Game Of Thrones' Creator Is Still Angry About Spider-Man's Most Controversial Storyline

George R.R. Martin is an avid comic book reader — so much so that a Marvel comic actually inspired "Game of Thrones — and he makes his opinions about the medium known. He also appears to be something of a romantic, as he is still upset at Marvel for undoing Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson's marriage in J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada's "One More Day," which isn't generally regarded as one of Marvel's best comics.

In this maligned storyline, Spider-Man makes a deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May's life, but in return, his marriage is erased from existence. After all, devils aren't exactly known for granting wishes out of the goodness of their hearts, are they? It's a controversial narrative, to say the least, and Martin is one of its many haters. As he told Popverse:

"I do have frustrations with it, too, I have to admit. I sometimes [...] I don't like retcons. I don't like reboots. You know, I'm watching, I'm following a character or a superhero or something for years, sometimes decades, and then they come and say, 'Oh, no. None of that stuff happened. We're just going to start the whole thing over again.' That always annoys the hell out of me."

Again, "One More Day" probably isn't on most people's list of the best "Spider-Man" comics ever published, and Martin's reasons for hating it reflect the general frustrations toward retconning, which has become a norm in everything from comic books to movies. But despite the story's unpopularity, Marvel had somewhat understandable reasons for ending Peter and Mary Jane's romantic union in "One More Day."

There are many fans of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson's romance out there, so a storyline where it gets completely wiped from existence is bound to have its detractors. Since then, Spidey has had other girlfriends and reunions with M.J. have been teased, but their married days are long gone. "One More Day" ruined everything, so what possessed Marvel to go ahead with it and upset fans like George R.R. Martin?

The answer is simple: to return to basics and potentially increase sales. Joe Quesada, who was also Marvel Comics' editor-in-chief at the time "One More Day" was published, believed that marriage made Spider-Man seem too adult, lessening his appeal among younger fans. Quesada wanted to keep Spider-Man young forever and ensure he stood the test of time. As he told The Times in 2009:

"I knew that for a year or two we'd be dealing with online chatter, but realistically, the story hasn't hurt sales. If anything, Spider-man is a more viable publishing entity today than ever before. But that's part of the job of being a caretaker of these characters and making sure that they are there for the next generation."

No one has to like the story, but it seems that Quesada wanted to preserve the Spider-Man character without shackling him to a love interest — especially a spouse, as marriage makes the character seem like a proper grown-up, as opposed to the young, web-slinging hero everyone knows and loves. At the same time, the frustrations held by Martin and countless other fans suggest that retconning was the wrong call ... and the storyline's reputation speaks for itself.