Spider-Man: 10 Dumbest Creative Decisions The Comics Have Ever Made
Earth-616 Spidey just can't seem to catch a break...
Spider-Man is, without a doubt, Marvel's greatest character. Even if that's not a sentiment you can agree with, the wall-crawler is certainly the House of Ideas' most iconic creation, and he's been through a lot since swinging into the pages of Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962.
There are a lot of amazing, spectacular, and downright astonishing tales to be found featuring the webbed wonder, but some creative decisions made over the years have just been plain dumb. Recently, it was revealed that Harry Osborn is demonic new villain Kindred, and while it's too soon to say whether that's a good or bad decision, it's certainly one that could flop as hard as those listed here did.
Whether it's Spider-Man acting completely out of character, his villains doing some seriously weird sh*t, or the random resurrections, deaths, and plot twists that plague comic book storytelling to this day, the web-slinger has seen it all.
Things have definitely been looking up for Spidey in the main Marvel continuity these past few years, but for the most part, it's been one misfire after another.
10. Radioactive Sperm Killed Mary Jane Watson-Parker
Spider-Man: Reign is one of many Marvel stories set in a possible future, and there are definitely some good ideas to be found here. Written and illustrated by Kaare Andrews, this tale takes place in a New York City which has fallen under the control of a fascist government (and superheroes are no more).
Peter Parker is now in his 60s and seemingly not all there, and while things do get a little too weird and silly with the addition of a zombie Doctor Octopus and the return of the Venom symbiote, there are some strong ideas to be found.
However, the biggest creative failure comes when the cause of Mary Jane's death is revealed.
It turns out that spending years having sex with Peter and, ahem, sharing his "DNA" led to MJ suffering terminal cancer.
The wall-crawler's radioactive... fluids... killed his wife, and learning that led to him giving up being Spider-Man. This was just too strange, and a ridiculous way to push poor Peter over the edge.