| Mary Jane Watson | |
|---|---|
| Sam Raimi'sSpider-Man character | |
 Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson inSpider-Man (2002) | |
| First appearance | Spider-Man (2002) |
| Last appearance | Spider-Man 3 (2007) |
| Based on | |
| Adapted by | David Koepp |
| Portrayed by | Kirsten Dunst |
| Voiced by |
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| In-universe information | |
| Occupation |
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| Family |
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| Significantothers |
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| Origin | Queens, New York City, U.S. |
Mary Jane "MJ"Watson is a fictional character inSam Raimi'sSpider-Man film series. Based on thecomic book character of the same name, she is portrayed byKirsten Dunst. In the films, Mary Jane isPeter Parker'snext-door neighbor, childhood crush and primary love interest. Though she truly only loves Peter Parker, MJ dates other men throughout the trilogy due to his absence. Despite his strong feelings for her, Peter initially declines a relationship with her in order to keep her safe, but inSpider-Man 2 (2004) after MJ discovers that Peter is Spider-Man, she enters a relationship with him despite the risks to her safety.
Despite criticism of her character for adhering to thedamsel in distress archetype during the trilogy, Dunst's interpretation of the character has been generally well-received.
Mary Jane Watson was first introduced intoSpider-Man comics story-lines inThe Amazing Spider-Man #42 in 1966, despite being mentioned earlier in the comics.[1] She was conceived as competition toGwen Stacy as Spider-Man's primary love interest, and is characterized as a free-spirited, outgoing personality as opposed to Gwen's more serious, academic nature. Peter Parker initially dates Gwen after he stops going out with Mary Jane due to what he sees as her shallow personality while Mary Jane refuses to be tied down in one relationship. Despite this, Mary Jane became more popular with fans and following Gwen'sdeath in the comics, Peter and Mary Jane begin to rekindle their relationship and eventually marry despite ups and downs in the comics.[2]
ActressKirsten Dunst was cast as Mary Jane Watson for the 2002 Spider-Man film, with Mary Jane having been cemented in comics lore as Peter Parker's primary love interest by then. Before directorSam Raimi cast Dunst, he had expressed his interest in castingAlicia Witt.[3] Dunst decided to audition after learningTobey Maguire had been cast as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, feeling the film would have a more independent feel.[4] Dunst earned the role a month before shooting in an audition inBerlin.[5] In the first two films in the trilogy, Dunst wore a red wig for the part, dying part of her hair in the first film, before dying her full head of blond hair red for the third film.[6] Dunst was also allegedly asked to change her teeth for the films, a demand that she refused. She also declined to do certain stunts in the films.[7]
The set-up for Spider-Man and Mary Jane's famous "upside-down kiss" involved several rain-machines at the studio lot, and saw some difficulty as Maguire was hung upside down with water pouring into his nostrils. To achieve the look of Mary Jane pulling Spider-Man's mask down, Dunst was described bySam Raimi as "doing some hand trickery" as the mask was not pliable in those conditions.[8]
Having initially signed on for threeSpider-Man films, Dunst said that she would consider doing a fourth, but only if Raimi and Maguire also returned.[9] In January 2010, it was announced that the fourth film was cancelled and that theSpider-Man film series would berestarted, and therefore dropping the trio from the franchise.[10][11]Storyboard artist Jeffrey Henderson, who worked on the fourthSpider-Man film before the project's cancellation, disclosed in November 2022 that the fourth film would have established that Mary Jane had been "let go" by Peter Parker, leading him to now deeply enjoy being Spider-Man.[12]
In 2021, while attending a screening of her latest filmThe Power of the Dog, Dunst expressed openness to reprising her role as Mary Jane in regards to rumors of her appeance in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) filmSpider-Man: No Way Home: "I would do it. Why not? That would be fun. I would never say no to something like that".[13]No Way Home screenwritersErik Sommers andChris McKenna wrote at various points versions of the film's story that included Mary Jane, alongside appearances ofSally Field'sAunt May andEmma Stone'sGwen Stacy, but Sommers and McKenna ultimately concluded that the story felt already overstuffed, ultimately choosingZendaya'sMichelle "MJ" Jones andMarisa Tomei'sAunt May to be the only female characters in the film with significant screen time.[14]
As portrayed in the Sam Raimi trilogy, Mary Jane Watson is a kind, funny, beautiful, sweet, cheerful, passionate and energetic young woman who is an aspiringactress. She runs with the stereotypical popular crowd in school, being surrounded by people who have enticing physical features and great skills in ways of performing arts or sports. Mary Jane is somewhat naive, but always knows what's going on. While individuals in MJ's high school clique are rude, snobbish, arrogant, vain and uncaring, Mary Jane is a loyal friend and a warm individual, capable of intense love and real feelings. Mary Jane does not let the attention she gets from boys get to her head. Instead, she uses her looks merely as an advantage for acting and modelling and works to develop independence and smarts. Despite her popularity, MJ struggles with insecurity and an urge to impress people she deems important, both of which most likely come from her abusive father, and is an indecisive dater before Peter finally commits to her. She also deals with the harsh reality of being an actress and has her own struggles in each film.[15]
She never bullies or judges Peter Parker and is friendly towards him, despite him being in the unpopular crowd, and even flirts with him and calls him "Tiger" (an homage to her catchphrase in the comics).[1] MJ generally has no one treat her with respect for anything other than her looks, which she may not have noticed until after high school graduation, before she and Peter develop a stronger friendship. It is quite possibly because of this, Mary Jane becomes so smitten by Spider-Man so quickly and later falls for Peter (oblivious that they are one and the same) as he is very kind to her other than just for her looks. After her kiss with Spider-Man, MJ was shown to be a great deal happier and almost ecstatic, because it had perhaps been her first kiss with someone who loved her back for more than just aesthetic reasons.[15] Unfortunately, her involvement with Spider-Man also makes her a common target by his enemies, making her require his rescue in all three films, as noted by Emily Kubincanek ofFilm School Rejects.[16]
Writing in 2020 after the release ofSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Adadora Asidianya ofCBR.com looked back at Mary Jane's live-action portrayal in the Raimi films and noted that she provides a grounding presence for Peter in the films, also commending her positive outlook in life despite her toxic upbringings.[17]
Mary Jane first appears asPeter Parker narrates the first few minutes of the film. She is depicted as a popular girl atMidtown High School and the girlfriend of star athleteFlash Thompson, while Peter, her next-door neighbor who has had a crush on her since they were in first grade, is an academically gifted but shy outsider. Peter struggles to catch the school bus until Mary Jane asks the driver to stop for him. Later, their class attends a field trip to a lab atColumbia University. Peter's friendHarry Osborn flirts with Mary Jane before Peter takes a picture of her for the school newspaper, after which a genetically-altered spider bites him, giving him his abilities. Peter then saves Mary Jane from slipping in the school cafeteria with his new abilities the next day and inadvertently triggers a fight with Flash. When Peter later apologizes to Mary Jane for the fight, she confides in him about wanting to escape her abusive, alcoholic father and pursue an acting career.
She breaks up with Flash during high school graduation and takes up work as a waitress while looking for acting gigs. While Mary Jane starts dating Harry, she and Peter begin to form a closer friendship. Peter rescues her as Spider-Man when theGreen Goblin attacks a parade she was attending with Harry, and again later on from a gang in an alley. Mary Jane thanks Spider-Man with a kiss without him revealing his identity. Mary Jane grows distant from Harry due to his desire to please his father, Norman, at her expense and also subsequently develops feelings for Peter when she realizes how much he cares for her, causing Harry to break up with Mary Jane upon seeing her and Peter holding hands.
Norman, who is the Green Goblin and has deduced Peter is Spider-Man, kidnaps Mary Jane upon realizing Peter loves her, thanks to his son's unwitting confession, and holds her hostage atopQueensboro Bridge. Spider-Man saves her and aRoosevelt Island Tramway car full of children, and kills the Green Goblin in a final battle. At Norman's funeral, Mary Jane tells Peter that she loves him and they kiss. Peter, who decides that for her protection they can't be together, gently rejects her and insists they can only be friends. As he leaves, a saddened Mary Jane realizes that her kiss with Peter reminds her of the one she shared with Spider-Man and suspects that he is the superhero.
Two years after the events of the first movie, Mary Jane has found success as a model andOff-Broadway actress. Maintaining her friendships with both Peter and Harry, she continues to pine for Peter, but he continues to reject her. Struggling to balance his vigilantism as Spider-Man with his personal life, Peter fails to make it to one of Mary Jane's performances ofThe Importance of Being Earnest; unaware Peter is Spider-Man, she sees his failure to show up as a lack of respect. To spite Peter, she starts dating astronautJohn Jameson, the son of Peter's bossJ. Jonah Jameson.
After throwing away his identity as Spider-Man, Peter is able to pursue Mary Jane, though she pushes him away when John proposes to her. After Mary Jane kisses John, in a manner that is reminiscent of the upside-down kiss between her and Spider-Man from the first film, she realizes that she does not love John and still wants a relationship with Peter. Later, she meets Peter in a coffee shop where she asks him if he loves her; by this point, however, Peter has resumed the Spider-Man montage, and once again lies that he does not love her. She then asks for a kiss to confirm her belief that he is Spider-Man, but before they can do so,Doctor Octopus attacks the cafe, kidnapping Mary Jane.
Harry, who has been allying with Doc Ock to get revenge on Spider-Man, whom he falsely believes killed his father, reluctantly provides Doc Ock's and Mary Jane's location so Peter can save her. Peter defeats Doctor Octopus this time as the latter tries to create a fusion reactor capable of destroying the city, and unmasks himself to both Doctor Octopus and Mary Jane, confirming her suspicions that Peter and Spider-Man are in fact one and the same. Peter finally confesses his love for Mary Jane, rescuing her as Doctor Octopus regains control of himself from the malicious AI in his tentacles and repents of his prior actions, sacrificing himself to destroy the reactor. Peter explains his reasoning for not being with her, then returns her to John. However, Mary Jane leaves John at the altar during their wedding and runs to Peter's apartment, stating that she is willing to accept any risks that come with being in a relationship with Peter. The two finally become a couple, and Mary Jane sees Peter off as he swings into action as Spider-Man to help out a situation, saying her catchphrase"Go get 'em, Tiger.”
Having dated Peter for one year, Mary Jane experiences some struggles in her personal life, losing herBroadway role because of bad reviews and experiencing friction with Peter when analien symbiote takes him over and amplifies the negative traits of his personality which as a result makes him distance himself from her to focus on capturing and killing his uncle's actual killer,Flint Marko.[18] She also faces competition for Peter's affections in the form of his lab partnerGwen Stacy. After she confides in Harry about her problems, Harry, who had sufferedamnesia from a prior fight with Peter as the New Goblin, regains his memories after they unwittingly kiss and forces Mary Jane into breaking up with Peter, setting up a second confrontation between the two former friends which leaves Harry's face disfigured.
Peter, now under more influence from the symbiote, later brings Gwen to a jazz club where Mary Jane has found work as a singing waitress in order to make her jealous, though Gwen catches on and apologizes to Mary Jane. He then gets into a fight with the club's bouncers and unintentionally hits Mary Jane when she intervenes, leading him to realize what the symbiote suit has turned him into. He leaves and disposes of the symbiote suit, which subsequently falls ontoEddie Brock, Gwen's failed suitor and Peter's bitter rival and fellow photographer, to create Venom.
After she departs from her apartment, Mary Jane gets kidnapped byEddie Brock, Peter’s rival photographer at theDaily Bugle and nowVenom, who has teamed up with Flint Marko to lure and kill Spider-Man. Holding her in a web duct taxi as bait, Mary Jane is briefly able to protect herself this time. She also gets to save Spider-Man in the nick of time by throwing acinder block at Venom. The subsequent battle pits Spider-Man and Harry, now theNew Goblin, against Venom and Sandman; the two villains are defeated, but Harry loses his life in the process after sacrificing himself to save his friends, dying with Mary Jane and Peter at his side.
Sometime after Harry's funeral, Peter arrives at Mary Jane's jazz club, and the two begin to mend their relationship, sharing a dance.[a]
Kirsten Dunst's portrayal of Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Man films was generally well-received, as she was nominated for several awards for her performance, winning four, including theEmpire Award for Best Actress in2003.Owen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weekly remarked on Dunst's ability to "lend even the smallest line a tickle of flirtatious music".[21] In theLos Angeles Times review, criticKenneth Turan noted that Dunst and Maguire made a real connection on screen, concluding that their relationship "involved audiences to an extent rarely seen in films".[22]
However, elements of her character were met with a mixed response. In his review ofSpider-Man 3, Ryan Gilbey of theNewStatesman was critical of Dunst's character: "the film-makers couldn't come up with much for Mary Jane to do other than scream a lot".[23] Allie Gemmill ofBustle wrote in 2017 that the films portray Mary Jane as a constantdamsel in distress and gave the illusion that she was defined primarily through the men in her life.[24] Conversely, Adadora Asidianya wrote that Mary Jane provides a voice of reason for Peter, whether as a friend or a love interest.[17]
Spider-Man and Mary Jane's "upside-down kiss" inSpider-Man is now regarded as one of the most iconic moments in film history.[25]Entertainment Weekly put "the kiss inSpider-Man" on its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list, saying: "There's a fine line between romantic and corny. And the rain-soaked smooch between Spider-Man and Mary Jane from 2002 tap-dances right on that line. The reason it works? Even if she suspects he's Peter Parker, she doesn't try to find out. And that's sexy."[26]
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