Mary Jane
Character » Mary Jane appears in 3746 issues.
Mary Jane Watson is an actress and a major love interest of Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. They have had a long and dramatic on-and-off-again relationship. She's one of the few people who know who he is and still supports him as a close friend and confidante.
Off My Mind: Should Mary Jane Gain Superpowers?
It's been 3 years since the marriage between Peter Parker and Mary Jane was erased. The marriage happened but it didn't happen. Spider-Man being married was a way to bring a change to the character. He started out as a high schooler, went through college, lost his first true love and finally settled into being an adult by marrying Mary Jane.
For different reasons, it was felt Spider-Man shouldn't be married. It was thought by some that younger readers wouldn't be able to relate to a married superhero. Peter Parker always had his bad Parker Luck. He constantly had girl problems trying to juggle his normal life with his superhero career. Many thought marrying a supermodel just didn't fit with who Spider-Man was supposed to be.
I've always felt there was more to the problem than that. Being a married superhero didn't make me like Spider-Man more or less but I was happy to see the progression. I always thought that the problem was what to do with Mary Jane once they were married. If she wasn't being harassed or threatened by enemies like Eddie Brock or her own personal stalkers, she was pretty much just sitting around waiting for Peter to return home. With so many titles and adventures, it never seemed likely that Peter and Mary Jane actually spent any quality time together.
What if Mary Jane gained superpowers? Would this allow her to fully become part of Spider-Man's world?
== TEASER ==
I know right away people are probably screaming that Mary Jane should never gain superpowers. That's not who her character is. She was always meant to be a major civilian supporting character for Spider-Man. Having her get powers might be seen as a cop out in trying to keep the two together. But if it meant they could be together, would it really be that bad?
I actually first thought this would happen back in 1985 with Amazing Spider-Man Annual #19. I thought it would be cheesy but I would have been totally okay with it. So much was put into their relationship. I vividly remember the scene Spider-Man and MJ shared when they were reunited after she was kidnapped and he introduced her to Captain America. This was way before Cap had any idea who Spider-Man was behind his mask. Mary Jane was such an important part of his life that he simply wanted a hero he completely respected to meet her. But stories like that are null and void since the marriage was erased from existence.
Since Peter now has access to a high tech lab after the events of BIG TIME, why doesn't he simply replicate his powers for Mary Jane? It was a simply lab experiment back when he was in high school. How much has technology changed since then? Unless there was something extraordinary about that poor spider that was subjected to radiation and died transferring powers to Peter, he should be able to duplicate the process and give spider-powers to Mary Jane. Is this something that will actually happen? There has been an image teasing the possibility.
Another option, that I'm not quite sold on, would be that all their years of being...intimate could cause her to gain his abilities. We saw in Spider-Man: Reign that she actually got cancer from years of being by his side. But what if instead, and I'm not trying to be graphic or gross, but what if there was something in the exchange of...saliva or something during kisses that could transfer his powers. Years and years of swapping spit could be just what it takes to give her character a new direction. Again, I don't like this idea as much as Peter creating a way in his lab but it is another option.
Peter may be with Carlie Cooper right now but she's no Mary Jane. MJ still cares deeply for Peter but after O.M.I.T., she's decided she can't be with Peter and Spider-Man. Gaining similar abilities would put them on a level playing field. She wouldn't be reduced to the damsel in distress, especially since her character is so much stronger than that. We were teased with Jackpot being Mary Jane and I can't recall if readers made an uproar over that. I think Spider-Man and Mary Jane should be back together. It has been stated since Brand New Day that the two could get back together, there just weren't any plans for them to be married. Why not give Mary Jane powers and let the two lovebirds fight crime and kick butt side by side? It might go against Mary Jane's character but wouldn't that be better than just seeing her making catty faces when watching Peter and Carlie together?
sounds cool give her some powers just not spider powers then there might be a fight with spider woman ouch
Don't we already have Black Cat for that? Girl with Superpowers with romantic feeling for Spidey, we're gonna turn MJ into that as well, then you have two similar characters with spiderman in the middle, that is gonna end with a fight between the 2, and the innevitable depowerement of MJ once editorial realizes they need someone in MJ's "powerless" love interest situation.
@leokearon said:
"MJ with superpowers! That was what Firestar in Spiderman and his Amazing Friends was "
Yeah, and the world of comic books managed to screw Angelica up as well.
I wouldn't object to a super-powered MJ, but I get the impression she's not the kind of character who'd want to drop everything fight crime. She's a bit too practical & understands her regular commitments too well to abandon them in order to catch a burglar. 'With great power comes great responsibility' is Peter's thing.
It sure would be nice to give her a greater role to play than the-little-wife & damsel-in-distress.
" Don't we already have Black Cat for that? Girl with Superpowers with romantic feeling for Spidey, we're gonna turn MJ into that as well, then you have two similar characters with spiderman in the middle, that is gonna end with a fight between the 2, and the innevitable depowerement of MJ once editorial realizes they need someone in MJ's "powerless" love interest situation. "Yes and no. The big point about Felicia vs MJ has already been explored various times, the big theory was that Felicia loves Spider-Man while MJ actually loves Peter.
Sure she should!
And why you're at it why not just give superpowers to Aunt May, J.J., Robbie Robertson, Liz Allen, Betty Brant, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Perry White, Alfred and all the other supporting cast characters! Weeeee! It worked so well for the development of Jimmy Olsen and Lois...
Or perhaps we learned nothing from THE INCREDIBLES:
Buddy: This is because I don't have powers, isn't it? Well, not every superhero has powers, you know. You *can* be super without them."
-sigh-
Peter: Hey Mary Jane! I have these cool super powers that have caused me to be feared, persecuted, lied about, hunted, beaten up, almost killed, bonded by an alien symbiote, had those close to me attacked and harassed, and their deaths are partially my fault. Friendships strained, and then there's Spider Man 3. So you want some too?
Mary Jane: Uhhh? You can keep it to yourself, Tiger.
Peter: Okay. I was just doing what Joe Quesada wants me to do.
Seriously, who wants the love of their life to experience crap like that?
Personally I want to read about characters that grow and change with time. If I want to keep reading about a regular MJ who hasn't done much in her entire life aside from being a hot normal girl who Peter has a thing for then I can pick up the hundreds of comics I've missed from before the mid nineties. Since I know I don't, I rather see her become relevant and in this case, it means getting powers. Otherwise, the only thing that keeps from being any other girl who can written into Pete's life is the fact that she has decades of history with him. But when summed up, it doesn't really amount to much. So power her up I say. Even if temporary, it should produce from interesting scenes that could be pretty cool if done right.
I think it'd be great. Husband and wife fighting for justice together and forever. Wouldn't that be sweet?
If Marvel were to give her superpowers, they'd somehow find a way to use it to force her and Pete apart, ala Lana Lang in Smallville.
I'm liking the current status quo for Peter and Carlie... So, give her powers, just don't bring them together just yet!
personally no. I like how Mary jane is right now. A regular person who is down to earth.
But looking at it from a comic book geek point of view. She should have already spidery powers the moment Mary jane knocked boots with Peter Parker. If the Parker gets transformed from a spider bite that his bite directly in his vein. Think about what should have happened to Mary jane when Peter...........ok I'm going to stop this is getting to hentaish.
Overall Personally no. Technically yes.
I dunno, doesn't feel like it would work that well with Mary Jane since her main thing with Spider-man seemed to be that she was the main representation of his normal life and everything he might be leaving behind for his life of protecting others. I think it kind of worked with Betty Ross, but I can't see it being a normal course of action for every superhero with a regular girlfriend.
that would be interesting.... in fact that super powers will make Peter look lame with his spider powers.
One part of me says no yet another part of me says yes. I don't really know, I guess it is up to the writers. P:
YES! YES! YES!
And anyone who says no should stop with their anti-change, keep everything iconic BS.
it's not about "keeping things iconic"
it's about not giving in to stupid flash-in-the-pan ideas that really serve no purpose
just IMO, of course
Mary Jane no longer Married to Parker because readers can't relate to a MARRIED Hero??
WHAT! Is that to say only single people read Comics/Graphic Novels!? Man thats BULL____!
I got Married couples and boyfriend/Girlfriend reading together all the time.
Ok OK...so these stories are to pull into the fantasy that anyone can imagine they are with these people or with these people, by making them untouchable...like Wonder Woman, Batman, James Bond etc.
BUT we have character in these stories who are with children, married or married with children (not to call attention to the TV show).
My only problem with Parker is, his life was unbelieveable. Unbelieveable that a person with that much lying (for protecting his friends) would still get the girl he's been chancing since school!
I girl who is a supermodel at that. No I'm glad they are wrote them out, he needs someone more realistic.
Superman has Louise, Batman has assassin capable women, Wonder Woman/Artemis have NO ONE cause they are written to be untouchable, that way everyone wants them. Which is why it always sounds bad when every they are hinted to pull toward someone or only pull toward someone in an elsewhere idea.
I actually think Mary Jane could be a help to Spider-Man even without powers. He needs someone on the ground who can be his info gatherer while he's out swinging around town doing the physical stuff. Be his "Microchip" if you will. And let her use some of the fighting ability I'm sure she's picked up over the years. She could train with some of Spidey's friends.
I like the idea. Seriously though would they really need more people with spider powers. Give her different powers.
I like the villian idea better.
It wouldn't hurt. I mean, if she had super powers, maybe she'd finally have the ability to do what few others seem capable of and beat some sense into Peter.
"You made a deal with the devil?!"
*Insert roughly thirty pages of nothing but comic book onomatopoeia implying a rather lengthy and amazingly brutal beatdown.*
It'd actually give them something to do with MJ besides being "the wife" or "the girlfriend" and whatnot. That was one of the problems they had with the marriage, there wasn't much to do with MJ besides constantly having her life threatened.
Also... what comic is that picture at the top from???
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