Mary Jane Watson may not be a superhero, but she has been a significant part of Peter Parker’s life as his best friend, love interest, and wife. They have been entwined for most of the comic’s run since she made her first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #25. The actress and model doesn’t have any special powers but she is intelligent and trained in self-defense. She even saved Peter Parker a few times from attacks by his foes.

Out of comics she appeared in several Spider-Man animated series and films. She was in the first Spider-Man cartoon in 1967 in the episode “The Big Brainwasher” which was based on The Amazing Spider-Man #59-61 as the niece of George Stacy. In ’78 to ’79 she appeared in the Japanese live action show Tokusatsu Spider-Man. Her name was changed from Mary Jane Watson to Hitomi Sakuma and she was a photographer at the newspaper. From ’94 to ’98 she was voiced by Sara Ballantine in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. She met Peter in the fourth episode of the first season when she and Peter were set up on a blind date by May Parker. Though Peter had a love interest at the time he becomes smitten with M.J. after they meet. Her last episode was in the season three finale “Turning Point” when Green Goblin learns of Spider-Man’s identity. During a trip to the George Washington Bridge she falls through a dimensional portal that had been created by Peter’s stolen time dilation accelerator. During the fourth season a clone of M.J. appears and Peter reveals to her that he is Spider-Man then the two marry. Tragically he learns that she is a clone and her body disintegrates due to problems with cloning. In the series finale Madame Web reassures Peter that they will find the real Mary Jane, though she is not seen again until the sequel series.

She made a brief appearance in the first episode of Spider-Man Unlimited in ’99 but became a more prominent character in the short-lived Spider-Man: The New Animated Series in 2003. M.J. was Peter’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, voiced by singer Lisa Loeb. She learns that he is Spider-Man during a dream sequence in the episode “Mind Games: Part 1.” She joined The Spectacular Spider-Man which began in 2008, voiced by Vanessa Marshall. Peter’s Aunt May tries to introduce him to M.J. on several occasions and when they finally meet Peter is stunned by her and they attend a school dance together. In 2012 she joined Ultimate Spider-Man, voiced by Tara Strong. Similar to her Ultimate Comics incarnation she has grown up with Peter and is his best friend. Mary Jane wants to be a journalist who will change the Daily Bugle Communications by shedding a positive light on Spider-Man who is constantly attacked by J. Jonah Jameson. They dated in their early teens but decided to just be friends as they grew up. Despite being so close to Peter she doesn’t know that he is Spider-Man.

On film, played by Kirsten Dunst, she appeared in the three Spider-Man movies directed by Sam Raimi starting in 2002. In the first movie she is Peter’s neighbor and they become friends in high school. Though Peter has a crush on her, she dates his friend Harry Osborn. His feelings for her aren’t hidden from everyone, however, so when the Green Goblin discovers Spider-Man’s identity he kidnaps M.J. Spider-Man rescues her and later she tells Peter that she loves him but he won’t stay with her because he doesn’t want to put her in danger. In the 2004 sequel M.J. is frustrated by his reluctance to commit to her so she starts dating J. Jonah Jameson’s son John. Peter quits being Spider-Man when he decides that the cost of being a hero is too great. He saves M.J. from Doctor Octopus and is unmasked in front of her, leading Mary Jane to finally understand why he has always disappeared and been unreliable. Setting this aside, the two begin a relationship. In Spider-Man 3 in 2007 Mary Jane is conflicted by a rival for Peter’s affection. After Peter is affected by the venom symbiote their relationship suffers and once again she is kidnapped and Spider-Man saves her from Venom.