Set this alongside the missing Skrull, the disappearance of Spider-Man's indirect role in his uncle's death, the 20-something Xavier, the umpteen different versions of the Hulk who appeared in the first six issues alone, and we see that there was no over-arcing plan to any of this stuff. They were just there to produce the product and, if at all possible, have some fun!

the 20-something Xavier

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In love with Jean Grey! Imagine if Stan had stuck with that, fomented a rivalry 'tween Scott and Professor X for Jean's affections -- and thrown Warren in the mix too. Yeesh! The X-Men would have been quite different!

Back when The Beatles first made it big -- around the same time that Marvel burst out -- Lennon and the boys would talk about the band as a short-term venture, maybe just a few years. Did Stan and his boys have a similar perspective? The DC characters had already had some two decades of published life; but did Stan & Co. think that Spider-Man would also last twenty years?

It is instructive, either way, how fast and loose Marvel played with even its originating concepts and yet made great stories that the kid audience never blinked at.

Edit: Xavier was set up as a young man in love with Jean but who would not profess his affections as long as he was in that wheel chair. Did Stan simply transplant the idea to Scott -- a young man in love with Jean but who would profess his affections as long as his eye-power was not controllable?