Reasons To Keep Peter Parker Single

[mlazic]

I find it entertaining when there's sexual tension between the characters and you're not sure exactly which way Peter will head. Leads to some great comedic moments like ASM #606. With a married Peter you lose a lot of that tension because it just seems so unlikely Peter or MJ would cheat on the other.

[RobertMacQuarrie1]

I find it entertaining when there's sexual tension between the characters and you're not sure exactly which way Peter will head. Leads to some great comedic moments like ASM #606. With a married Peter you lose a lot of that tension because it just seems so unlikely Peter or MJ would cheat on the other.

It's unlikely Peter would cheat on anyone if he's just in a relationship with someone. That's just not who he is.

And it's hardly a great loss if we lose stuff like Peter having a drunken rendezvous with a woman he barely knows (which was quickly retconned), or having encounters that are meant to increase complications for Peter but end up being incredibly morally questionable, such as the situation between Michelle and the Chameleon.

[mlazic]

Like I said I like the comedic moments that resulted in Pete's drunken rendezvous with Michelle so I guess it depends on a readers individual tastes. I really enjoyed the interplay between Norah, Michelle, Carlie, MJ & Peter. Personally I was hoping he'd end up with Norah I really enjoyed her characterization.

[Sardorim]

The only reason to keep him single is so he can date other characters or have romances teased at which will ultimately fail. After all, the only long running relationship he's ever had, that worked, was when he was married to Mary and we all know how that ended - Demonic Deal.

So don't expect any of his flings, now that he's single, to last all that long.

[Mister Mets]

The only reason to keep him single is so he can date other characters or have romances teased at which will ultimately fail. After all, the only long running relationship he's ever had, that worked, was when he was married to Mary and we all know how that ended - Demonic Deal.

So don't expect any of his flings, now that he's single, to last all that long.

There are also stories you can only get when Peter isn't romantically involved with anybody. There's also a different energy with Mary Jane's absence.

[Aruran.]

There are also stories you can only get when Peter isn't romantically involved with anybody. There's also a different energy with Mary Jane's absence.

The probably the strongest argument when Peter's single. Not every story has to be a romantic one. Since it is an action-adventure comic it makes it easier on the writer that every single issue won't involve romance.

[spiderthan]

The only reason to write a single Peter is that is "easier" from the point of view of predominantly single writers. Also it is possible to write off the wall unrealistic stories like Superior.

[Sardorim]

There are also stories you can only get when Peter isn't romantically involved with anybody. There's also a different energy with Mary Jane's absence.

Since OMD the ONLY good story that has come out of OMD was the Superior Saga. Every other story, with slight modifications, could have been told with Peter still married to Mary.

[arosenbarger]

Because as much as we care, Peter Parker is a property. When the folks reading him grow older, the publisher wants to keep him "current" and constantly early/mid twenties. Most folks aren't married at that stage in their lives, as a result, in order to keep on publishing the "free spirited" Spider-man (except for his guilt)...the gatekeeper to the character wants to keep him single

[RobertMacQuarrie1]

The only reason to write a single Peter is that is "easier" from the point of view of predominantly single writers. Also it is possible to write off the wall unrealistic stories like Superior.

I don't necessarily agree with that. I do agree that the desire to have an easier time writing the character is sometimes too much of a driving force behind these sort of decisions. But I don't think it's because it's single writers think it's easier to write a single character. Many of the proponents of a single Spider-Man are married themselves.

Rather, I think it's from a belief that having an easier time writing the character means that the story will automatically be better, which isn't always the case. A good story isn't always easy to write. And creators often feel that the easiest thing to do is simply redo the types of stories that came before. Only this time, they will be able to tell the story they want with their characters. This isn't about telling new stories with new characters. It's about telling the same story that came before, with the protagonist meeting and falling in love with someone, and his dual identity coming in between him and his love interest. They want to tell the same arc that Peter went through with Gwen or Betty, but this time do so with their personal creation or their preferred love interest, under the belief that because it'd be easy for them to tell that arc, it'd therefore be entertaining for the reader.

It's very understandable why people would come to this conclusion, but also apparent who easily this type of belief can cause things to fall apart. Because easy for the creator isn't always better for the fans. And if the focus is making things easier for the writer, then you don't focus as much on making things legitimately better for the fans.

[theshow07]

Because Peter and Mary Jane are not compatible.

this and when they got it marriage it wasn't well-thought-out or well-done and peter and mj wasn't ever dating

[Sans Simian]

1. Makes it easier to introduce other characters
2. Gives a writer more flexibility with their stories
3. Extends the illusion of change farther

I agree with all of this. I'm coming from a perspective a little different than everyone else in that I'm reading Spidey full-time for the first time with the re-boot of ASM. I'm enjoying the fact that Peter and MJ aren't together right now. I know that down the road they will be, it's inevitable. But for now? I don't know how much they need to be together.

I may be the only one who thinks this way (and that's okay if I am) but I'm interested to see if Anna Maria and the real Peter have a go at it. I'm shipping that until the time that MJ and Peter get back together again.

[Hypestyle]

It's unlikely Peter would cheat on anyone if he's just in a relationship with someone. That's just not who he is.

And it's hardly a great loss if we lose stuff like Peter having a drunken rendezvous with a woman he barely knows (which was quickly retconned), or having encounters that are meant to increase complications for Peter but end up being incredibly morally questionable, such as the situation between Michelle and the Chameleon.

drunken rendezvous? retcon?

[Darthfury78]

One of the reasons to keep Peter single is because he could have gotten more intimate with Felicia Hardy(Pre-OMD), as well as Betty Brant. On the flipside, we might have seen more interactions on a personal level with Jennifer Walters, Black Widow, Jessica Drew, Psylocke, and Silver Sable/Carol Danvers.

[Mister Mets]

10 posts on whether Superior Spider-Man could have worked with a married Peter Parker were moved to a new thread.