Entertainment

60 Years Later, Mary Jane Is Finally Stepping Out of Spider-Man’s Shadow

Published

2 hours ago

4 August 2026

NewsAdmin

For nearly as long as Spider-Man has been swinging around on the pages of comic books, so has Mary Jane Watson been there by Peter Parker’s side as his true love. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first time she fully appeared on the page, hitting Peter with one of the most iconic introductions in Marvel history: “Face it, Tiger… you just hit the jackpot!” Since then, she’s gone on to become one of the comic giant’s A-listers who has done so much more than just dating and marrying the Web-Head. She’s helped Peter with his superhero business, became a hero herself, saw their marriage erased by Mephisto in the pivotal One More Day storyline, became the host of Venom, and has been reinvented for the MCU. As long as Spider-Man exists, MJ will be there, with her own stories to tell that show her as much more than just a romantic interest.

In celebration of her long and storied history, Marvel Comics is releasing a new anthology, titled Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger, that pulls together a series of three stories from throughout her many appearances across the Marvel Universe to paint a full picture of who she has become since her bombastic first appearance. Each explores a vastly different era for MJ, from her party girl days to her happy marriage to Peter and her time as the All-New Venom. At the end of the issue will also be a little epilogue that teases what the future holds for the red-haired wonder after such a milestone anniversary. Several preview pages were shared ahead of release that offer a glimpse into the different lives MJ has lived and the vastly different tones the character has struck over the years.

The first page pictures what initially looks like an ideal morning for Peter and MJ in their home in Forest Hills, New York. As they sit down for breakfast, MJ notices that Peter isn’t acting like himself and, despite her assertions that they can work through his troubles together, his response is abnormally harsh and dismissive of the power of love to conquer all. Indeed, Peter isn’t feeling like himself because he’s not Peter at all, but one of his oldest foes, the Chameleon, giving Mary Jane a shock and putting her in grave danger. The next few pages, meanwhile, highlight Vamp #9, showing a romantic moment between the couple while MJ is dressed for a new vampire movie she has a small role in, each commiserating about their jobs but supporting each other in little ways. “Soft Words at Sunset” follows things up with a look at a much older MJ without Peter, reflecting on their relationship and the web-slinger’s attachment to love and legacies. It appears she’s going to visit the late Spidey’s grave and is left remembering the good memories and how their bond changed them both for the better.

‘Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger’ Teases the Next Steps in MJ’s Career

Last up is “Redux,” with a page showing MJ on set for a spooky Halloween commercial and proving how her years as an actor have turned her into a seasoned veteran. She shows she has just as much knowledge of how to fix a fog machine as she does of how contracts work and what actresses have to and don’t have to do. While the focus is on her coming to the support of another actress who’s outraged by her last-minute wardrobe change to something more revealing, it does offer a little hint at what’s to come and what the heroine does when not out fighting with her Symbiote. The story takes place in the present day amid MJ’s current run as Venom, so if you want the full context, Al Ewing‘s current run is a must-read.

After recently revisiting Kraven’s Last Hunt, writer J.M. DeMatteis pens the first story of the Mary Jane anthology, “Faces in the Crowd,” with art by Andrea Broccardo. They’re joined by a murderer’s row of fellow comic scribes and pencilers, including Ann Nocenti and Alina Yerofieieva for “Vamp #9,” J. Michael Straczynski and Luigi Zagaria for “Soft Words at Sunset,” and finally, Ashley Allen and Phil Noto for “Redux.” Finally, the dazzling cover that puts MJ front and center is courtesy of Jim Cheung, whose work has most notably adorned the front of New Avengers stories.