Almost 20 Years On, Former Marvel Chief is Still Defending Spider-Man’s Most Controversial Story

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Being a Spider-Man fan can be surprisingly divisive. If you spend any time in online Spider-Man communities, you’ll quickly notice how much disagreement there is, and it almost always comes back to one thing: a 2007 storyline called “One More Day.” This story, primarily written and illustrated by Joe Quesada with contributions from many others at Marvel, erased Spider-Man and Mary Jane’s marriage. Fans have been upset about it ever since, and often direct their frustration at Quesada himself. The issue continues to be a sore spot, as evidenced by a recent discussion on Joe Quesada’s Substack.

Someone commented on a post by Quesada, bringing up old complaints about a controversial Spider-Man storyline. The fan accused Quesada of damaging the character, but he responded by noting Spider-Man remained incredibly popular despite the criticism surrounding “One More Day,” and he didn’t address the fan’s hostile tone. It’s been 19 years since that story came out, and some fans are still upset, but Quesada is right to stop defending himself – it’s time to move on.

“One More Day” Never “Ruined” Spider-Man and It’s Time to Admit That

As a longtime Spider-Man fan, I have to say “One More Day” is widely considered the absolute low point for the character, and for a lot of us, it genuinely damaged our love for him. Generations of readers had invested in Peter Parker’s growth, especially his marriage, and seeing that erased felt like a betrayal. Spider-Man always resonated because he was the most human of Marvel’s heroes, and we appreciated seeing him as a mature adult. The intention, it seemed, was to revert him to the perpetually unlucky guy who never catches a break, romantically or otherwise, but ever since, fans have been actively protesting how Marvel has been portraying him.

Many fans overlook just how popular Spider-Man became after a major storyline. Marvel assembled a talented team of writers and artists – including Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Zeb Wells, Dan Slott, Chris Bachalo, John Romita Jr., and Phil Jimenez, all guided by editor Stephen Wacker – for the “Brand New Day” initiative. The Amazing Spider-Man was published as often as three times a month, and despite some criticism of the story that led to this new era, fans really enjoyed those early issues. As a result, The Amazing Spider-Man consistently ranked among the top-selling comics for years, only recently losing its position.

It’s perfectly fine if you didn’t like the ‘One More Day’ storyline. It’s not considered a classic Spider-Man tale, and some recent stories haven’t been great, with ‘One More Day’ being one of them. But getting angry about it for years and attacking the writer is an overreaction. It was just a story, and if you didn’t enjoy it, it’s time to move on and appreciate everything else Spider-Man has to offer.

Joe Quesada shouldn’t have to keep defending a particular storyline because, frankly, it didn’t damage Spider-Man’s popularity. The character has remained incredibly popular – consistently ranking at the top in comic book sales alongside Batman – and has starred in several successful and well-received movies. Recent iterations of the comic, like the new Ultimate Spider-Man volume and the improved Amazing Spider-Man run, have also been praised by fans. While not everyone has to like the “One More Day” storyline, it’s time to acknowledge that Spider-Man is thriving. Quesada is right to want to move past it – the character is far from ruined and will continue to be popular.

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2026-03-04 03:10