The Wedding! (Spider-Man)
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| Author | David Michelinie |
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| Cover Artist | John Romita Sr. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Comic, Romance |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Released | 1987 |
| Media Type | Print (Comic) |
The Wedding! is the title of Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) Annual #21 in which Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker (a.k.a Spider-Man) finnally get married. It was highly regarded as the comic book wedding of the decade. [citation needed] It inspired a Barbie version of Mary Jane in her wedding gown. The comic book was published in 1987 and written by David Michelinie, featuring art by John Romita Sr.
[edit] Plot
Spider-Man is web slinging through town and runs into Electro. He defeats him and then returns home, to find Mary Jane in the process of moving in. MJ leaves for a photo shoot, leaving Peter to ponder how on earth he'll be able to provide for him and MJ.
Peter takes his photos of Spider-Man defeating Electro to the Daily Bugle and is surprised by the staff with a party in honor of his upcoming wedding to Mary Jane. J. Jonah Jameson arrives, clearly irritated, and starts to complain about why they are hosting party when they're supposed to be working. As soon as Peter leaves, he states that he wants to cut everyone's pay that didn't attend.
Peter is barely able to sleep that night, contemplating his impending wedding. The next day he meets Mary Jane. He leaps to the ceiling and goes down to one knee, asking her to marry him once again. "I hate cleaning footprints off the ceiling," she responds annoyed. They both eat, but can't help shake their worries about the wedding. Mary Jane leaves for a meeting, where her old boyfriend presents her with two tickets to Paris, that she can only take if she skips the wedding. Peter goes to Aunt May's house, and goes through a scrap book, remembering his most prominent times with Mary Jane. MJ and her aunt arrive, and they announce the upcoming marriage to their family. She leaves in a Ferrari with her ex boyfriend, and Peter takes the subway home. Both are starting to have second thoughts about their marriage. When they meet up again that night, Spidey takes MJ out web-slinging to clear their heads.
The next day, Peter's best man, Flash Thompson, and his best friend, Harry Osborn, take Peter out for a bachelor party, but he's beginning to show his true feelings about the wedding. They try to convince him that love conquers all. Meanwhile, Mary Jane is having a grand party across town. Peter finally decides to go home for the night, and has nightmares about all of his enemies trying to attack MJ, and being helpless to stop them. He wakes up in a sweat, wondering what he should do. Meanwhile, MJ is out with Liz Allan, wondering the same.
Later at City Hall, all of the guests are in attendance, but both the Peter and Mary Jane are late, leaving everyone confused. At the last minute, they both appear and the wedding is a huge success. MJ gives Peter the tickets to France with which her ex-boyfriend tried to tempt her, and they go off on their honeymoon to begin their life new together, as Mr. and Mrs. Peter Parker.
[edit] Controversy
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Please see the discussion on the talk page. |
The wedding of Mary Jane and Peter was met with some scorn by fans. It was questioned how someone like Mary Jane (a visually attractive model) would end up marrying Peter (who could be considered a "nerd"), and how Peter could have married Mary Jane when he was still not over Gwen Stacy (Peter's deceased former girlfriend). It was also questioned why Mary Jane was able to marry Peter when Gwen was not allowed to. It was later revealed that Peter was much older now and thus, he was ready for marriage. [citation needed][dubious — see talk page]
[edit] Other Versions
There have been several references, variants and adaptions of The Wedding!. Almost always Mary Jane has been replaced as the bride, most prominently with Peter's former girlfriend, Gwen Stacy.
- What If?
In What If? (Volume 2) issue 20 and 21, the reader is presented with a variant version of the classic issue, in which Peter had not married Mary Jane, but instead he married the Black Cat. Another version was also seen in What If? (Volume 1) issue #24 - "What if Spider-Man had Rescued Gwen Stacy?". In this issue, Peter ends up marrying Gwen Stacy, but the wedding is interrupted by Jameson, who has been given evidence that proves that Peter is Spider-Man.
- Universe X
In the alternate universe of Marvel Comics, Universe X, Peter is shown (While under a hypnotic influence by Spiders-man) marrying Gwen Stacy and not Mary Jane. Meanwhile, Mary Jane ends up marrying Harry Osborn. Note: This is not part of Universe X canon, but a fantasy Peter had while under the hyponotic influence of Spiders-man.
- Spider-Man the Animated Series
In the first episode of Spider-man Season 5, The Wedding, Peter and Mary Jane (or rather, her clone) attend their wedding only to have it interrupted by the Green Goblin II, who attempts to get Mary Jane to marry him.
The list of attends at the wedding were Peter, Mary Jane, Liz Allan, Flash Thompson, Debra Whitman, Felicia Hardy, Wilson Fisk, Robbie Robertson, J Jonah Jameson, Anna Watson, May Parker, Harry Osborn, Curt Connors, Mrs. Connors, the Scorpion and others who were not named. Unlike the comics version, their honeymoon was in Niagara Falls and not Paris. On an interesting note, in the series finale of the show, an alternate universe is seen, in which Spider-Man is engaged to Gwen Stacy.
- Spider-Man 2
In the sequal to the Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man 2, Mary-Jane is supposed to marry John Jameson, but leaves him at the altar for Peter.
- Marvel Zombies
The Marvel Zombies # 5 cover is a parody of The Wedding! It depcits a zombie variant of Spider-Man holding Mary Jane's half-eaten corpse, the heroes and villains in the background are decaying, and the Spider-Man shaped heart in the background has a bite taken out of it.
- Ultimate Spider-Man
In Ultimate Spider-Man #68 while talking to Johnny Storm, she accidentily refers to herself as "Mary Jane Watson-Parker". A clear reference to Mary Jane's donning of Peter's last name in Earth 616.
- Spider-Man 3
In the new trailer at Marvel.com, Peter is heard talking to Aunt May saying that he wants to ask Mary Jane to marry him. Footage of the trailer showed Peter falling while trying to catch a diamond ring.
