Mary Jane Watson-Parker Appreciation 2020

[Batman Begins 2005]

So I'm re-reading JMS' run, and there's this adorable moment in ASM#54:





Usually info dumps aren't interesting character-wise, it's just the characters talking about something to explain to the audience, but this, not only we get to see Peter having some clear excitement over figuring out how to beat that Digger guy by using science, MJ's reactions and trying to not sleep make this into a character moment.

Hickman could really learn from this lol.

JMS wrote a mature Peter Parker, Mary Jane and Aunt May so well. Biggest strength of his run.

[Prime]

I've been re-reading some old Spider-man issues and holy shit. Mary Jane deserves some kind of award for being this good of a wife and not leaving Peter. She really is amazing. She was really put through the gutter in the mess that was the clone saga.

[Celgress]

JMS wrote a mature Peter Parker, Mary Jane and Aunt May so well. Biggest strength of his run.

He sure did. To the memories.

[Prime]

Also, reading issues from when she was first introduced it seems like her eyes were always on Peter, and her backstory and Parallel lives reinforces that.

[Huntsman Spider]

I've been re-reading some old Spider-man issues and holy shit. Mary Jane deserves some kind of award for being this good of a wife and not leaving Peter. She really is amazing. She was really put through the gutter in the mess that was the clone saga.

Fully concur with you there.

Also, reading issues from when she was first introduced it seems like her eyes were always on Peter, and her backstory and Parallel lives reinforces that.

Even if Marvel didn't necessarily intend it that way at first . . . Mary Jane and Peter are pretty much endgame at this point.

[Vortex85]

I've been re-reading some old Spider-man issues and holy shit. Mary Jane deserves some kind of award for being this good of a wife and not leaving Peter. She really is amazing. She was really put through the gutter in the mess that was the clone saga.

1000% agree with you. MJ deserves the wife of the century award regarding her time in her marriage with Peter.

It really gets to me when I see comments on twitter dissing MJ as selfish bitch and stuff based on her portrayal in Spider-Man 3. I’m always like, “read the comics people!” They have no idea how amazing she is in the source material.

[Prime]

Movie MJ is meh but comic MJ is one of my favorite characters in the franchise and probably the second most important one behind Peter. Like seriously, the amount of shit she had to deal with was really something. If she didnt leave Peter in the Clone Saga, she isnt going to leave him for anything else. Also back in the day Peter was kinda an ahole and out of all the females Mary Jane suffered the worst out of it. She really is amazing having to pull with all his crap.

[Vortex85]

Movie MJ is meh but comic MJ is one of my favorite characters in the franchise and probably the second most important one behind Peter. Like seriously, the amount of shit she had to deal with was really something. If she didnt leave Peter in the Clone Saga, she isnt going to leave him for anything else. Also back in the day Peter was kinda an ahole and out of all the females Mary Jane suffered the worst out of it. She really is amazing having to pull with all his crap.

Again, agreed. It's good to see someone else articulate this into words because I think I've tried expressing this before and you definitely nailed it. It started even before the clone saga in the "I am the Spider era". Peter was a complete ass to her during that period and even though he drove her away to sort out things with her family, she didn't hold a grudge against him for all of it when he came back to his senses.

In fact, in the very issue where with my profile pic MJ constantly tries to reach out to Peter only for him to yell at her and shut her down:



and later in the issue when he returns:



Poor MJ man.

[Prime]

Again, agreed. It's good to see someone else articulate this into words because I think I've tried expressing this before and you definitely nailed it. It started even before the clone saga in the "I am the Spider era". Peter was a complete ass to her during that period and even though he drove her away to sort out things with her family, she didn't hold a grudge against him for all of it when he came back to his senses.

In fact, in the very issue where with my profile pic MJ constantly tries to reach out to Peter only for him to yell at her and shut her down:



and later in the issue when he returns:



Poor MJ man.

Holy shit I wasn't even refering to this era. I was talking about back in the 70's or so when Gwen died and before. I was surprised on how big of an asshole Peter was back then. Everyone suffered from it. But Mary Jane most of all. Heck, Ben Reilly had to keep reminding Peter that he has a wife and he should love her. Jesus, MJ does not deserve this abuse.

[Huntsman Spider]

Holy shit I wasn't even refering to this era. I was talking about back in the 70's or so when Gwen died and before. I was surprised on how big of an asshole Peter was back then. Everyone suffered from it. But Mary Jane most of all. Heck, Ben Reilly had to keep reminding Peter that he has a wife and he should love her. Jesus, MJ does not deserve this abuse.

Agreed. The pre-Clone Saga 90s, with the robot parents built by the Chameleon on what turned out to be Harry Osborn's orders . . . yeah, that was the beginning of a real downward spiral for the character, in-universe and out.

[Vortex85]

Lol, this has got me going through finding all Peter's bitchy moments laughing. Look at his one:

[Vortex85]

(continued from previous post)

Later....





Run MJ! RUN! Your husband is a psychopath!

[Celgress]

Agreed. The pre-Clone Saga 90s, with the robot parents built by the Chameleon on what turned out to be Harry Osborn's orders . . . yeah, that was the beginning of a real downward spiral for the character, in-universe and out.

Clone Saga (1990s) Era 616 Peter Parker was atrocious to MJ and other people (to a lesser degree). I vividly recall as a kid hating him which is never good for a franchise when fans start to dislike the hero. I think Marvel Editorial was doing this so they could later say "look the true Spider-Man would NEVER act in such a way" when they revealed Peter was indeed the clone and Ben was the "real one" (apparently the original plan that they wanted to stick with until sales tanked on Ben's solo run as Spidey). So, some good old fashioned character assassination.

[Prime]

(continued from previous post)

Later....





Run MJ! RUN! Your husband is a psychopath!

What the f*ck is wrong with Peter?

[Vortex85]

What the f*ck is wrong with Peter?

I'm seriously laughing, this is fun, I could do this all night but I don't want everyone to hate Peter and start wondering why we want the marriage back.