Let's rewind time back to May 25, 2022 — a very infamous date for Spider-Man fans all around the world. The very first issue of Zeb Wells' The Amazing Spider-Man was released, and during its final pages, readers were treated to the shocking revelation that Mary Jane wasn't dating Peter anymore. Instead, she seemingly had kids with a character who has become fans' worst nemesis in the modern era: Paul Rabin. Granted, it was eventually revealed that the two didn't actually have kids, but their love for each other remained despite a very negative response.
Three years have gone by since that moment, and Spider-Man fans have had no other option than reading other comic book sagas (such as Ultimate Spider-Man) to see their favorite hero spend time with the girl he loves. However, we couldn't help but wonder when Paul Rabin would be out of the picture in the main Earth-616 continuity. Fortunately, after an excruciatingly long wait, that day is finally here.
Mary Jane and Paul Rabin finally broke up in All-New Venom No. 9
All-New Venom No. 9 is finally here, and it's sure to make Spidey fans happy. As a quick recap, Mary Jane bonded with the Venom symbiote and has been saving the city as a true hero, as opposed to being a lethal protector. Until very recently, no one was sure who the mysterious host of this new all-new version of Venom was, not even Paul Rabin or Eddie Brock's son, Dylan, who's been living with MJ and Paul. However, the curtain was finally lifted, and everyone had a different reaction to the revelation.
The way Paul is written in All-New Venom is a bit curious, almost as if writer Al Ewing knows that nobody likes the character and doubled down on that idea. Paul is constantly (and brutally) mocked by Dylan, Mary Jane is clearly not happy with him, and he just freaks out with every single situation presented to him, regardless of how small it might be. However, he took things a step further when he learned that the person he was dating was secretly Venom.
Paul is not only unlikable to comic book readers around the world anymore, but now he's starting to be unlikable to everyone who spends time with him in Earth-616. At long last, Mary Jane dumped him in the last panel of All-New Venom No. 9, and Spidey fans finally got a victory that isn't set in the Ultimate universe.
There's a case to be made that Peter and MJ's relationship was already damaged beyond repair, and even if the latter isn't seeing anyone else anymore, the two won't come back together anytime soon. However, as someone who has enjoyed watching this iteration of Venom save the day and uncover new powers along the way, it's nice to know that Paul won't drag the symbiote and its host down anymore (assuming the next issue follows up with their breakup).
To further support the idea that Peter and MJ aren't on the best terms yet, we just need to look at the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man (2025) No. 9. In it, the wall-crawler finally crossed paths with his ex-wife, and when she revealed that she's the new Venom host, he simply responded with "You two deserve each other" before walking away. Granted, Peter just had one of the worst beatdowns of his life, but there's no denying this was still a cold move from him.
Only time will tell if Spidey and MJ can set their past problems aside and slowly grow closer over time. At the very least, the biggest problem standing in their way is finally gone, and with a bit of luck, it will remain that way.
All-New Venom (2024) No. 10 will be released on Sep. 03, 2025.
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