I dislike Paul for the same reason I didn't like Zsaji, that alien healer Colossus fell for in the original Secret Wars. She was not an actual character in her own right, but a plot point, a means by which Jim Shooter could cause the break up of Colossus and Kitty Pryde, a pairing that he thought was skeevy. Which in retrospect is not unfair, but that didn't make Zsaji any more interesting. She existed to turn Colossus's head and then die. I believe the technical term for that is "fridging".
Like Zsaji before him, Paul is a flatly written one-dimensional entity with all the depth of a piece of tissue paper. He is not so much a character in his own right, but a plot point, an obstacle to the hero's happiness. When he is written off, he will be promptly forgotten, because he is the textbook definition of a nothingburger. He exists not for his own sake, but to motivate others.
Honestly, I kind of like the joke about Paul being, basically, the guy who keeps having Super villain origins happen to him and just decides to Be Normal instead. It's really funny.
I was prepared to like Paul, if only because I like and respect Mary Jane enough to think she wouldn't fall for any real stinkers, but his appearances in Amazing Spider-Man didn't give me a lot to work with. He never seemed to transcend "rough sketch of a Peter Parker-like character with 25% more sad sack" until Al Ewing put him through adoptive parenthood, gave him more believable reactions to his trauma, and started exploring and testing his bond with MJ.
2) Not sharing the threat his father posed and endangering everyone... especially MJ.
3) Manbun.
4) Speaking of endangering MJ ... he gave MJ a device that can instantly kill her if she's unlucky.
5) Manbun.
6) There was a running thing early on in the Wells run where everyone was mad at Peter for some unknown reason. It was eventually revealed Peter did nothing wrong and they were just being assholes. Especially Paul, who Peter saved constantly.
7) Manbun.
8) The general mix of hypocrisy and incompetence present in the character that would take forever to unpack. Dylan in All-New Venom may be a shitty teen but he makes valid points.
PS: There's a sentiment that he used the fake kids to "trap" MJ in a relationship but I don't think that's his fault.
Personally between this and his interaction with Eddie Brock's son I don't think anyone working for Marvel has earned the right to get in on the Paul hate. It feels a little too "How's it going fellow kids?" You are part of the problem.
"Everyone working for Marvel" doesn't work or think in lockstep. You're mostly talking about freelancers. The professionals know how to play nicely with each other and the editors, but that definitely doesn't mean they all think the same.
(Not sure this is even "getting in on the Paul hate" so much as acknowledging that Paul's attracted haters. This is like if Wesley Crusher somehow found the alt.wesley.diediedie Usenet group from thirty-five-odd years ago.)
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no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 04:34 am (UTC)(I don't believe that Wolverpool could do it.)
no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 05:51 am (UTC)Like Zsaji before him, Paul is a flatly written one-dimensional entity with all the depth of a piece of tissue paper. He is not so much a character in his own right, but a plot point, an obstacle to the hero's happiness. When he is written off, he will be promptly forgotten, because he is the textbook definition of a nothingburger. He exists not for his own sake, but to motivate others.
Paul Rabin. Born to be fridged.
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Date: 2025-05-14 07:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 09:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 05:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 08:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 03:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 06:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 09:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-05-15 09:16 am (UTC)2) Not sharing the threat his father posed and endangering everyone... especially MJ.
3) Manbun.
4) Speaking of endangering MJ ... he gave MJ a device that can instantly kill her if she's unlucky.
5) Manbun.
6) There was a running thing early on in the Wells run where everyone was mad at Peter for some unknown reason. It was eventually revealed Peter did nothing wrong and they were just being assholes. Especially Paul, who Peter saved constantly.
7) Manbun.
8) The general mix of hypocrisy and incompetence present in the character that would take forever to unpack. Dylan in All-New Venom may be a shitty teen but he makes valid points.
PS: There's a sentiment that he used the fake kids to "trap" MJ in a relationship but I don't think that's his fault.
no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 06:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 09:20 pm (UTC)(Not sure this is even "getting in on the Paul hate" so much as acknowledging that Paul's attracted haters. This is like if Wesley Crusher somehow found the alt.wesley.diediedie Usenet group from thirty-five-odd years ago.)
no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 10:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 04:49 pm (UTC)