Marvel wants fans to think it might be on the verge of undoing the most controversial Spider-Man storyline of the 21st century, so far, but what are the odds it actually goes that far? Let’s break it down.
Essentially, the last 20 years of Spider-Man history have been dealing with the consequences of 2007’s One More Day storyline. That includes the plots of the blockbuster films Spider-Man: No Way Home and Brand New Day, which took its title directly from the ’08 relaunch that followed OMD, as it is disaffectionately abbreviated by generations of dissatisfied readers. Now, after almost two full decades, Marvel Comics is doing a direct sequel to the storyline, which has some people buzzing with hope, yet again, that One More Day can be totally undone.
Others are skeptical, and with good reason. Marvel has repeatedly stated over the years that One More Day will remain canon in perpetuity. Still, by making it a major plot point for not just Spider-Man lore, but also Marvel’s latest Avengers storyline, the company is clearly ready to reckon with the infamous story’s role in its history, and maybe try to redeem it after all these years.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Marvel’s new Avengers relaunch!
20 Years After “One More Day,” Spider-Man Learns The Terrible Truth
A quick recap of what has been going on in the Marvel Universe: Red Hulk caused a nuclear explosion that seemingly killed Bucky Barnes, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four are feuding, and Spider-Man has found himself the leader of a revamped Avengers roster. Oh, and Doctor Doom claimed Mephisto’s throne in hell, voiding all his extant contracts in the process. Including one that was very important to the demon, for reasons we’ll return to later: Mephisto’s infernal contract with Peter Parker.
And another one that involves brand-new Marvel protagonist Paige Howley. In the new Avengers #1, she learns that her entire existence is the result of a deal her parents made with Mephisto. Readers have a lot more to learn about Paige, her parents, and the deal, but what is clear from the jump is that “the universe is trying to kill [her],” sending literal angels after her on a cosmic assassination mission. As Paige runs for her life, she’s joined by a crucial ally: a talking book that seemingly contains all the Marvel Universe’s most closely guarded secrets.
<<img src="https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/spider-man-learns-about-his-one-more-day-deal-in-avengers-1.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=2" />
</figure>
The book, Grimsby, leads her to Spider-Man and his Avengers squad, who protect her from a squad of the killer angels, after which she reveals to Spidey that he once made a pact with Mephisto “to save someone.” He asks her who, while in the same panel his internal monologue is a step ahead. “I know before she says anything,” the hero narrates. Under his torn mask, shocked after hearing he “made a deal with the devil” that he can’t even remember, Peter Parker still knows there’s only one person he’d do that for: Aunt May.
What Peter doesn’t know, but which he’s presumably going to find out as this story unfolds in Marvel’s Avengers and Spider-Man titles, is what his side of the bargain was. Marvel is betting on that being juicy enough, dramatically, to change how fans feel about One More Day a full two decades after it changed the course of Spider-Man history forever.
“One More Day” Is Now Just One Chapter In A Greater Spider-Man Saga
<<img src="https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Spider-Man-One-More-Day.jpg?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1" />
</figure>
One More Day was widely rejected by fans at the time of its release for more than just what it did to Spider-Man canon. It was disliked for why. The point of the story was to write Spider-Man and Mary Jane’s marriage out of existence. The two had gotten married in a landmark 1987 issue, but over the next twenty years, there was always a faction of editors and writers behind the scenes at Marvel who didn’t like the marriage. Who thought it was wrong for Spider-Man.
In 2007, they finally won that internal battle. One More Day mystically annulled the marriage, with Peter trading his relationship with Mary Jane to save Aunt May’s life. In 2027, Peter and MJ will have officially been not married as long as they were married, and that remains a bitter pill to swallow for legions of Peter/MJ shippers. And for anyone who hates drastic retcons.
What Marvel is doing now, though, is saying that there’s another chapter to the story. One More Day is maligned as the end of one era in Spider-Man lore, and the start of another. Will readers feel differently about it as the beginning of a story?
Again, that’s the creative gamble Marvel seems to be taking right now. And naturally, the answer to that question is going to depend largely on how this new sequel story to One More Day ends up itself, and what the era of Spider-Man beyond it looks like. And there are a couple possibilities worth exploring up front as the story gets underway.
Marvel Is Setting Up A Generational Showdown Between Spider-Man And Mephisto
We mentioned before that Mephisto has a specific beef with Spider-Man. That’s because he believes the Webslinger’s offspring is destined to destroy him. For all One More Day’s faults, this does give the Parker family a grandiose role in the mythos of the Marvel Universe. And it means that Mephisto, and his successor in hell Doctor Doom, will have an important part to play in the sequel.
The dream scenario for One More Day haters is a full timeline reset. That’s what One More Day did, after all, so it is certainly on the table. Which is something Marvel is counting on to keep people invested in the story. Even if that means disappointment if, and most likely when, Marvel doesn’t go all the way and restore Spider-Man canon to its 2007 status quo, Parker marriage and all. That’s right, readers would do well to calibrate their expectations for One More Day to be totally undone.
Marvel is teasing the possibility, but that’s likely all it is. A tease. The odds are much greater that the new era of Spider-Man will be about Peter Parker sharing the burden of knowing what was lost, what he gave away, with readers. Because remember, part of the deal in One More Day involved erasing everyone’s memories of the deal, Peter included. For twenty years of real time, and at least a couple years on Marvel’s sliding timescale, Peter has been blissfully ignorant of the life-altering decision he made.
<<img src="https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/avengers-2-variant-cover-spider-man-webslinging-toward-the-reader.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=2" />
</figure>
And so has Mary Jane, and so has Aunt May. That’s probably going to change, and all of those characters are going to be changed by the truth. That’s dramatically rich soil for Avengers and Spider-Man to grow the next generation of storylines out of. In that regard, it’s the better outcome than a full reset, by far. But that means further encoding One More Day in canon, in ways that can’t be quickly or easily undone. Ironically, that’s a kind of Faustian bargain Marvel is offering Spider-Man fans, and it might be one they can’t refuse.
Avengers #1 is available now from Marvel Comics. Avengers #2 continues the storyline December 16, 2026.
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
