Tangled Web of Love

Peter Parker is my first love and maybe even my one true love (sorry Ryan 😊). But in all honesty, I love the character Peter Parker because there is just something about his character that makes you want to root for the guy. When I was four, I read my first Spider-Man comic and I was hooked. Peter is witty and sarcastic, but most importantly he cares for the people of his city, his friends, and the ones he loves most.

I was going to write a post about the differences between each Peter/Spider-Man, but I will save that post for another time just in case those of you have not seen the newest one. So, for this post, I want to look at each one of his girls and how each one helped their specific Peter in different ways. Not only is there a driving force of love between Peter and his girl but each girl is different, and they do things in their own way to make them unique. Without the other half, they wouldn’t be a very good Spider-Man.

Peter and Mary Jane (Spider-Man Trilogy)

Peter Parker is in love with the girl next door Mary Jane Watson. According to Aunt May, he was in love with her from the moment she moved into her house. Peter has always been in the background and never really makes himself known, but when he gets bit by the radioactive spider things begin to change.

Mary Jane is sweet, but she wants to make a difference in her life to prove her dad wrong. At first, she is intrigued by the masked vigilante but slowly realizes that the one she wants to be with is the nerdy boy who lives next door. At first, Peter is thrilled but because of his responsibilities, he pushes MJ away so that she is safe because he knows that if enemies found out he was Spider-Man they would go after her or Aunt May first.

It isn’t until the second movie that MJ discovers Spider-Man’s identity and when she does, she makes the choice to be with Peter. I would say the one flaw with this MJ is that she is a damsel in distress, and she never really stands up for herself. I know some of you might argue with that but in my heart, I feel that MJ wasn’t there for Peter when he needed her most. In the third movie, she was there when Harry died in his arms but before that, there were a lot of conflicts that didn’t need to be there. In my opinion, if you know you are dating a superhero then be there for ALL their needs and understand that they may not always be around but know they are making the world a better place.

Peter and Gwen Stacy (The Amazing Spider-Man)

Ok not to be rude to Sam Raimi’s MJ but she does not compare to the next three leading ladies I am about to talk about. MJ may be the original, but Gwen Stacy is a legend! From the moment Gwen first met Peter she was hooked. Peter had been hiding behind his camera taking pictures of school events that Gwen happened to be a part of and just taking pictures at the moment. When Peter gets into a fight with Flash Thompson Gwen swoops in and breaks up the fight. While in the same class she looks back to check on Peter asking if he knew his name. He says, “You don’t know my name?” She replies, “Oh, I know your name. I just want to make sure you know your name.” And that Dear Readers, is why I love Gwen because she saw Peter before the bite and as he was trying to hide from the world, she saw him.

After that Gwen becomes a big part of Peter’s life. In fact, Peter tells Gwen about him being Spider-Man on their first date. Honesty and communication are the two major things that keep a relationship afloat and that is exactly what Peter did. At the end of the first movie, he understands the cost of being Spider-Man and how people can be affected by this truth, and he tries to stay away from Gwen because he thinks he is protecting her. Aunt May proceeds to knock some sense into him and tells him that some things are worth fighting for.

Gwen is such a strong character, and we really get to see her grow into the role of Peter’s lifeline. She is there for any Spider-Man needs but also encourages him to slow down and take some time in the things that are fleeting. In the second movie, Peter tries to pull away from Gwen again but this time doesn’t leave without a bit of a fight saying, “Your Spider-Man and I love that, but I love Peter Parker more. That’s worth it to me.” Peter still says that he cannot be with her for her protection, and she responds, “Because you can’t lose me, we can’t be together? Who does that work out for Peter?” At the end of the conversation, she breaks up with him because he cannot accept the fact that there will always be danger and she wants a man who will fight for her.

When I say Gwen Stacy is a legend, I mean it because it was after the breakup that we see the impact she had on Peter. It was Peter’s choice to let Gwen go but even broken up he cannot get his mind off her and he can’t help but keep an eye on her from afar. When Peter finds out that she is thinking about moving to England for grad school he is willing to drop everything and follow her.

Gwen is a strong woman who stands up for herself and is not afraid to get her hands dirty if it means standing alongside her man. In the end, her life is tragically taken due to a fall in the clock tower and Peter was unable to catch her. This death broke Peter and for months he never touched the Spider-Man suit because he didn’t have the one person who believed in him. He lost his light and every day he went to her grave to be with her, and his heart began to get cold and bitter. After a couple months, Aunt May finally approaches Peter and tells him that sometimes you can only mourn so long before it gets in the way. Peter takes her advice and begins to clean up all the memories and put them in places where they belong but never forgets. As he cleans, he finds a flash drive with Gwen’s graduation speech on it and she talks about hope and being a light in a dark place. She was Peter’s light and now he needs to be a light to the city and bring back their symbol of hope…Spider-Man.

Peter and Mary Jane Watson (PS4 Videogame)

I could talk about Gwen Stacy all day but two other leading ladies are just as badass. Mary Jane Watson in the video game is a spunky reporter and takes her job very seriously, even if that means sticking her nose into places it doesn’t belong. She is not a shy girl whatsoever in fact she is strong-willed and stubborn which is what worries Peter.

According to the story she and Peter used to date but because he never truly saw her as a partner, she broke up with him. Of course, when they reunite old feelings come up, but this time instead of pushing her away she asks for help, and even though Peter is still worried they agree that they are equal partners. MJ is on the coms and helps Peter get the inside scoop on certain crimes going on in New York and she also can get dirt on the crime gangs to help Peter with his missions.

This clip is one of my favorites because it shows that even though MJ was in danger Peter has come to terms with being unable to stop her so instead, he helps her by giving her some gadgets for the future. This clip also shows them putting their heads together and WORKING together on a case. I love that they have this relationship where it can be semi-casual, but she also knows that he could leave in a flash at any time.

She was willing to tell Peter “NO” and sometimes that is what Peter needs to hear. Later, he noticed that she was helping more than he could have imagined and she was even able to save his life a couple times. The main thing is that even though they broke up for silly reasons MJ knew that Peter was her boy and Peter knew that MJ was his girl. In the end, they got back together, and they became one of the greatest duo (along with Miles).

Peter and Mary Jane Jones (MCU)

Ok last but certainly not least is the couple that everyone is talking about! These two are the newest Spider-Man couple and they are killing it if I do say so myself. MJ has a genuine doubtful personality but when it comes to Peter Parker, she knows that she loves him and wants to be by his side. We don’t really get to see much of her in the first movie, but the second she figures out he is Spider-Man and ends up helping him and Ned defeat Mysterio.

This clip is after the giant battle and Peter and MJ finally tell each other that they are in love. This is such a sweet moment because it is not at all what Peter planned but it was perfect because he felt the same way MJ felt and that is all that mattered.

In the third movie, EVERYONE knows that he is Spider-Man and she is not scared by the media or pushed away by Peter. Instead, Peter holds Ned and MJ closer because he knows he cannot do it without either of them. There was one part where all the villains were feeling doubtful of Peter’s intentions and Electro asked, “why didn’t you just send us back and let us die?” MJ looked Electro in the eyes and said, “because that is not who Peter is.” You can tell that MJ is in love with Peter’s personality and caring heart and she is truly not in it for the fame (not that any of us thought that in the first place), but it is nice to know that she is there for him.

I am trying not to spoil anything but sometimes you cannot help it. In the end before Dr. Strange finishes, the new spell Peter and MJ say their final goodbyes and when Peter sees that MJ has a scratch on her forehead, he gets instantly worried and asks if she is ok. She calms him down and lets him know that she is fine, but the ironic thing is that her wound is a small scratch, and he is worried about her even though he is covered in blood. It just shows that no matter what happens Peter will always be worried but when he puts down his walls and lets people in, he becomes the greatest Spider-Man he can be.

I cannot express to you how much Peter Parker means to me and why he is such a big part of my life. Ryan asked me once, “What is it about Peter Parker that makes you so crazy.” Now, Dear Readers, you know exactly why he is my comfortable character. What makes me the happiest is that I can see little bits of Peter in Ryan and it makes me fall in love with him over and over again.

Until next time,

Peace Out Lovers!