Although many Spider-Man fans have been clamoring for him to rekindle his romance with Mary Jane Watson for years, Marvel Comics has made it clear that their relationship is over. Peter Parker and MJ are one of the most iconic love stories in comic history, yet they haven't been on the best recently, and that isn't likely to change.

Spider-Man made Marvel history when he married Mary Jane Watson in 1987's The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 by David Michelinie, Jim Shooter, and Paul Ryan. The happy couple seemed to have a bright future ahead of them, but everything changed when their marriage was broken up in 2007's controversial One More Day story by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada.

Unfortunately, Spider-Man and Mary Jane are currently broken up in Marvel's main continuity, and they show no sign of getting back together. Peter Parker is once again doomed to stay single and childless, despite fans' wishes for Spider-Man to finally grow up again.

Marvel Wants Fans to Know That Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson Aren't Remarrying

Spider-Man Won't Rekindle His Best Romance Any Time Soon

Ever since Spider-Man and Mary Jane called it quits in Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr.'s The Amazing Spider-Man run, the relationship between the two characters has been rocky - to put it mildly. Peter initially became obsessed with Mary Jane upon learning about her new relationship before shockingly confessing that he no longer loved her romantically. Still, readers have been clamoring for Marvel to reverse the decision and reunite the two lovebirds against all odds. This outcome has become less and less likely as Mary Jane's relationship with Paul has continued, yet hope remains nonetheless.

In a post made to his Substack newsletter, which is called Man With A Hat, Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort shared his insights on fans' requests to bring back the marriage. In response to an inquiry that mentioned the success of Ultimate Spider-Man - which features a married Peter and MJ - Brevoort wrote:

I’ve been hearing from a couple of yahoos whose idea of a good time is to send us the same form letter about MJ and Paul every single day , Glenn. But here’s the thing: I think the point of view that you’re talking about is simply incorrect. First off, the difference in sales between ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is relatively slim. It’s not like ULTIMATE is doing twice or three times the business or anything. And secondly, I don’t think that the success of ULTIMATE at the moment is just down to Pete and MJ being married within it. I think it has a lot more to do with the quality of the work that Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto are producing. So I get that people who want Pete and MJ back together are of course going to point to that series, but the truth is that it doesn’t really make a convincing argument to me at all. I’ve been around this particular sort of block too many times over the years to mistake the signals.

Evidently, Brevoort doesn't have any plans to restore the relationship between Spider-Man and Mary Jane, even if fans have been begging for him to do so and supplying arguments in favor of the change. Like it or not, Spider-Man and MJ's love story is over in the main universe. The Ultimate Universe, however, tells a different story.

The Ultimate Universe Proves Married Spider-Man Works, But Is It Too Late?

Ultimate Spider-Man Doesn't Seem to be Convincing Marvel's Editors

A primary concern among Marvel's writers, which fueled the marriage's dissolution to begin with, has been that a married Spider-Man isn't as compelling as a single one. Marvel's new Ultimate Universe has combated that argument by incorporating an older Spider-Man struggle to navigate his two worlds. Marrying MJ doesn't hold Spider-Man back from being cool; instead, it arguably makes him cooler and more relatable to many readers.

Ultimate Spider-Man by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto allows Peter to balance his responsibility as a hero with his responsibility to his family, demonstrating the natural progression of the classic Spider-Man struggle to navigate his two worlds.

When it was first revealed that high sales numbers haven't salvaged the relationship within Marvel's core continuity. Not even the success of a series that spotlights Spider-Man and Mary Jane's love can influence the trajectory of Marvel's editorial direction for Peter Parker, though it can't be denied that the series presents a compelling argument in favor of letting Spider-Man marry MJ once more.

Spider-Man and Mary Jane Have Already Moved On From Each Other

Mary Jane Is Dating Paul, While Spider-Man Is Juggling Girlfriends

Although the Ultimate Universe's Spider-Man and Mary Jane are happily married with two children, the same can't be said for their main counterparts. They were ready to move in together before Mary Jane was separated from Peter and forced to move on with superhero Jackpot, bonding them to each other and establishing him as a core ing character in Spider-Man lore.

On the other hand, Peter has been embracing new romances now that he's no longer tied to Mary Jane, albeit short-lived ones. He recently sparked a new love interest to the growing list in 2025's The Amazing Spider-Man #1. As much as it pains Spider-Man fans to accept, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson are no longer a couple, and they probably won't become one again for a long time - if ever.

Source: Man With A Hat