Paul and Mary Jane Watson are Marvel’s most hated relationship in decades, and that is no exaggeration. It is hard to think of a character that has both managed to consistently capture the hatred of hardcore fans for so long and break out and become kind of mainstream more than Paul has. He is an enigma whose entire existence was a punch to the throat of Spider-Man fans, the living embodiment of Peter not being able to be happy. Fans hated Paul so much that the hate bled over to MJ by association, coupled with some downright character assassination on her part. Paul and MJ were a toxic, nonsensical mess of a relationship, but now they’re finally done, and fans are finally free.
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Why We Hate Paul
Peter and MJ are one of comics’ best known couples, and fans love them being together, which is part of what makes “One More Day” one of Spidey’s most hated and controversial stories. Pete and MJ were kept apart for nearly twenty years, where fans were constantly teased with the idea that they might come back, all while Spider-Man comics drifted farther and farther away from what they should be. The two briefly came back together in Nick Spencer’s Amazing Spider-Man run, but that made them being unceremoniously ripped apart at the start of Zeb Wells’s run hit all the harder. Paul came out of nowhere, did nothing but cause problems, then MJ decided to stay with him over Spider-Man in a sequence that makes less sense than brushing your teeth with mud. What’s even worse is that not only was Paul the living avatar of Marvel Editorial flipping off the fans, but Paul was the most bland character you could possibly imagine. Everything about his and MJ’s relationship was painful, to the point where many fans just decided that enough was enough and moved from MJ as a character all together. It was one of Spider-Man’s darkest times, but now it’s finally over.
We’re Free From the Curse of Paul
While most books portrayed MJ and Paul as the perfect relationship with zero flaws, the two started to butt heads a lot in Al Ewing’s All-New Venom. MJ had unwillingly become Venom’s new host, and the two kept it a secret while also fostering Dylan, who was left alone after his dad died and disappeared. Funnily enough, MJ only had to bond with the then-disintegrating symbiote because she stumbled upon it when she was dying herself, the Jackpot gear that Paul built for her to let MJ become a superhero having rolled the “slow and painful death power,” because Paul included that as an option for some reason. Venom bonded with MJ to save her life, and when Paul found out that MJ kept this from him, he angrily shut her out because he felt betrayed and like she didn’t trust him. MJ, for her part, had to focus on saving lives as the new Venom while that was going on.
All-New Venom #9 showed Venom rescuing Rick Jones, Sleeper, and Toxin with some assistance from Agent Anti-Venom Flash Thompson. The three beat down the S.C.A.R. Squad agents that were out to get the symbiotes, but Doctor Octopus proved to be a much bigger threat. He took down everyone, and was preparing to deal the final blow while he monologued about how he was one of Spider-Man’s archenemies, so how could they hope to beat him? Venom responded by saying that Spider-Man could do this easily, but he would do it nicely. She then filled Otto’s lungs with symbiote sludge until he passed out, and almost lost herself to her rage and killed him, but pulled back at the last moment. The heroes escaped, and MJ went back home.
MJ found Paul waiting for her, and the two agreed they needed to have a serious talk. Paul apologized for making the Venom situation about himself and blowing up, ignoring MJ’s feelings and his responsibility in the situation. He promised to do better. MJ said that she’s spent her whole life running away from what was hard, always picking the easy path, always thinking she was fighting when she was really escaping, but she can’t do that anymore. She’s changed a lot these past few years, and if she wants to step up and be better, be a hero, she can’t run away anymore, and that means admitting when she’s running. She acknowledged that she’s ignored the problems with Paul and her, and even if she wants things to be different, she can’t pretend. The issue ends with MJ dumping Paul, a light like the rising dawn behind them. MJ and Paul are finally over. We’re finally free!
Now, as much as we’re all celebrating, and we should, we can’t pretend that this will fix all of MJ’s problems right off the bat. Her character has taken massive hits over the years, and there’s going to be a long road to recovery to her actually being the MJ we all know and love again. If there’s ever any hope of her getting back with Peter some day, both of their characters will have to recover a lot. But hey, this is superhero comics, there’s always hope. The first step is always the most important, and usually the hardest. So let’s worry about tomorrow later, and instead celebrate today, the day where one of Marvel’s worst ever characters is finally, finally thrown away. Here’s to never seeing Paul in a major comic role again!
All-New Venom #9 is on sale now!
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Image Courtesy of Paramount -
Image Courtesy of Big Finish Productions.
