Spider-Man’s Most Controversial Story Ripped Off an Unpublished Superman Epic

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Spider-Man is Marvel’s most popular character and has consistently been a top seller for the company. However, despite starring in consistently high-selling comics for the past 19 years, the character hasn’t always been well-received by fans. Much of this is attributed to the controversial storyline “One More Day.” This story, conceived by then-editor-in-chief Joe Quesada and editor Tom Brevoort, reversed Spider-Man’s marriage to Mary Jane. Quesada and Brevoort believed the comics performed better before the marriage, despite evidence to the contrary from the successful 90s and 2000s, and they made a deal with the villain Mephisto to erase the marriage and save Aunt May.

Look, “One More Day” has always been a really divisive story, but as someone who’s dug deep into its origins, I think there’s a side to it people often miss. Those of us who truly dislike it have spent time researching how it came to be, and it’s fascinating to learn just how many big-name Marvel creators had a hand in it – including Mark Millar. He joined Marvel in 2000 and quickly became a major force. He was a big brainstorming contributor – for instance, he’s the one who pushed for Wolverine and Spider-Man to join the Avengers, essentially trying to make that team more like DC’s Justice League. And that wasn’t a one-off; he brought in a lot of DC-style thinking that really shaped “One More Day” into the story we all know – and often argue about!

“One More Day” Took a Massive Idea from the “Superman 2000” Pitch That Mark Millar was a Part of

A proposed Superman storyline, pitched to DC Comics in 1999 by Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Mark Millar, and Tom Peyer, aimed to radically redefine the character. Dubbed “Superman 2000,” the story would have flipped the traditional dynamic, portraying Superman as the true identity and Clark Kent as the disguise. This ambitious plan sought to revitalize the Man of Steel, and a key element involved dissolving the marriage between Superman and Lois Lane.

Luthor and Brainiac teamed up to attack the hero, publicly revealing his secret identity as part of their plan. Brainiac turned the sun red, and Luthor launched attacks so massive they endangered the fabric of space and time, forcing the hero to join forces with Mr. Mxyzptlk. Together, they defeated the villains. However, Brainiac had poisoned Lois’s memories, and the pain of losing her memories of their life together proved fatal to him. To protect everyone, Superman asked Mxy to use his powers to erase the world’s memories of Superman’s identity and their marriage.

The proposed changes to the Superman comics were radical, but DC ultimately rejected the idea. While it was briefly discussed in publications like Wizard magazine and online, most fans forgot about it over time. However, those familiar with Mark Millar’s work at Marvel noticed a striking similarity between this abandoned Superman pitch – specifically, the idea of sacrificing a marriage to save a life – and the plot of Marvel’s “One More Day.” While it’s just speculation, this connection aligns perfectly with Millar’s creative style during his time at Marvel.

Mark Millar wasn’t opposed to using concepts from unreleased stories. For example, his Wolverine story, “Enemy of the State,” borrowed the idea of Wolverine being an assassin trained by the Hand – a concept originally developed by Chris Claremont for an issue of Uncanny X-Men that was never published. Mark Waid, who also worked on the “Superman 2000” project, was involved too, making it likely they both shared this idea with Joe Quesada. It’s a little-known but fascinating detail from comic book history.

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2026-03-06 17:10