>>149166524
Paul isn't really a character, he's a contrivance to drive a wedge between Peter and MJ solely because editorial doesn't want a healthy dynamic between them. And it's not even really just an MJ thing, Marvel simply can't write Peter even semi-functional as an adult. To them relationship issues are an easy source of narrative drama they can milk but ultimately doesn't do anything for the reader in terms of interesting storytelling. In the case of Paul, he's a physical representation of editorial's laziness and creative bankruptcy. He began as a mystery box, a question of "Who is this guy, and why is he with Mary Jane? Why do they have kids?". But the mystery in question wasn't entertaining to fans, and the reveals that followed didn't alleviate criticisms. So that all was dealt with, so Paul simply just....exists. Nearly everything we learn about the guy is unlikable, and he's become sort of pathetic where its not even worth laughing about. It's a step further than Carlie Cooper, who was a complete waste of time yet wasn't offensive like how Paul was executed.