User blog:Dorkpool/One More Day OR How A Superhero Makes A Deal With Satan

There have been a few Spider-Man story arcs that piss off fans quite a bit. Mention "The Clone Saga" or "One More Day" to a hard-core Spidey fan (spi-hards?), and you'll most likely get inaudible rage. Why? Well, let's discuss the latter of the two I stated, One More Day.

A little bit of backstory for One More Day: After revealing his identity during the superhero Civil War, Spider-Man ended up having to go underground with his wife, Mary Jane, and his Aunt May. However, a sniper of a ganglord that Spidey pissed off shoots his Aunt May...fatally. Which brings us to our much-derided tale.

Here's basically what happens: Peter Parker is going anywhere and everywhere to try and save his Aunt May, including to Iron Man (who he fought for and against during the Civil War. Long story), Doctor Strange, Doctor Doom, Mr. Fantastic, Hank Pym, and pretty much every genius in the Marvel universe. But they can't help. Which is stupid as hell, since bullet wounds are probably quite easily healed in the Marvel universe, and I'm sure that one of these geniuses know how to save an old woman who was shot. But I digress.

Anyway, Peter can't find help from these big brains, and can't let his aunt die because he feels it's "his fault" his aunt was shot. Oh, side note: due to some weird bullshit, Aunt May told Peter to let her die. Yep. But because he feels responsible, Peter can't let her go. (No, I won't make a Frozen reference here. I'm letting it go. Wait...)

So Peter stumbles across a little girl, multiple versions of himself who are lonely but pretty successful (one of whom is rich, and the other is a game designer who ends up insulting comic book fans), and then onto the Marvel universe's version of Satan, Mephisto. Mephisto makes Peter Parker, and Mary Jane, a deal: Mephisto will let Aunt May live, as long as he gets Peter and MJ's marriage. Why? Because they'll be a part of them screaming in torment and blah blah blah. Anyway, they say yes, and Aunt May is still alive, Peter Parker has mechanical web shooters (?), and Harry Osborn is alive now (?!?!). Oh, and keep in mind, PETER PARKER JUST MADE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL.

Now, why did this all come about? Simple: the editor in chief at Marvel, Joe Quesada, didn't like that Peter Parker and Mary Jane were married. He felt that it made him less relatable to a younger demographic. But he didn't want them to get divorced, because he felt that would set a bad example for the kids.

While Joe makes...well, points (I loathe to call them 'good'), but he seems to have forgotten or not noticed a few things. First, there is a teenage, unmarried Spider-Man in the Ultimate Spider-Man books, and a teenage Peter Parker is a lot more relatable to a younger audience than an adult Peter Parker. Second, divorce sets a bad example, but deals with the devil don't? Seriously? Divorce is not a common place thing, with over 50% of marriages ending in them. Honestly, if Peter Parker and Mary Jane divorced, it might make him more relatable. Third, most comic book readers these days are adults. Some aren't (hi) but a good portion are. Fourth, by unmarrying him, you're not letting the character grow and evolve.

Now, there are those who defend One More Day, or at least the thinking behind it, saying that Peter Parker works best when he's not married or down on his luck, and being married to a freaking supermodel (literally) doesn't exactly make him seem down on his luck. And, I will admit, the story line after One More Day, Brand New Day is a lot of fun in my opinion. It's an enjoyable arc, and makes The Amazing Spider-Man feel more like it did in the 1960s, but in a more modern way. So, yes One More Day did bring us Brand New Day, which is good. So, is One More Day truly evil?

Duh. Having Spider-Man make a deal with the devil doesn't really shout 'super hero'. Oh, and fun fact: Remember the Clone Saga I mentioned earlier? Well, keep in mind that the Clone Saga is one of the most unpopular Spider-Man story arcs. Now, when they were thinking up a way to end it, they thought of possibly including Mephisto. But that was decided against, since they didn't think Spider-Man and Satan go well together. Keep in mind, they were trying to end one of the most hated Spider-Man story lines, and they decided Mephisto wasn't the way to go.

So, to end this little rant, I'll leave you guys with one little lesson: Don't hail Satan, HAIL HYDRA!