Marvel Reveals Mary Jane's Secret Family & Complicated Breakup!
By Liam McGuire
May 16th 2023
What happened to Mary Jane Watson that torpedoed her relationship with Spider-Man and led to her starting a new family has finally been revealed by Marvel Comics. Readers have awaited the explanation behind MJ’s new family for some time, and now they have answers. But are the answers satisfying after more than 20+ issues of the truth being teased? It’s somewhat complicated.
From the very first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man ongoing series by Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr., the reasoning behind Peter and Mary Jane’s breakup was strongly hinted at. With each passing arc in the book, the creative team continued to build tension around what happened to one of Marvel’s most beloved romances as MJ was revealed to have a secret family and boyfriend. While fatigue started to set in for some readers, The Amazing Spider-Man #25 finally showed Watson’s side of things. In the issue, the heroine ends up stuck in an alternate dimension after helping Spider-Man escape it. She was left alongside a man named Paul, who worked alongside Benjamin Rabin in figuring out how symbols were used to alter reality. Unfortunately, Paul ended up trapped in the world due to Rabin’s madness, and when MJ also arrived and became stuck, they worked together to survive.
Paul and MJ fought side-by-side for months, with the genius-level inventor creating a device that gave Watson random “Jackpot” powers. The tease of Paul and MJ having kids together was somewhat of a misdirect. While they adopted a boy and a girl found alone in the alternate dimension, they are neither character’s biological children. Although, Mary Jane and Paul view them as their own after spending years together in a world where time moved much slower.
Watson and Paul would raise the kids, eventually realizing they would likely be trapped for good. It led to them starting a romance together while continuing to protect the children from the many dangerous threats in the world. However, during an encounter with Rabin, who wanted to sacrifice MJ, Spider-Man returned after stealing tech from some of Marvel’s most brilliant heroes, allowing him to free his longtime girlfriend. Unfortunately, Peter also learned about MJ and Paul’s relationship and adopted kids. Spider-Man helps them return to Earth-616, but things don’t return to how they once were, as MJ refuses to leave Paul. At the same time, it’s revealed Rabin’s defeat has only made him more powerful and that he is continuing to search for MJ to sacrifice her to Wayep.
CaptCan Comic readers, let us know what you thought of the long-awaited issue of The Amazing Spider-Man and whether the explanation about Mary Jane Watson’s time in the alternate dimension was satisfactory. Readers can still pick up The Amazing Spider-Man #25 at our physical and online store now! For those not wanting to miss Rabin’s quest to kill MJ and his inevitable battle with Spider-Man, don’t forget to pre-order The Amazing Spider-Man!
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