WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #29 by Nick Spencer, Francesco Manna, Carlos Lopez and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
Mary Jane Watson has played an important role in Spider-Man's life since Marvel Comics relaunched The Amazing Spider-Man. Peter Parker and Mary Jane are taking the time to rekindle their romance, and while Peter's heroic alter ego still finds a way to complicate matters, things are looking pretty positive.
However, some fans were admittedly displeased with the way Marvel chose to end Peter and Mary Jane's marriage in the controversial "One More Day" story arc. Seeing them back together as an official couple has probably caused readers to either think happy thoughts, or anticipate the good ol' Parker luck ruining everything. There is recent evidence of the latter being a valid possibility, with the mysterious Kindred stalking Mary Jane while Spider-Man battled Kraven in the "Hunted" event.
Instead of Mary Jane's life being in immediate danger, the redhead is taking her acting talents across the country for a new gig. Writer-director Cage McKnight -- secretly the villain Mysterio in disguise -- offered Mary Jane a job after she saved a theater audience from Electro, with production scheduled for two months outside of New York City.
While two months isn't a large amount of time, it's still long enough for Peter to worry that he's losing Mary Jane all over again. And even though he misses his opportunity to say goodbye before her flight leaves for the west coast, the final pages of Amazing Spider-Man #29 reveals Peter planned to put "One More Day" in his rearview mirror by proposing to Mary Jane.
Of course, Spider-Man is the reason Peter wasn't able to make it to the airport on time. After rehearsing some lines with Mary Jane, Peter heads off to see Aunt May for a heart-to-heart talk. Aunt May listens while Peter opens up about his fears, but she does a wonderful job of reminding Peter that he couldn't lose MJ if he tried. All of the heartbreak and loss has brought them to this moment. Aunt May tells Peter, "You know what to do," which in hindsight is an obvious clue that she is nudging Peter to pop the question.
Unfortunately, the surprise appearance of Peter's sister, Teresa, foils his plans. Her former S.H.I.E.L.D. partner and lover, David Albright, is a prisoner of the Chameleon, and Teresa needs Spider-Man's help to rescue him. The siblings find David, but not before he's tortured and killed for his S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets.
Peter and Mary Jane end the night video chatting, with Peter reflecting on his earlier conversation with Aunt May. His aunt's words ring in his head as he realizes how he blew his chance of asking Mary Jane to marry him. A proposal would have been the first step in unwinding the mess that is "One More Day," and would certainly delight the fans that may have bailed on the series over a decade ago. Of course, Peter can obviously propose sometime in the near future, but after seeing the pain on his face, we can tell he really wanted the moment before Mary Jane flew away to be special.
Sure, MJ invites Peter out to visit during his academic break from Empire State University, and she can fly back whenever the director has a "prima donna" moment. But waiting another day brings back too many bad memories of "One More Day" for our liking. The next issue is an Absolute Carnage tie-in, and there is no telling what state Spider-Man will be in once the event series concludes. Here's hoping wedding bells are once again in Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson's future.