Peter Pan is one of those characters, like Sherlock Holmes or Tarzan of the Apes, who seems to belong to the world of myth and legend rather than having been created by a single author. J. M. Barrie himself added to this legendary quality by adapting and altering the story over the years, creating different versions of the Peter Pan myth. In When Wendy Grew Up. An Afterthought, which was added to both the play and the novel of Peter Pan and later published separately, Barrie says that Peter did continue to visit Wendy. Not only that, but he took both her daughter and her granddaughter to Neverland.

It is true, however, that Peter is deeply disappointed in Wendy for growing up and becoming a mother. He transfers his interest to her daughter, Jane, and is similarly angry with her when she too declines to remain a child forever. Ultimately, even if Peter continues to see Wendy, the two of them can never be close friends after Wendy chooses the path of adulthood. Wendy has romantic feelings for Peter, which can never be fulfilled unless he becomes an adult alongside her. However, even if they were nothing more than friends, they no longer have anything in common after Wendy grows up, and this is symbolized by the fact that Wendy can no longer fly.