Mary Jane Watson-Parker Appreciation 2024.

[Spider-Tiger]

I don't think it's a response to backlash either. I think it's a result of Wells admittedly not having much of a plan in place for the characters apart from a vague set-up, and also editorial wanting to capitalize on certain elements over others. I agree that the entire MJ as Jackpot spin-off seems like more of an editorial invention than a Wells thing, and so it was handed off to another writer. I expect the new mini to be largely inconsequential. And to keep Paul around in case Wells decides to tie up that subplot himself later.

[Kevinroc]

Eh it kind of did work for a certain thing, but he's still character for a run that isn't over yet and there's no justification until they finish the story.

I think it’s more by necessity that the way they talk about Paul and the exact nature of whatever is going on between him and MJ is still so vague. They have to be ready to put the toys back in the toy box.

[Tuck]

I think it’s more by necessity that the way they talk about Paul and the exact nature of whatever is going on between him and MJ is still so vague. They have to be ready to put the toys back in the toy box.

Putting aside differences in how Marvel and segments of the readership view the story, there are elements of this story that can't really be ignored in any meaningful way: the kids, MJ is in her 30s. Anything short of hitting the reset button on that stuff is not putting the toys back in the box. Or it's at least putting some of them back in broken.

[Kevinroc]

Putting aside differences in how Marvel and segments of the readership view the story, there are elements of this story that can't really be ignored in any meaningful way: the kids, MJ is in her 30s. Anything short of hitting the reset button on that stuff is not putting the toys back in the box. Or it's at least putting some of them back in broken.

They’ve basically been ignoring some of these things already.

[Tuck]

They’ve basically been ignoring some of these things already.

Disc corrupted. Timeline not found.

[Spider-Tiger]

Putting aside differences in how Marvel and segments of the readership view the story, there are elements of this story that can't really be ignored in any meaningful way: the kids, MJ is in her 30s. Anything short of hitting the reset button on that stuff is not putting the toys back in the box. Or it's at least putting some of them back in broken.

They'll likely come up with a dumb retcon eventually. (But they've fudged the characters' ages so many times that the age thing is probably the least of their worries.)

[Tuck]

They'll likely come up with a dumb retcon eventually. (But they've fudged the characters' ages so many times that the age thing is probably the least of their worries.)

A lot of effort has gone into making sure they remain in their 20s. So the blase attitude toward putting a hard number on how many years MJ lost (plus the time said to be passing in the run in the present) and then ignoring it is baffling.

Also, Pete and MJ have known each other for about 10 years. Add a four year gap for MJ, and that is a significant amount of time she spent out of contact with Peter. Much more than any other in-universe time they've been apart. Ignoring all that is, uhm . . . dumb?

[Spider-Tiger]

A lot of effort has gone into making sure they remain in their 20s. So the blase attitude toward putting a hard number on how many years MJ lost (plus the time said to be passing in the run in the present) and then ignoring it is baffling.

Also, Pete and MJ have known each other for about 10 years. Add a four year gap for MJ, and that is a significant amount of time she spent out of contact with Peter. Much more than any other in-universe time they've been apart. Ignoring all that is, uhm . . . dumb?

Don't you know she was 24ish when she left? So she's only 28ish now.

(I think Spencer's run said Peter was 25 despite being established as older in previous runs.)

[Frontier]

Don't you know she was 24ish when she left? So she's only 28ish now.

(I think Spencer's run said Peter was 25 despite being established as older in previous runs.)

Slott canonically made him 28 but Spencer had MJ say he's in his "mid-20's" even though he was written older.

[Tuck]

Don't you know she was 24ish when she left? So she's only 28ish now.

(I think Spencer's run said Peter was 25 despite being established as older in previous runs.)

I'm pretty sure they said it had been 12 years since Amazing Fantasy 15 during BND. Makes them 27 and 25 at the time. Unless they want to say zero time passed between then and the current run, and the current run had MJ lose four years, plus a six month jump in the present day, and another few months at some point.

Marvel isn't DC (DC isn't really DC anymore). Holding this indefinitely in time doesn't work.

The irony is that they could more-or-less pull it off if they did it like Ultimate, keeping him in high school indefinitely. And they can probably do it in the new Ultimate, keeping him mid 30s indefinitely.

But by having him grow up through high school and college, they turned the maturation process into part of the story, whether they like it or not. They can't do that for decades, then just hold forever. The plane will eventually run out of fuel.

[Frontier]

I'm pretty sure they said it had been 12 years since Amazing Fantasy 15 during BND. Makes them 27 and 25 at the time. Unless they want to say zero time passed between then and the current run, and the current run had MJ lose four years, plus a six month jump in the present day, and another few months at some point.

Marvel isn't DC (DC isn't really DC anymore). Holding this indefinitely in time doesn't work.

The irony is that they could more-or-less pull it off if they did it like Ultimate, keeping him in high school indefinitely. And they can probably do it in the new Ultimate, keeping him mid 30s indefinitely.

But by having him grow up through high school and college, they turned the maturation process into part of the story, whether they like it or not. They can't do that for decades, then just hold forever. The plane will eventually run out of fuel.

I feel like it was a weakness in Ultimate that they kept him in high school so long.

[Tuck]

I feel like it was a weakness in Ultimate that they kept him in high school so long.

Yeah, but that at least is a matter of taste, not a structural issue in the overall story itself.

[Spider-Tiger]

I'm pretty sure they said it had been 12 years since Amazing Fantasy 15 during BND. Makes them 27 and 25 at the time. Unless they want to say zero time passed between then and the current run, and the current run had MJ lose four years, plus a six month jump in the present day, and another few months at some point.

Marvel isn't DC (DC isn't really DC anymore). Holding this indefinitely in time doesn't work.

The irony is that they could more-or-less pull it off if they did it like Ultimate, keeping him in high school indefinitely. And they can probably do it in the new Ultimate, keeping him mid 30s indefinitely.

But by having him grow up through high school and college, they turned the maturation process into part of the story, whether they like it or not. They can't do that for decades, then just hold forever. The plane will eventually run out of fuel.

I agree. To be clear, I'm not arguing against a retcon. Just that current editorial treats continuity like a vague suggestion and a marketing tool as opposed to a writer's Bible. The whole thing has gotten progressively more convoluted and confusing over the last 20 years and there's very little making sense of it all. To try and reconcile ages, which haven't even been consistent run to run, is like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. I don't see the underlying issue changing until a new editorial takes a completely different creative approach to the title.

[Frontier]

[Konnik92]

Is this a variant or an official cover?