Who is the most important Spider-Man supporting character?

[Lee]

I'd agree that Aunt May and J Jonah Jameson are the most important, with Aunt May being the hardest to replace.

[Confuzzled]

Earlier you brought up that Ben and May are the only character you'll ever need. Now, I won't refute that, or say you missed one. But when it comes to characters beyond them, seems like the MCU has a possibility of going with Mary Jane and a reluctance to go with Venom. Seems to me that Venom and Mary Jane's popularities aren't dependent on the movies. Rather, the movies' chances of using them are based on the popularity and importance those characters already had.

I said that Ben and May are the only supporting characters you'll need for a very basic version of Spider-Man. But the most basic version may not necessarily be the most popular version. The title really resurfaced in a big way once Steve Ditko left and Jazzy John Romita came on board with his heavy romance comics influence. And Mary Jane is the perfect symbol of that tonal and direction change for ASM. Her subsequent history with Peter Parker just strengthened her position in the mythos to such a degree that now her mere presence or absence in the book is noticeable.

[jimishim12]

You don't need romance to make spiderman popular.

[Phantom Roxas]

I said that Ben and May are the only supporting characters you'll need for a very basic version of Spider-Man. But the most basic version may not necessarily be the most popular version. The title really resurfaced in a big way once Steve Ditko left and Jazzy John Romita came on board with his heavy romance comics influence. And Mary Jane is the perfect symbol of that tonal and direction change for ASM. Her subsequent history with Peter Parker just strengthened her position in the mythos to such a degree that now her mere presence or absence in the book is noticeable.

Ah. Yeah, that's a good way to put it. I think Romita's romance influence helping the title resurface should point to Mary Jane not only being important to the story, but also the vitality of the franchise itself.

You don't need romance to make spiderman popular.

Okay, let me put it this way: Confuzzled, can you point to how Romita's comics influence helped the title resurface?

[Confuzzled]

You don't need romance to make spiderman popular.

There's a difference between "popular" and "most popular" though.

Okay, let me put it this way: Confuzzled, can you point to how Romita's comics influence helped the title resurface?

The way I see it, Ditko's compulsion to force his own beliefs on the character and series had increasingly begun to alienate the very people Spider-Man was supposed to connect to the most: teenagers and youngsters. For example,very few youngsters could relate to a guy criticizing the college protests in the 60's to instead side with the system. It didn't help matters that Peter and his entire supporting cast were becoming horribly jaded and unlikable, with everyone sniping at each other with venom. The book offered less and less of something that was really worth Peter's toils and struggles, and Peter himself was becoming hard to care for.

And then came in Romita with his romance comics aesthetics and Stan was finally able to take more control of story once Ditko left. Characters actually started reflecting general attitudes in real-life and started becoming relevant to the youth again. And then of course, Peter Parker finally met that mysterious young woman his aunt was set on hooking him up with.

I've linked to this article before and I will do so again because the writer really gets how that one seismic moment changed the entire course of the book and opened up new possibilities, both for the characters and the readers, that weren't present before.

In one panel Romita changes the comic’s premise as much as any “everything you know is wrong” move. It’s a one-frame “The Anatomy Lesson” (Easy now, Tiger). Because MJ isn’t just beautiful, she’s fashionable. Well-dressed. Hip. Or a Stan Lee approximation of it. Peter Parker has hitherto been adrift in a world of tragic or psychopathic grown-ups: his peers show up mainly to shun or bully him. In an instant, that changes, and suddenly superhero comics aren’t just about typical teens, or outcast teens, or nerd teens. They can be about the cool kids. Cool? Well, maybe not cool exactly – though MJ is. But the possibility of adjusting well to life is suddenly a real one.

[Phantom Roxas]

That article was excellent, and yeah, I think you make a good point. So, Ditko alienated audiences, and Romita brought in romance to get those readers to connect more strongly? If that's the case, then… yeah, they did need romance to make Spider-Man popular.

[jimishim12]

That article was excellent, and yeah, I think you make a good point. So, Ditko alienated audiences, and Romita brought in romance to get those readers to connect more strongly? If that's the case, then… yeah, they did need romance to make Spider-Man popular.

Then came JMS with magic Spiderman and Civil War, and that put Spidey back down the middle.

[Mister Mets]

I think Jonah is my favorite as well, in spite of saying MJ is the most important. So many good things I could say about that character, he's just really fun and makes Spider-Man pretty unique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRhze-CEdcU

Someday I really have to read "Behind the Mustache"

It's a great one-off.

[hobo]

If we're being poetic, I have to go with the New York City answer. As for actual human being that plays a role in comic books, I would probably say MJ.

The one caveat is that MJ was very deliberately de-emphasized, as was Harry Osborn. This is in contrast to say, JJJ, who faded in a more organic way. Can you be the most important supporting character when the creators and publishers really, really don't want you around?

[Phantom Roxas]

If we're being poetic, I have to go with the New York City answer. As for actual human being that plays a role in comic books, I would probably say MJ.

The one caveat is that MJ was very deliberately de-emphasized, as was Harry Osborn. This is in contrast to say, JJJ, who faded in a more organic way. Can you be the most important supporting character when the creators and publishers really, really don't want you around?

I think it does. If Jonah faded in a more organic way, while Mary Jane and Harry required deliberate efforts to deemphasize, then it speaks to their importance that you couldn't simply ignore them. They've become natural figures of the Spider-Man franchise, and are as tough to replace as Aunt May. The lament of characters like Carlie Cooper is that they are not going to stick like Mary Jane or Gwen. There can't "always" be other romantic love interests and exes for Peter. Brand New Day attempted to prove that, and it all just amounted to continuing to long for Mary Jane. Carlie is gone, and even though Peter is with Lian right now, we're seeing his relationship with Mary Jane still get the primary promotion. The people actually in a position to try and prove the viability of other romances and exes for Peter have realized that it's only a matter of time before the cycle comes back to Mary Jane. Trying to make up a new love interest is only stalling for time before Peter gets back with Mary Jane.

[Scott Taylor]

It's a great one-off.

Is it collected anywhere, that you know about?

[Kevinroc]

Is it collected anywhere, that you know about?

Spider-Man Tangled Web vol. 4. Only place I know it's collected. Kinda old now.

http://www.amazon.com/Spider-Mans-Ta.../dp/078511064X

(Or the original issue, Tangled Web #20.)

[Scott Taylor]

Thanks, bro! Wow a whole 66 cents. Maybe I'll order that and add in something else like that Howard the Duck Omnibus I've had my eye on forever. Love getting comics in the mail!