The following contains spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #26, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Amazing Spider-Man readers now know the full name of Mary Jane Watson's new boyfriend, Paul, and the villain he is related to.
In Marvel's current ASM series, MJ developed a romantic relationship with Paul while the two were trapped in an alternate universe. They spent almost four years together, which equated to only days on Earth-616 in the main Marvel Universe. Although Paul helped MJ and her former flame, Spider-Man Peter Parker, he told them that he used to be an associate of the villain Benjamin Rabin, AKA the Emissary. In ASM #26 by writer Zeb Wells and artist John Romita Jr., however, it is revealed that Paul is actually the son of another Rabin.
Who Is Paul, the Man Mary Jane Left Spider-Man For?
Paul said he was originally from Earth-616 like Spider-Man and MJ, but Peter confronts Paul for lying during a flashback within ASM #26. After the three are safe back on Earth-616, Peter bursts into MJ and Paul's home, yelling at the latter, "You told us you worked with Dr. Rabin...so I checked you out. There's no record of you period!" Peter demands answers from Paul, including how he survived in the other universe, his connection to Rabin and his real name. Paul reveals his full name as "Paul Jeremiah Rabin."
Paul is not actually from Earth-616, but the aforementioned alternate universe instead. He worked with his father, a different Rabin, and helped him fulfill his villainous mission, resulting in the destruction of Paul's Earth. Paul killed his father afterward, telling Peter, "When I saw what he had done...that he had sacrificed our world to his evil...I put an end to him. With my own hands." Paul had already shared this truth with MJ during their years trapped together.
Mary Jane's Two Children Are No More
While ASM #26 is the big issue where Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan dies, MJ and Paul also suffer a major loss in the story. The couple adopted and have been raising two children they found in the other universe, Romy and Owen. Along with Paul's true identity, ASM #26 reveals that Romy and Owen were created by Rabin to track MJ's whereabouts. Once the villain travels to Earth-616 and finds MJ, he seemingly erases Paul and MJ's children from existence.
Along with Wells and Romita Jr., The Amazing Spider-Man #26 is inked by Scott Hanna, colored by Marcio Menyz and Erick Arciniega, and lettered by VC's Joe Caramagna. Main cover art for the issue is by Romita Jr., Hanna and Menyz, with variant cover artwork contributed to by Simone Bianchi, Olivier Coipel, Gary Frank, Brad Anderson, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia and David Talaski. The issue is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel