After 50 Years, Marvel Finally Introduces Superhero MJ
My apologies. Quite a while ago I wrote a warning screed on this site about “Renew Your Vows,” the Spider-Man miniseries that promised to not only reverse One More Day (in an alternate universe) but give him a kid. At the time, it had just been announced, and I posted a warning that, given Marvel’s behavior in the past and Joe Quesada’s continued influence, the comic wouldn’t actually be what people were hoping for. I assumed it was going to be a dark storyline where both Spidey’s wife and daughter died at the end, teaching the lesson “see, Joe was right, superheroes can’t be married.”
Not only was the actual comic the opposite of that, but today Marvel announced a second “Vows” series that takes the concept even further. I truly never thought I’d see what I saw tonight. It is something I’ve always hoped for against all odds ever since I became aware of Mary Jane as a character. Folks, she’s suiting up.
For far too long Spider-Man’s love interest has been written as an accessory, an afterthought, a shallow male fantasy, or someone who just walks in the room to say “tiger” or “jackpot” and then leave. Secretly, deep down, I’ve always wanted to see MJ as a superhero, but that simply couldn’t be part of the continuity; it broke with tradition. To Hades with tradition! Comicbook.com posted these sketches:
Er…..um…..well, those outfits could be better, but after fifty years of sidelining, I’ll take what I can get at this point. They were designed by Ryan Stegman, who said “I wanted something sleek and fashionable, because it’s Mary Jane!” This is fashionable now?
“The white sets her apart from Peter, and the eye mask I think is a nice touch. Mary Jane wouldn’t want to cover her hair with a full-face mask!” I suppose not, but….A LOT more people should be familiar with MJ’s unmasked visage than her husband’s. It’s been on giant billboards. She would need a more concealing outfit than his. His covers his whole body; hers doesn’t. Makes no sense.
As for Annie Parker, who looks like she stepped out of a Ben 10 episode, this suit wasn’t her first choice: her parents kinda made it dorky out of concern. “I approached it as a parent would, since I’m a parent myself,” says Stegman. “I just taught my son to ride a bike and whenever he gets on that thing I pad him up something fierce. And as parents, MJ and Peter have to be terrified of their daughter swinging around the city of New York! So Annie reluctantly accepts their mandate that she is not allowed to go swinging around without her pads.”
There was already a continuity where Spider-Man had a daughter, the long-running (and frequently restarting) Spider-Girl. There was no padding on Mayday Parker’s costume, but then again, she was older by the time we met her. Both hypothetical daughters were blessed with their matriarch’s powers. MJ won’t have any powers as far as I know, and she shouldn’t need any; she is MJ and can defeat enemies through sheer awesome.
The second Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows series begins this fall as part of the Marvel NOW lineup. It’s unknown how many issues it’ll last.