Who is Peter's best love interest?

[VolcanikTiger86]

Mate, this is so groundhog day. I must admire your stamina, to get into it, as if you were pitting against a new argument.

I thought I worded it correctly for me Gwen’s death wasn’t that creative but I also acknowledge that some might but the important thing to this forum is other than your favourite Mary Jane will always win because she was the one that was around the longest.

There really wasn't a way to move her organically out of the book. They really did have a point about not having anywhere plausible to go except an engagement and/or revealing his identity. And both of those could have only been dragged out for so long.

In hindsight which is twenty twenty I can think of a few ways of doing it without killing her off.
The issue I have is that everyone is saying Mary Jane is the best why because she was the one written as his wife, his partner which none of the others really got, you said that they could have had Peter reveal his identity to Gwen there’s one major way to get her out of the book, have Peter do that and Gwen can’t deal with it (mainly because of her father’s death) that would still have opened the way for MJ and Peter to get married. This is of course off the top of my head.

The irony is that they are now in the same position with Mary Jane. Everything used to keep her and Peter apart feels like an artificial delaying tactic. But Marvel's hands are tied a bit more tightly here. They can't really get rid on Mary Jane without causing serious backlash (OMD would seem like minor grumbling in contrast) . . . and it would never stick long term. It's pretty much accepted that Gwen is dead, and that's that. But anything done to "permanently" nix Peter/MJ would be undone eventually.

Ok maybe for a bit but they are p!$$ing the fans off with all this teasing and taunting personally speaking as much as I would hate it either bring the marriage back or kill her off especially if its going to have people complain about how mary jane isn’t written properly

[Mister Mets]

Agreed, 100%, WELL SAID. What Marvel had was irreplacable. You can't beat it honestly.

Not only that, but Stan "The Man" Lee himself wanted to marry them!

I don't know how some could want to detach themselves from that and move on to something else. It's just too good.

For the purposes of this discussion, Mary Jane is probably the favorite love interest of the people who thought that the marriage was a bad idea.

[Tuck]

It would have been out of character for Gwen to leave upon finding out Peter is Spider-Man. At least permanently. The way she was being written by that point, her properly written reaction would have been like Betty's was during Civil War, where finding out would have made her trust Spider-Man, not distrust Peter. Gwen's Spider-Man hatred had dissipated for the most part by the end anyway. I'd have to go back to see the specifics, but if I recall she was getting to see Spider-Man help people she cared about. She'd have to be JJJ not to reconsider.

Everyone is "out of character" post-OMD, because OMD removed huge chunks of character development . . . which was its purpose. Simply ending the marriage doesn't give you younger Peter. You have to strip away character maturation. Mary Jane is really no more this than any one else. Felicia is really who got screwed on the deal. But that also makes sense because she's really the only character who had a relationship with both Spider-Man and Peter. Most everyone else is really a Peter associate or a Spider-Man associate.

[Agent Z]

I’m not trying to start a fight but it would all depend on what you find creative, for me if Conway had been able to keep Gwen alive and move her organically out of the book I would give him props but being told we need to kill someone I can’t make this character interesting and I really don’t like her to me that’s not creative.


I could be wrong wolfie but I think I asked in the Gwen forum and it had nothing to do with the 1967 Alley Award Popularity Poll it was simple that Stan the Man except Gwen to be the one for Peter and Gerry thought it was wish fulfillment that’s why I’m saying its funny any one of the love interests and others would be everyone’s favorite after having non stop development and panel time over 50 years and the only reason it was done that way was because of Gerry’s decision to kill Gwen off and not one writer afterwards wanting to change it until OMD which is hated by most of the fan base.

No offense taken. I actually agree with you. Sueprhero comics are often really bad when it comes to ending relationships because of the need to be as melodramatic as possible. I remember reading one guy's take on how the Jean/Scott relationship ended and how he joked that "superhero writers had never been through a normal break up".

[eSoldier]

What? No Michelle Gonzales. She was...Interesting. I wish they would bring her back

[Project Initiative Cascada]

Debra Whitman and Carol Danvers should've been on the pole as well.

[Ozymandias]

I thought I worded it correctly for me Gwen’s death wasn’t that creative but I also acknowledge that some might but the important thing to this forum is other than your favourite Mary Jane will always win because she was the one that was around the longest.

It wasn't a sign of creativity to me, either, but that doesn't mean others will stop using this old argument. I wonder when you'll get tired, of stomping your head against that wall.

[MajorHoy]

I thought I worded it correctly for me Gwen’s death wasn’t that creative . . .

For all those people who say this, I only have one question: were you actually reading the comic book on a monthly basis back in 1973 when Gwen was killed off?

[Celgress]

For all those people who say this, I only have one question: were you actually reading the comic book on a monthly basis back in 1973 when Gwen was killed off?

I know it was shocking even in retrospect.

[Agent Z]

For all those people who say this, I only have one question: were you actually reading the comic book on a monthly basis back in 1973 when Gwen was killed off?

tbf while killing off a character may have been shocking back then, nowadays it doesn't have much impact. I can see how modern readers won't see it as particularly creative.

[MajorHoy]

tbf while killing off a character may have been shocking back then, nowadays it doesn't have much impact. I can see how modern readers won't see it as particularly creative.

But that's the problem . . . they're judging it by standards that are forty years after the fact without thinking about how things may have been back then. Major character deaths weren't a dime-a-dozen back then . . . most superheroes hadn't supposedly died and then came back a year or so later, either, back in the 70s. These days? Who hasn't died for a little while?

[EuphemismForSex]

Whelp, who didn't see these results coming.

Debra Whitman and Carol Danvers should've been on the pole as well.

[Vortex85]

Whelp, who didn't see these results coming.

LMAO, good catch! Missed that the first time I read it.

[Ozymandias]

For all those people who say this, I only have one question: were you actually reading the comic book on a monthly basis back in 1973 when Gwen was killed off?

In Spain, there was a relaunch of the whole MU in 1975. We got to that point in the story by July, 1979. Other than that, I had been reading ASM for a couple of years, on a biweekly basis (fortnight).

[VolcanikTiger86]

It would have been out of character for Gwen to leave upon finding out Peter is Spider-Man. At least permanently. The way she was being written by that point, her properly written reaction would have been like Betty's was during Civil War, where finding out would have made her trust Spider-Man, not distrust Peter. Gwen's Spider-Man hatred had dissipated for the most part by the end anyway. I'd have to go back to see the specifics, but if I recall she was getting to see Spider-Man help people she cared about. She'd have to be JJJ not to reconsider.

Ok poor example but there are various ways you could have had the relationship end without killing her off. What I’m saying is did Conway and others look at any other option. From his comments he didn’t try to make her interesting and clearly showed that he wasn’t interested in having to write her any longer than he had to. Correct me if im wrong but was there a difference in Gwen’s character when Conway took over the book.

Everyone is "out of character" post-OMD, because OMD removed huge chunks of character development . . . which was its purpose. Simply ending the marriage doesn't give you younger Peter. You have to strip away character maturation. Mary Jane is really no more this than any one else. Felicia is really who got screwed on the deal. But that also makes sense because she's really the only character who had a relationship with both Spider-Man and Peter. Most everyone else is really a Peter associate or a Spider-Man associate.

Then this comes down to do we need a younger Peter, Marvel seems to say yes while I say No. But what do I know I’m just a fan.

No offense taken. I actually agree with you. Sueprhero comics are often really bad when it comes to ending relationships because of the need to be as melodramatic as possible. I remember reading one guy's take on how the Jean/Scott relationship ended and how he joked that "superhero writers had never been through a normal break up".

Thanks I actually needed that its been one of those weeks

It wasn't a sign of creativity to me, either, but that doesn't mean others will stop using this old argument. I wonder when you'll get tired, of stomping your head against that wall.

About the same time I decided to start lying which will more than likely be never, I’m crazy like that

For all those people who say this, I only have one question: were you actually reading the comic book on a monthly basis back in 1973 when Gwen was killed off?

Look no I wasn’t because I wasn’t alive in 1973 to do it but as I said to me killing a character that you don’t like doesn’t feel creative. Ok I'll give you an example it would be me killing Ginny Weasley in a Harry Potter fic because I don’t like the character instead of focusing on other characters and not her. Don’t get me wrong I understand the implications and the effect it had on comics but I’m trying to say what’s the reason the OP is asking who is Peter best love interest, which we can all agree is mostly MJ for the simple fact that she has the most development. It would have been different if he had a love interest every five years to then compare them but one has 8, one has 50 and everyone else has less than 5 are you trying to tell me that it seems fair (ok Black Cat is on/off again) cause I don’t think it is.

But that's the problem . . . they're judging it by standards that are forty years after the fact without thinking about how things may have been back then. Major character deaths weren't a dime-a-dozen back then . . . most superheroes hadn't supposedly died and then came back a year or so later, either, back in the 70s. These days? Who hasn't died for a little while?

Actually I’m not I’m looking at the reason why this character was chosen which as far as I can tell was the writer didn’t like the character.