How would you return MJ to her post-OMD baseline as Peter’s main love interest?

[hobnob]

Runs come and go but the 2006 Spider-Man Manifesto is eternal (until Brevoort retires). At some point all of us but the deepest of cynics understand that Peter and MJ will gravitate to each other eventually. How would you do it?

[Vegeta]

Reveal him as a supervillain. I'll be honest, I never like any of Peters rivals when it comes to romance. Rereading the old Ditko stuff, I didn't like Ned Leeds at all when he was trying to get with Betty. But I did like when he was "revealed" as the Hobgoblin, my fave Spider-Man baddie. Didn't like when the Black Cat hooked up with Puma or Foreigner either, (and definitely disliked Morbius on the cartoon) or when MJ was with Harry Osborn.

So yeah, put him in the F.A.C.A.D.E armor or whatever so I can cheer when Spidey beats him up!

[hobnob]

Reveal him as a supervillain. I'll be honest, I never like any of Peters rivals when it comes to romance. Rereading the old Ditko stuff, I didn't like Ned Leeds at all when he was trying to get with Betty. But I did like when he was "revealed" as the Hobgoblin, my fave Spider-Man baddie. Didn't like when the Black Cat hooked up with Puma or Foreigner either, (and definitely disliked Morbius on the cartoon) or when MJ was with Harry Osborn.

So yeah, put him in the F.A.C.A.D.E armor or whatever so I can cheer when Spidey beats him up!

Origin of Hobgoblin is my favourite run. I’m glad I’ve got the collected edition and have read it several times. I consider it peak Spider-Man.

[ImOctavius]

I'll be honest, I never like any of Peters rivals when it comes to romance.

Who does it?

[Rift]

Make Pete and MJ's on and off relationship a plot point. Mephisto's magic was supposed to keep them apart, but they are instinctively drawn together. They keep breaking up and grtting back together because that's them subconsiously breaking through the spell and coming together.

[Astroman]

I want a combined answer of MJ was brainwashed and Paul is the big bad who did it.

[hobnob]

I want a combined answer of MJ was brainwashed and Paul is the big bad who did it.

I’ve since realised that should have been an option. Given that their ‘connection’ moment is when she’s rigged up to the device it seems Wells may have considered it. I also wonder if Paul has been Shades all along.

[Daibhidh]

(I hereby renounce all intellectual property in these ideas for what they're worth.)

Nightmare takes over New York; Peter and MJ team up to defeat him, and wake up to find none of it happened. In MJ's dream she waited for Peter but when he came back he was dating Carlie, because he thought it would be perfectly fine for her to move on to Paul.)

(None of it includes Felicia being turned into a comfort blanket, Kamala getting killed unceremoniously, Maddie Pryor invading New York with demons because that's better than using her words apparently, nobody thinking to transfer Peter's memories to Ben by telepathy, etc etc.)

Of the other options, I'd go for the clone / cryosleep option. Peter realises this is not the real MJ when he sees her happily cooking and being domestic because in JMS' run it's stated that MJ doesn't cook.

[Vortex85]

I would go for Mephisto last ditch effort to keep Peter and MJ apart. Notice Rabin comes into play just as they are talking about living together like the marriage days. It would be the same dynamic as pre-OMD at that point, just without the ring on the finger. Mephisto used Wayeb and Rabin since he can't directly interfere, and this was done with foresight into this event happening.

Also, the kids and the alternate world were magical and supernaturally influenced MJ to feel a bond with Paul and the kids beyond a natural occurrence. This was still in play when she said she was not leaving Paul, and is taking a while to uncloud her mind after the kids were destroyed.

[hobnob]

I would go for Mephisto last ditch effort to keep Peter and MJ apart. Notice Rabin comes into play just as they are talking about living together like the marriage days. It would be the same dynamic as pre-OMD at that point, just without the ring on the finger. Mephisto used Wayeb and Rabin since he can't directly interfere, and this was done with foresight into this event happening.

Also, the kids and the alternate world were magical and supernaturally influenced MJ to feel a bond with Paul and the kids beyond a natural occurrence. This was still in play when she said she was not leaving Paul, and is taking a while to uncloud her mind after the kids were destroyed.

My apprehension with Mephisto or the brainwashing is that it basically means MJ was raped for four years. It gets dark, which I guess is how Wells likes it (gotta sell to those kids!). I could settle for that if Peter killed Paul bare fisted in a blind rage. He just lets it all out. Peter’s killed before. Maybe back in Paul’s dimension so no one knows. I dunno.

The cleanest option is probably cryopod but even that’s depressing.

I think on balance I prefer MJ just lets him go and she and Peter spend a long time moving back to each other. Time’s a healer. Maybe she dumps him and he reveals he’s evil. It would answer the question, ‘why does he want MJ to have symbology tech in 616?’ When she dumps him it triggers him and he feels compelled to act and he gets evil.

I still hate it, but it’s the least problematic.

[Vortex85]

My apprehension with Mephisto or the brainwashing is that it basically means MJ was raped for four years. It gets dark, which I guess is how Wells likes it (gotta sell to those kids!). I could settle for that if Peter killed Paul bare fisted in a blind rage. He just lets it all out. Peter’s killed before. Maybe back in Paul’s dimension so no one knows. I dunno.

The cleanest option is probably cryopod but even that’s depressing.

I think on balance I prefer MJ just lets him go and she and Peter spend a long time moving back to each other. Time’s a healer. Maybe she dumps him and he reveals he’s evil. It would answer the question, ‘why does he want MJ to have symbology tech in 616?’ When she dumps him it triggers him and he feels compelled to act and he gets evil.

I still hate it, but it’s the least problematic.

MJ was a victim regardless. She was trapped in an alternate earth for 4 years in a place she didn't want to be. Might as well go all the way.

[hobnob]

MJ was a victim regardless. She was trapped in an alternate earth for 4 years in a place she didn't want to be. Might as well go all the way.

Sure but there’s trapped and then there’s abuse. I’m not sure how MJ would process it to realise she’d been the victim of domestic abuse and she went along with it for the kids. That’s the opposite of what she wants for her life. There’s a lot there to unpack and it wouldn’t be a swift or child-friendly read, frankly.

[Vortex85]

Sure but there’s trapped and then there’s abuse. I’m not sure how MJ would process it to realise she’d been the victim of domestic abuse and she went along with it for the kids. That’s the opposite of what she wants for her life. There’s a lot there to unpack and it wouldn’t be a swift or child-friendly read, frankly.

I wouldn't call it abuse form Paul. Paul would not know MJ is being manipulated and so is he. In reality they are together because of the kids. They don't really love each other. The kids have a supernatural grip on MJ. The only abuse comes from the magic placed over MJ by Pauls father. It was abuse anyway from Rabin, he was trying to constantly hunt and kill her. So adding a spell over her that makes her supernaturally attached to the children and makes her committed to the family unit she was placed in isn't worse than what he was already doing to her in the story.

[Astroman]

Sure but there’s trapped and then there’s abuse. I’m not sure how MJ would process it to realise she’d been the victim of domestic abuse and she went along with it for the kids. That’s the opposite of what she wants for her life. There’s a lot there to unpack and it wouldn’t be a swift or child-friendly read, frankly.

Is "possessed by Parallax but now exorcised" an option. There are other DC/Marvel crossovers I'd rather see but I'd take it if it gets rid of this version of MJ.

[Kevinroc]

MJ was a victim regardless. She was trapped in an alternate earth for 4 years in a place she didn't want to be. Might as well go all the way.

Eeww... No. Definitely do not do that.