When she supported the idea of him removing his mask, she accepted the fact that she would and could be put in the line of fire. She admitted this in Amazing Spider-Man 532 page 23. 24, 25. (Depending on where you got your print. (God I am a nerd....super nerd. But I have my stack of comics in order. 
)
"Every day prosecutors and judges and governors and senators go to work. Knowing their loved ones may be jeopardized by their work. But they don't wear masks to work. Do you know why? Because their loved ones want it that way. Because they would rather die than see the fact they love, the face that gives so much to the world, covered in shame. Some things are worth the risk, Peter. You're one of them."
She encouraged him to unmask when he was very unwilling to do so. It is not her fault. No, (Poor choice of words) however she did enable for this to occur even when MJ was on his side about not unmasking at first. May took the risk and she was almost killed over it. In fact, he was ready to withdraw his money and leave instead of unmasking until she stopped him the next morning. His aunt put herself in that situation and gave him bad advice with good intention.
Oh, I know what she said, and again it doesn't matter. Peter was right and if he had half a brain, or was written to have one, none of what Aunt May said should've mattered because he's not a prosecutor, judge, governor, or senator. He's a superhero and he deals with supervillains & psychopaths with super powers AND HE PISSES THEM OFF WHILE KICKING THEIR ASS. Not to mention the fact that the person he cared about and loved the most in the past was not only put in harm's way when his identity was revealed, but she was murdered. Despite what the god awful story writing of that Gwen Stacy event would have you believe, the whole point of her dying was a lesson of how important the mask is. Like the point of DC's Identity Crisis was to show how dangerous it is if someone knows who you are behind the mask, Gwen Stacy's death was the result of what happened when one of the psychopaths he fights found out who he is. Hell, Venom is another lesson in the regard. What made Venom such a dangerous and unique villain is that when he first arrived, he wasn't out for money or power or domination of the city. He just hated Spider-Man and would torture him by threatening his loved ones, and he could do this because HE KNEW WHO HE WAS. No matter what the hell Aunt May said to him, she didn't have to experience what Peter has while fighting these psychos. And it can all be traced back to the simple lesson of Spider-Man itself is that with his power came a responsibility. The mask is not a mark of shame, like she suggests. It's a sign of his responsibility.
I agree and disagree. When it comes down to it, it was Peter who took the action itself. So we agree there. It was stupid as hell for him to do it, another point we agree on. However, Peter's case was different. He was under the protection of Tony Stark while living in the tower. Tony manipulated him rather than talked to him about it. He used his family against him and put him in the corner. Page 15/16:
"I want you at my side, Peter. But I need you as both Peter...and Spider-Man. Openly. I'm saying that because of my position. I have to make sure everything is on the up-and-up. That means that the only way that Peter Parker can work with me--is if Spider-Man unmasks."
"It's not me asking, Peter. If you DON'T unmask, you'll be like the other powers who defy the law. Wanted criminals. Hunted. Jailed. Not just you, but MJ and your aunt, because they'd be considered accomplices. If you turn against the law, I can't have you with me. I won't be able to protect you...or your family."
He was clearly manipulated and not even given the choice to just give his identity to S.H.I.E.L.D. But rather the choice to either go all in, or be arrested and his family jailed. That gives little to no room but to either run, or fight and be caught and watch his family pay for it. Damned if you do, Damned if you don't.
Haha, again I know what was said. It's one of the many reasons that I hate Civil War so much, because not only do people act out of character but because it shows Peter as a moron. Again. One, Tony Stark has pretty much never been a model of responsibility, which Peter should've known. Two, that's not a manipulation. It's a threat and Peter should know the difference. He only realized how stupid his decision was after it was too late. Again, no responsibility. Peter is many things, but he's not an idiot and Civil War depicts him as one.
Agreed. My point is that Peter's reactions to these situations are understandable. Not -correct- but understandable for someone put in the situation when never asked to be. Not that OMIT is great. I'd rather use that as toilet paper rather than...whatever one's select toilet paper may be.
It's really only understandable if you consider how much of a moron Peter was throughout what just happened. He made every stupid decision possible and then wished away his stupidity and made his life better and sparkling fresh again. It undermines everything about the character. There's no responsibility. There's not even really any shreds of intelligence, and Peter is SMART. It's one of the reasons I like him as a character so much, because he's suppose to be responsible and intelligent, and nothing about what he did was that. Aunt May convinced him to do this. Tony Stark convinced him to do that. MJ finally convinced him to make a deal with the devil. What they all have in common is that it was still Peter's decision to make and every time he chose the stupider, less responsible choice. The only reason it's understandable is because at that point the writers made it where he absolutely had no choice AND nothing to lose by doing it and everything to gain.
Agreed again. I do like what happened in OMIT or OMD, or BND for the most part. I took BND in stride for the sake of the idea of Peter trying to get his life back together...which took too long for Big Time to start and was painful. The Gauntlet however was enjoyable as well as Grim Hunt. As far as MJ goes, I simply don't think they should have been married at all given her commitment issues and selfish levels of herself.
But you are right, those stories could have happened just as easily WITH them married and it would have meant little difference outside of less Carlie. In which...who really cares about her? I mean...really? Overall can we agree to one point? Joe Quesada should have just stuck to art and drawing rather than involving himself in plot points, writing or character direction? On a different note, I finally got around to reading and finishing Annihilation series... Marvel needs to make more quality like this and no more crap like Fear Itself.
Their marriage, in the long run, was irrelevant. However, what it said to a lot of nerds out there is that if you stick with it, take the hits with some stride and be responsible, you may come out on top. MJ was the hot model that nerds wanted, and that eventually Peter got. Sure, it wasn't done in the best of ways, but the point of it was that she was his rock. She was his reward after all the crap he went through. Not that she's a thing, mind you, but rather that she's who he came home to at night. Yeah, she had commitment issues and was selfish. It's one of the reasons why they actually worked so well as a couple. They could play off each other very well, considering how responsible Peter is.
Regardless, a good writer can easily work around or with something like this. Hell, Spider-Island would've worked better if they were still married, because MJ now gained a much better understanding of what its like to be him and have his power and see him first hand save the city. If they were even separated or divorced, it would've made Spider-Island a lot better because it could've helped on the road to recovery. The point of him not being married to MJ is the same point that created the whole Gwen Stacy bullshit story; they can't make Peter look too old. Carlie is useless and I really don't like her character at all, not to mention I swear she looks different with every artist that draws her. But yeah, Quesada is a horrible writer and doesn't understand Peter's character at all.
And yes, Annihilation is possible my favorite Marvel event. I love Cosmic Marvel so much. Fear Itself was absolutely garbage.
As strange as it sounds, I actually have a fondness for the Clone Saga (despite it being a train wreck) and plan to get all the trades as they come.
Should I have my head checked?
To each their own. I wouldn't wipe my ass with it.