Dan Slott on the "real" MJ

[oldschool]

I can't really recall much "waiting by the window". Maybe it all happened in Web, which I didn't read much of. DeMatteis and Michelinie, as I recall, tended to have MJ channel the frustration and worry into something.

It was there but probably just not as much of it as some seem to recall in hindsight.

[Aruran.]

It happened in Spectacular for a bit, really it went into high gear post-clone saga.

[Michael P]

See, I remember post-Clone Spectacular as the book where MJ beat the Chameleon with a baseball bat so hard he had brain damage.

Which just goes to show, people remember what they want to remember, and fill in the rest.

[Kevinroc]

See, I remember post-Clone Spectacular as the book where MJ beat the Chameleon with a baseball bat so hard he had brain damage.

Which just goes to show, people remember what they want to remember, and fill in the rest.

That's the story where I started reading Spider-Man comics. So good.

[squirecam]

MJ hasn't been the "one-dimensional party girl" since Gwen died.

Agree 100%

[RedQueen]

MJ couldn't stay the "party girl" just as much as peter could still be selling photographs of himself to the Bugle. Look, he can apply that logic to Peter, but not Mary Jane, hm?

Slott seems to like old time Spidey but problem is old school Spidey was very much a product of it's age. Not that it's really a bad thing it's just Peter will be forever be stuck with his Parker luck.

I think he only looks at MJ from love interest standpoint. The writing of her the last few years heavily indicates so. i quite like MJ and Peter's relationship but I think you can't look at such a well established character such as MJ just from that point of view. Also considering her fanbase, which from personal experience I have found is quite large and very intense and passionate, you're gonna have treat the character better because there are people who want to see MJ on a monthly basis. Or like run.

[Prof. Warren]

Count me among those that feel MJ's backstory was painfully retrofitted to make her marriage material for Pete but it really wasn't done overnight.

An awful lot of work had to be done to make MJ fit to be a viable Mrs. Peter Parker and I believe that all that effort a) showed that MJ wasn't a great fit for Peter, marriage-wise, in the first place, she was just shoehorned into the role and b) all the character alterations diluted what had made MJ a vibrant and interesting member of the supporting cast for years.

[Michael P]

I think he only looks at MJ from love interest standpoint.

I don't know if Slott does that, but there are definitely creators who do, and it shows in their work. And to make the marriage work, you definitely need to break out of that mold of thinking. The writers who couldn't, well, that's where the klunkers in that period come from.

[Michael P]

An awful lot of work had to be done to make MJ fit to be a viable Mrs. Peter Parker and I believe that all that effort a) showed that MJ wasn't a great fit for Peter, marriage-wise, in the first place, she was just shoehorned into the role and b) all the character alterations diluted what had made MJ a vibrant and interesting member of the supporting cast for years.

I think part of the problem is thinking of it as "Mrs. Peter Parker", as opposed to "Mary Jane, who is married to Peter Parker". But she wouldn't be the first female character creators have made that mistake with.

[Yvonmukluk]

An awful lot of work had to be done to make MJ fit to be a viable Mrs. Peter Parker and I believe that all that effort a) showed that MJ wasn't a great fit for Peter, marriage-wise, in the first place, she was just shoehorned into the role and b) all the character alterations diluted what had made MJ a vibrant and interesting member of the supporting cast for years.

There's a phrase for what you're describing.

It's called 'character development'.

[Amazing Michael Deery]

MJ couldn't stay the "party girl" just as much as peter could still be selling photographs of himself to the Bugle. Look, he can apply that logic to Peter, but not Mary Jane, hm?

Slott seems to like old time Spidey but problem is old school Spidey was very much a product of it's age. Not that it's really a bad thing it's just Peter will be forever be stuck with his Parker luck.

Has he wrote MJ to be a 'party girl?' Last I looked she was owned her own business and had her **** together.

[Mister Mets]

I've gotta say that I liked the Lee/ Romita Mary Jane. She's a fun character.

[Amazing Michael Deery]

There's a phrase for what you're describing.

It's called 'character development'.

What happened with MJ wasn't character development. They altered her past to explain she only used the party girl personality as an act to hide who she really was. It came from no where, wasn't planned by any writer and was done purely to accommodate the decision to have her and Peter marry, a decision made for sales. They needed someone who could believably marry Peter but didn't have one, so they altered someone to fit that mold. They even made it so that MJ always knew he was Spider-Man, making her the least likeable character anytime she complained Peter was late since she knew why he was late.

[Tuck]

Honestly, I never found Mary Jane terribly interesting before JMS. She felt as much like a stock character as most of Peter's supporting cast from the early days.

Ultimate Spider-Man was the first time I actively started liking the character.

[Vortex85]

É

Has he wrote MJ to be a 'party girl?' Last I looked she was owned her own business and had her **** together.

I like Dan's MJ but I don't agree that she lost anything from the marriage. Was every plot perfect? Was it always as compellig as it could have been? no, not all the time. But at the end MJ came out a much more rich and storied character with plenty of memorable moments that firmly cement her into the hearts of fans. Even Dan incorporates the added layers of her personality that came about during the marriage era, incorporating MJ as Peter's closest confidant and friend.

In the end, the marriage was a big win for the character and while I like Dan's portrayal, I find her current status dimishes the worth of her character, to the point where the once #1 reigning Spider-female is now to new fans like "MJ who?"