‘All-New Venom’ Scribe Al Ewing Says Paul “Isn’t Going To Vanish” After MJ Breakup, But Role Will Shrink “As Time Goes By”
Though Spider-Man’s latest romantic rival may no longer have a place in Mary-Jane’s bed, Marvel Comics writer Al Ewing says that the widely-despised Paul Rabin will still have a role to play in the All-New Venom‘s future adventures.
Annoyingly thrust upon readers for years thanks to some misplaced belief by former Amazing Spider-Man scribe Zeb Wells and the Spider-Man editorial group that his c-ckblocking of Peter Parker was peak drama, Paul was shown the door in the recent All-New Venom Vol. 1 #9, with the symbiote’s current red-headed host choosing to break things off after having the admittedly sad and adult realization that things simply were not working out between the two.
However, with MJ voicing her decision on the issue’s very last page, ecstatic fans were left unsure as to just how the pair’s breakup would unfold, many even hoping that Paul would follow in the footsteps of such former Spider-related love interests like Carly Cooper or Nora Winters and just vanish from his respective book’s narrative.
Unfortunately for those waiting with baited breath for such an outcome, it seems Ewing plants to take the high road, declining to unceremoniously dump Paul on the side of the highway and instead gradually phase Paul out of Spider-Man, MJ, and Venom’s life.
Ewing, who has helmed the symbiote’s various solo books ever since Donny Cates’ premature, car accident-prompted exit from Venom Vol. 4, spoke to Paul’s next chapter during a recent interview given to IGN regarding his upcoming Venom Vol. 1 #250, a milestone issue wherein he’ll recount MJ’s first meeting with her alien partner’s malevolent progenitor, Knull.
“Paul isn’t going to vanish from the narrative, any more than MJ’s vanished from Peter’s – for better or worse, they’ve been part of each other’s lives for quite some time, and at the end of the day I’m writing the continuing lives of two grown adults,” he told the outlet. “But Paul’s going to have less of a part to play in the story as time goes by.”
As for MJ herself, Ewing wound down the interview by hinting that “The Venom/Knull story isn’t going to play out how anyone expects it will, including Venom and Knull themselves.
“MJ’s going to have to deal with Knull in a way Eddie didn’t have to, while fighting off a whole other cosmic enemy besides – but that’s all the spoilers I’m going to give about that for now.
“Venom #250 does set big things up for the future, that’ll play out in various places – I won’t spoil everything we’re doing, but I will say that #250 is where we finally meet MJ’s agent.”
Further, though not touched upon by Ewing, it should be noted that while Paul may no longer be standing in her way, it’s unlikely that this development will lead to a romantic rekindling between MJ and her one true beau, Peter Parker.
Marvel editorial’s tired insistence on keeping the web-slinger ‘young’ aside, the most recent issue of Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 7 saw Ben Reilly, who is all-but-officially-confirmed to be impersonating the currently off-Earth Peter, torched whatever current bridge may exist between them.
Featuring art by Terry Dodson and Todd Nauk, as well as a back-up story from Eddie Brock: Carnage Vol. 1 writer Charles Soule and All-New Venom Vol. 1 artist Carlos Gomez, MJ and Knull’s face-to-face is set to unfold when Venom #250 hits shelves on October 1st.
