According to Senior Marvel Editor Tom Brevoort, he once did emphatically refused to follow a creative decision from above, in which the publisher decided that a pregnant Mary Jane Parker would suffer a miscarriage At the end of a dramatic Spider-Man arc. Did he not draw a line in the sand, the oft Moline One more day A decade later storyline may have an even more controversial precedent.
On its substock, Brevoort revealed his role in stopping the plot in its tracks. Spider-Man: The Last Adventure – written by Fabian Nicieza, with art by Darric Robertson – was a four-issue miniseries released between late 1995 and early 1996. As the title suggests, the storyline was conceived as Peter Parker’s final outing as the webslinger.
Brevort’s unwillingness to end The last adventure With Mary Jane losing the baby led to the arc ending on an uncertain note; Unfortunately, the story of MJ’s pregnancy ended in tragedy, although it finally took several years before Marvel completed the story of MJ’s pregnancy.
Related
Marvel’s Tom Brevoort refuses to end Spider-Man’s “last adventure” with the Parkers losing their baby
Spider-Man: The Ultimate Adventure – written by Fabian Nicieza; Art by Darric Robertson; Color by Gregory Wright; Ink by Jeff Albrecht; Lettering by Bill Oakley
with Spider-Man: The Ultimate Adventure Initially intended to end in celebration, it must have been jarring for Brevoort and the book’s creative team to be instructed to end the series on a devastating down-note.
Tom Brevoort’s tenure at Marvel Comics stretches back to the late 1980s, meaning he has been with the company through its greatest triumphs, as well as its most divisive moments. Taking over as the senior editor for Marvel’s X– Offices like these X-Men As the franchise transitions from one era to the next, Brevoort has garnered perhaps more fan attention than ever before in his career. His substack offered an illuminating insight into the behind-the-scenes machinations at Marvel, both past and present — including the controversial ending to Spider-Man: The Final Adventure, Which the editor revealed that he squeezed.
In response to a fan question about time he “Put your foot downAs a Marvel Editor, Brevoort revealed the company’s controversial plan for Mary Jane’s pregnancy during the 90s storyline, which he revolted against. Brevoort wrote:
When I was working on Spider-Man: The Final Adventure, a limited series that was meant to be the last gasp for Peter Parker as Spider-Man. It was intended to end with the birth of Pete and MJ’s child, but halfway through, a decision was made to radically change direction and to get Pete back in the Spidey costume on a regular basis as soon as possible. So I was told to end the series with MJ with a miscarriage – and I refused to do it. I told my boss Bob Budiansky quite frankly that I would not go down in history as the man who aborted the Spider-Baby.
Notably, more than just saying “No“To this warlike decision, Brevoort fought back against his superiors’ sudden 180-degree turn in their plan for the Parker family.. with Spider-Man: The Ultimate Adventure Initially intended to end in celebration, it must have been jarring for Brevoort and the book’s creative team to be instructed to end the series on a devastating down-do
In the end, how SpiderFans will know, Tom Brevoort’s “line in the sand” Moment over The final adventure Just delay the inevitable. As he said:
Therefore, the whole decision was kicked further down the line – MJ wound up being pregnant for something like two years before it was all settled – and the end of our series was a bit of a damp squib. But it’s not a horror show, so there is that.
Still, it is worth reflecting on how radically different Spider-Man — and Marvel’s — story might have been, had Brevoort ended the series with Mary Jane’s miscarriage; Or, alternatively, if he was able to revive Marvel from inflicting such a blow on Peter and MJ altogether. Considering how Marvel subsequently handled the Parkers, the anecdote also illuminates the line of thinking that eventually culminated in One more day.
Marvel never really appreciated the romance of Peter and Mary Jane
Mary Jane Watson’s first appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #25 – Written by Stan Lee; Art by Steve Ditko Tom Brevoort’s story about The last adventure And the miscarriage plot emphasizes that the “conspiracy” against the Parker family has consistently gone all the way to the top at Marvel.
Marvel fans can endlessly debate which couple is the most beloved in the long history of the publisher, but it would be difficult to find any reader who seriously leaves Peter Parker and Mary Jane out of the conversation. From their iconic first meeting – when Mary Jane cemented herself in Spider-Man Lore forever with her very first line, “Face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot” – The couple already has a legendary comic book romance. Except for almost sixty years, to one degree or another, Marvel has always seemed to lack a true appreciation for their romance.
More than that, Marvel has repeatedly thwarted the Parkers’ chances at happiness. 2007s One more day storyline is the most infamous example of this, while Mary Jane’s pregnancy storyline – and its sad conclusion – from the previous decade is another. Tom Brevoort’s story about The last adventure And the miscarriage plot emphasizes that the “conspiracy” against the Parker family has consistently gone all the way to the top in Marvel, and therefore, there is never more than a slim chance that Peter and Mary Jane would ever establish a family, or even End up together.
Marvel has always approached the romance of Peter and Mary Jane as a tragedy
Spider-Man: One More Day – Written by J. Michael Straczynski (& Joe Quesada); Art by Joe Quesada; Color by Richard Isanove; Lettering by Chris Eliopoulos
Much has been made of Marvel’s desire to preserve some kind of status quo for Peter Parker, but there is more to their treatment of the Parker family than that.
Of course, ongoing comic book storytelling is soap opera by its very nature. In other words, the creators seek to harvest drama from any available source, by any means necessary; As a result, no relationship, or individual, is safe. In comics, triumphs only happen so the subsequent tragedy can be more impressive, and vice versa. Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man has always been a particularly tragic character – and in fact, his long-standing friendship with Mary Jane Watson blossomed into romance only in the wake of Gwen Stacy’s traumatic death, which arguably still ranks as the most brutal moment in Spider-Man Study.
This point is arguable only because of later storylines, such as the loss of Peter and Mary Jane’s child – which Marvel eventually went ahead with – and of course, the mystical dissolution of their marriage in Spider-Man: One More Day. Much has been made of Marvel’s desire to preserve some kind of status quo for Peter Parker, but there is more to their treatment of the Parker family than that. Peter and Mary Jane’s inability to achieve happiness is A product of the publisher looking to constantly raise the stakes of Spider-Man storylines.
Marvel’s rebooted “Last Spider-Man” is a glimpse into a major “What-If?” For the Parkers
Ultimate Spider-Man (Volume 2) – Written by Jonathan Hickman; Art by Marco Cecchetto
Spider-Man Can be considered one of Marvel’s most ill-fated heroes, even as he rises to face every challenge thrown at him, both as a hero and as a person.
Whether fans view Marvel’s handling of Peter and Mary Jane in the mainstream Earth-616 continuity as a case of Arrested Development, or instead view it as a result of pursuing the most usual drama-filled narrative decisions, the publisher hasn’t let the The desire to witness a fully functional Parker family is completely unrequited. That said, the Parkers are often the subject of alternate timeline stories, as the Marvel Multiverse offers limitless possibilities for versions of them to settle together.
Although the degree to which this has satisfied readers varies from story to story, it has consistently offered proof of fans’ continued investment in their relationship. Recently, the most exciting version of this was in Jonathan Hickman Ultimate Spider-Man (Volume 2)What started from the novel premise of Peter Parker becoming Spider-Man much later in life than usual, after he and Mary Jane were already married and had children. In a concrete way, The series served to give fans a glimpse of what the mainstream Marvel Parkers might have been likeThe company did not interfere.
Naturally, given the perpetual tragedy-triumph dichotomy of superhero storytelling in general, and Spider-Man In particular, many readers are already bracing themselves for these Last Parkers to face disaster and ruin. Like Tom Brevoort’s story about Spider-Man: The Last Adventure And Mary Jane’s pregnancy makes it clear, this was always Marvel’s intention for these characters, in some form or another. in this sense, Spider-Man Can be considered one of Marvel’s most ill-fated heroes, even as he rises to face every challenge thrown at him, both as a hero and as a person.
Spider-Man: The Ultimate Adventure is available now from Marvel Comics.