Summary
- Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson both play a significant role in Spider-Man's life, fueling a long-debated love triangle among fans.
- House of M reveals that in an alternate reality, Spider-Man chooses Gwen Stacy over Mary Jane, shaping his ultimate 'soulmate' selection.
- The complex love story with both MJ and Gwen continues to complicate Peter Parker's life, and shows no signs of ever stopping.
The question of who truly holds the title of "love of Spider-Man's life" – Mary Jane Watson or Gwen Stacy – remains at the forefront of debate among the Webslinger's fanbase. Gwen and MJ's iconic romances with Peter Parker can each be argued to make them Peter's "true" soul mate, but as with anything in love – and in comics – the truth is more complicated than that.
Marvel has put Spider-Man at the heart of some of the most iconic love stories in comics, giving lots of other characters, from Flash Thompson to the Human Torch, cause to envy "Puny" Parker.
Both Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy proved to be fan-favorite characters in their own rights, even after their respective relationships with Peter ended. Both characters, in one form or another, have subsequently gone on to have their own superhero careers, growing out of their roles as love interests and into vital Marvel protagonists in their own rights.
Spider-Gwen & Doctor Octopus Combine in the Spider-Verse's New Villain
Peach Momoko, acclaimed illustrator of Demon Days, has unveiled her full character design sheet for the upcoming Gwen Stacy Doctor Octopus variant.
Though Spider-Man stories for a long time shifted Gwen into the role of first love, and seemingly positioned Mary Jane as the Wallcrawler's "true" love, the debate about which character Peter was meant to be with continues to this day.
"Mary Jane Or Gwen Stacy" Has Always Been The Great Debate
Marvel's Greatest Love Triangle
Gwen Stacy first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #31, published in 1965. Created by Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, Gwen was modeled on Lee's beloved wife Joan. She initially appeared as a college Peer of Peter Parker, before romance between the two developed, starting with Amazing Spider-Man #53, published in 1966.
Mary Jane Watson was introduced as a love interest for Peter in 1966's Amazing Spider-Man #42, after being referenced in several earlier issues. Her friendship with Peter, likewise, took time to develop into a romance – and then, it was only as a result of Gwen Stacy's tragic death.
What many newer fans of Spider-Man might not realize is that before either Mary Jane or Gwen Stacy were synonymous with the loves of Peter Parker's life, he had to choose which of the two he was going to romantically pursue – and he did. After Mary Jane's iconic "face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot," introduction, she and Peter briefly dated, but at the time, they didn't seem to be a suitable match. Instead, Peter began dating Gwen, while Mary Jane went on to date Harry Osborn, and remain friends with both of them.
In fact, in a particularly tragic ripple effect, it was in fact Harry Osborne's poor reaction to his break-up with Mary Jane that led to Norman Osborne's relapse as the Green Goblin. Inadvertently, and shockingly, this would in turn result in Gwen Stacy's death at the Goblin's hands. Though this was through absolutely no fault of MJ's, it did ultimately result in her and Peter falling in love, and entering into one of Marvel's most enduring romantic relationships, until it was retconned away in the controversial "One More Day" storyline.
Gwen Stacy's death defined her relationship with Peter, leaving the lingering question of how things would have played out without the intervention of tragedy. More crucially, this also defined his relationship with Mary Jane – as no matter how genuine and deeper her and Peter's love ran, it was always compared to his passion for Gwen. Though Spider-Man stories for a long time shifted Gwen into the role of first love, and seemingly positioned Mary Jane as the Wallcrawler's "true" love, the debate about which character Peter was meant to be with continues to this day.
A Surprising Marvel Storyline Proved Who Spider-Man Loved Most
Spider-Man's True Love Was Revealed In House of M (2005)
Gwen Stacy was killed in 1973's The Amazing Spider-Man #121. Though several different iterations of Gwen – including clones and multiversal variants – have appeared in Spider-Man stories, and beyond, during that time, there has never been a renewed, sustained romance between Peter and Gwen.
Surprisingly, a clear answer to the "Spider-Man's true love" debate was revealed in Marvel's House of M event, from 2005, in which Scarlet Witch rewrote reality, creating a twisted world where Earth's superhumans had received their deepest. It was hardly a paradise, because she'd granted Magneto his greatest wishes as well, and as a result, this world was ruled by mutants. Crucially, though, for Spider-Man, it meant a life in which he married Gwen Stacy and started a family with her. Mary Jane was nothing more than a movie star who he crossed paths with every now and again.
On the face of it, "House of M" settled the question once and for all; given a choice between Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy, Peter would choose Gwen. However, there is another aspect that needs to be factored into all this; Gwen's death, which Peter always felt responsible for, given she had been targeted because of his secret identity as Spider-Man. Their relationship was still only in its early days, tinged with adolescent hope and longing, before either of them really had to come to grips with the reality of making romance work in a complicated world.
Peter's fantasies of Gwen Stacy symbolize his longing for a more innocent world, one without tragedy and loss, so much simpler than the life he had to navigate with Mary Jane – but unfortunately, a lot less real. In this way, Peter was reminiscent a man thinking back to his first crush, 'the one that got away,' and imagining an idyllic life with her – but amplified a hundredfold because of Gwen's death. His subsequent relationship with, and marriage to, Mary Jane was a sustained, adult relationship – until it ended in its own kind of supervillain-related despair.
Gwen may in fact have been Spider-Man's true love – but her death, and his subsequent long, very-real love life with MJ will always complicate the matter. That complicated dynamic...carries on the essence of their original roles in Amazing Spider-Man, as introduced by Stan Lee.