In 1987 Spider-Man got Married at Shea Stadium in Real Life

Marvel mixed comics, baseball, and live theater for one unforgettable night at the ballpark

Like many kids, I loved comic books. It all started one day when my mom came home from the store with two Captain America comics. From that point on I was a regular comic reader, and more specifically, I became a reader of Marvel Comics. My family was very aware of my hobby. They took me to comic book stores, helped me get organized when I tried to start a comic book club at school, and were generally very supportive. Since they were so aware of my passion, it was no surprise when my mom called me into the living room to see something on TV. Spider-Man was going to get married!

Now, I already knew Spider-Man was going to get married. It was a famous storyline from 1987. Peter Parker (Spider-Man) proposed to Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man #290. She accepted two issues later, and the wedding took place in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21. But this wasn’t about the comic book wedding. This was a real-life event staged between two fictional characters. This wild swing makes sense, at the time, Marvel was experimenting with ways to expand their characters into mainstream pop culture, and this wedding was part of a broader promotional strategy.

Before getting into the event itself, let me rewind a bit and talk more about the engagement and wedding in the comics. The idea came from Stan Lee, but the actual implementation was handled by then Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter. The final book script was written by David Michelinie, who, after Stan Lee, had the longest run as a writer on The Amazing Spider-Man. He knew the character well, having guided him through the 1980s. He also didn’t like the idea. In Spider-Man The Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon, he is quoted as saying, "I didn't think they actually should [have gotten] married. I had actually planned another version, one that wasn't used."

Internally, the idea didn’t seem very popular, but the story was written and the books were headed to press. The storyline also ran in the Spider-Man newspaper comic strip, which was written by Stan Lee. Interestingly, even though Marvel later went to great lengths to erase Spider-Man’s marriage from the comics with the controversial 2007 storyline One More Day, in the strip they remained married. Just as Stan intended. While I already knew the wedding was happening in the comics, I didn’t expect to see it show up in the real world. That changed one late afternoon.

So picture this. It’s 1987 and I am probably either reading comics or working on something related to Dungeons & Dragons at the kitchen table when I hear my mom calling me to come see something on TV. What I saw was a brief announcement at the end of the news. A wedding would be held at Shea Stadium, where the New York Mets play baseball. It wasn’t enough information, so I started checking the newspaper over the next few days to learn more. My grandmother actually found the details the day before the event.

According to the paper, in addition to the comic book storyline, a live-action wedding featuring actors would be held at 7:15 p.m., followed by a party at the New York nightclub Tunnel at 10 p.m. The night would end with a cake cutting at midnight. After that, I assume a vast assemblage of Marvel’s mightiest would dance the night away, while MJ and Spidey head to the Riviera on their honeymoon.

Just as a side note, much later I found this ad for Creepshow 2. It was published a few weeks before the event. It turns out it, I was looking for details about the wedding in the wrong place! While this advertising might seem a little random now, it makes some sense. New World Pictures, which was making the film, was at the time the parent company of Marvel.

For the event, Spider-Man was played by Jerry Colpitts and Mary Jane by Tara Shannon. Stan Lee himself would officiate the wedding, and Mary Jane’s dress was designed by Willi Smith. Sadly, Smith had passed away just two months earlier from AIDS-related pneumonia. The dress, described as a “lacy white confection,” was said to reflect the energy and wit of the late designer. Smith was a rising star in fashion, known for blending streetwear with high design. His involvement, even posthumously, gave the event an unexpected layer of long-term cultural relevance outside of comics.

Smith’s design for the dress that was shared at the time.

Learning the full details just a day before the ceremony was frustrating. With more notice, maybe I could have attended this solemn event. Since that was no longer an option, I wanted to at least watch it on TV. I checked local station WWOR, hoping they would show the ceremony before the Mets game, but the game didn’t start until 7:30. That was fifteen minutes after the wedding.

Fortunately, Marvel’s marketing team, especially Pamela Rutt, who was Marvel’s director of publicity at the time, knew what they were doing. Footage from the event aired on several local news broadcasts. Even better, Good Morning America did a pre-wedding interview and Entertainment Tonight showed the wedding itself.

The interview, with Spencer Christian behind the desk, aired the night before the event, is fun. Stan and the two actors answer silly questions in character. The oddest moment is when Mary Jane is asked why she chose Peter Parker and replies, “It’s all that webbing and what he can do with them that won my heart.” What? They then go on to answer questions about raising super-powered children, and Stan’s earpiece even falls out during the segment.

After the wedding, Entertainment Tonight ran a segment introduced by John Tesh. While the costumes may look dated now, at the time I thought they were perfect. Not only do Spider-Man and Mary Jane look great, but Captain America and the Hulk are also visible. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see the other guests, who I later learned included Iceman, Firestar, and the Green Goblin. The ceremony is pun-filled and weird, and it’s worth tracking down clips if you’ve never seen it.

The event drew mixed reactions from fans. Some saw it as a fun bit of theater, while others viewed it as a publicity stunt that didn’t reflect the tone of the comics. I fell into the former group. I wasn’t sure about the wedding and if it was needed, but it seemed new and different, just like this event.

It turned out to be a good night for Mets fans too. Spider-Man’s appearance not only boosted attendance, but maybe even brought a little Marvel magic. The Mets beat the Pirates 5-1, with a solid performance from pitcher Dwight Gooden and closing help from Jesse Orosco. Fans were given a commemorative poster featuring Marvel characters and key Mets players, along with a plastic bag showing Spider-Man in full costume, wearing a top hat and catching a baseball. What a night!

Why the Mets? The Mets were on top of the world after the World Series winning 1986 season, but they also had something in common with Peter Parker, they are both from the borough of Queens. In the comic Spider-Man is shown to be a Mets fan, my favorite is when he wears his Mets cap over his costume.

There is actually some more depth to his fandom. In Peter Parker: Spider-Man #33 we learn that on the anniversary of his Uncle Ben Parker's tragic death, Peter goes to a Mets game. It was the team his Uncle loved, and he tried to install a sense of fandom in his young nephew. Peter might not have been a very athletic kid, but he got his love of baseball from the shared experience. So if Spider-Man needed to get married at a ballpark, and apparently he needed to, the home of the Mets makes the most sense.

Events like this don’t happen much anymore. Studios and publishers are more cautious and tightly scripted in how they promote their characters. But back then, Marvel was willing to try strange and theatrical things to connect with fans. For a kid like me, it was unforgettable. Even if I didn’t get to be there, I saw enough to know it was real. And for a moment, comic books weren’t just stories. They were happening in the world around us.