A Divorce Lawyer for Spider Man: How Marvel Shocked the Fanbase

Marvel Comics shocked the industry when, in 2007, Marvel writers would send in a divorce lawyer and end the marriage between Peter Parker and Mary Jane. The move by Marvel was heavily criticized by industry insiders and fans alike, and upon the complete release of the four-part series, many fans let Marvel know just how displeased they were. Nevertheless, the artwork by Joe Quesada received high praise as the one virtue that enhanced the story line.

The issues of the Spiderman comic were delayed for some time before finally being released in the final months of 2007. Even after a very hefty, rigorous, and expensive marketing scheme, many fans felt that the comic was one of the worst ever to be published by Marvel. No fan wanted a divorce lawyer to finalize the relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane, but Marvel felt this was a good way to go to get reader attention and drive up publicity for the Marvel brand.

Despite the heavy criticism, some fans argued the divorce was a necessary component of the Spiderman franchise. The introduction of a divorce lawyer to the plot to end the marriage between Spiderman and Mary Jane was argued by some critics as a positive turn of events. Some of those arguments included everything from its realism to the new possibility of Peter Parker finding new love. Other fans argued that Mary Jane would no longer have to worry about Spiderman being in constant danger while others felt the divorce lawyer was needed to end the marriage in order for the characters to still maintain a role in the series without being killed off by the writers.

Many comic book writers praised the writers for having the courage to anger much of the series' fan base. Stan Lee also thought this was a brave but necessary move for the Spiderman franchise. Now that the divorce has happened, the comic writing has opened the doors to the Spiderman franchise for new changes and new adventures. This is important for all multiple series books, magazines, comics, and storylines. Indeed, Spiderman's new role as a bachelor has since enabled him to branch off into many different experiences without being locked into a marriage. The writers knew this and that is one of the most probable reasons the divorce was written for the series.

Despite the heavy criticism, Spiderman creator Stan Lee praised the storyline and reminded critics how bad the backlash was when the couple got married in the first place. He commented about the plot and noted that these drastic changes in relationship are required for any long running series to keep things fresh, original, open ended, and ripe for future change. This is certainly true, and while many fans abhorred these four comic books, it does indicate that fans are still reading Spiderman - and that's what is most important.