For once, the big news coming out of All-New Venom isn’t that Mary Jane Watson is the new host for the alien symbiote. Instead, Mary Jane is making headlines for finally breaking things off with her partner, Paul. Even though Paul is a recent addition to the Spider-Man cast, he’s quickly become a controversial figure. Fans just haven’t loved Mary Jane with Paul the same way they do Peter Parker. Of course, Paul and MJ don’t have the same history together that Peter and MJ do, and fans have always wanted them to get back together. However, looking at his track record, Spider-Man has never been the best boyfriend.
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Being in a relationship with a superhero is all sorts of stressful. You have to constantly worry about their well-being, and also be aware that any of their enemies could target you and other loved ones. As longtime Spider-Man fans know, Peter Parker and Mary Jane were once married, but the powers-that-be at Marvel decided to nix it. We’ve been left with Spider-Man swinging from partner to partner, looking for a permanent relationship. Though he tries his best, he can never make things work. Unfortunately, the majority of the blame lands on Spider-Man’s webbed feet.
Spider-Man Is the Worst Boyfriend Ever
So remember how I said that the majority of superheroes make terrible partners? That still holds true, but Spider-Man seems to take it to a whole new level. Not being up front with girlfriends is part of the problem. In order to keep his identity as Spider-Man a secret and not to endanger their lives, Spider-Man has to constantly lie to them. This means making up excuses to miss important date nights and other events, coming off as flaky in the process. Girlfriends want a dependable boyfriend, someone they can count on and who is reliable. Sure, heroes are risking their lives to save others, but if the girlfriend isn’t aware, then they can’t support them.
Also, let’s not pretend that everything would be rosy if Peter and Mary Jane got back together. Especially if you factor in Mary Jane being the new host for Venom. There have been far fewer times that Spider-Man has been in a relationship with another superhero, or someone in the superhero community. The only examples I can think of are with Black Cat, Captain Marvel, and Mockingbird. Typically, Spider-Man ends up dating regular, run-of-the-mill women. Could Spider-Man share the limelight with Mary Jane and Venom? And would he be okay with it?
What fans didn’t like about Mary Jane and Paul is that it appeared we were close to seeing Peter and MJ back together. Right as momentum was building to this happy reunion, here came Paul. To add insult to injury, Marvel seemed hellbent on keeping Paul around, even with the amount of vitriol he generated. But Paul is finally on the way out, so insert all the Peter/MJ speculation.
Spider-Man Needs to Work on His Relationship Skills
Is it possible for Spider-Man to turn things around when it comes to relationships? Possibly. It’s a double-edged sword of needing to be open with whoever he’s dating, and needing to keep his identity a secret. At least Spider-Man doesn’t suffer from the Paul syndrome of being overly needy. Spider-Man has a life of his own to keep him busy, so he doesn’t have to constantly sit around at home wondering what his girlfriend is up to.
I hate to say it, but Spider-Man should probably work on coming up with better lies to tell his girlfriends when he has to dip out on them. It means less rest for him, but Spidey should also consider being more present whenever possible. If he spent more time with whoever he’s dating, then it wouldn’t be such a big deal if he missed a date here and there. Juggling two lives can be difficult, but not impossible. You have to put the work in. If having a girlfriend or wife is something that Spider-Man actually wants, then he has to do a better job of making these relationships work.
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios. -
Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios
