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Attributes

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 120 lbs

Eyes: Green

Hair: Red

Features: Visually Attractive

Summary

Created By: Stan Lee, John Romita, Sr.

Real Name: (Born Mary Jane Watson)

Current Aliases: None

Former Aliases: Red Sonja (briefly)

Dual Identity: None

Current Occupation: Model, actress

Former Occupation: waitress, Go-Go dancer

Citizenship: U.S.

Legal Status: No criminal record

Place of Birth: Montoursville, Pennsylvania

Marital Status: Married to Spider-Man

Known Relatives: Peter Parker (husband), Anna May Watson (Aunt), Philip (father), Madeline (mother,deceased), Gayle Watson-Byrnes (sister), Timothy Byrnes (ex-brother-in-law), Kevin and Tommy Byrnes (nephews), Judge Spenser Watson (uncle), Frank Brown (mother's cousin), Kristy (cousin), Lou and Lorraine Watson (uncle and aunt, parents of Kristy)

Known Confidants: Spider-Man, Aunt May Parker

Known Allies: Spider-Man, the Black Cat

Major Enemies: Jonathan Caesar, the Stalker

Usual Bases: Forest Hills

Former Bases: Manhattan

Current Groups: None

Former Groups: None

Education: College Graduate

Powers & Paraphenalia

Strength Level: Normal human

Powers: Can be irresistable to males

Abilities: Professional super-model, actress

Equipment: *Cough*

Weapons: Handy with a vase, knife, baseball bat, or exposed wiring if required

Limitations: None

Knowledge Quiz

QUIZ: maryjane1.html

Background

On their exciting first date, they rode into Manhattan to catch the action as the Rhino was wrecking havoc. Of course, Peter pulled his first disappearing act in the relationship, giving Mary Jane time to practice her acting skills pretending she didn't know where he went. Unable to deal with the confusing secret life of Peter, she chose to act as if she didn't know, and simply play the part of a party animal. While Peter was at college, Mary Jane dated Harry Osborn while Peter dated Gwen Stacy. MJ was a relentless flirt with Peter, despite being with Harry. Mary Jane broke up with Harry, shortly before Harry's drug problems in Amazing Spider-Man #96 and following.

After Gwen's death in Amazing Spider-Man #122, Mary Jane finally demonstrated some genuine compassion, as she chose to stay with Peter and grieve together. After some time of healing, Peter and Mary Jane eventually became a regular couple, although his life as Spider-Man often interrupted their plans. MJ even dated Flash Thompson to make Peter jealous. Peter eventually proposed to Mary Jane in Amazing Spider-Man #182; however MJ declined, saying that she wasn't the sort of girl who could be happy with just one man. Shortly after, Mary Jane took a leave of absence from the Spider-Man comics, during which time Peter dated several different women( primarily Deborah Whitman, and The Black Cat).

Mary Jane returned in Amazing Spider-Man #243, after staying with her family in Florida. She and Peter grew very close at this time, as both were having some problems in their lives. After another round of the usual Peter Parker lies following a battle with the Puma, Mary Jane finally told Peter that she knew that he is Spider-Man. Since she knew his greatest secret, Mary Jane decided to open up to Peter and share her secrets. She told her life story to him - growing up in a dysfunctional family wearing emotional masks of the happy-go-lucky party girl to keep herself sane. Peter and Mary Jane denied to themselves and each other that they were in fact, once again, emotionally entangled. In this period of shared honesty, they realized how close they had become.

Peter proposed to her for a second time in Amazing Spider-Man #290. The wedding followed shortly afterward in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 and the honeymoon in Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #7.

They moved into the Bedford Towers, a luxury apartment on the upper West Side. But their happiness was short lived when Mary Jane was kidnapped by Jonathan Caesar, her landlord and a wealthy admirer. Following her escape and his being sent to jail, Caesar still managed to use his influence to ensure that she was evicted and forced out of the modeling business. MJ managed to find alternate work in the day-time drama "Secret Hospital". Still, she earned more than Peter did with his photography.

Mary Jane's life had become increasingly complicated and miserable. There was the "Maximum Carnage" event where all hell broke loose throughout Manhattan - and her husband was acting like a general in the war. There was her frightening encounter with Venom, who knew Peter's secret identity. She had a brief flirtation with a fellow actor, Jason Jerome, in Spectacular Spider-Man - #166 and took up smoking for a while. Her teenage cousin Kristy moved in with them, whom MJ helped face her battle with bulimia.

Then there was the clone saga. She had been continually ignored and disregarded by Peter - and had taken a lot more rubbish from him than I would have ever believed possible. Mary Jane became like the "police-man's wife", helplessly waiting by the window for her husband to come home, day after day, while her husband risked his life. Mary Jane's character was a far cry from the bubbly flirty crazy redhead she was as a teenager.

After the clone saga, the storyline showed more hope for their marriage, when Mary Jane became pregnant. The responsibility of being a parent inpired Peter to end his role as Spider-Man, head out to Portland, Oregon to live a "normal life". That didn't end very long. The Green Goblin came back, and there was an apparent "miscarriage" of the baby (though it seems Alison Mongrain may have abducted the child - a plot line left in limbo). Pete and MJ entered therapy together, while she returned to ESU to study psychology.

There, she befriended Jill Stacy, Gwen's cousin. MJ's Aunt Anna was living with the couple in Aunt May's home in Forest Hills until Aunt May was discovered to be alive. MJ accepted an offer to model again, money started to pour in, and the two moved to an expensive apartment in Manhattan along with Aunt May. Peter once again quit being Spider-Man, and life seemed to be going great for the couple. Once again, Pete just couldn't stay out of the webs, and lied to his wife while secretly crime fighting. While MJ's busy modeling schedule was straining their relationship, the truth came out that her husband was still Spider-Man. Their marriage on the rocks, Mary Jane faced further problems as a stalker harassed her constantly on the phone - a secret she withheld from Peter.

In Amazing Spider-Man Vol.2 #13, Mary Jane took off on a plane trip. Pete was supposed to catch up with her and have time away to patch things up. With the stalker on board, the plane was seen exploding mid-air. Peter (and most comic book readers) refused to believe his wife dead, but was eventually convinced of her demise by a box of her belongings sent to him by the airport.

Considering that everyone else who died in his life returns eventually (except Uncle Ben), Peter was right the first time. MJ was held captive by "the Stalker", a man who supernaturally began to become like Peter after absorbing his memories. Spider-Man rescued MJ, but after the mental trauma of her captivity, she was unable to return to the stressful lifestyle of living with a husband who risks his life every day.

After spending time apart from Peter pursuing acting while in California, Peter and Mary Jane longed for each other. While Pete flew to California, she flew to New York. With both planes grounded due to storms, they met in a Denver airport (with Captain America and Doctor Doom!), and reconciled. Mary Jane recognized that Peter needed her in his life. Living a life so large, it had seemed as if she was insignificant. She's the motivation that keeps Spider- Man fighting and relentlessly driven to survive when the odds are against him. She has since moved back to New York, and is interested in showing the world she's more than a pretty face and sexy body - but has real acting talent. Sharing Peter's secret has brought MJ and Aunt May closer as well.

Mary Jane was largely left alone by the super criminal element after Peter revealed his ID on national TV as part of the Superhuman Registration Act, except for a brief run in with Fritz von Meyer, aka Swarm. The peace (if their lives could ever be called "peaceful"), was broken after May was shot by a sniper hired by the Kingpin. Medical science had done all that it could for the elderly woman, but her death was inevitable. In his desperation to save May's life, Peter made a deal with Mephisto.

The demon wasn't interested in Peter's soul, because a soul that suffers the torments of the netherworld still feel joy that their sacrifice did some good for someone else. Instead, he wanted Peter and Mary Jane's marriage. He would wipe their memories clean of the fact that they had been married, except for a small part that will remember. This tiny shard will cry out in lonely agony for eternity, bringing great pleasure to Mephisto.

Mary Jane made the deal with the demon, making a side bargain unknown to Peter. As the spell was being cast, Mephisto revealed that since they now had never been married, they never had a daughter. Finally, after 12 years, we had a resolution to the status of baby May. After Peter woke up to the new status quo, he was living with Aunt May again and Harry Osborn was alive again. He and MJ had had a long term relationship that had just ended, but had never been married.

Thanks To:

The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.

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