Say Goodbye to Any Chance Marvel Had at Fixing Spider-Man’s Most Hated Storyline
This opinion piece argues that Marvel has definitively squandered its chance to properly fix the fallout from "One More Day," the widely reviled 2007 comic storyline in which Spider-Man made a deal with the demon Mephisto to save Aunt May's life, at the cost of erasing his marriage to Mary Jane and his secret identity. The article contends this matters because the storyline, long criticised as an example of editorial interference overriding good writing, has coloured Spider-Man's portrayal for nearly two decades, and the new film Spider-Man: Brand New Day had a genuine opportunity to address its consequences meaningfully but ultimately failed to do so.
The piece traces how "One More Day," written by J. Michael Straczynski with art by editor-in-chief Joe Quesada, relied on a supernatural deal rather than a natural resolution like divorce to end Peter and MJ's relationship, reflecting Marvel's belief that Spider-Man should remain young and unlucky. While elements were adapted into Spider-Man: No Way Home and Brand New Day, and the latter's early depiction of Peter's isolation and depression was praised as effective, the author argues the film repeats the comic's core mistake by abandoning this darker, more mature exploration partway through in favour of a generic, villain-focused MCU plot, including a criticised Jean Grey subplot with little connection to Peter.
- Article says Spider-Man: Brand New Day failed to fix "One More Day"'s damage
- 2007 storyline erased Spider-Man's marriage and identity via a demonic deal
- Film's promising dark opening gives way to generic, villain-focused MCU plot
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Marvel's Spider-Man has spent nearly twenty years dealing with the fallout of a controversial 2007 comic storyline called "One More Day". In it, Peter Parker struck a deal with the demon Mephisto to save his dying Aunt May, at the cost of erasing his marriage to Mary Jane and wiping his identity as Spider-Man from public memory. Many fans and critics have long regarded this as one of the worst decisions in the character's history, seeing it as editorial interference that overrode good storytelling.
The story's key figures include writer J. Michael Straczynski, who wrote "One More Day" but later distanced himself from it, and Joe Quesada, Marvel's editor-in-chief at the time, who championed the change because he wanted Spider-Man to remain young, single and unlucky in love. That decision has continued to shape how Peter Parker is portrayed in the comics and, more recently, in film adaptations.
This background matters because of how Marvel Studios has handled it on screen. Elements of the "One More Day" fallout were carried into the film Spider-Man: No Way Home and now into the new film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, giving Marvel an opportunity to revisit and potentially resolve the storyline's long-criticised consequences within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.