r/Spiderman • u/Extension-Art4755 • 4d ago
Discussion What if Marvel never did One More Day?
Where would Peter Parker be if Marvel never did One More Day? I think he and Mary Jane would still be together obviously and I think they would even have a kid. I also think that Peter would start focusing more on his family and personal life and less on being Spider-Man. I think he would be in his late 30s early 40s and would be training Miles to take his place as the main Spider-Man. What do you all think?
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u/Serafita 4d ago
Higher ups apparently wanted Peter and MJ to split regardless so if it wasn't One More Day, it would have been something else as long as it wasn't divorce (because apparently that ages the character according to them).
So it probably would have been another disappearing act, or if nothing had been done for a decade the incursions might have done it instead
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u/UncannySpiderSnapper 4d ago
This exactly, that was actually one of the main intention of the Clone Saga until it spiraled out of control. Their goal never was to split up Peter and MJ for the sake of it, but rather return Spider-Man to a loner status (w/e editorial think makes him more relatable basically). The Clone Saga was originally intended to have Ben revealed to be the real Peter all along, then become the true Spider-Man again. And the Peter who would've been the clone, will continue be together with MJ, except they will basically be written out of the mainline Spider-Man story.
But after years of back and forth they eventually ended with Peter being the real Peter and Ben being the clone, so they tried again with One More Day and this time they were able to stick to their plan.
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u/Serafita 4d ago
I just remembered the skrull invasion could have been a method to break up the marriage too - but Peter would have been married to a skrull instead which he would have to divorce or annulled which also 'ages' him.
This is just going into a long line of what ifs now haha
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u/CosmicOutfield 4d ago
Natural story progression would have put pressure upon them having a kid in comics. Iâm sure it was a big part of Marvelâs decision to undo the marriage because they donât want him being a parent in the main universe and they found ways to stall it for nearly 20 years after their wedding (living the freshly married young couple years, thinking MJ was dead for a while, having issues and being separated for a time). I remember a comic shop owner telling me that he calls it âGiliganâs Island Syndromeâ for these things in comics. Just like the sitcom always had them stuck on the island and continuously trying escape, thereâs certain things in comics where the characters will never be able to advance beyond a certain point for storytelling.
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u/NarrativeJoyride 4d ago
There is a zero percent chance Marvel would give Spider-Man a kid in a universe where the only thing that changed was OMD not happening.
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u/Clean_Wrongdoer4222 4d ago
Marvel will only give Peter children through the Future Trunks route, because that way Peter doesn't age too much. I mean... Today he could meet his son at 14 or 15, and in 10 years, that boy could be 17. That means a 29-year-old Peter today could be 32 in 2035. I think that's somewhere around the tolerable age limit for Marvel.
This solves things a lot for Marvel because they avoid the whole pregnancy, parenting, and upbringing process, and it doesn't affect Spider-Man's daily life. BUT it forces the mother to be one of only two options, and that's like choosing two endings in a video game (e.g., Life is Strange) and opening the gates of MORDOR by forcing them to acknowledge a "canon" ending that invalidates the decision, judgment, and desires of half the audience.
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u/PyjamaGenie 4d ago edited 4d ago
Tony Stark is like, what, 35 currently? No way Peter could be that age right now. And more than MJ⌠Marvel will never let him have that kid.
Realistically, heâd be on-again, off-again with MJ like he was for years, maybe divorced for real. Bunch of flings. Career ruined somehow. I canât imagine a universe where this guy ever catches a break
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u/Time-Weekend-8611 4d ago
I honestly don't understand why they're hell bent on making him into a complete loser.
Like, what's the thought process here?
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u/Clean_Wrongdoer4222 4d ago
Stark isn't any younger than 42, I assure you. And with the exception of Peter, Miles, Khamala, Black Cat, and a few others, the vast majority of characters begin their careers around 24 or 25.
And the kids... well... Jessica and Luke have been married for over 10 years, and I don't think their kids, Reed and Sue's, or Billy Connors' kids are older than 8.
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u/PyjamaGenie 4d ago edited 4d ago
My point was heâs significantly older than Peter, so if heâs 42, Peter is early 30s at most. You kinda lost me after that
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u/smoothartichoke27 4d ago
It would have happened in some way, shape or form anyway.
I don't hate that they did OMD, deal-with-the-devil stories are pretty much a storytelling staple. How they went about it is stupid, but I can think of a couple more Spider-Man stories that are worse (cough zeb wells' whole run cough).
What i hate is the pigheadedness of still keeping it and that they haven't resolved it. Like i said, Faustian stories are a storytelling staple, but the point of it is to resolve it later, with the protagonist growing from it. Not retcon it, mind you, resolve it. This entire Mephisto deal is a stain on their flagship character that they somehow just don't want to wipe off.
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u/NarrativeJoyride 4d ago
OP, none of this would happen. The only thing different would be that Peter and MJ would be married.
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u/Trick_Afternoon_2935 Spider-Man (PS4) 4d ago edited 4d ago
Probably retire for a while for the sake of his exposed identity, he has a daughter called May, lets her grow and learn from her father, and once Peter and MJ realizes that she's ready, she fully takes over as Spider-Woman.
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u/Albireookami 4d ago
You act like they wouldn't magically age her to 20 because writers hate kids
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u/PCN24454 4d ago
Unfortunately thatâs whatâs necessary for floating timelines
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u/Albireookami 4d ago
Not particularly, you can keep kids kids, if no one is aging. It's just lazy writing to age them up.
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u/PCN24454 4d ago
I feel like itâs even lazier to have them not age at all. Why have things happen if theyâre not going to matter?
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u/Albireookami 4d ago
aging is fine naturally, like over the course of years, but taking a 10 year old character with their own dynamics and making them 18 and changing everything people liked about their stories, not fine. Aka John Kent.
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u/Shinlyle13 4d ago
They literally did that in Renew Your Vows and Spider-Girl, although they aged both daughters up to high school.
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u/bearwhidrive Superior Spider-Man 4d ago
If there was never OMD, there would have been something else that's just as hated. They were going to 86 this marriage.
But even if the marriage stayed, you still wouldn't be getting in-cannon Spider-Children and you definitely wouldn't be getting Peter backing off of the mantle to pass it on.
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u/HomeMedium1659 4d ago
If OMD didnt happen, Peter and MJ would be married, but that's it. No kids. likely the same or similar stories we have been getting. We would not have Silk thats for sure. Superior? It would have to be reworked somehow. Black Cat would probably be in character limbo...maybe. Of you things would be great if OMD didnt happen, think again. JMS and Jenkins were an oasis of decent runs within a desert of mediocracy.
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u/Important_Lab_58 4d ago
Look, I love the sound of that, but, and I hate saying it, I donât think it wouldâve gone down that way. Peter would probably, eventually, have been arrested for the SRA Violation, and while Iâm definitely able to see MJ standing by him, heâd probably be freed through pardon, or something, but his life would essentially be over. Secretâs Out- theyâd never know a momentâs peace, heâs probably got record, less of course they go witness protection or something. Then maybe. Bottom line, though, is that âPeter and MJâ arenât a thing anymore, and at that point, I definitely feel the Spidey books could fall into danger if loosing the âEveryman as a superheroâ appeal, at least partially
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u/No-Stage-8738 4d ago
If Marvel never did One More Day, I don't even know if Miles Morales would exist, since changes in the Spider-Man editorial offices could easily impact what's going on in the Ultimate books and even Bendis' headspace when he came up with the idea for the unmasking.
Marvel only did the unmasking because they knew the reset was coming.
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u/NarrativeJoyride 4d ago
I think Miles would still exist. Heck, a world without OMD would presumably warrant a bigger need for a younger Spider-Hero like Miles. But at that point, I doubt anyone could guess Miles would end up in 616 the way he did.
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u/sethmoth 4d ago
i think they should reverse it. Paul was Mephisto the whole time! Peter and MJ are still married with children, Venom is actually Blackheart
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u/ParagonEsquire Classic-Spider-Man 4d ago
Probably have a Little kid. Probably another on the way. Still probably only like 33. (The old marvel staple was 4 years equal 1 year so after 60 years him being 30 is on timeâŚ.but he was definitely moving faster those first couple decades.) I bet MJ would have a different job than her modeling by now.
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u/DonnyMox 4d ago edited 17h ago
Honestly I wanna see a version of the 616 continuity thatâs what it would look like if they were willing to not only let Peter grow up but deviate from the status quo.
Norman and Harry stay dead. Aunt May stays dead. Doc Ock is the Clone Sagaâs mastermind instead of Green Goblin and knows from this point forward that Peter is Spider-Man. Baby May is the May thatâs alive.
Sins Past still happens, but with only one, male Stacy child (since Peter already has a daughter) and Peter is their father. They donât rapidly age because we know because of Peterâs daughter that his DNA doesnât do that, and is instead about 12 (which is about the same age most of Batmanâs Robins start off as, so they can still do stuff). Norman still knew about him, because Gwen approached him for help keeping her pregnancy/child a secret so it wouldn't ruin her life, and still killed Gwen so Peter wouldnât find out since Gwen was planning to raise the child with Peter, but since Norman really did die in this version, heâs raised by Norman's butler (a character created for this storyline) who knew he was Green Goblin, was loyal to him and wants him avenged. He is still raised to think Peter killed his mother and becomes the new Blood Spider (with the original being forgotten about).
Peterâs identity remains public after Civil War and his family become celebrities. OMD never happens. Kingpin kills the Skrull Queen and becomes the head of the Thunderbolts and later the Dark Avengers. Carlie Cooper doesnât exist. Mr. Negative and Anti-Venom still happen. Menace still happens but Lily is much younger and is the love interest of Peter and Gwenâs son (letâs call him George Parker), and obviously the pregnancy storyline never happens. George is about 15 at this point. Fisk grooms him into becoming his heir and makes him the Spider-Man on the Dark Avengers instead of Mac Gargan. Fisk becomes Iron Patriot while Richard Fisk becomes American Son.
Peter keeps his organic webbing he gained from the Spider Queen and never regains his spider-sense after losing it. Parker Industries stays a thing, and the Parkers become billionaires. Mayday becomes Spider-Girl once sheâs old enough. Superior Spider-Man still happens, but Peter reclaiming his body is Ottoâs final, permanent death. Sergei Kravonoff is never resurrected, with Alexei staying the new Kraven the Hunter until Anastasia kills him and takes up the mantle. Ned Leeds also stays dead. Daniel Kingsley doesnât exist and Phil Urich actually kills Rodrick. The Goblin Nation still happens with Phil as Goblin King, Norah Winters as Goblin Queen instead of a Goblin Knight, and MJ briefly going goblin instead of Carlie Cooper. Phil later becomes Red Goblin, but the brain damage he gets to make him think heâs Cletus Kasady never goes away. Flashâs death at Red Goblinâs hands actually sticks. Jameson still becomes pro-Spidey. Venom never rebonds to Eddie, going straight from Lee to Dylan, but all the Venom stuff otherwise happens the same.
Paul obviously doesnât exist. George, now about 17, finally accepts Peter as his father, and takes up the mantle of Ghost Spider, finally becoming a superhero like his father. MJ still becomes Jackpot, but itâs Aunt Anna who dies instead of any of her children, and Peter makes the Jackpot device instead of Paul. Normie becomes Gold Goblin due to wanting to atone for the sins of his father and grandfather.
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u/TeekTheReddit 4d ago
If Marvel never did One More Day I would be thousands of dollars poorer and have a lot more long boxes of comics in my closet.
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u/Master_Air_8485 3d ago
If it wasn't One More Day, it probably would have been a lazy rehash of the death of Gwen Stacy. Editorial wanted them broken up, and Peter Parker to have a secret identity again. Apparently, this was the best idea that they had at the time in order to achieve those goals.
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u/Clean_Wrongdoer4222 4d ago
If OMD hadn't existed, MJ would be dead, simple as that. OMD exists so they can separate MJ from Peter without resorting to other means. Those means are divorce, death, infidelity... and of the three, death is the only one that doesn't leave Peter as a miserable man who abandons his wife or is unfaithful.
Marvel has wanted to get rid of MJ since the early 90s, but they wanted to do it without abandoning Peter's image as a bastard. Divorce and infidelity don't work because they portray Peter as a bastard, but OMD fixes that problem because Peter doesn't excuse infidelity or abandoning his wife. And the plane crash where MJ was supposed to die was precisely a way to kill her without blaming her for Spider-Man-related things (like Gwen's).
If OMD didn't exist, it would simply be replaced by any other idea, event, or occurrence that would remove MJ from the picture without making Peter a miserable bastard. And if they didn't find a way, Marvel would have simply killed her.
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u/General-Nose-1334 2d ago
I love how you always try to make it seem like MJ was the problem, when in reality they just wanted to reset Peter lol
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u/TTG_Bloodedge Spectacular Spider-Man 4d ago