The status quo is one of the most enduring and important facets of superhero comics. Most superheroes in the Big Two companies are made to be the stars of never-ending stories, so there must always be a standard that they can reset to where the character is recognizable. If characters divulge too much from that standard, then future writers continue to take them in new directions, then eventually the characters stop looking like their original selves, and that weakens the timeless nature that comics go for. One of the most famous and infamous adherers to the status quo is none other than the face of Marvel, Spider-Man.
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The Wall-Crawler is notorious for always returning to his status quo, which wouldn’t be so bad if his standard wasn’t abject suffering done in an attempt to keep him relatable. Spider-Man can never escape his status quo, even if it takes decades to get back to it, but that’s not to say that the status quo has remained stagnant all these years. Although it doesn’t look like it, the status quo is continuously updating itself to match the modern interpretation of the character, for better or worse. So, today, we’re going to check out the ten worst status quo changes throughout Spider-Man’s history to see if it really is better for the Web-Slinger to stick to what he knows.
10) Revealing His Secret Identity
Done in Civil War #2.
One of the largest changes to Spider-Man’s mythos came when he revealed his secret identity to the world at the dawn of the Super-Hero Registration Act. This can easily be read as an out-of-character moment for Peter, considering he’s one of the staunchest in keeping his identity a secret, but then again, everyone was out of character in Civil War, so that’s nothing new. The worst part about this change is that while it’s something Peter would never do, it opened the door for a ton of new stories that have never been told before, and then was immediately undone.
This change only lasted for a moment, and in that instant, it angered everyone while promising a slew of awesome stories like “Back in Black,” only to back out. It was all shock value and no substance, never planned to last forever. It was a slap in the face to Spider-Man fans, and is only not talked about more because it’s overshadowed by an even more infamous change, which we’ll get to later.
9) The Return of Aunt May
Done in Spider-Man (1990) #97.
Aunt May has died a few times across the 63 years she’s been raising Peter Parker, but by far her most emotional death came in Amazing Spider-Man #400. She finally, peacefully died of old age, surrounded by her loved ones, as Peter clung to her and read the story she always read to him as a child. It was impactful and mature, and fans got to see Spider-Man make his way without the guidance of his beloved aunt, adding another level of tragedy and depth to his character. All of that was undone in Spider-Man #97, where the Green Goblin revealed that this was all a setup.
Norman revealed that the woman who died in Peter’s arms wasn’t his aunt, but an actress he paid to take her place. Not a clone, not a robot, not even a brainwashed civilian, but an actress so dedicated to her role she died in it. This retcon is rightfully called one of Spidey’s stupidest, and what’s worse is that it undid all of the growing Peter and MJ did without Aunt May. Comics have a very hard time making Aunt May feel important in Spider-Man stories, and this could have been her perfect exit, but now she kind of languishes in this limbo without purpose, which is always sad to see for such a great character.
8) Making MJ a Superhero
Done in Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #31.
Now, I am going on the record and saying that I actually really enjoy MJ’s current stint as Venom, and think that it’s a great way to take her character to the next level. However, that doesn’t make her time as Jackpot any less horrendous. Mary Jane’s character worked so well because she wasn’t a hero. Seeing her grow from a carefree party girl to a mature, resolute woman who always had Peter’s back was spectacular. She was a necessary human perspective that grounded Peter’s bombastic adventures, and contributed to his stories just as much as an essential character like Lois Lane did.
All of the best parts of MJ’s character emerged from her role as a normal human in a superhuman world, and she thrived in that. So randomly giving her superpowers spat in the face of all the development MJ had up to that point, and what made her character great. She was fantastic because she was normal and just as impactful as Spider-Man, so making her a superhero took away what made her special. It definitely didn’t help that Jackpot, as a concept, wasn’t very interesting with her luck-based, Deus ex Machina powers and her connection to the loathed character Paul. Superhero MJ definitely can work, but not at all in the way it was done.
7) The Fall of Ben Reilly, Chasm
Done in Amazing Spider-Man (2018) #93.
Ben Reilly has been a popular character ever since his introduction in the ‘90s. He may have arisen out of the abysmal “Clone Saga,” but Ben Reilly’s design and bombastic personality as Scarlet Spider left a definite impression on everyone. Unfortunately, despite being a fan favorite, he suffers just as much, if not more than, Peter himself. He’s spent decades on the outskirts of Spider-Man comics, and one of his worst turns came during the “Beyond” arc. The Beyond Corporation bought the copyright to Spider-Man and hired Ben to become their own corporate hero. At the same time, Peter was taken out of the fight by acute radiation poisoning.
Fans were ecstatic to see Ben take the mantle of Spider-Man once again, but it was soured by the ending. Ben’s mind came apart, and he tried to forcibly steal Peter’s memories as the Beyond Corporation fell apart around them. Ben rose again as the villain named Chasm, combining his unstable mental state with new light-based powers. After years of watching Ben languish in limbo, seeing him return only to become a villain was a massive disappointment. Ben Reilly deserves better.
6) Parker Industries
Done in Superior Spider-Man (2013) #20.
Parker Industries was introduced during Doctor Octopus’s tenure as the Superior Spider-Man in Peter’s body. He used his genius and Peter’s lack of a criminal record to found a multi-billion-dollar company, which Peter retained when he took his body back. On the surface, there’s nothing wrong with this change. Yes, Spider-Man is meant to be relatable to the average Joe, but having him step into the realm of high money and tech makes sense given how long he’s spent on the bottom and struggling. It could have been cathartic and opened new avenues for Spider-Man stories, unlike anything before or after it.
Unfortunately, the execution is where it fails. Instead of being the humble, lovable hero we all know Peter as, the sudden influx of money made him absorb some of Iron Man’s most aggravating traits. He became kind of arrogant and downright annoying, with an ego that would bruise at the slightest insult. These weren’t traits made for Peter to overcome, either. He just started being a jerk after getting someone else’s money and credit. This is one of the most creatively bankrupt times in Spider-Man’s existence, and frankly, it just didn’t feel like Spider-Man at all. He was just a discount Iron Man.
5) Doctor Octopus’s Return to Villainy
Done in Superior Spider-Man (2019) #12.
Doctor Octopus’s tenure as the Superior Spider-Man was one of the greatest redemption arcs in comics. He learned the value of being a hero, was inspired by Peter’s selflessness, and ultimately gave his life to save the day after realizing he was not, in fact, the superior Spider-Man. It was a tragic tale of a prideful man learning to be better that was ruined by Otto’s return to villainy. A cynical mind could say that it was inevitable that Doc Oc would return, given that he’s one of Spider-Man’s most iconic villains, but it still hurt to watch Otto return from the grave and immediately work with Hydra.
All hope wasn’t lost, however, as Otto returned to his Superior Spider-Man identity to continue heroics. Unfortunately, in issue #12 of his second volume, Otto repeated the worst Spider-Man mistake of all time and made a deal with Mephisto to set things right. Otto traded his memories of his time as Spider-Man, and thus his character development, reverting him to the megalomaniac villain he was before. As much as I love the classic Doctor Octopus, there’s no denying we lost something special when his time as a hero was wiped away. It’s extra salt and lemon juice in the wound that it was through a deal with Mephisto.
4) Marv Wolfman’s Run
Done in Amazing Spider-Man #182.
Marv Wolfman is a classic writer with numerous accreditations to his name. One of his biggest successes is inarguably his run on New Teen Titans, which made the team into one of DC’s most popular powerhouses and whose impact is still felt today. Modern comics would not look like they do today without Wolfman’s contributions, but unfortunately, his Spider-Man run is a definite black spot on his record. This is not to say that Wolfman didn’t have incredible contributions to the Spider-Man mythos. After all, he gave us incredible additions like the Black Cat and the essential Big Wheel, but his run also brought a lot of problems.
For starters, he completely gutted Mary Jane’s character. Previous teams spent countless issues slowly and naturally progressing Peter and MJ’s characters. The two fell in love with each passing issue, and by the end of the previous run, had become one of the most mature couples in comics. Then Wolfman came in and had Peter propose with a box of Cracker Jacks, and MJ turned him down because she was a party girl who didn’t want to be tied down. Couple this with the return of the Peter-Betty-Ned love triangle and Peter’s college graduation being turned into a joke, and this run signaled a major downturn in maturity and quality.
For over fifteen years at this point, the main Spider-Man comic had been a stable of quality and stories moving forward. This decision to backpedal the entire main cast’s arcs by years was one of the first signs of the status quo becoming king. This even led to the other main Spider-Man comic of the time, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man, to push against this characterization and try to salvage the characters and their interactions. This is one of my least favorite eras for Spider-Man, all because of how insulting it feels to go from the previous writers to this.
3) The Rise of Ben Reilly, Spider-Man
Done in Sensational Spider-Man #0.
Again, Ben Reilly is a beloved character who has so much untapped potential, but his introduction is also one of Spider-Man’s worst stories. The “Clone Saga” is infamous for going on for way, way too long and losing its own plot immediately, and one of the most baffling decisions made during it was to reveal that Peter Parker was actually the clone, and Ben Reilly was the original. With this revelation, a destructive mental breakdown, and MJ getting pregnant, Peter decided to retire from being Spider-Man and give the mantle to Ben.
Ben’s tenure as Spider-Man had a lot of great moments, and he is a legitimately great character, but the fact that he became Spider-Man like this was positively insane. He got the position on the back of Peter’s entire life being upended, and fans being told that the Spider-Man they’ve followed for decades was nothing but a fake. It was a major disservice to one of Marvel’s most consistent and important characters, and had to be walked back. Ben could have been Spider-Man, but it never should have happened like this.
2) Paul’s Introduction
Done in Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #1.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Paul is the most hated Spider-Man character of the decade, and possibly of all time. After years of fans demanding that Peter and MJ get back together, only for the plot to continuously rip them apart, they were finally given a bit of hope with Nick Spencer’s run on Amazing Spider-Man (2018), which brought the two back together. That volume ended on a high note, with Peter and MJ more committed to each other than since their marriage, only for Zeb Wells’s run to start and immediately rip them apart.
Now, I don’t entirely blame Wells for this decision. It’s been known for years that Marvel Editorial dictates practically everything in the mainline Spidey comics with an iron fist and a stone heart, but that doesn’t make Paul any better. Paul Rabin is the physical embodiment of Editorial telling fans that Peter and MJ can’t be together and that Peter must suffer endlessly. He was and is a nothingburger of a character that offers no redeeming qualities. He was created solely as an excuse to break MJ and Peter up in the most brain-dead and out-of-character way possible, in a move that has practically permanently stained MJ’s character in the fans’ eyes.
Paul is the face of Spider-Man’s fans’ number one complaint: that the status quo must be that Peter suffers and is alone, without MJ. Paul is not interesting, not fun, and definitely not relatable. He might as well be a physical wall between Peter and MJ for all the purpose he serves in the story beyond giving them a reason to break up. The only enjoyment fans have gotten out of this character was watching Dylan taunt him and MJ dump him in the pages of All-New Venom, but for some of them, that change was too little, too late to undo the damage Paul did to the hearts of Spider-Man fans.
1) “One More Day” / “Brand New Day”
Done in Amazing Spider-Man #545 and #546.
I’ve already mentioned it several times throughout this list, so the number one worst Spider-Man status quo change of all time can only be the fallout of his worst story of all time. “Brand New Day” is the banner that Spidey’s comics flew under after the disastrous and infamous “One More Day.” You would be hard-pressed to find a comic more universally despised than “One More Day,” which saw Spider-Man and MJ literally make a deal with the devil and sell their marriage to Mephisto to save Aunt May’s life. This was done to return Spider-Man to his younger, freer status quo, as Marvel editorial thought that fans couldn’t relate to a married Spider-Man, which is an insult in and of itself.
“One More Day” had Spider-Man and MJ act entirely out of character and threw away one of the best relationships in Marvel for Aunt May, who Marvel proceeded to do absolutely nothing with for years. I love Aunt May, but if we’re trading Peter and MJ for her, she should at least have a starring role in some stories, not be pushed back to her old role of Peter’s doting and worried mother without even knowing his identity. This status quo change was simply a slap in the face to longtime fans of Spider-Man, who watched decades of stories be thrown out the window for no reason at all.
This was the start of Spider-Man’s modern downfall. This is not to say that there have not been some incredible stories since this reset, just look at “Spider-Island” and Superior Spider-Man. But still, this single change continues to impact Spider-comics to this day, and it’s exhausting to remember that no matter what Peter and MJ do, they will always be ripped apart by the powers that be. It’s infuriating and undoubtedly one of the worst Spider-Man stories ever told. We can only pray that, one day, it will be undone.
So there we have the ten worst Spider-Man status quo changes from his first 63 years. Which one of these do you think was the absolute worst, and would you put any other ones up here on this list?
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