When it comes to comic book couples, there's no more iconic duo than Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson (aside perhaps from Clark Kent and Lois Lane). The timid teenager from Queens and the girl next door go a long way back, meeting when Gwen Stacy was still alive and overcoming a lot of obstacles throughout the years. The two eventually got married, and then Marvel decided it was a good idea to undo said marriage (which we all took personally). However, things started to get better for a while... until Paul entered the picture.
When Mary Jane was transported to an alternate reality, she met a man named Paul Rabin. The two spent almost four years together in this barren wasteland, while Peter did everything in his power to bring the love of his life to her true home. However, once MJ returned to her own universe, not only did she have a romantic relationship with Paul, but the two also adopted kids. To make matters worse, it was later revealed that Paul was tricked into helping his father commit genocide.
Let me tell you, Marvel has done some awful things to Spidey over the years, but superhero fans were really mad about this one. Nearly four years have gone by since Paul's dreadful introduction, and the world still candidly hates him. However, no bad deed goes unpunished, and the man we all loved to hate is gone.
Torment killed Paul in Venom (2025) No. 256, and Spider-Man fans couldn't be happier
Looks like there's a new hero in town, and their name is... Torment? See, the new mysterious Marvel character isn't exactly a good person, per se. The most dangerous serial killer since Cletus Kasady has been set loose, killing anyone remotely related to Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, or Eddie Brock. While we don't know exactly who Torment is or why they are hell-bent on leaving a big trail of bodies in their path, comic book readers are already praising them for killing Paul.
When Torment picks a victim, they kill their entire family before getting to the main course. As such, the terrifying Marvel villain went after Eddie Brock's son, Dylan, in the hopes of eventually hunting the Lethal Protector himself. Fortunately, Spider-Man's most hated character made his entrance right at the perfect time.
Paul tried to buy Dylan a bit of time to escape, but before he had the chance to stall Torment, he was stabbed with a kitchen knife by the serial killer. Peter Parker's Spider-Man, Mary Jane's Venom, and Eddie Brock's Carnage were quick to arrive at the scene, and all they found was a moribund Paul, who asked them to protect Dylan and leave him to die because "he never mattered." At this point, you can't help but feel that even Spider-Man writers hate Paul.
For a brief moment there, Torment was regarded as a hero by Marvel fans around the world. Surely there's now a chance for Peter and Mary Jane to get back together, right? Well... the ongoing Death Spiral storyline briefly hinted that MJ and Flash Thompson could be a thing, but hey, we'll tackle one problem at a time.
Unfortunately, Torment's time as a hero was very, very brief. The unhinged serial killer has now bonded with the Carnage symbiote to create a nightmarish creature that won't stop until Aunt May, Dylan Brock, and Anna Watson are dead. Furthermore, now that Eddie Brock isn't bonded with the Carnage symbiote anymore, he's dying as well. Big trouble is on the horizon for the friendly neighborhood hero, but at least he won't have to deal with Paul once the bloodshed is over.
Venom (2025) No. 257 will be released on April 15, 2026.
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