Mary Jane proved multiple times that a person can be strong even without special powers and that she can handle whatever life throws at her. Considering her importance in Peter Parker’s life, it’s no wonder that there have been multiple versions of Mary Jane both in the comics and in TV shows as well as movies. From all the versions of the character, some are better than others.
5 The House Of M Mary Jane
One of the more obscure versions of Mary Jane is the one that appears in the storyline The House of M. After Scarlet Witch changes reality in order to bring back her children, it affects the lives of many characters. In this reality, Mary Jane was no longer with Peter. Instead, he married Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane became a successful actress which is something she always dreamed of.
The valuable aspect of this portrayal of Mary Jane was that even without being with Peter, she was happy and had friends among the superhero community. She even starred in Spider-Man movies where she portrayed Gwen and enjoyed the success she deserved. This proofs yet again that Mary Jane is so much more than just Spider-Man’s love interest, and she has her own storyline going on in the comics.
4 The Ultimate Spider-Man Mary Jane
In the Ultimate Spider-Man series, Mary Jane, Peter Parker as well as other characters are younger than most comic book readers know them. This version of Mary Jane got together with Peter years earlier than the classic MJ, and she also learned he was Spider-Man. Their relationship had its ups and downs but even when they weren’t together, Peter could rely on Mary Jane to be there for him as his friend.
Mary Jane was one of the smartest and most courageous non-powered characters of the series. She helped repair Peter’s costumes when he damaged them and in her free time, she focused on her journalistic career which was her dream. Unlike the supermodel Mary Jane, the young broadcast journalist Mary Jane was much more relatable and also continues to serve as a good source of inspiration to young girls all around the world thanks to her determination and intelligence.
3 The Classic Mary Jane
Of course, none of the subsequent portrayals of Mary Jane wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the original classic Mary Jane. Thousands of readers as well as Peter Parker himself fell in love with this first version of MJ. Mary Jane wanted to be an actress and eventually reached her goal thanks to her career in modeling and determination. She and Peter got together despite the fact that Peter did his best to hide the truth about being Spider-Man from MJ, unaware that she found out a long time ago and was waiting for him to tell her.
Originally, the classic Mary Jane seemed to be more of a party girl but after the tragic death of Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane showed her more sensitive side in Spider-Man: Blue, and from there on, she and Peter were even closer. The Spider-Man series centered on the titular hero, of course, but Mary Jane got a significant character development as well which made it easy for the readers to understand who she was and what she wanted from life.
2 The MCU MJ
Technically, the MCU MJ isn’t Mary Jane but Michelle Jones - yet she is to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker what Mary Jane is to her Peter in the comics. Not much is known about Michelle initially as she only plays a supporting part in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) but the subsequent movies give more space to her, both in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) in which she and Peter get together as well as in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) where Peter is forced to give up their relationship and MJ forgets him.
While the movies fail to provide any detailed information about MJ’s background and her life outside of her connection to Peter, she still comes across as a witty and brave character. This version of MJ has very little in common with the original comic book Mary Jane, character-wise, but it’s impossible to overlook that she and the MCU’s Peter Parker work well together.
1 The Original Spider-Man Trilogy Mary Jane
Kirsten Dunst starred as Mary Jane in the original Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie trilogy. In many ways, her character was close to the comics, unlike the MCU version. The movies detailed Mary Jane’s complicated family background, her romantic relationships outside of Peter as well as her desire to become an actress.
Mary Jane might not have gotten as much space as she would have deserved in the movies but thanks to the richness of her character and Dunst’s performance, she set the tone for the character and fit in well with the other actors, including Tobey Maguire’s Peter and James Franco’s Harry Osborn. The good news is that Kirsten Dunst is open to reprising her role, similar to what Maguire did in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), so the fans of her Mary Jane might reunite with the character in the upcoming years.
More: The Best Spider-Man Actors of All Time, Ranked
