tie the knot with Mary Jane. Those are the ground rules going in. If you're going to work on whatever character - if you're going to work on Daredevil, you're going to have to deal with the fact that he's blind and he's probably going to stay that way for a while."

First and foremost, it's really shocking to learn that blindness — a physical condition — and being single are apparently the same under Marvel's eyes. Secondly, it's disappointing to learn Marvel simply doesn't allow Peter to live a happy life. If I had to guess, that decision was made to allow for a greater number of potential stories. If Spider-Man isn't with M.J. then he could date Felicia Hardy or even a new character like Shay Marken. The possibilities for what could happen between Spidey and other love interests are endless, but that concept also goes against the whole point of the character.

Stan Lee created Peter Parker so that other people could relate to him. That's why he has money problems, gets bullied in school, has trouble balancing all aspects of his life, and more. Chances are you'll have experienced at least one of these issues, making you like Peter even more. However, the idea of relating to a character shouldn't be exclusive to only one section of his life and to bad things and nothing else. It's been over 62 years since Spidey's creation, so of course he should be able to grow with the reader. And yes, that involves getting married at some point.

Jonathan Hickman's (fantastic) Ultimate Spider-Man is definite proof that watching the friendly neighborhood hero get married and have kids doesn't limit his potential storylines. On the contrary, it puts the character in more interesting scenarios, such as explaining to her little daughter he's a superhero who fights against evil. Besides, Peter can't stay "young" forever. That's why we have series such as the original Ultimate Spider-Man (2000), and characters such as Spider-Boy or Miles Morales. They are the ones who shouldn't have all the details of their lives figured out. Earth-616 Peter, on the other hand, is more than ready to finally get married and settle down (even if he still suits up to save the day).

But what's the point? I mean, at the end of the day, Marvel would just find a new way to break Peter and Mary Jane apart once again.