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Mary Jane Watson

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Mary Jane Watson
File:MJPARKER.jpg
Cover art for The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #51.
Art by J. Scott Campbell.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearance(partial) Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #25
(full) Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #42
Created byStan Lee
John Romita, Sr.
Steve Ditko
In-story information
Full nameMary Jane "MJ" Watson
Supporting character ofSpider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane
Spider-Girl

Mary Jane Watson is a fictional supporting character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily in the Spider-Man titles as a friend, love interest and in some continuities wife of the title character (specifically, his alter-ego, Peter Parker). Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr., after a few partial appearances and references, she finally first fully appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #42 (November 1966).

A gorgeous, green-eyed redhead, she has been the primary romantic interest of Spider-Man’s alter ego Peter Parker for the last twenty years, although she initially competed against others for his affection, most prominently with Gwen Stacy and the Black Cat. Mary Jane's relatively unknown early life was first explored in Amazing Spider-Man' #259 and finally established by Gerry Conway's graphic novel The Amazing Spider-Man: Parallel Lives (January 1990).

Today, Mary Jane is considered an important part of the Spider-Man series and has been featured in most other media adaptations of the character. She has even been the main character of some comics and novels aimed at young, female readers. Kirsten Dunst portrayed her in the recent film series.

Fictional character biography

Early years

Mary Jane comes from a severely troubled family. Her father, a professor and frustrated writer, takes his stress out on his family in the form of spousal and child abuse. Coping with her hellish family life, Mary Jane develops a facade as a superficial party girl to avoid the embarrassment, which may have cast her as a forerunner to the archetype of a wily, feisty red head. Her parents would eventually divorce, and Mary Jane and her sister lived with her mother, often staying with relatives. She also frequently babysat a cousin of hers, Kristy Watson, who had minor appearances throughout the Spider-Man titles. Her favorite relative, her Aunt Anna, lived next door to the Parkers. At first, she was unimpressed by Peter, a bookish nerd. That opinion becomes altered on the night of Ben Parker's murder, as Mary Jane sees Peter become Spider-Man for the first time. For years, MJ, as she is often called, keeps that knowledge to herself that the boy has an intriguing and exciting secret pastime.

Mary Jane's face is shown for the first time.
Art by John Romita Sr. From Amazing Spider-Man #42.

Mary Jane's name was first mentioned in Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #15 (August 1964), but she was originally an unseen character. The early issues of Amazing Spider-Man featured a running joke about Peter dodging his Aunt May's attempts to set him up with "that nice Watson girl next door", whom Peter had not yet met and assumed would not be his type, since his aunt liked her. (In the Parallel Lives graphic novel an identical scenario is shown between Mary Jane and her Aunt Anna.) Mary Jane made her first actual appearance in Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #25 (June 1965); however, in that issue, her face was obscured. It is not until Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #42 (November 1966) that her face is actually seen. In that issue, on the last page, Peter finally meets her, and he is stunned by her beauty even as she speaks the now-famous line: "Face it, Tiger... you just hit the jackpot!"

Peter begins to date her, much to the annoyance of Gwen Stacy. However, her apparent superficiality proves to be an irritation to Peter that her rival did not share.

When the Green Goblin murders Gwen, MJ stays with Peter during his mourning, though he initially tells her to leave him alone, and he becomes interested in her as he recovers. At one point, Peter proposes to her but he is turned down, as she does not want to be tied down. She leaves New York for several months and Peter dates other women as his adventures continue.

MJ eventually returns and her behavior shows a marked change with her abandonment of her false front. She admits her knowledge of Peter's secret identity in Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #257, and Peter finds a new respect for her with her newly discovered maturity, making her his confidante. In actuality, she knew of Peter's double life almost from the start as she had seen him as Spider-Man exiting from his bedroom window on the night his Uncle Ben was murdered (as told in the Parallel Lives Graphic Novel).

Marriage (lol didnt happen)

Main article: The Wedding! (Spider-Man)
Mary Jane gets married to Peter. Cover to Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) Annual #21. Art by John Romita Sr.

In spite of Peter and Mary Jane's mutual worry that they were marrying too early, Peter's concern for MJ's safety, and Mary Jane's unwillingness to give up her "party girl" lifestyle, they married in Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) Annual #21 (1987). She attached Peter's surname to her own, making her Mary Jane Watson-Parker. Spider-Man wore his black costume around this time, but after Mary Jane was frightened by a stalking Venom, she convinced him to change back to his old costume in Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #300 (May 1988).

Mary Jane continued to model after her marriage, but was stalked by her wealthy landlord, Jonathan Caesar. When she rejected his advances, he had her blacklisted as a model. She got a role on the soap opera "Secret Hospital," but was unhappy with her character's air-headed and mean personality. Although she successfully petitioned her boss to adjust her character's personality, a deranged fan tried to kill Mary Jane out of hatred for the actions of her soap opera character. Mary Jane quit her job out of fear for her own safety.

Due to this stress, the recent death of Harry Osborn, and the seeming return of her husband's parents, Mary Jane began smoking (a habit she had quit in high school), only increasing the tension between her and Peter. Peter ultimately convinced her to stop smoking when he tricked her into visiting an old friend suffering heavily from lung cancer. When his parents were discovered to be fakes, Peter was unable to cope with the knowledge and disappeared for a time. Mary Jane visited her sister Gayle and her father for the first time in years, and finally reconciled with them. Meanwhile, Peter overcame his problems on his own. When she and Peter reunited, both were happier than they had been in a long time.

Pregnancy

Main article: Clone Saga

Shortly afterward, Peter's clone, Ben Reilly, appeared. Mary Jane discovered that she was pregnant. While she experienced some complications in her pregnancy, Reilly's scientist friend Seward Trainer helped her. Peter and Ben were told by Trainer that Ben was the real Peter Parker, and Peter was the clone (which later proved to be a lie). Peter, acting on hypnotic suggestion by the Jackal, attempted to kill Mary Jane, but was prevented by Ben Reilly (as the Scarlet Spider), his teammates the New Warriors, and Kaine. Later, while arguing with Ben, Peter accidentally struck Mary Jane. After this, he decided to quit as Spider-Man, because the stress of his double life was endangering his wife and unborn child.

Peter and Mary Jane left New York and moved to Portland, Oregon. While there, he lost his powers in a lab accident. They lived there peacefully for several months, adapting happily to normal life. However, they missed New York City and their friends, and moved back. Peter became unexpectedly ill and nearly died, but instead regained his powers. During the Onslaught crisis, Mary Jane was scanned by a Sentinel robot, who detected genetic abnormalities in her fetus.

Soon afterward, when Mary Jane's baby was already past due, she was poisoned by Alison Mongraine, an agent of the Green Goblin. Mary Jane's baby was stillborn (or seemed to be, as Mongraine apparently took the sedated infant away with her[1]). Ben Reilly died at the Green Goblin's hands the same night.

Marital problems

The couple managed to survive this tragic turn of events and Mary Jane managed to return to college to major in psychology, but the stress of the ongoing manipulations of Norman Osborn took their toll. After the Gathering of Five incident and the return of Aunt May, Mary Jane begged Peter to quit being Spider-Man.

He was happy to do so for several months, but soon felt the tug of his great power and great responsibility to be a hero. Meanwhile, Mary Jane was offered a new modelling contract and reached new heights of success. Peter became Spider-Man again behind Mary Jane's back, which put strain on their marriage yet again. At the same time, she began receiving lewd and threatening phone calls from an anonymous stalker. Mary Jane was flying across America when her airplane exploded in midair. Peter was shocked and went into deep denial over her death. Although he was set up with several other women, and his friends encouraged him to move on, he was unable to believe she was dead. He was proven right when her mysterious stalker, an unnamed, telepathic mutant, made himself known. This stalker had telepathically connected to Peter in some way, and wanted to take over his life. He kidnapped Mary Jane as part of his plan and held her hostage for several months. The stalker, however, killed himself after finally gleaning enough of Peter's personality and morality to discover that he had done terrible things. Peter and Mary Jane were reunited.

However, the stress of her captivity drove Mary Jane away. She moved to Los Angeles and immersed herself in acting -- starring as the doomed love interest in the film Lobster-Man. Although missing Peter after he failed to meet her on a visit back to New York, she refused to talk to him; it took Aunt May to get Peter to visit her in Los Angeles, where the two reconciled. However, when the villainess Shathra claimed to have had an affair with Spider-Man, Mary Jane had to be assured by Peter that it was a lie. After he defeated Shathra, Mary Jane and Peter ended their separation.

Civil War

Main article: Civil War (comics)

When Peter and Mary Jane's apartment and Aunt May's house were burned down by Charlie Weiderman, and Spider-Man joined the New Avengers, Mary Jane and Aunt May accompanied him to live in Stark Tower. Mary Jane immediately felt at home with the New Avengers and was happy to finally be a part of Spider-Man's world.

With a bit of strain at first, a jealous Peter swore to himself that he would find a new home for his family, but when his initial jealousy subsided, the Civil War events forced him to stage a secret transfer of Mary Jane out of Stark Mansion, feeling that with the loss of his secret identity and his doubts about Tony Stark's ideas, Mary Jane had become a hostage in a luxurious house. Now residing in a cheap motel, her whole life had been affected, from her increasing difficulties in finding a new job as an actress to her being an easy target and prey, along with Aunt May, for the superpowered foes of Parker. Nevertheless, MJ remained supportive during the whole ordeal. She later proved her devotion to her husband when she was arrested by a former acquaintance, now an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and refused to surrender Peter to the authorities. (Sensational Spider-Man Annual #1). Fortunately, she was immediately rescued by her spouse, after she signaled him using the Spider Tracer she always carried with her.

As the superhuman civil war reached its conclusion, Peter, Mary Jane, and Aunt May were targeted by an assassin working for Spider-Man's old foe, The Kingpin. The assassin's primary target was Peter, with MJ and May designated as secondary objectives. When Peter returned to the Parker family's motel hideout and stood in front of a window, the assassin took aim at Peter and fired, but missed - shooting Aunt May. Peter and MJ scrambled to save her life, rushing her from hospital to hospital while trying to maintain their fragile cover of anonymity. In trying to keep May alive and hidden from Spider-Man's enemies, they truly became fugitives on the run.

One More Day

Main article: Spider-Man: One More Day

During the climactic One More Day storyline of fall 2007, Peter fought desperately to save the comatose Aunt May's life, but her gunshot wound was rapidly proving fatal. After going to both Iron Man and Doctor Strange for help which proved futile, Peter finally was contacted by the extradimensional demon known as Mephisto. Mephisto offered to use his dark powers to save Aunt May's life...for a price. In return for saving Aunt May, Mephisto would wipe the knowledge and memory of Peter and MJ's life together as husband and wife from the face of reality, leaving only a single, subconscious piece of their souls to remember, allowing Mephisto to feast on those pieces' pain for eternity. Mephisto warned Peter and Mary Jane that his offer expires at midnight.

Peter and MJ grappled with their unspeakable choice, and Peter explained he couldn't live with himself if Aunt May died as a result of his own actions (unmasking for the public during Civil War), but also could not face life without MJ, or make the decision without her. As Mephisto confronted the Parkers near midnight, MJ impulsively stepped forward and told the demon that "the answer is yes!" Peter was shocked, and MJ made Mephisto promise to restore Spider-Man's secret identity which he agreed to do without question. She also asked to put his life back as it was and have a chance at happiness. Mephisto asked why he should do that, and MJ answered that it was because of what she could offer him. MJ whispered something to Mephisto, striking a devil's bargain, and then urged Peter to "save May. Be the hero. Be my hero."

An anguished Peter finally agreed to Mephisto's deal, and as a clock began to chime midnight and magic swirled around the Parkers, they saw a vision of their daughter that would now never be. A steely Mary Jane held Peter and explained that she knew in her heart of hearts that they were always meant to be together, and that whatever Mephisto tries to do, "it doesn't matter. Because whatever he does to pull us apart would have to be bigger and stronger than what brought us together and kept us together, no matter what happened. And there's no power in the universe big enough for a job like that. Not the Devil, not God, not anybody." Mary Jane embraced Peter and promised that they would find their way back to each other and be together again. The Parkers swore their love, and as the clock struck twelve, they kissed, and Mary Jane whispered the famous line, "face it, tiger...you just hit the jackpot."

After Mephisto's spell took hold and morning rose, Peter awoke alone. He appeared to be single, and still living with a hale and hearty Aunt May. At the close of One More Day, he attended a party for the newly-resurrected Harry Osborn (now apparently alive as a result of Mephisto's changes to the fabric of reality), where he glimpsed Mary Jane among the other guests. Flash Thompson asked if things were "still frosty" between Peter and MJ, and an unwitting Peter, no longer remembering his life with his wife, just looked at Mary Jane Watson quizzically, watching her leave the party early...and alone.

"Brand New Day"

In the "Brand New Day" timeline, which began at the end of Amazing Spider-Man #545, and was further depicted and explained in the following issues, MJ and Peter were never married, but instead "dated seriously for years". Apparently, they nearly married some time ago, but something happened that resulted in their separation. MJ moved to California to become an actress, but visits New York from time to time.

Mary Jane is suspected[2] to be the superheroine known as Jackpot due to the character's long red hair, the fact that she does modeling (when she references a police scanner costing "half a modeling gig"), and a penchant for calling people "Tiger". Similarly, the name Jackpot echoes Mary Jane Watson's classic line "Face it Tiger, you just hit the jackpot." What superpowers and abilities Jackpot has or how they were acquired remains unknown. During her appearances, Spider-man repeatedly questioned her about her identity (obviously thinking of Mary Jane). Jackpot had given her name to Spider-man as "Sara Ehert", but apparently lied, as seen when Spider-man visited the real Sara Ehert.

Controversies

According to Stan Lee, Mary Jane was originally intended to be simply a rival for Gwen Stacy for the affections of Peter Parker. Lee had always intended for Gwen Stacy to be Spider-Man's one true love, although fans vocally supported the feisty Mary Jane over the non-offensive Gwen Stacy.[3] The pairing of Mary Jane and Peter Parker has become one of the most prominent couples in the superhero genre.

However, many professional writers, artists, and editors at Marvel dislike the pairing and Mary Jane herself. Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada said that he feels the marriage ages the characters, making them less appealing to young readers, and lessens the dramatic, "soap opera" possibilities, but also stated that "divorcing or widowing, or annulling the marriage...would only be worse,"[4] ostensibly putting the matter to rest. He has also pointed out that the marriage itself was editorially-mandated; Stan Lee decided to marry the characters in his daily newspaper strip and, even though the two were not even dating at the time in the comic book series, it was decided to marry them in the regular Marvel Universe as well.

In 2007, Quesada presided over the controversial "One More Day" storyline, which he also drew, in which Peter and Mary Jane's marriage is erased from history and everyone's memories by the demon Mephisto. This undoing has been accompanied with Peter now using his original mechanical webshooters and the revival of Harry Osborn.[5]

Fans of the pairing point out that their relationship evolved naturally and realistically, and more importantly, that Tom Defalco's portrayal of of MJ depicted her as someone who was just as emotionally cripped and sociably difficult as Peter, her "supermodel" lifestyle a facade for her pain and distance from her family. The characters seemed older after decades of stories anyway; and that Mary Jane was aware of Peter's heroic identity (explaining her initial attraction to Peter Parker). Mary Jane remains a popular character regardless, even spinning off into her own comic series. Some feel that she's used unfairly as a scapegoat for other problems associated with the series, such as dwindling sales (which has forced many Spider-titles to be consolidated into one comic)

Skills and equipment

Mary Jane has no special powers, but due to her relationship with Spider-Man and her job as an actress and model, she has found herself in danger many times. Having learned of the risk at the expense of her friend Gwen Stacy's life, she is unwilling to be completely dependent on others for her safety. Her intelligence and tenacity make up for her lack of superhuman abilities.

Mary Jane has some training in self-defense with teachers including Captain America. She has been able to fend off attackers of normal strength and skill, including the Chameleon using a baseball bat, one obsessive stalker using a can of hair spray and a heavy purse, and another using a cue stick. On another occasion, she knocked out a kidnapper with a lamp and electrified his bodyguards with it. Furthermore, there were several occasions in which she saved her husband's life from his super-powered enemies when they had the upper hand: she distracted Alistair Smythe and his Spider-Slayer with a baseball bat, set fire to Hobgoblin's cape, and drove off Styx and Stone as they were about to kill Spider-Man. Recently, she managed to defeat Swarm, a supervillain even her husband had trouble defeating, by using sprinklers.

Mary Jane also carries a gun (although Peter dislikes the idea) which she uses against the Green Goblin in Marvel Knights Spider-Man #12. After Peter developed organic webshooters, he modified his original webshooters into bracelets that she could wear discreetly, giving her an additional defensive weapon. She also carries a modified spider-tracer with an amplified signal that can be traced over long distances.

Mary Jane has used her fashion design and sewing skills on many occasions to make and repair Spider-Man's costumes. She also designed the Hornet, Prodigy, and Ricochet costumes. She is usually the person who provides first aid when Peter is injured.

On one occasion, she was possessed by Red Sonja and battled Kulan Gath, but she has no memory of those events (Marvel Team-Up vol. 1 #79). During the earlier issues of "The Other" story arc, she borrowed Iron Man's old armor temporarily.

If Mary Jane does turn out to be the superhero Jackpot, she has acquired extraordinary gymnastic ability and possibly other powers in the wake of "Brand New Day."

Other versions

The Amazing Spider-Man: The Daily Comic Strip

As a major character in the comic strip version of The Amazing Spider-Man, Mary Jane is currently married to Peter Parker, as that continuity focuses on the Parkers' personal lives over the superhero aspect.

Exiles

In Exiles, Mary Jane is Spider-Woman, a member of the Avengers. Mary Jane is a lesbian who fell in love with the reality-hopping Mariko Yashida, the ill-fated Exiles member Sunfire.

House of M

In House of M, Mary Jane is a world-famous actress, and she is one of the few humans that the mutant population likes. She co-starred in movies with Spider-Man (who has led the mutant population to believe that he is a mutant, when in fact he isn't). In her latest movie, she plays Spider-Man's real-life wife, Gwen Stacy.

Mangaverse

In Marvel Mangaverse, Mary Jane Watson is Spider-Woman. She is a new initiate into the Spider-clan (of ninjas), with her boyfriend (Peter Parker) showing her the ropes.

Marvel Zombies

In Marvel Zombies, Mary Jane and Aunt May were attacked and devoured by Peter Parker when he arrives home to rescue them, only to lose control to his hunger. After he has eaten, Peter is consumed by the guilt and grief of what he has done to the last two people who ever loved him, refusing to take off his mask so he won't have to look himself in the eyes again.

Spider-Man: Reign

In the alternate future seen in "Spider-Man: Reign", Mary Jane died of cancer due to prolonged exposure to Peter's radioactive blood, her last words being "Go..." as he leapt out of a window to respond to sirens (He likes to believe she wanted to say "Go get 'em, Tiger"). After her death, he buried his red and blue costume with her, wearing the black suit until his retirement. However, with the coming of the Sinister Six- and thanks to some bizarre encouragement from the tentacles of the now-deceased Doctor Octopus-, Peter reclaims his original suit from Mary Jane's coffin and returns to his life as Spider-Man. After the Six are defeated and the WEBB surrounding New York is destroyed, Peter visits Mary Jane's grave, assuring her that he'll be with her again some day, but, for now, he still has his responsibility.

MC2

File:AmSpiGirl8.jpg
Mary Jane Watson on the cover of Amazing Spider-Girl #8.

In the MC2 universe, Mary Jane is reunited with her baby daughter by Kaine, who found the child living with Alison Mongraine, the con artist who had kidnapped the baby on instruction from the Green Goblin. Baby May grew to become May "Mayday" Parker, AKA Spider-Girl. Alison Mongraine became quite attached to the baby while she was in her care. Though she was thought to have been killed by Kaine, she returns years later to make contact with May. May and Mary Jane forgive Alison, who sincerely regrets her crime and loves the girl like her own child. After a complicated pregnancy, Mary Jane also gives birth to a baby son, Benjamin. She is a respected fashion designer and businesswoman, and secretly starts a store based on Spider-Girl related merchandise to pay for May's and Ben's educations.

Spider-Ham

In Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #15 Mary Jane appears as a waterbuffalo called Mary Jane Waterbuffalo.

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane

In Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Mary Jane is still a teenager and the book is primarily a teen drama rather than a superhero comic book, although it takes place in a superhero universe with Spider-Man playing a prominent role. In this continuity, Mary Jane is regarded as the most popular girl at Midtown high (her high school in Queens, NY) and was even voted homecoming queen. She had a brief infatuation with Spider-man until she went on a date with him and realized that she would much rather be with Peter Parker. The ongoing series was preceded by two four-issue limited series, Mary Jane and Mary Jane: Homecoming, intended to capitalize on the female readership of manga and the Mary Jane novels.

Spider-Man: Fairy Tales

Issue #1 of Spider-Man: Fairy Tales follows the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Mary Jane is the part of Little Red Riding Hood, and Peter is one of the woodsmen. Peter is not very strong but he is fast, agile, and "can climb better than most anyone." The wolf is killed by Peter and Mary Jane working together. Mary Jane and Peter are engaged.

In issue #4, a gender-reversed version of Cinderella, Mary Jane is a servant girl in the house of Sir Osborn, and is in love with Peter Parker. Peter does not realise this and disguises himself as the "Prince of Arachne" to win the hand of Princess Gwendolyn. Mary Jane discovers Peter's secret identity, and aids him. Following Gwendolyn's death and Peter being knighted for saving the King's life, the last panel shows Mary Jane sadly holding one of Peter's webbed gauntlets.

Ultimate Mary Jane

File:Ultimate mj.png
Ultimate Mary Jane.

Mary Jane[6] attends Midtown High School with Peter Parker and Liz Allan. Though originally known as "Mary" to her friends, she later picks up the "MJ" nickname. Unlike the original MJ, Ultimate Mary Jane is a brilliant student and expresses her true feelings instead of masquerading as a party girl. She can be short-tempered and has even physically attacked some of the bullies at her school. At one time, MJ had expressed her wish to become an actress, but now dreams of being a 'Teacher who Cares'. She and Peter begin dating in Ultimate Spider-Man #13, as well as becoming the second person to learn of Peter's secret identity and the first Peter reveals it to. She sews Peter's spare Spider-Man costumes, once calling herself the Betsy Ross of superheroes. Although Peter and MJ love each other very much, Peter's Spider-Man identity proves a heavy burden on their relationship. The relationship is complicated when Gwen Stacy enters their lives.

Later, Peter began to fear for Mary Jane's safety more than ever when the Green Goblin kidnapped her in a twisted attempt to gain Peter's allegiance and flung her off the Queensboro bridge. MJ survived, but was left traumatized. During this time, she became angry and jealous when she thought that a new girl, Gwen Stacy had feelings for Peter and ended their relationship in issue #32, although they soon reconciled in issue #41. When MJ's father read her diary and found her referring to something as the 'bridge incident' where she was nearly killed, he tells MJ that she is not to see Peter anymore. Furious, MJ ran away to an old factory but Peter finds her and her parents separate soon after.

In "Hobgoblin" (#72-78), it was said Harry and Mary Jane had engaged in a brief romance around the same day Peter was bitten. Then, long after his father is gunned down as the Green Goblin, Harry tells her that Peter "killed his father". Recently, Peter ended the relationship in issue #77 after realizing his life as a superhero will always endanger her. Shortly thereafter, Mary Jane went out with a character named Mark Raxton. After one date, however, she planned to prove herself to Peter and to get him back. When Raxton asked what was so special about Parker, she simply replied "everything." She has since shown difficulty in moving on from Peter and in dealing with the state of their friendship, especially now that Peter has recently dated Kitty Pryde. However, Peter has shown an interest in reconciling their differences, and becoming, if not a couple, friends again.

As part of the Clone Saga arc, MJ is kidnapped from her bedroom by a facially disfigured clone of Peter Parker who is determined to give her powers so that she is no longer in danger from his enemies. He pumps in her bloodstream an unquantified amount of OZ, the drug responsible for the creation of the Ultimate Green Goblin, Hobgoblin and also Spider-Man. Upon learning this, she becomes very angry and transforms into a huge, hairy, horned red goblin-type creature (referred to by Bendis as Ultimate Demogoblin). However, when the Real Peter Parker and Spider-Woman turn up, she calms down and resumes her original form, just in time for Peter (her ex) to render his evil clone unconscious. MJ is taken to the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building and when she wakes up, she is afraid and angry, causing another transformation. However when she spots the Peter clone who was in the building, she calms down once again and reverts back to her normal self. She is then given what is believed to be a cure to the effects of the OZ formula.

During the epilogue of the Clone Saga, Peter and MJ rekindle their love bond, much to Kitty's dismay. Although MJ seems physically cured, as confirmed on Ultimate Spider-Man #105, the ordeal has left her badly traumatized, and she is shown to be affected by panic issues and haunted by the scarred visage of Peter's disfigured clone. Sue Storm suggests that Peter should keep a close eye on MJ and seeking a psychiatrist to help her get through her traumatic episodes. However, in issue #107, MJ watches Peter talking to Kitty and it makes her mad. Her hand starts to tremble and her fingernails briefly become claws but she calms down when Kitty takes off in anger, indicating that her cure might not be permanent or even complete. Plus, in issue #112, it is seen that Mary Jane daydreams a scene where she's fighting against Spider-Man and Sue and Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four in her mutant form. This remaining empowerment is proven to be more probable with the solicitation of a one-shot story in which Mary Jane and Kitty have to save Peter from a supervillain, rumored to be the Shocker in his first major role.

In other media

Films

In the three films to date, the character of Mary Jane Watson has been portrayed by Kirsten Dunst.

Spider-Man

Main article: Spider-Man (film)

Mary Jane is Peter Parker's childhood and high school crush and only sweetheart. At the time, she was dating the high school bully, Flash Thompson. Flash and MJ break up at their high school grad ceremony. Mary Jane begins to pursue a career in acting, but she secretly waitresses at a diner, after being rejected at an audition. Parker's friend, Harry Osborn, is her first boyfriend after leaving high school, but she falls in love with Parker and his alter-ego, Spider-Man. In arguably the film's most iconic scene, she shares a passionate kiss with Spider-Man while he is suspended upside down after he saves her from a gang of thugs. Mary Jane begins to grow more distant from Harry, denying his advances. Her feelings for Parker grow when he tells her what he supposedly told Spider-Man about her. After Harry sees Peter and MJ holding hands in the hospital room of Aunt May, he gets angry and breaks up with her.

Harry's father Norman Osborn (who is also the Green Goblin) knows of Spider-Man's secret identity and finds out about his feelings for Mary Jane from his son. He kidnaps her and holds her over the Queensboro Bridge, telling Spider-Man that he must choose between her and a group of children caught in the Roosevelt Island tram car. Spider-Man manages to save both Mary Jane and the children. (In the comic book, it was Gwen Stacy who was held over a bridge, and Spider-Man's attempt to save her failed.) At the end of the film, Mary Jane tells Peter that she loves him and they kiss. She states that when she was over the bridge she thought about Peter. Mary Jane realized that he was always there for her. However, Peter shies away from her as he is afraid for her safety, and thus does not want to get involved with her. MJ is heartbroken by his rejection, but realizes that her kiss with Peter reminded her of the one she shared with Spider-Man and suspects that he is the hero.

Spider-Man 2

Main article: Spider-Man 2

Mary Jane wants to start a relationship with Peter Parker. Peter backs away from a relationship with her even though he wants one because he fears for her safety. In her frustration Mary Jane goes on to have a relationship with John Jameson, the astronaut son of Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson, whom she tells him about at his birthday party. Prior to this, Harry said that she was waiting for him. Much to Peter's delight, he sees her billboard picturing her modeling for a perfume near the pizza place he works at.

Later, Peter decides that being Spider-Man is not what he wants and he attempts to start a relationship with her. Mary Jane pushes him away this time because she is getting married to John Jameson, but secretly does want a relationship with Peter, although she tries to convince herself otherwise. She is also agitated at Peter because he fails to see her star in The Importance of Being Earnest, which John, Harry, and Aunt May have seen, some of them more than once. Even her drunk verbally abusive father went backstage to ask for money. When Peter does arrive to see it the first time, a snooty usher, named Waldo in the novelization of Spider-Man 2, stops him. The second attempt to see it, which is successful, is when he tries to reconnect with her. After Mary Jane kisses John, in a manner that is reminiscent of the upside-down kiss between she and Spider-Man from the first Spider-Man movie, she finds that she may want a relationship with Peter Parker.

She meets Peter in a coffee shop where she asks for a kiss to confirm her belief that he is Spider-Man. Just before Peter can kiss her, Doctor Octopus kidnaps her and runs away. Doctor Octopus takes her to an abandoned pier where Spider-Man confronts him. Spider-Man pulls his mask off in hopes of getting Doctor Octopus to come back to his senses, and Mary Jane sees that Spider-Man and Peter Parker are one and the same.

After Peter saves her and Doctor Octopus is killed, Mary Jane prepares to marry John Jameson, but she leaves him at the altar, goes to Peter's apartment, and expresses that she loves Peter.

Spider-Man 3

Main article: Spider-Man 3

Both Mary Jane and Harry Osborn (James Franco) now know that Peter is Spider-Man. In the film, Peter is intending to ask MJ to marry him. When he reports the good news to his Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), she is delighted and asks Peter to give her engagement ring as a gift to Mary Jane. However, Peter becomes slightly overconfident due to Spider-Man's success. Meanwhile, Mary Jane's Broadway debut takes a turn for the worse when she fails to project her voice and gain good reviews. Unaware of this incident, Peter accidentally pushes Mary Jane away, thinking he understands her situation. She also begins a rivalry with Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) for Peter's affections. Having been replaced on Broadway by her understudy and then having to work at a jazz club, MJ and Peter's relationship worsens when Spider-Man is unexpectedly kissed by Gwen Stacy in front of a whole crowd of people the same way MJ kissed Spider-Man in the first film. When Peter attempts to propose to MJ that same night, the appearance of Gwen Stacy at the same restaurant prompts her to become upset and leave.

Mary Jane, feeling alone and despondent, calls Harry Osborn, who recently lost his memory and hatred of Spider-Man after being defeated in an aerial battle as the evil New Goblin. They renew their bond, and in a moment of joy, Mary Jane kisses Harry. Realizing what she is doing, Mary Jane quickly leaves; the emotional turmoil restores Harry's memories and his mission to destroy Spider-Man as the New Goblin. He confronts MJ in her apartment, and threatens to kill Peter if she does not break up with him. Following Harry's orders, she breaks up with Peter. Peter, heartbroken and upset, refuses to tolerate these tragedies, and turns to the symbiote suit, which enhances his aggression.

One night, Peter decides to go to MJ's jazz club with Gwen Stacy to make MJ jealous. He shows her up on stage by playing the piano, and makes a big show of dancing with Gwen. Gwen, realizing that she is being used as a prop to make MJ jealous, apologizes and leaves. MJ is still visibly shaken when Peter decides to confront her at the bar, and he is assaulted by two of the club's bouncers. A fight ensues, and Mary Jane tries to stop Peter. Thinking she was another bouncer, Peter strikes her, only to turn around and realize that is was Mary Jane he just hit. Peter, realizing what the evil symbiote is trying to do, leaves the club.

Peter tears the symbiote off his body at a church bell-tower. During the struggle, it falls on Eddie Brock, Jr. (Topher Grace) standing below and creates Venom. At his apartment, Peter fears that even though the symbiote was responsible for current events, he may not be able to put MJ first, and gives his wedding ring back to Aunt May, who convinces him that if he tries his best, he can put things right. Peter then goes to Harry in desperation, because he needs help against his new foe. Harry turns him down, but his butler informs him of the original Green Goblins history. Harry after contemplating the speech makes his decision. Meanwhile, Venom recruits an uneasy Sandman, and kidnaps Mary Jane, holding her hostage at a construction site, where a climatic battle takes place between the team of Venom and the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) against Spider-Man and his friend, Harry Osborn a.k.a. the New Goblin. In the fight, Harry defeats Sandman, but is impaled by Venom with his own glider. After Spider-Man defeats Venom, he goes over to the wounded Harry, alongside whom Mary Jane is also present. Harry does not survive his injuries and dies in the arms of Mary Jane and in the presence of Peter.

After attending the funeral of their friend, Peter and Mary Jane renew their relationship.

Television

Spider-Man (1967)

In Spider-Man (1967 TV series), Mary Jane appears in the episode The Big Brainwasher (Based on The Amazing Spider-Man 59-61). Unlike her comic book counterpart, she is the niece of George Stacy.

Spider-Man (tokusatsu)

In Tokusatsu Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson was called Hitomi Sakuma (played by Rika Miura).

Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends

In Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, although she did not appear on the cartoon, the character Firestar, a female version of the Human Torch, resembles Mary Jane in appearance. Also, like Mary Jane, Firestar, with the alternate identity of Angelica Jones, is a college student and classmate of Peter Parker.

Spider-Man: The Animated Series

In Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Mary Jane Watson first meets a 19-year-old Peter Parker in "The Return of the Spider-Slayers" (Season #1 Ep #4). Over the course of the series, Mary Jane slowly supplants Debra Whitman and Felicia Hardy as his primary love interest. She was played by Sara Ballantine. She is last seen in Season three finale "Turning Point," in which the Green Goblin discovers Spider-Man's true identity. In a nod to "The Night Gwen Stacy Died", he takes her to the George Washington Bridge. Spider-Man tries to save her, but she falls into a dimensional portal created by his stolen time dilation accelerator (due to the show's censorship no one in the show could die, she was forced into limbo and Spider-Man didn't know about her falling into limbo). Prior to her fall, MJ awoke thinking she had heard Peter's voice, not Spider-Man's, this was a subtle nod to her knowing Peter's secret. As with the "Gwen Stacy" storyline, Norman Osborn was vanquished when he was impaled by his own glider and sent into limbo himself, but would soon resurface to influence his son Harry into becoming The Goblin

In Season four, a clone of Mary Jane created by Miles Warren appears, and after the death of Mysterio at the end of the ninth episode of Season four, Spider-Man revealed he was Peter to her and MJ and Peter marry in the first episode of Season five. This marraige was significantly different from the original, which had no intervention from super-villains. In this episode, the wedding came under attack from the Green Goblin (Harry), and Allister Smythe's Spider-Slayers. Later, this Mary Jane's true nature is revealed and she (and a clone of Hydro-Man) dissolve due to their unstable cellular structure. By the series finale, after Spider-Man saved all reality from the villain known as Spider-Carnage, Spider-Man's mystic advisor, Madame Web, promised they would find the real Mary Jane (as she promised when she took Spider-Man from Earth after the Mary Jane clone died before the Secret War, which was a test to see if Spider-Man could stop Spider-Carnage). The "true" Mary Jane is never seen again in this series, but is shown to have been reunited with and married to Peter in the sequel, Spider-Man Unlimited. Jennifer Hale provided her voice. It was never revealed how she returned (supposedly, the writers left this for the next season, which was never made). However, producer of the previous show, John Semper, revealed if he continued the show, Mary Jane would have been found in a Colonial England.

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series

Mary Jane appears in Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (where she was voiced by Lisa Loeb), taking place shortly after the events of the first live-action movie. In Mind Games: Part 1, like in the second movie, Mary Jane discovers that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, but it was revealed to be a dream sequence.

The Spectacular Spider-Man

Mary Jane, voiced by Vanessa Marshall, is slated to appear in Kids WB's The Spectacular Spider-Man but has yet to make her first appearence.

Novels

File:Maryjanenovel.jpg
Mary Jane: A Novel.

Romance novelist Judith O'Brien wrote two novels featuring a teenage Mary-Jane in 2003 and 2004. They featured illustrations by Mike Mayhew. They don't fit into any of the comics' continuity, although it claims to be 'inspired' by Ultimate Spider-Man.

The first novel is a basic retelling of the origin story from Mary Jane's point of view. She is depicted as a shy, insecure girl who knew Peter Parker from elementary school. She deals with such teen topics as anorexia and peer pressure.

At a field trip to Osborn Industries, Peter is bitten by a spider, which grants him powers. It is later revealed that Norman Osborn had injected a super drug known as OZ into the spider, which he later uses as a sports drink which he sells to Mary Jane's classmates. (The use of OZ is the only real connection to Ultimate, but even that is drastically different from the way it's portrayed in the original comics.) As Peter suits up to become Spider-Man (his origin with Uncle Ben is only hinted at), Mary Jane sets out to expose Norman with the help of Peter.

The novel was successful with teenage girls who weren't familiar with the comics, but was met with criticism from the core fans due to what they considered mischaracterization of some of the characters (most notably Harry Osborn, who is portrayed as somewhat of a punk who manipulates Peter into doing his homework while treating him horribly) and its fooling around with continuity.

The second novel, Mary Jane 2, deals with the continuing relationship of Peter and Mary Jane, and the emergence of new girl Gwen Stacy. In this continuity, Gwen is an 'ugly duckling' who Mary-Jane gives a 'makeover'. However, Gwen soon has feelings for Peter. Harry Osborn reappears and is made more sympathetic than he was in the previous novel; with his father in jail, he is now poor and has to live without a life of luxury.

Toys

  • 2 action figure of Mary Jane was released by ToyBiz based on her appearance in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
  • A 6-inch scale action figure and a 12-inch scale doll of Mary Jane were released to coincide with the 2002 Spider-Man film. Both were based on the likeness of Kirsten Dunst and wore the Asian-inspired red dress she wore in the film. These figures were released by Toy Biz.
  • A 6-inch scale version of Mary Jane from the movies Spider-man 2 and 3 has been released from Hasbro. This figure includes a "build-a-figure" part of a large Sandman figure from Spider-man 3. The dress on this figure is like the one she wore in Spider-man 2.
  • A Barbie version of Mary Jane was released by Mattel in 2005. The doll's clothing was based on the wedding gown she wore in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21, 1987.
  • Mary Jane was included in a two-pack with Peter Parker in Art Asylum's Minimates small-scale figure series. This set was a convention exclusive.
  • Art Asylum produced a full-body statuette of Mary Jane based on her appearance in the early 1970s, identical except for its paint application to a simultaneously-released statue of Gwen Stacy.
  • Moore Collectibles produced an 8-inch bust (actually from the knees up, nearly a full statue) of Mary Jane based on her first full appearance.
  • Sideshow Collectibles produced a 14.25-inch "comiquette" statuette designed by Adam Hughes showing Mary Jane discovering Peter Parker's Spider-Man costume in his washing. A common misconception is that Mary Jane was washing it for him. The statue's designer Adam Hughes dispelled this notion in an interview with Newsarama.[7] Despite the clarification, the statuette has received a fair amount of criticism with people taking issue with MJ's ostensibly highly-sexualized and objectifying pose.[8][9] The statuette's first line sold out rapidly.[9]

Video games

Main article: Spider-Man video games

Mary Jane appears in almost every Spider-Man video game, but almost exclusively as a victim of kidnapping who must be saved.

  • M.J. is kidnapped in The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin by the Kingpin, and is hung over an acid tank. She is freed if the Kingpin is beaten in a certain amount of time. If the fight takes too long she falls to her death in some kind of acid and after Kingpin is arrested by the police, Spider-Man vows vengeance on M.J.'s death to Kingpin.
  • In the Spider-Man game for the Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 and PlayStation, Venom believes that Spider-Man stole something (it is later revealed that Mysterio was the thief) and kidnaps Mary Jane in attempt to get revenge. She is held in the sewers and must be rescued by Spider-Man.
  • In Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace, Mary Jane forgets to purchase a fish bowl for her fish and asks Peter to retrieve one for her at the beginning of the game. In the end Peter manages to obtain one for her and says "You'll never know the trouble I went through for this."
  • MJ appears in the 2002 Spider-Man game based on the film, but is not voiced by Kirsten Dunst. If you type in the code GIRLNEXTDOOR, you can play as her.
  • MJ appears in Spider-Man 2, voiced by Kirsten Dunst. In this game, like the movie, she is unaware of Peter's being Spider-Man until the end.
  • In the Ultimate Spider-Man video game, Mary Jane's Ultimate version appears several times in the game, helping Peter research and discover information on the villains he must fight. The game ends with her talking to Peter. In the Nintendo DS version of the game, the player must save an unnamed character who has Mary Jane's clothing and hair color.
  • Mary Jane appears in Spider-Man 3, though not voiced by Kirsten Dunst.

"Face it, Tiger..."

"Face it, Tiger... you just hit the jackpot!", Mary Jane's first words to Peter[10], is one of the most famous quotations in superhero comic book history. The quotation is duplicated in nearly every continuity in which Mary Jane appears and repeated in nearly every flashback to their first encounter. It is also often referenced or parodied in other contexts. Appearances of the quotations in Marvel comic books and other Marvel products include:

Notably, this line has never been used in any Spider-Man films, although "tiger" has been used by Mary Jane as a term of endearment.

Outside of Marvel, the line has also been used in:

  • In DC Comics's Supergirl #7, Linda Danvers learns that the date her parents set her up with (similarly to Peter's first date with Mary Jane, set up by Aunt May) is her abusive, Satanic ex-boyfriend Buzz, who says "Face it, tigress, you just hit the jackpot."
  • In Image Comics's The Pirates of Coney Island #6, a girl says the line to Patch, the main character of the series.
  • The line is said in Clerks II by Dante's fiancee when they discuss his coming new life.

References

  1. ^ The baby has not been seen since in the normal 616 continuity, but appears in stories set in the alternate-timeline Spider-Girl series.
  2. ^ Amazing Spider-man #549
  3. ^ Spider-Man 2 DVD, Disk 2, "Women in Spider-man" segment, stated by Stan Lee.
  4. ^ Interview with Joe Quesada at newsarama.com
  5. ^ Spider-Man's new Status Quo
  6. ^ First appears in Ultimate Spider-Man #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley
  7. ^ Hughes, Adam. "ADAM HUGHES ON THE MARY JANE STATUE". NEWSARAMA.
  8. ^ Graves, Neil (May 16, 2007). "MARY JANE IS SPIDEY 'SENSUOUS'". New York Post. News Corporation. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ a b Arpe, Malene (May 17, 2007). "No plumber's butt for Spidey?". Toronto Star. Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #42 (November 1966)

References

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