Spider-Man Has A New Love Interest, But Does He Really Need One?

Spider-Man has always been steeped in emotional drama as much as superhero-shecanery. A major selling point for Marvel’s early days was writing soap operas with superheroes as the stars. Spider-Man, pitched as the relatable character to drag in younger audiences, was a natural fit for the drama that entailed. One of the most obvious and best-selling parts of soap operas is their insane romances, which Spider-Man has also had plenty of over the years. To this day, people argue whether his best love interest is Mary Jane, Black Cat, or Gwen Stacy. Now, fans, have a brand new love interest for the shipping wars.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2025) #15 continued Spider-Man’s star-spanning adventures with his own makeshift Guardians of the Galaxy, complete with Rocket the Raccoon. It dove deeper into Spider-Man’s inner turmoil and gave us the answers on his brand new suit, but perhaps most importantly, it introduced a brand new relationship for Peter. However, not only is Spider-Man the last person who needs another love interest, but this relationship is outright doomed from the start.

Spidey’s Space Vacation/Avoidance Party

Ever since his disastrous battle with Hellgate, Spider-Man has been stranded in the stars. Even after he formed his own space-traveling team with other people captured by Xanto, he never tried to return home. This issue started with Peter entering a gladiator match to free Rocket from some debts, and in the middle of the battle, he discovered that his brand-new Technarch suit was actually alive. He immediately rebooted it to restore the Technarch’s consciousness, even at the threat to his own life. While it rebooted, the Technarch, Glitch, and Spider-Man saw into each other’s memories. Peter’s memories of Hellgate confirmed that the villain promised to destroy Earth if he ever returned, unless Spidey could stop him.

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After the team eventually got back to the ship, Peter was cornered by his teammate, Raelith. She asked him why he risked his life for Glitch’s freedom, giving up the extra strength he was so clearly obsessed with obtaining. Peter answered that it was the right thing to do, and he expected anyone would do the same in his shoes, so Raelith kissed him. She pulled away, saying that she was sorry she didn’t ask for permission, but Peter told her that she had it. They kissed again, all while the mysterious Nikodimu watched on.

Another Doomed Romance for the Lineup

Spider-Man officially has a brand new kissing partner in Raelith, but that’s honestly the last thing he needs. On a small-scale level, his relationship with Raelith is obviously doomed from the start. Spidey will be returning to New York in just a few issues, and while it’s not impossible that Raelith will choose to stay with him there, it’s unlikely. Beyond that, this issue repeatedly showed that Peter was avoiding his responsibilities on Earth, treating this space adventure as a vacation of some kind. He even kissed Raelith while avoiding explaining his experiments to Rocket. Peter being with Raelith is a sign of him avoiding his responsibilities. If we know one thing about Spider-Man, it’s that he will always return to his responsibilities, and thus, leave Raelith.

On a meta level, Spider-Man doesn’t need another love interest because he already has far too many. Even the characters still in contention to be with Spider-Man in the modern day are Black Cat, Shay, and Mary Jane. Three options is already far too many, and fans are already at war over who “deserves” to be with Peter most. The last thing Spider-Man fans need is another character to throw to the wolves. Raelith definitely doesn’t deserve that. She’s a cool character, from what we’ve seen of her. This might just be personal preference, but I’d rather not see another character get heartbroken because Peter is avoiding his responsibilities.

We have yet to see what Raelith and Spider-Man’s relationship will look like, but so far, it seems like they have everything working against them. I can’t imagine that this relationship will last very long at all, given that Peter’s tenure in space can only end with an explosive confrontation with Hellgate. Peter has to get stronger to win, and that means he can’t be drowning himself in distractions. Let’s hope that Raelith isn’t that.

The Amazing Spider-Man #15 is on sale now!

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