The name Mary Jane is synonymous with Spider-Man at this point. Whether it’s Zendaya’s current version of MJ to Sam Raimi’s live introduction of the character back in 2002, Mary Jane Watson is just as notable as some of the top heroes in the Marvel universe. The character made her debut in the issue of The Amazing Spider-Man #25 thanks to Stan Lee and John Romita Sr; Her character was a prominent love interest for Peter Parker and the main source of competition for Gwen Stacy. Originally, Mary Jane Watson was the party girl type with a shallow personality who wasn’t ready to be tied down to one man. That would change eventually and the two would get married and have a long healthy relationship. The live-action version of Mary Jane Watson is vastly different. Watson has the signature red hair, but she isn’t the party girl type. She’s presented as a sweet, but popular girl who has a thing for Parker but the two don’t actually get together until Spider-Man 2 after Watson decides against marrying John Jameson. The Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane conflict is played up more in Spider-Man 3, but it’s not a major roadblock as Peter and Mary Jane ultimately get back together and the rest is pretty much history for the character in the Sam Raimi universe.
Given the fact that Spider-Man 4 was stopped during production, there’s no telling what the next step for the Mary Jane character was; however, looking back on the portrayal of the woman throughout the three Sam Raimi films, is Mary Jane Watson a terrible character? Unfortunately, yes. Ok, terrible may be a strong word, but incredibly bland is a perfect word. I don’t particularly consider her character terrible because she is her own human being. Her goals are quite clear. She’s looking to be in the world of Broadway, and she does struggle a bit along the way. Mary Jane Watson’s purpose in Spider-Man’s journey is also quite effective as she helps Peter grow up and mature throughout the Sami Raimi movies. However, Mary Jane Watson feels…perfect. There’s really nothing about her character that sticks out in the Sam Raimi version. The comic book is actually pretty solid. Mary Jane Watson is a wild party chick who evolves into a mature adult as time passes on.
Dunst’s version doesn’t really have that moment of growth as she’s mainly there to be a source of conflict between Peter and Harry. To be clear, none of this has to do with Kirsten Dunst’s performance as the actress does a fine job with the work that’s she given. But she isn’t given much of a personality and eventually falls into the “damsel in distress” category. Generally speaking, we like Mary Jane Watson because of her relationship with Peter Parker/Spider-Man, so we’re rooting for the two lovebirds to get together. But as individual, there’s nothing that makes you truly care about her as a person. Mary Jane Watson checks off the basics as a character when it comes to supporting roles, but there’s no interest or intrigue about her worldview. Who is this beautiful woman behind closed doors? I’m not saying that Mary Jane Watson needs some tragic backstory or colorful personality to make her a strong character, but we need someone who isn’t as dull as watching paint dry. Watson feels a bit more than a plot device as Raimi does a solid job of developing the character but considering the fact that she’s one of the conflicts of interest between Harry and Peter, she never transcends past the role as love interest. Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy is a former Zehoberei assassin and the adopted daughter of Thanos. Mindy McCready aka Hit-Girl was trained by Father Damon as a vigilante and assassin. Valkyrie is a badass warrior, with dark humor and a tragic past that has scarred her future. I’m not saying that Watson needed to be some great female fighter. The key difference between Watson and the three ladies mentioned is that there’s an interesting layer about those three warriors that makes you want to watch them onscreen and understand their point-of-view. Watson simply represents an everyday- ordinary beautiful woman who leads a mundane life. It would’ve been great if Raimi incorporated Watson’s original story from the comics. That way, we would’ve been able to see her flaws that helps audiences identify with the character, and more importantly, the nice character growth would’ve made her standout as more than Peter Paker/Spider-Man’s perfect girlfriend.Spider-Man
Follow Us
