Spider-Man Officially Kills Off Paul
By Published Apr 2, 2026, 10:30 AM EDT Joshua Edward Ryan Fox is a freelance writer for Screen Rant with a passion for pop culture. Joshua grew up in Connecticut where he developed an appreciation for writing and entertainment and has earned a Master's degree in professional writing and technical writing. His writing has been quoted by both the anime streaming site Crunchyroll and the anime YouTuber Gigguk. Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
Warning: Contains spoilers for Venom #256.At long last, has finally killed off one of its most hated characters of all time, if not the most hated character, Paul Rabin. After Nick Spencer’s Amazing Spider-Man spent years re-establishing Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship to the point of almost restoring their marriage, Zeb Wells’ run was immediately hated for suddenly having them broken up and Mary Jane raising kids with Paul, and even when it was finally explained a year later, the explanation only served to make Paul and Mary Jane seem worse to fans.
Between being the latest obstacle in Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship and having virtually no character beyond that, , with virtually everyone wanting him gone. Now, four years after his debut, fans might have finally gotten their wish, as in the latest issue of the ongoing Death Spiral story, , and fans couldn’t be happier.
Why Spider-Man Fans Are Celebrating The Death Of Paul Rabin
In most situations, it would feel morbid to celebrate the death of a character who wasn’t a villain, but for Spider-Man fans, Paul is a rare exception. Breaking up Peter and Mary Jane was one thing, but after Paul and Mary Jane’s children were destroyed due to being imaginary constructs of the Emissary, Paul just stuck around, seemingly out of obligation, with his only contribution being making Mary Jane a superhero, a development that was near-universally hated by fans.
The only good thing about Paul was that the writers after Zeb Wells didn’t hide their disdain for him. The team behind All-New Venom and the current Venom not only had characters constantly making fun of Paul, including for turning Mary Jane into a superhero, but they also had Mary Jane finally break up with Paul, which made it clear that it was only a matter of time before he was gone for good.
Even Paul’s death in has been framed as a dig against him; while Dylan and Mary Jane are upset about it, Peter had a surprisingly subdued reaction, despite the two of them technically being friends, and in a bit of meta commentary, both Paul and Torment make a point about how no one loves Paul, with Paul’s last words even being that he doesn’t matter.
To both long-time readers and casual fans, Paul’s death was only a matter of time with how much fans, and even writers, made it clear that they hated him, and now that it’s finally happened, it’s no wonder that it’s become the biggest talking point of Death Spiral, by far.
Will Marvel Keep Its Most Hated Character Dead?
As much as fans have been celebrating Paul’s death, it begs the question of whether Marvel will stick to it. Comics are infamous for how often they’ll bring characters back from the dead, so even if Paul’s dead now, that doesn’t mean he won’t come back to life, especially if it’s seen as an easy way to drive up sales.
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Paul’s fate, like with any Marvel character, is entirely up to whatever plans a writer might have for him, so it might be premature for fans to celebrate his death. That being said, considering how he’s become a scapegoat for everything wrong with modern Spider-Man, fans can hardly be blamed for being happy about it, so with any luck, this is a death that won’t be reversed anytime soon.
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