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“
He always tries to protect me. It's what he DOES. He doesn't understand. It's not that I don't want to be protected, because sometimes I do. But sometimes I want to protect HIM, and I can't do that when he's too busy protecting ME. When he's keeping secrets. But I have to respect his secrets. Because that's what I do. I keep people's secrets.
~ Mary Jane Watson's famous first lines and catchphrase
“
Everybody needs help sometimes, Peter. Even Spider-Man.
„
~ Mary Jane to Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3
Mary Jane Watson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., and made her first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #25. Since then she has gone on to become Spider-Man's main love interest and later his wife. Mary Jane is the most famous and prominent love interest of Peter Parker due to their long history, as she is also represented in most Spider-Man media and adaptations.
Although she made a brief first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #25 with a plant obscuring her face, as part of a then-long-running recurring gag about Aunt May attempting to set Peter up with her friend's "nice girl" niece, Mary Jane's first official face reveal was a cameo appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #42 (November 1966). Designed and drawn by John Romita Sr., her entrance is regarded as one of the most iconic introductions in comic history, owing it to its build-up, her hyper-vibrant red hair and beauty, and her introductory line, "Face it, Tiger... you just hit the jackpot!". Since then, 'Tiger' has been her most recognizable nickname for Peter, spanning comics and media adaptations, with the character becoming the third to assume the superhero mantle of Jackpot in August 2023.
Throughout her initial appearances, Mary Jane was written as a foil to Peter's initially intended soulmate, Gwen Stacy, with her extroverted, fun-loving personality (a mask for her troubled home life) contrasting with Gwen being more like Peter in demeanor and intellect. Nonetheless, following Gwen's death in "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" story arc, the heartbroken Mary Jane became more caring and empathetic, and eventually one of the few people to consistently know Peter's secret identity. This would result in the two falling deeply in love and eventually getting married. Despite their marriage being undone in the widely panned storyline "One More Day" due to the timeline manipulations by the villain Mephisto, Mary Jane and Peter retained a close friendship and have had on-and-off relations since. Unbeknownst to them, they are further destined to have a daughter who will end Mephisto's eventual reign over the Earth, and whom Mephisto seeks to erase from reality.
Since her debut, Mary Jane Watson has been described as one of Marvel's most notable non-powered female characters. In film, Kirsten Dunst portrayed the character in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, while Shailene Woodley had an uncredited silent cameo appearance as the character in the 2014 film The Amazing Spider-Man 2; Zoë Kravitz voiced the character in the 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, with Nicole Delaney and Melissa Sturm voicing other versions of the character in its 2023 sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Despite usually presented in media as a "non-powered" character (and as the Damsel-in-distress during Spider-Man's stories), Mary Jane has also adopted some superhero identities in a variety of Marvel media where she appears in.
Mary Jane appears as a supporting character in Comic Con Incorporated. She is a roomer in the titular fictional hotel, next to Peter Parker / Spider-Man. She is shown to have friendly encounters with Lois Lane in certain places in the hotel, such as the pool, the beach, and the spa.
A version of Mary Jane appears as a main character in The Amazing Avengers. In the comic book series, Mary Jane is the youngest of the four children of Mar-Vell. After witnessing her father's death by the hands of Crimson Spider, Mary Jane had her Kree powers awakened by the energies transferred from her father to his children (with Mary Jane manifesting the powers of increased strength, speed and stamina, energy projection and flight). After being given with high tech resources with the Kree scientists who were loyal to Mar-Vell, Mary Jane took on the moniker of Captain Marvel and went on a journey to protect the galaxy while she sensed that her other siblings (Phyla-Vell Neramani / Quasar, Dorrek VIII / Theodore "Teddy" Altman / Hulkling, and Kevin Quill / Star-Lord) were looking for her. Later, after battling crime alongside Captain America (whom she recognized as Peter Parker, who likewise recognized her identity), Mary Jane also married him and had four children with him for the next eight years later. She also became the second-in command of the Avengers.
A version of Mary Jane Watson appears as one of the core protagonists in Ultimate Marvel: Earth-2. In the franchise, she is a human/alien hybrid and daughter of the Titanian Tiger tribe chief Soto, and the series's version of Tigra.
Mary Jane appears as a main character and heroine in the continuity of Marvel's Spider-Man: Webbed Champion, voiced by Ashley Johnson. Like her Ultimate Marvel: Earth-2 counterpart, Mary Jane is the half-human, half-alien daughter of chief Soto (voiced by Travis Willingham) of the Titanian Tiger tribe, and is the show's version of Tigra. Additionally, Mary Jane is also a skilled master archer, and is equipped with a tribal bow and Vibranium arrow set. She is revealed to have known of Peter's secret life as Spider-Man since he was bitten by a radioactive spider (a flashback reveals she was the only one other than Peter himself at the Oscorp field trip who noticed the spider biting him), and has been his girlfriend after his victory during the Hobgoblin incident in the two-part Season 1 finale "Hobgoblin". Still, the two had also agreed to keep their romantic relationship in secret; including from the Midtown High School jocks who would loudly disapprove of their romance (especially Flash Thompson, whom Peter even fears may become violently jealous of him). She first made a non-speaking cameo in Season 1 episode "Venom", where she was the Football team mascot of Midtown High. She later made her full appearance in "On the Tiger's Claws", on which she is shown to have dropped out of Midtown High to enroll at Horizon High for her high expertise in alien physiology and technology. It is later explained in "City of Heroes, Part 3: American Cats" that she also dropped out of Midtown High after overhearing Flash having a heated argument with Jason Macendale (whom he kicked out of the school's Football team for dressing as a clown in a children's hospital) and indirectly insulted Mary Jane by referring to costumed party entertainers (even the school's football team mascots) as "useless clowns", also leading to an upset and offended Mary Jane to end her friendship with Flash (who was soon left brokenhearted, and felt guilty over his mistake), although she would still remain friends with Liz Allan and Randy Robertson (with both also dropping out of Midtown High after feeling neglected and overlooked by classmates who "became Flash's fanbase"), as well as Flash's mutually estranged younger half-brothers Marcus (also a party entertainer, who secretly operates as the superhero Lion King) and Jack (whom Mary Jane later became babysitter of). Growing close to Peter's friends and classmates (including Gwen Stacy, Anya Corazon and Miles Morales), she and Peter also shared their secrets with them. Currently acting as one of Spider-Man's comrades, Mary Jane / Tigra also assisted him in recent battles, such as the ones orchestrated by Doctor Octopus as the "Master Planner" via the Living Brain. She and the female heroines (Gwen / Ghost-Spider, Anya / Spider-Girl, Liz / Firestar and Michelle Jones / Wave) were also the main focus of the anthology episode "What Girls Are Made Of" (the only episode where Spider-Man himself did not appear in); her segment featured Mary Jane / Tigra teaming up with her cousin Kitty Pryde / Shadowcat on defeating Mystique and A.I.M.. Mary Jane also played a major supporting role in the "Family Business" arc, on which she and the rest of Peter's friends helped him finish the secret scientific projects his parents started, and expose the criminals (Norman Osborn and Red Skull) behind their deaths. Successful, Tigra and the rest of the young heroes formed the Champions, while Mary Jane and the rest of Peter's friends started a new friendship with his long lost younger sister Teresa Parker, whom they welcomed in open arms. Later in the multi-part crossover finale "Legendary Universes", Mary Jane joined Spider-Man's journey across the universes from where his parents earned their scientific projects and sought to destroy the Oscorp protocols which were discarded in there. Mary Jane / Tigra was among the Champions who accompanied Spider-Man in "Part 3: Unlimited Speed", where they teamed up with Sonic the Hedgehog and the Mobian Freedom Fighters to destroy a discarded prototype of Doctor Octopus's tentacle harness in EggRobo's possession. During the episode, Mary Jane started a genuine friendship and bond with her partner (and Sonic's girlfriend) Sally Acorn; the two viewed each other as "dedicated princesses" (with Mary Jane acknowledging Sally as a princess in Mobius's Acorn Empire, and Sally acknowledging Mary Jane as the daughter of a village chief) and supported each other's romance with their leaders. In the finale "Part 6: Ultimate Alliance", Mary Jane / Tigra participates in the final battle against the Regent's army of alien insects from the Negative Zone. Later, in the epilogue, Mary Jane joins the girls for a friendly walk in the shopping.
Mary Jane / Tigra is a main character in the show's tie-in comic book series Marvel's Princesses of Destiny. She is the protagonist of Issue #1 "The Tiger's Hunt", which chronicles her principles as Tigra, and the beginning of her secret romance with Peter Parker.
Mary Jane / Tigra is a major supporting character in the show's first Disney+ sequel miniseries Spider-Man: Rising Legend, voiced again by Ashley Johnson.
Mary Jane / Tigra plays a supporting role in A Marvel Christmas Carol, voiced again by Ashley Johnson. She is first seen as Tigra along with her fellow Champions helping the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy repel the Frost Giants led by Ymir. She is shown clawing Ymir's eyes, leaving him blind before Spider-Man and Captain America knock him into the Bifrost Gate. Later, when Cassie Lang suggests inviting Vincent Dawson and his family for a Christmas party at the main F.E.A.S.T. Shelter, Mary Jane and Barbara Morse reply that Vincent might be unable to because of his abusive boss Franklin Todd, leading to Peter, Cassie, Groot, Cloak and Dagger to formulate a plan to reform Todd from his greedy ways. Mary Jane is later shown with the rest of the Champions discussing about what can be done for Vincent and his family while Peter and the others execute their plan with help from Doctor Strange. In a vision of the alternate future (which would occur had Todd not reformed), Mary Jane is shown among the teenagers watching as Hulk and Rocket carrying Todd's coffin, while voicing relief that Todd died by saying: "I don't know how it happened, but I do know that he deserved that. Like my boyfriend said before: Good riddance.". Mary Jane is later shown in the end of the film celebrating Christmas with her friends while also pleased to know that Peter, Cassie, Groot, Cloak and Dagger successfully reformed Todd. During a dance, she and Peter are put under a mistletoe by Groot (as discreetly suggested by Teresa), getting the couple to share a romantic kiss.
Mary Jane plays another supporting role as Tigra in Marvel's Superhero Adventures: Infinity War, voiced again by Ashley Johnson. She and her fellow Champions join forces with the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy in repowering the Infinity Amulet, and keeping it safe from Thanos and his forces. On the objective to bring together the Infinity Stones, and place them back into the Amulet, Tigra and some of the heroes form a home-guard on Earth, and keep the Amulet safe, while others search for the Power, Reality and Soul Stones. Mary Jane also sits next to her friend Barbie, who is injured by Silver Sable. Also in the film, Mary Jane is shown to have a good relationship with Peter's cousin Jessica Reilly and her fiancée Alana Jobson, and expresses her support over their relationship, just like how she supports her own cousin Kitty Pryde's romance with Michelle Jones / Wave. Later, in the film's climax, Mary Jane / Tigra participates the final battle, with her father Chief Soto and T'Challa / Black Panther leading the warriors from the Titanian Tiger tribe and the armies of Wakanda. She and Kid Arachnid duel with the Regent, and defeat him by damaging his power suit. Tigra and the heroes then watch as the Klyntauri are teleported back to Sanctuary X, which is then destroyed by Doctor Octopus. Later in the epilogue, Mary Jane and her friends attend to Jessica and Alana's marriage, which takes place during New Year's eve. At the wedding reception as the world celebrates New Year, Peter and Mary Jane watch as the Multiverse Star (which was predicted to be unlocked by the completed Infinity Amulet during New Year night) opens, and they share a kiss.
Mary Jane / Tigra returns as a major character in the second sequel miniseries Marvel's All-Star Multiverse, voiced again by Ashley Johnson. She first appears as a main character in the miniseries's prequel short series Free Adventures, on which she and her friends enjoy a worldwide road trip on their own personal jetplane provided by Tony Stark. Later appearing in the main miniseries's first episode "Return of the Legends", she and her friends build the Horizon Star (a special playground with attractions based on the Legendary Universes’ wonders), and inaugurate their project by hosting a playdate for the children of the Avengers, including Jessica Reilly’s daughter Jenna, and Gwen Stacy’s little cousin Cassie Lang. Mary Jane and her friends are entrusted by the Avengers and the Fantastic Four to look after their children while they team up with Rey Skywalker, Sonic the Hedgehog, Leonardo and Optimus Prime to stop Thane. Later in the end of the episode, she is shown happily greeting Sally Acorn. In the next episode "The Sky's the Limit", Mary Jane / Tigra accompanies Spider-Man and the Avengers in battling against the invading Hypersaurs until the aliens are vanquished by the Skycruiser Commandos. After a visit in Babylon-6, and Princess Athena’s public presentation of the Commandos, Mary Jane, Sally and Elita-One visit Athena’s room, and offer to help her learn more about her past.
The Mary Jane Watson incarnation of Tigra is a main character in Marvel: All New, All Different Chronicles, voiced by Ashley Johnson. Sharing similar details and origins of her Ultimate Marvel: Earth-2 counterpart, Mary Jane is also a top student in Baxter Institute, and a key member of the New Champions.
Mary Jane is a non-playable character in Marvel/DC Heroes Unite!, voiced by Ashley Johnson. Depicted as Peter Parker's girlfriend and as a Stark Industries secretary, Mary Jane plays a supporting role in the story, monitoring the heroes' activities in the Stark Industries computers (in a role similar to Barbara Gordon/Oracle in the Batman: Arkham series).
Mary Jane is a playable character in Marvel's The Avenging Spider-Man (a sequel to the 2018 Spider-Man video game), voiced by Laura Bailey. Following the events of the previous game, Mary Jane had reaffirmed her romantic relationship with Peter Parker, and is revealed to be raising Anya Corazon as her own surrogate sister. Later, after Spider-Man's first mission with the Avengers, Mary Jane is soon revealed to be an Inhuman descendant after she is affected by the Terrigen Mist, which awakens her Inhuman powers of flight and Pyrokinesis. Despite terrified of her changes, Mary Jane soon embraces her powers and adopts the moniker of Firestar, while under the supervision of Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel.
Mary Jane appears as a non-playable character in Marvel Superhero Adventures: Intergalactic Grand Prix, voiced again by Laura Bailey. Depicted as Peter Parker's girlfriend (and keeper of his secret identity of Spider-Man), a student and cheerleader in Horizon Academy, the leader of the Mary Janes rock band, and a Stark Industries intern, she serves as the flag girl in the game's racing events, and appears as a hologram alongside her fellow band mates during Ghost-Spider's Super Boost move. Mary Jane also plays a supporting role in the game's main storyline, where she helps with the heroes' preparations for the Intergalactic Grand Prix hosted by the Grandmaster. She is also very good friends with Kamala Khan, Miles Morales, Groot, Gwen Stacy, Squirrel Girl, among other superheroes, and owns a male pet tiger named Diego, who was a gift for her from T'Challa / Black Panther. Mary Jane also mentions having "enjoyed superhero life style" before, implying she also operated as a number of superhero aliases before; flashbacks in the Prelude comic reveal that she was once White Tiger, Jackpot and Iron Spider.
Mary Jane is also the lead protagonist in the game's prequel miniseries Race to the Top!, voiced again by Bailey. In the miniseries, she hosts and streams the friendly races between superhero racing teams as part of their tryouts for the Intergalactic Grand Prix, which foil other criminal activities (Justin Hammer's and Alistair Smythe's attempts to join Doctor Doom's Cabal, the Ravagers' mission to destroy the Nova Corps HQ, and Mysterio's televised hypnosis).
Also appearing in the Prelude comic, Mary Jane first makes a silent appearance in Issue #4 “Menace and Bookworm No More”, among Peter's friends who dropped out of Midtown High School to enroll at Horizon Academy after Harry Osborn's death by the hands of Man-Wolf. She appears more prominently in Issue #7 “Something Pretty to Wear”, which reveals details of Mary Jane and her bandmates earning their uniforms for the Intergalactic Grand Prix. In the following issue “Bring on the Bad Guys!”, she helps superheroes and supervillains with their tryouts for the Grand Prix by debuting her role as the racing flag girl. Mary Jane more indirectly causes the jocks (Flash Thompson, Blake Dorman, and Seymour O'Reilly) whom Hercules reluctantly teams up with to be disqualified and rejected from the Grand Prix when they become distracted by her attractive looks. In the next issue "A Matter of Trust", Mary Jane enjoys an idyllic evening with Peter and Kamala Khan while Peter's aunt May tells Captain Marvel and Wasp how it how begun for the three. Also in Issue 11 "More of a Tiger Person", it is revealed in flashbacks narrated by Mary Jane's aunt Anna that Mary Jane was at young age when she first met and befriended Diego when he was a tiger cub. Years later, Diego became Mary Jane's pet after he was genetically modified by Klaw and the Jackal, and subsequently rescued by Black Panther and Spider-Man.
A version of Mary Jane appears in All New, All Ultimate Marvel. A member of the superhero team the New Warriors and Spider-Man's love interest, this version owns a flight nanosuit made out of Adamantium and crafted by Stark technology with the capabilities to communicate with birds (both pets and wild birds) and perform sonic wave attacks, and goes by the identity of Songbird. She has a telepathic link with her pet Barn Owl Athena. Orphaned at the age of 6, she was raised by Natasha Romanoff as her own surrogate daughter.
A version of Mary Jane serves as the primary protagonist in Marvel's Red Falcon, on which she undergoes the identity of the titular superheroine.
A version of Mary Jane appears in Spider-Man X. This version is a skilled magic user, and the series' version of Scarlet Witch.
Mary Jane Watson is a main character and girlfriend of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the series, Spider-Man. This version is portrayed by Danielle Rose Russell.
Mary Jane is a major supporting character in Spider-Man: The Web-Swinging Years, voiced by Erica Lindbeck. She is a popular teenager at Midtown High School who befriends Peter Parker, developing a soft spot for him. She is initially unaware of his identity as Spider-Man (whom she is also fond of), until Peter reveals himself while having to save her and Kobe, the tiger cub they were supposed to look after, from Kraven the Hunter. She soon grows closer to him, helping him wherever she is needed, while the two develop hidden feelings for each other. In the second season, she is revealed to be White Tiger, a free-spirited superheroine with feline-based superhuman abilities inherited from a alien gemstone discovered by her parents years before their deaths.
One version is the primary protagonist and main playable character of the campaign "What If... Mary Jane Watson was Bitten By the Radioactive Spider?", which explores the details of Mary Jane being bitten by the lab spider instead of Peter Parker, and becoming the Red Spider.
Another exists in the campaign "What If... Peter Parker Found -- the Hammer of Thor?", which features Peter becoming his own version of Thor after being worthy to wield Mjolnir. In a key point, Mary Jane is sinking in a quicksand, and Peter / Thor has to save her, but in two different ways: either by diving into the quicksand to save her, or by having Mary Jane grab a hold of Mjolnir. How Peter / Thor saves Mary Jane has two different effects: if Peter dives into the quicksand to save her, Mary Jane barely survives as she is hospitalized for a few days. If she grabs a hold of Mjolnir, exposure to the hammer's mystic energies transforms Mary Jane into a variant of Lady Sif. She becomes the queen of the New Valkyries, and settles to battle alongside Peter / Thor in his future battles.
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