Originally Posted by
PowersThatBe
My thoughts are that it was always known that the higher ups didn't care for the marriage since it's first printings. The marriage was only created because Stan Lee himself willed it so because fans loved Peter and Mary Jane together. At the time, it was seen as preposterous for a hero to marry, something like a comicbook taboo, but as per usual, Spider-Man saw fit to destroy another common comicbook trope.
Though many fans enjoyed the marriage, it was really the Marvel Comics themselves who didn't like it. Some writers didn't know how to write married relationships and others thought it would be a ball and chain for Peter's life. Some didn't even like him with MJ to begin with, and thus many alterations began to emerge from this.
During the time of the 90s, thanks to poor decisions by the comic book industry, Marvel went bankrupt wich caused a complete change of powers. A decision was made that the suits got to make more decisions as to how things ran...and thus this is how Clone saga became a horrid mess. With these changes caused more discussion as to what to do, and thus the higherups commenced a story that would 'Kill Mary Jane'
Most of you can recall in the late 90s MJ apparently died in a plane crash. Immediately and without a moment to breathe, a romance was attempted to be pushed onto Peter in the next issue. Some issues and time later, it is revealed that MJ was not killed in a plane crash at all but was kidnapped by a stalker and stuck in his basement. This kind of thing seemed more like the higher ups wanted to try and get rid of Mary Jane, only to have the whole thing blow up in their faces and thus having to bring her back in a way that is as bizzare as the genetic actress with Aunt May (which was also a last minute change thanks to the editors changing their mind about the baby).
Higher ups try and try again to get rid of the romance, but lost a ton of readership after Clone Saga. Thanks to a growing readership from Spider-Man becoming an Avenger, they attempted to remove the whole thing in OMD which slashed their readership immensely. They had to start producing several Spider-Man issues every month and create BND to try and get their numbers back up. Still, most of the stuff that took place afterwards was known as lackluster and not comparable to older stories. The only time they managed to grow readership was when they began this IMMENSE EVENTS.
Superior Spider-Man, Spider-Island, Spider-Verse, every single one was back to back with only a few issues inbetween. The only way to keep readers on the book now was to create massive events with ground shaking moves, but every backflip preformed, the next event had to up the stakes. They had to kill characters off, they went for shock value, they made things dark, and Slott is good at making these twists and turns but only for a moment. You notice with every event and every change created, the writing is weakening. Too much left undone, not enough detail or development. Like the Marvel Universe Events, Spider-Man events are now becoming boring and Spider-Man has just become a one trick pony...but this is all they can do now. Shock value is the only thing that will keep readers here.
But as DC's rebirth has won over more readership and Marvel constantly doing events, Marvel Comics consumerbase is waining and are going to DC. Marvel has reverted back to the old superhero tropes for every character they do. No marriages, no children, no long term relationships. Jessica Jones child has gone missing and Spider Woman is about to be cancelled. Classic marriages within the Marvel universe have been split apart and iconic romances have vanished into thin air.
Meanwhile, DC grabs the readers in with granting these sort of relationships. Superman has become immensley popular thanks to bringing back the classic Lois and Clark romance and even giving the power couple a child. Batman has always had kids and continues to round them up into his family. Wally's marriage may be gone but he is restoring it slowly as he has found his true love again. Before, Green Arrow and Black Canary were not allowed to be together in their comics, but casting aside the new 52, the romance is rekindling. And let us not forget that Aquaman's wedding is around the corner.
These large changes within DC have granted them large readership and a more loyal fanbase. This a change in the company and in the right direction that welcomes new and old readers alike without much tension.
There actually is a large popularity for kids in hero comics presently. Something about the super family dynamic seems to strike many people's fancy along with it being something that isn't so heavily tackled within the industry. Sure RYV could perhaps be Marvel trying to cash in on this interest but that's all it will be seen as by many Marvel Fans, a cash grab. Marvel just trying to have their cake and eat it too which makes a lot of Marvel readers feel betrayed. To compete against something like Superman Rebirth, it has to be part of the cannon universe. It cannot be an AU, especially since most readers have known how fragile an AU is and that the writers from the cannon universe can toy with them whenever they want as seen within the stories of Spider-Gwen and series within the MC2.
Sure certain powers do not want the marriage to return and feel that Peter Parker is better with the single life, but powers change. Seats are altered, and from polls, statements and thanks to merchandise and films displayed to a non comic reading audience, Peter is preferred by majority to be with Mary Jane. It would be a definite foolish play not to change things up again and restore the marriage of MJ and Peter, especially when the fake announcements of Zendaya being MJ caused such popularity for the film and when Marvel Comics needs to get something big to compete against DC. The marriage is highly profitable and would gather an older base of consumers that stopped reading since OMD. Will they change it, who knows? But it's probably for the best to annul OMD as it would be the largest cash grab Marvel could obtain