Marvel Comics used Spider-Man love interest Mary Jane Watson as a mouthpiece to call classic TV show The Honeymooners “misogynistic.”
In Marvel #1, a story and art by Frank Espinosa with dialogue by Sajan Saini titled “Spider-Man: Make My Day” sees Mary Jane Watson describe The Honeymooners as “misogynist.”
The story sees Mary Jane Watson tell Spider-Man to cut back on his webbing because it costs too much.
However, during a fight with Rhino, Spider-Man runs out of webbing. Instead of soaring through the streets of New York, he has to not only hoof it on foot, but brave New York City’s winter. He eventually meets up with Mary Jane Watson, who provides him a coat and details how she plans to take care of him.
Spider-Man responds telling her, “To echo Ralph Kramden, ‘Baby, you’re the greatest.”
That’s when Mary Jane Watson describes The Honeymooners as “misogynistic.”
She says, “Shut up. That show’s misogynistic.”
For those who don’t know Ralph Kramden is the main character in the classic TV sitcom The Honeymooners that originally aired between 1955 and 1956. The show starred Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden. It also starred Audrey Meadows as Ralph’s wife Alice, and his best friend Ed Norton played by Art Carney.
The show was based on Jackie Gleason’s comedy sketches which originally aired in the variety series Cavalcade of Stars and then later on CBS’ The Jackie Gleason Show. He eventually reworked them into half hour sketches for The Honeymooners.
The show typically ended with Gleason’s Kramden saying, “Baby, you’re the greatest.” He would then give his wife a hug and a kiss.
It’s unclear why Mary Jane Watson would think The Honeymooners is misogynstic or rather why Frank Espinosa and Sajan Saini believe it’s misogynistic.
The definition of misogyny is the “hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls.” I’m not sure how a husband telling his wife that he loves her and then following it up with a hug and kiss is misogyny or misogynistic. I would argue it’s the complete opposite.
If they are trying to say the show somehow disparages women, they probably forgot that Alice isn’t afraid to give Ralph a good talking to when he messes up.
Or maybe it’s because they just don’t understand comedy.
This is just another example of Marvel Comics pushing identity politics and why comic book readers continue to abandon the medium.