Few episodes in Spider-Man carry the sheer weight of ensemble drama like The Wedding. What begins as a celebration of love between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson quickly spirals into chaos, as nearly every major supporting character is drawn into the storm. Aunt May’s gift of her and Ben’s rings sets the tone — a gesture of legacy and continuity — only for Scorpion to twist that symbol into his own warped fantasy. From there, the episode becomes a collision of past and present, of joy and menace, as Spider-Man fights to protect not only his bride but the very idea of family and belonging.

Thematically, the episode is about inheritance and interruption. Peter inherits the rings, the responsibility, and the promise of a future, while Harry Osborn inherits the shadow of his father, Norman, and lets it consume him. The wedding itself becomes a battleground for these legacies: Scorpion’s obsession, Harry’s grief and rage, Smythe’s machines, and even Wilson Fisk’s unexpected intervention. Each character is given a moment that reflects their place in Peter’s world, from Jonah’s blustering paternal pride to Black Cat’s bittersweet return, reminding us that Spider-Man’s life is never lived in isolation.

What makes The Wedding so memorable is its balance of spectacle and intimacy. The battles outside are grand, with goblin robots, Scorpion’s rampage, and Fisk’s Mega-Slayer, but the true drama lies inside — Harry forcing a priest to marry him to Mary Jane, Liz’s heartfelt plea that finally breaks through his madness, and Peter’s quiet resilience as he chooses love over despair. The episode ends not with triumph over villains, but with the simple, profound act of Peter and Mary Jane saying their vows, driving away in Jonah’s battered van as Norman’s spectre rages in vain.

In many ways, The Wedding feels like the finale the series never had: a culmination of relationships, rivalries, and themes that had been building for years. It is a celebration interrupted, a promise tested, and ultimately a story about how love endures even in the face of chaos.

Peter Parker’s wedding day begins with a gift —Aunt May retrieves her and Ben’s rings from the bank, intending them for Peter and Mary Jane. Before he can accept, Scorpion storms in, seizing the rings for his own twisted ceremony. Spider-Man emerges, taunts him into rage, and defeats him as his suit fails in the water. The rings are restored, May is saved, and the day moves forward.

Elsewhere, Mary Jane visits Harry Osborn at Ravencroft, choosing honesty over secrecy. Her news wounds him, and in the shadows Norman’s spectre mocks his weakness. Harry breaks free, dons the Goblin mantle, and allies with Smythe and Scorpion, preparing an army of robotic goblins to crash the wedding.

The ceremony is torn apart as Harry descends on his glider, Scorpion and machines at his side. Spider-Man fights to protect the guests, joined unexpectedly by Black Cat and Fisk’s Mega-Slayer. Inside, Harry forces the priest to marry him to Mary Jane, but Liz intervenes, offering compassion and perhaps love. Harry surrenders, choosing Ravencroft over destruction.

The wedding resumes. Peter and Mary Jane are wed, departing in Jonah’s battered van, trailing cans and bouquets. Watching from limbo, Norman Osborn rages at Spider-Man’s joy, his cries to Harry lost in the void.

The episode is based on Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 (See boxout).

Meow: Felicia when she spots Fisk’s face on a Slayer robot: “I’ll rip his transistors out!”

Harry’s nightmare vision of Spider-Man resembles the comic book character Doppelganger. This version of Spider-Man was a demonic evil created during the Infinity War, and was something of a ‘son’ to villainess Shriek.

Liz Allen finally confesses her feelings for Harry in this episode. She first hinted at them in Turning Point. In the comics, they married.

Dr. Ashley Kafka makes her third and final appearance in the series.

THE MARRIAGE THAT NEVER WAS

In 1987, Marvel chose to marry Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, binding their story in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21. It was not simply a stunt, but a reflection of the times — Peter had grown from boy to man, and the world around him demanded that his life carry the weight of adulthood. Mary Jane, the woman who had stood beside him through chaos and heartbreak, became his partner in a moment that felt both inevitable and daring.

For two decades, that marriage endured. Mary Jane was not just a love interest but the anchor to Peter’s storm, the one who reminded him that beneath the mask was a man with a home, a heart, and someone to share the burden of responsibility. Their union gave the stories a resonance beyond battles and villains — it was about partnership, sacrifice, and the fragile balance between heroism and ordinary life.

The response was divided. Some readers embraced the marriage as a bold step forward, proof that Spider-Man could grow without losing his humanity. Others felt it robbed him of his youthful spark, tying him down in ways that made the stories harder to tell. Yet the marriage became part of the mythos, shaping countless arcs and defining Peter’s world through the 1990s and early 2000s.

Then came One More Day in 2007, and with it the erasure of everything that had been built. To save Aunt May, Peter and Mary Jane bargained with Mephisto, sacrificing their union to restore her life. The marriage was wiped from continuity, leaving them as if they had never wed. Fans cried betrayal, Marvel defended the move as a return to the archetype of the single, struggling hero. But the wedding remains a milestone, a symbol of growth and loss, and a reminder that even in comics, love can be rewritten by fate.

The Prowler | Six Forgotten Warriors