30 Years Ago, an Iconic Seinfeld Episode Gave George His Best Subplot (And Fans Believed It Would Influence the MCU)

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Season 7 of Seinfeld starts with Jerry and George deciding to finally settle down and get engaged, hoping to change their luck after years of chaotic adventures in New York City. But, as often happens in sitcoms, their plans quickly fall apart. George proposes to Susan Ross, a girlfriend from Season 4, and Jerry decides to call off his engagement, leaving George as the only one still planning to get married. This kicks off a funny season-long storyline where George tries to adjust to the idea of marriage and the next phase of his life. While the story doesn’t end happily, it’s full of hilarious moments along the way.

One of the most memorable storylines from George’s engagement unfolded in the episode “The Cadillac,” which first aired on February 8, 1996. While the episode centers around Jerry buying his father a new Cadillac, it’s best known for what happens with George. This is the episode where Academy Award-winning actress Marisa Tomei made her only appearance on Seinfeld, playing a fictionalized version of herself. She wasn’t just making a quick appearance – she played a key role in a surprising romance that even inspired fan theories about the Marvel universe years later.

George Costanza Could Have Dated Marisa Tomei On Seinfeld

Okay, so in “The Cadillac” episode, I always crack up when George meets Katy, who’s friends with Elaine. She finds out he’s engaged to Susan and is totally bummed because she thinks George would have been perfect for another friend of hers – Marisa Tomei! Seriously, the idea of George Costanza dating Marisa Tomei is hilarious on its own, but the fact that he’s already engaged just makes it even funnier. One of the best parts of the whole episode is when George is complaining to Jerry about how he’s stuck being engaged when an actual Oscar winner is apparently out there waiting for him. It’s classic George – completely delusional and endlessly funny.

Predictably, George doesn’t let being engaged stop him from pursuing Marisa Tomei, kicking off a storyline that highlights his worst traits. Seinfeld wasn’t like most sitcoms; creator Larry David famously wanted a show with “no hugging, no learning,” meaning it wasn’t about characters becoming better people. What set Seinfeld apart was that its main characters were actually awful – but somehow relatable – and didn’t really care about the impact they had on others. That’s why the controversial series finale sees Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer end up in jail. Despite being hilarious each week, these characters were deeply flawed.

George’s attempts to win over Marisa perfectly capture the humor of Seinfeld – the characters were awful, but hilarious. The comedy comes from George’s extreme selfishness; he only visits Katy in the hospital to try and get Marisa Tomei’s number. He secretly pursues Marisa while engaged to Susan and doesn’t mention his engagement until the date is already underway. It’s funny to watch George act on his impulses and try to manage his lies, and honestly, part of us can relate – we might do the same if we had a chance with someone famous. It’s outrageous, but surprisingly understandable.

The season finale of Seinfeld brilliantly wrapped up the storyline with Marisa Tomei, and really showed just how terrible George Costanza could be. Shortly after his fiancé, Susan, tragically dies from licking poisonous wedding invitation envelopes (ones George chose!), he immediately calls Marisa to see if he still has a chance with her. The humor comes from how heartless he is. A typical person would grieve and need support before even thinking about dating again, but George barely seems sad—he’s almost happy the wedding is off. What makes it even funnier is that George could have ended things with Susan at any time, but he kept her around as a backup plan in case Marisa didn’t work out. He’d rather be stuck in an unhappy engagement than be alone, which perfectly captures his character.

Seinfeld‘s Marisa Tomei Subplot Fueled a Marvel Fan Theory

Years after the movie “The Cadillac” came out, people started talking about a brief romantic connection between George Clooney and Marisa Tomei. This resurfaced when Tomei was cast as Aunt May in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, first appearing in Captain America: Civil War – a film set long after Peter Parker became Spider-Man. Marvel’s Kevin Feige and his team smartly decided not to retell Spider-Man’s origin story, as it’s already very familiar to most audiences. Besides Superman and Batman, Spider-Man has arguably the most well-known origin story in the world of superheroes.

Fans were surprised not to see Uncle Ben’s death replayed on screen, and many wondered if he might appear in a future flashback. This led to online discussions about who could play the role, and Jason Alexander, known for his role as George Costanza on Seinfeld, became a popular choice. People thought it would be funny to see him play the wise mentor to Peter Parker decades after his famous Seinfeld episode, “The Cadillac.” While Alexander is a talented actor, most associate him so strongly with the comedic character of George that it’s hard to picture him as a respectable mentor figure. George’s famous line, “It’s not a lie if you believe it,” feels very different from Uncle Ben’s iconic message: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Despite being a key figure in Spider-Man’s story, Uncle Ben never actually appeared on screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was only mentioned in conversations a few times. With Tom Holland’s Spider-Man starting a new direction in this summer’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it’s doubtful that will change. While it would have been interesting to see a new take on the character, it’s probably best to avoid revisiting old ground. The deaths of Tony Stark and Aunt May already had a similar effect on Peter Parker, providing the emotional weight he needed to grow as a hero. This also means fans who believe Jason Alexander should have played Uncle Ben can still hold onto that idea, as there’s nothing to disprove it.

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2026-02-08 23:43