1
9
6
6

Amazing Spider-Man #15 - Mary Jane is first mentioned as Anna Watson's niece. Peter Parker's Aunt May was trying to set him up with her. The name of Mary Jane was first mentioned the next issue. In Amazing Spider-Man #25, MJ was invited in to the Parker Residence by Aunt May, but Peter was not home. Her face was obscured by a plant, and the only ones to see her was a very jealous Betty Brant and Liz Allan. Again, in Amazing Spider-Man #38, MJ made another visit to the Parker home. Again, Peter just misses her, and again, her face is obscured. This time by a tree. Amazing Spider-Man #42 - The meeting finally takes place, and a long up and down relationship begins.

Peter and Mary Jane were not much of a romantic item early on, as Peter was still very much in love with a certain blonde-bombshell named Gwen Stacy. MJ would date other men, most notably Harry Osborn, Peter's best friend and roommate. Gwen was always jealous of Mary Jane, even though Peter was always more interested in Gwen. Even at a time when Peter and Gwen were temporarily split-up, MJ could not gain the full attention of Peter Parker. Shown to the right is the very first appearance of Mary Jane on a cover, in a story that involves the debut of the Brainwasher, who turns out to be the Kingpin: Amazing Spider-Man #59.

1
9
6
8

1
9
7
3

Mary Jane broke-up with Harry Osborn, and it wasn't exactly a good time in Harry's life. The break-up contributed to his emotional problems that also involved the pressures of living up to his father's (Norman Osborn) wishes. Harry became addicted to drugs in Amazing Spider-Man #96-98 that continued for some time. Harry would eventually go on to become the second Green Goblin after the original, his father, died in Amazing Spider-Man #122. An issue earlier in Amazing Spider-Man #121, Peter's long time love interest, Gwen Stacy was tragically killed by the Goblin. Mary Jane offered Peter sympathy, but he rejected it. Mary Jane on the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #127 on the left.

Mary Jane was persistent in trying to comfort Peter, but at the same time, was fearful of being emotionally hurt in a serious relationship. Peter proposed marriage in Amazing Spider-Man #182, hiding the ring in a crackerjack box. MJ returned the ring in Amazing Spider-Man #183, stating that she was too much of a "free spirit" to settle down with one man. Mary Jane then left the spider-titles for quite some time, as Peter dated a number of women, most notably Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat. The proposal by Peter wouldn't be the only one. Mary Jane comforts Peter's Aunt May in a hospital, while Peter battles the Green Goblin III in Amazing Spider-Man #178.

1
9
7
8

1
9
8
3

Mary Jane returned in Amazing Spider-Man #243 (left), and she eventually told Peter that she knew about his dual-identity in Amazing Spider-Man #257, after listening to a fight between Spider-Man and the Puma in another room. Peter and MJ become much closer, as MJ opens up emotionally to Peter much more than in the past. She tells of her family problems that involved her alcoholic father, and how her mother took her daughters and left him. Mary Jane developed a fun-loving personality as a means of escaping her unhappiness over her family problems and growing tension. To add to that, her sister was eventually left by her husband, and her mother became ill and died.

As Peter and Mary Jane grew much closer, Peter got up his nerves to propose marriage a second time in Amazing Spider-Man #290, and this time she accepted two issues later, after an initial response of "no" one issue later. The marriage took place in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21, and the honeymoon in Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #7. They eventually moved into an apartment owned by Peter's friend Harry Osborn. Harry married Liz Allan, who has also been part of the gang for a point up until the college years. To the right is the cover to Amazing Spider-Man #290, where Peter pops the question for the second time. I doubt if he had the nerve for a third time!

1
9
8
7

1
9
8
8

As the wife of Spider-Man, Mary Jane had her fair share of adventures herself. She has been kidnapped by a wealthy man named Jonathan Caesar, and memorable run-ins with such Spider-Man villains as the Chameleon, Venom, and a cast of others. On a personal note, Mary Jane also fulfilled an ambition of hers to be an actress, as she appeared on the soap opera "Secret Hospital". Mary Jane always had ambitions to be a model or actress ever since she was a young child. She would eventually hit it big in the modeling business. She we even temporarily become Red Sonja in Marvel Team-Up #79 in one of her strangest appearances. On the left is the cover to Amazing Spider-Man #309

MJ also played a major part in the clone saga. No, Ben and Peter didn't play any tricks on her, but she did become pregnant with her and Peter's first child. They were going to name her May, after Peter's Aunt. Unfortunately, MJ had a "miscarriage", and lost the baby due to mysterious and still unsolved circumstances. The mystery coincided with the appearance of a woman named Alison Mongrain, who we later learn, worked for the recently returned-from-the-dead Norman Osborn. Mongrain drugged MJ right before she went into labor, and then later kidnapped what many believe to be the baby. MJ has some "news" for Peter in Spectacular Spider-Man #220 on the right.

1
9
9
5

2
0
0
0

After returning to college for a brief period of time, MJ wanted, and landed a very well paying modeling job. Her and Peter had it good for a while. All good things in the Spider-Verse come to an end though, as an unnamed Stalker began calling Mary Jane, and almost killed her by blowing up a taxi with her in it. Then in Amazing Spider-Man V2 #13, MJ seemingly dies in a plane explosion as Peter watched from the airport. What a small world it was, as the Stalker happened to be sitting right next to MJ on the plane! There was hope for her yet though, as many perceptive readers saw that a hatch door was visibly open while the plane exploded, and something fell from the open door.

Peter never truly accepted that his wife was dead and gone. Over a year later, everyone's hopes were answered when in Amazing Spider-Man V2 #28, Mary Jane was revealed to be alive. The Stalker was holding her captive, as was a mutant with the ability to mimic another's memories. After coming into contact with Spider-Man, the Stalker knew all of Peter's secrets which also included MJ. he wanted her for his own. The Stalker ended up taking his own life, and Peter and Mary Jane was reunited. MJ decided to go her own way, and they are currently separated. She most recently appeared in Amazing Spider-Man V2 #39, where it is hinted that she misses Peter very much.

2
0
0
2

Mary Jane Watson will be played by Kirsten Dunst in the Spider-Man Motion Picture, out May 2002.

For more on the Movie exploits of Mary Jane Watson, make a visit to:

Spider-Man Hype

Also,

Visit the Madgoblin's Ward VERY detailed history of this interesting character in the excellently written Why Did it Have to be You, Mary Jane? series.