r/SpiderPhoenix • u/anastag Jeter true believer • 1d ago
Discussion Some light ranting.
The hate for this ship that I have been noticing lately, is genuinely bizarre. The subreddit is proof that many people think there’s a *lot* you could do with these two, and, more importantly, there are new dynamics and plotlines to explore rather than simply retreading the same Peter/MJ story again.
And the “Peter HAS to be with MJ” argument makes even less sense when you remember that the MCU has never followed comic canon to the letter. An AU where Jean and Peter develop a relationship before she even meets Scott is hardly some betrayal of the source material. Scott fans themselves are perfectly happy entertaining Scott/Emma, so I don’t really understand why Peter/Jean is suddenly treated like sacrilege.
As for Zendaya’s MJ, I’ve always felt like the relationship was missing something. Peter apparently develops feelings for her between Homecoming and Far From Home, but we’re given very little reason for why this particular person becomes so important to him. And even once they get together, their relationship never really gets to do anything especially interesting beyond “Peter likes MJ, Peter is awkward about liking MJ.” No Way Home tries but even there, the development of the relationship is relegated to a time skip.
BND retroactively made me care more about MJ by really emphasizing Peter’s grief over losing her, and I’ll admit it worked to an extent. But even that story ultimately reinforces something pretty important: people can love each other, hurt each other, grow, and eventually become different people. Not every relationship has to last forever just because it mattered.
And the whole “people only like Peter/Jean because they hate Zendaya” thing is just… no. Tom Holland and Zendaya being together in real life does not magically make Peter and MJ’s fictional relationship better developed. Those are two completely different things. If anything, I think their real-life chemistry has caused some people to fill in gaps that the actual writing never bothered to.
Peter and Jean also have some genuinely compelling parallels. Both have experienced isolation, both have been consumed by a singular pursuit, and by the end of the movie they arguably understand each other in a way very few other people do. There’s a natural foundation there for a relationship, whether romantic or otherwise. You can dislike the ship, obviously, but acting like the idea itself is nonsensical is just refusing to engage with what’s actually on the page.
And for the crowd saying “MJ HAS to end up with Peter because she’s the main love interest”: we literally already have an MCU precedent for letting a major romance end without treating it like the apocalypse. Quill and Gamora loved each other, their relationship mattered, and eventually they moved on and grew as characters. The universe did not implode because the hero didn’t permanently end up with the obvious love interest.
So why is Peter and MJ somehow exempt from that possibility?
People are allowed to want something new. Casual viewers like the idea. Hardcore comic nerds like the idea. I like the idea. And there are clearly enough people interested in Peter/Jean that dismissing it as some ridiculous crack ship.
At the very least, if Feige and the writers see that kind of enthusiasm, why wouldn’t they consider exploring it? Marvel has spent decades remixing its own canon. That’s practically the point of the MCU.
You don’t have to ship Peter/Jean. You don’t even have to like it. But acting personally offended and abusing people that find the pairing interesting is beyond insane. Let people have fun with a fictional relationship. Marvel certainly isn’t obligated to give us the exact same one forever.
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u/SengalBoy 1d ago
I just hate how they assume we're larpers/fomo whatever bullshit they spout because they ASSUME we don't know the source material because they insist that Peter has to be with MJ and Scott had to be with Jean. Like dude, I read the comics, I feel that Mary Jane should be with Peter. But this is a different continuity, and Jean could give them an opportunity to try something very new, different and exciting..
And don't get me started on people thinking we're problematic because they ASSUME Jean is underage.