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itsnotmymindAwhile back I saw someone diss the most recent Spider-Man movies, and declared Sam Raimi Spider-Man "the real Peter Parker".
I hated the idea.
Then I realized my issue was not with Raimi's Peter Parker, but with his Mary Jane Watson.
Let's start at the beginning.
My first encounter with Mary Jane Watson was not chronological. I got into Marvel comics at around age sixteen by reading the Marvel Masterwork Spider-Mans that my father brought home from the library or purchased for himself. These were the original Spider-Man comics from the 1960s, the comics my father read when he was young. As you may know, Mary Jane Watson does not appear until issue #42. That issue was not part of the books my father brought home. After I read the Marvel Masterworks, I also discovered he had brought home a CD set of 40 Years or Amazing Spider-Man. I proceeded to work my way through those.
But before I hit issue #42, I had already met Mary Jane Watson.
I actually met MJ in a comic written by Todd McFarlane, written after Peter and MJ were married (but before the marriage was retconned out of existence - I haven't read Spider-Man comics in years so I don't know what the current status quo is). I can't remember why I read this comic or even much about it, but I remember that I hated his MJ and was appalled that this was the woman Peter ended up marrying.
Then I read issue #42 and met the original Mary Jane Watson. I loved her.
The original Mary Jane Watson is an outgoing party girl. In my opinion the best Silver Age women were the ones whose personalities actually fit Stan Lee's ideas about what women were like. Characters like MJ and Jan Van Dyne. Woman and girls who were into fashion and partying. Mary Jane had a strong personality. At some points I even liked Silver Age MJ more than Peter Parker.
I only saw the first Sam Raimi movie - mainly because I was disgusted with what they did with MJ. Instead of having a strong personality, she had none at all. Also:
*WARNING FOR DISCUSSION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT*
In general, I really hate it when a female character is threatened with gang rape so a male character can demonstrate his heroism, and that the first Sam Raimi movie is no exception.
The other thing I don't like about that scene is how MJ, who screams her head off to an almost annoying extent any other time she's in danger, suddenly can't call for help (because it she could, Peter wouldn't need to rescue her). I would like to emphasize that I know human beings are complicated and there may be people out there who can scream in one dangerous situation and not another. However, in this case, this isn't telling us anything about MJ's personality. It is simply advancing the plot. It would have been inconvenient for MJ to raise her voice loud enough that Peter wouldn't be needed to save her.
MJ in the newest Spider-Man movies is very different from comic book MJ, but she has a strong personality. In my book, that makes her worthy of the name.
I hated the idea.
Then I realized my issue was not with Raimi's Peter Parker, but with his Mary Jane Watson.
Let's start at the beginning.
My first encounter with Mary Jane Watson was not chronological. I got into Marvel comics at around age sixteen by reading the Marvel Masterwork Spider-Mans that my father brought home from the library or purchased for himself. These were the original Spider-Man comics from the 1960s, the comics my father read when he was young. As you may know, Mary Jane Watson does not appear until issue #42. That issue was not part of the books my father brought home. After I read the Marvel Masterworks, I also discovered he had brought home a CD set of 40 Years or Amazing Spider-Man. I proceeded to work my way through those.
But before I hit issue #42, I had already met Mary Jane Watson.
I actually met MJ in a comic written by Todd McFarlane, written after Peter and MJ were married (but before the marriage was retconned out of existence - I haven't read Spider-Man comics in years so I don't know what the current status quo is). I can't remember why I read this comic or even much about it, but I remember that I hated his MJ and was appalled that this was the woman Peter ended up marrying.
Then I read issue #42 and met the original Mary Jane Watson. I loved her.
The original Mary Jane Watson is an outgoing party girl. In my opinion the best Silver Age women were the ones whose personalities actually fit Stan Lee's ideas about what women were like. Characters like MJ and Jan Van Dyne. Woman and girls who were into fashion and partying. Mary Jane had a strong personality. At some points I even liked Silver Age MJ more than Peter Parker.
I only saw the first Sam Raimi movie - mainly because I was disgusted with what they did with MJ. Instead of having a strong personality, she had none at all. Also:
*WARNING FOR DISCUSSION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT*
In general, I really hate it when a female character is threatened with gang rape so a male character can demonstrate his heroism, and that the first Sam Raimi movie is no exception.
The other thing I don't like about that scene is how MJ, who screams her head off to an almost annoying extent any other time she's in danger, suddenly can't call for help (because it she could, Peter wouldn't need to rescue her). I would like to emphasize that I know human beings are complicated and there may be people out there who can scream in one dangerous situation and not another. However, in this case, this isn't telling us anything about MJ's personality. It is simply advancing the plot. It would have been inconvenient for MJ to raise her voice loud enough that Peter wouldn't be needed to save her.
MJ in the newest Spider-Man movies is very different from comic book MJ, but she has a strong personality. In my book, that makes her worthy of the name.
