“One More Day” is, without question, the single-most hated Spider-Man storyline of all time. It’s not the worst written, or even the most convoluted, but it is definitely the most insulting. The very idea that MJ and Peter would sell their marriage to the literal Devil is downright insane, and the fact that it’s still impacting stories almost two decades later makes reading Spidey’s comics feel like getting slapped in the face repeatedly. Fans have been frothing at the mouth ever since this story dropped for some kind of resolution to it, and while that isn’t promised, Spider-Man’s are at the very least getting the next best thing as Pete is about to go head-to-head with the Devil himself, Mephisto.
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Spider-Man and Mephisto have been destined to fight ever since Peter and MJ made the deal, and now not only are we getting just that, but we’re seeing Peter lead an entire team of Avengers to bring Mephisto down for good. Now more than ever, the stage is set to undo at least some of the damage that has scarred Spidey’s comics since “One More Day.” There’s no telling if this fight will actually impact anything, but this is the biggest chance Spider-Man has had in almost two decades to get his marriage back, and that might just be inevitable at this point.
The Build Up to the Most Anticipated Comic Fight of All Time
A clash between Spider-Man and Mephisto is inevitable, and it’s all thanks to Chip Zdarsky. He’s the scribe behind the newest Marvel event, Avengers: Armageddon, which saw the Avengers break apart due to mounting concerns from the world’s nations over unchecked superhero power. Spider-Man was the only hero who still believed that the world needs the Avengers, and it’s going to fall on his shoulders to form a new team to save the day, even when the public doesn’t want them to. During this event, Iron Man came into possession of a device the late Doctor Doom created, which allowed him to see the future. He asked it to create a reality where they fixed all of their mistakes, and when he saw what it displayed, Tony called it the key to everything.
What the device showed was Mephisto holding Spider-Man’s broken body, which meant that a fight between the two was coming and coming soon. It’s all going down in the first arc of the next Avengers (2026) run. Mephisto, recently kicked out of Hell after being usurped by Doctor Doom, is alone and weaker than ever before. He needs to recuperate and find a new realm to rule, and what better place to do both than Earth. There are several reasons why Mephisto’s invasion of Earth might specifically target Spider-Man, including the possibility that consuming pure souls would supercharge his drained powers, and he knows that Spider-Man is a good man who’s made a deal with him before.
Of course, the bigger reason could be that he’s seeking insurance against his destruction. The reason Mephisto wanted to erase Peter and MJ’s marriage in the first place is that their daughter is prophesied to be the one to stop his ultimate conquest. Now with less might than ever before, the former Devil could be making sure that Spider-Girl is never born, and thus can never kill him while he’s in this state. Of course, he could also just be seeking a new place to lay his demonic head at night, and Earth is ripe for the picking, considering it lacks both Avengers and a Sorcerer Supreme at the moment. All sides are vulnerable, and that makes all sides desperate.
The Chance to Undo Past Mistakes and Reclaim What Was Lost
Spider-Man fans have been begging for “One More Day” to be undone since it happened, and while it’s unlikely that this is going to be how it’s done, I still have hope, and this is the best things have looked since Nick Spencer’s run several years ago. The stage is set like it never has been before. MJ has just broken her bond with the Venom symbiote and is on her own again. Aunt May has forgotten who Peter is. Doctor Doom’s hostile takeover of Hell involved burning all contracts Mephisto had, freeing souls who were bound by them. Spider-Man’s soul was already freed several years ago by Doctor Strange, but still, with the contracts burned, there’s a chance that the deal Peter and MJ made could be coming unraveled.
MJ has even started being more present in Spider-Man’s comics. Her new solo series is giving her the space to return to her own roots in a way she hasn’t in years, and she’ll even be dealing with some of Peter’s villains along the way. Peter and MJ are acting more like themselves than they have in a long time, even down to MJ pulling Peter out of his depression in The Amazing Spider-Man #1001. On top of everything else, the 20th anniversary of “One More Day” is right around the corner. If there was any time for Marvel to make a massive show of undoing this atrocious storyline, it would be then, which is soon to be here and now. Spider-Man’s comics are ramping up, and we can only hope it’ll take us to a satisfying new era.
Do you think Spider-Man and Mephisto’s brawl is the precursor to reclaiming his marriage, or is it just another fight that will call to it, only for Spider-Man editorial to shut it down? Let us know in the comments below!
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