JOE QUESADA (Marvel Comics editor-in-chief 2000-present): I liked MJ being the girl out of [Peter’s] league. That’s something we can all identify with at some point or another.
Couple of Quick Questions:
How many girls did Peter date that weren't out of his league?
- Betty Brant - the older woman
- Liz Allen - the popular girl dating the quarter back
- Gwen Stacy - scientist/beauty queen
- Mary Jane - model/actress
- Felicia Hardy - the Black Cat. You've seen her. I don't think I have to say more than that.
- Deb Whitman - OK, I'll give you this one. She was normal.
And the kicker, they fought over him! That was despite the fact that most of them were being chased by guys who, at least on the surface of things, had a lot more to offer them, like actual time to go out on dates and stuff. So, I guess this is my follow-up question:
If a girl actively pursues a guy, is she really out of his league?
Basically, Peter Parker got any girl he wanted once he bothered to show them a little attention, and MJ may have actually pursued him more than most (aside from Felicia, who was needy an obsessive), as she continued to flirt with him even after he and Gwen became a couple and she started dating Harry. The fact that she got all commitment phobic later on is a separate issue.
I'm just getting really confused over where this idea that he was some sort of sad sack who couldn't get a date has suddenly cropped up from. Dan Slott mentioned it in an interview too. Sometimes I get the impression I read different comics than these guys did. Did they change something when they reprinted them? Is there some version out there where Peter was the Urkel to MJ's Laura?
I'm just getting really confused over where this idea that he was some sort of sad sack who couldn't get a date has suddenly cropped up from. Dan Slott mentioned it in an interview too. Sometimes I get the impression I read different comics than these guys did. Did they change something when they reprinted them? Is there some version out there where Peter was the Urkel to MJ's Laura?
Also From the Retrospective:
BENDIS: I was a youngster when the marriage took place and I received an invitation drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz in the mail from Marvel. I didn’t send [Peter and Mary Jane] a present, but it was marketing gold.
I want it! It's so 80s, with MJ's frosty blue eye shadow. Now I'm upset that my Mary Jane Barbie, who is sportin' the wedding gown, doesn't have frosty blue eye shadow. The irony, of course, is that I hate weddings in real life. Comic book weddings are fun though, probably because there are super villains and I don't have to buy a new dress for them.
Ah, well, I will probably have more to say on this at a later time, because I am me, but I'm done for now.
Ah, well, I will probably have more to say on this at a later time, because I am me, but I'm done for now.
3 comments:
Peter's love life is usually going well, by most standards, but he never notices. He constantly complains about how being Spidey derails his attempts to form relationships.
In my view, this is because Peter is a male romantic looking for The One, but he's afraid to tell any potential Ones that he's Spider-Man.
This is all subject to interpretation, but it seems Peter can be pretty self-sabotaging in relationships. And this is what we need to promote "reader identification"- somehow.
I agree with everything you say. As a matter of fact, that was kind of my point. I'm just objecting to the notion that any of Peter's love interests were "out of his league" or "unattainable." When a girl actively pursues a guy, and even fights with other girls over him, that's just not an accurate description. Peter was his own worst enemy when it came to relationships. It had nothing to do with the girls not wanting him. That was all set up in a very adolecent male wish fulfillment sort of way.
Even Felicia, who initially was disgusted by his Peter Parker identity, not only stuck with him, but did some pretty crazy things in an attempt to keep him. She also continued to love him years after they broke up.
One of the many reasons I love MJ is that for all the chasing of Peter, flirting with him while she was with Harry, cattiness with other girls, and dating other guys to make him jealous, she had a sense of personal identity that the other love interests lacked. She loves Peter and needs him, but there's more to her life than that. She makes sure of it.
I just don't see how anyone wouldn't fight tooth-and-nail over a guy like Pete. Sooo smart, so cute, so sweet (Not in that "I'm SUUUUCH a nice GUY! Why don't beautiful chicks WANT me!" way, but... *gasp* actually kind and decent).
Sense of humor, nice tight (but not too bulky) body...
Uh, yeah, I can see how all those FICTIONAL girls were so hot for him. *ahem*
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