Marvel just can’t stop stirring the pot. First, they made Mary Jane Venom. Now, they’re flinging Spider-Man way back in time to a period no one asked for. Fans wanted epic web-slinging, not a history rewind, but here we are.
Marvel’s playing a risky game — push Spidey too far, and they might just get caught in their own web of backlash.
Marvel’s latest Spider-Man twist takes Peter Parker back to childhood
Marvel’s latest Spider-Man move is stirring up controversy — again. Fresh off the backlash over Mary Jane as Venom, the publisher is now sending Peter Parker back to an era no one really asked for. Instead of pushing him forward, Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 7 is diving into his pre-teen years.
Writer Joe Kelly, known for reshaping Deadpool, is leading this nostalgic trip. Rather than retelling Peter’s origin or exploring his current struggles, Kelly wants to explore a lesser-seen chapter: his pre-high school days. He explained (via BoundingIntoComics):
I’m sort of fascinated with Peter as a young person, like pre-high school…Because we haven’t really spent any time with him at that time period, and I feel like we get a lot of our hard wiring at that age.
You hit that age where you’re like 13, 14, and you start processing things differently…He lost his parents when he was younger, but what does that really mean to him as an adolescent? Does he act out? Is he more reserved? We always see him as the nerdy kid, but was he angry? Because when I go back and read those early books, Peter was mad a lot.
Marvel’s long-standing obsession with keeping Spidey forever young is no secret. Executive Editor Tom Brevoort once laid it out clearly: “Spider-Man doesn’t grow up.” Despite Peter’s high school and college years making up just a fraction of his 63-year history, Marvel refuses to let him evolve.
For fans hoping for meaningful character growth, this latest direction might feel like another frustrating sidestep. But Kelly insists it’s about telling impactful stories, not just longevity.
It’s not even a longevity thing to me…It’s a potency effect. Did this story hit you? Cool. And hopefully, you get a bunch of those in a row. And that makes a run.
Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 7, featuring art by John Romita Jr. and Pepe Larraz, swings onto shelves April 9.
Marvel exec says Peter Parker and Mary Jane’s marriage shouldn’t impact fan investment
Marvel Comics Executive Editor Tom Brevoort isn’t losing sleep over Peter Parker and Mary Jane staying apart. Responding to a frustrated fan, he brushed off concerns, arguing that Amazing Spider-Man is constantly evolving. He alluded (via BoundingIntoComics),
Plenty of things have happened to Peter Parker and Spider-Man over the past seventeen years and most all of them have mattered, both to the character and to the audience.
Things change in the world of Spider-Man all the time, always have. So sometimes, he has a black costume and then he doesn’t, and sometimes he’s a school teacher and then he isn’t, and sometimes he’s married and then he isn’t, and sometimes Doctor Octopus takes over his body and then he gets it back. It’s all kind of the same thing.
But that’s exactly the problem, say fans. Marvel is fine tweaking Peter’s job, suit, or villains, but real character growth? Off-limits. He’s still a struggling photographer. Aunt May is still this close to disaster. Even Gwen Stacy keeps finding a way back into his orbit.
Meanwhile, heroes like Wally West and Richard Rider have evolved. So why can’t Spider-Man? Brevoort’s blunt response? If you don’t like it, stop reading or switch to Ultimate Spider-Man. Not exactly a web-slinging sales pitch.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
