Spider-Man has one of the largest casts of supporting characters of any superhero in comics, all of whom have distinct, three-dimensional personalities. And of these supporting characters, none is more important and iconic than Peter Parker’s former wife and the current Venom, Mary Jane Watson. Together, alongside Eddie Broke, aka Carnage, they had been working to defeat the serial killer Torment, who had been hunting Peter and Eddie’s family members in the storyline “Death Spiral.” And although The Amazing Spider-Man #27 marked the end of the arc and the death of Torment, it also marked the beginning of a path that completely ruins Mary Jane’s character.
Mary Jane has always been one of the most beloved civilian characters in Marvel Comics history, thanks to her upbeat, extroverted, empathetic, and mature personality and her great chemistry with Peter. Even after their separation and MJ’s transformation into the Venom symbiote, she still maintains much of her original characterization as a caring individual. However, “Death Spiral” transforms MJ into a shell of a former self that will have long-term repercussions, and not for the better.
From the very beginning, MJ becoming the new Venom was a highly controversial decision for a multitude of reasons. Not only does MJ have severe PTSD after being previously attacked by the symbiote, but her transformation into a superhero also felt incredibly rushed and unearned. Many readers also hope the Venom symbiote will one day return to its best host, Eddie Brock. And while, for the most part, MJ has managed to stay a lighter, more emotionally mature version of Venom, “Death Spiral” had her face her greatest challenge. Unfortunately, the finale took her in a direction that was unfit for her character.
During “Death Spiral,” as Torment targets Peter and Eddie’s families, MJ’s ex-husband Paul is murdered, and her adoptive son Dylan Brock is the next target on the serial killer’s hit list. And as the storyline progressed, MJ became increasingly cold as she tried to protect her loved ones. Within a span of one issue, MJ will go from telling Dylan why it’s wrong to kill Torment to becoming overcome with rage and the desire to end Torment once and for all. When Torment goes after MJ’s Aunt Anna, she beats the villain until he’s powerless. Even beaten though, Torment continues to goad MJ by saying how he’ll break out of prison and kill everyone she loves. It’s here that MJ commits her most shocking act.
The MJ Venom lets go of their restraint and drops Torment off a building to his death. It’s here that the ultimate question is raised: was it MJ or the Venom symbiote that decided to murder Torment in cold blood? When Peter asked about it, MJ lied and said that Torment had fallen. Still, Peter has his suspicions that his ex-girlfriend murdered Torment. Although it’s debatable as to whether killing Torment was morally right or wrong, what Marvel seems to be setting up is that he won’t be her last victim. Most likely, MJ’s moral code will become far more lax and she will kill more villains, driving a further wedge into her relationship with her friends and family.
To see MJ go from one of the most grounded and empathetic characters to someone willing to take a life is incredibly unsettling. And although she once tried to kill the Green Goblin, that was only in self-defense. Torment was powerless and had nowhere to run. MJ allowing him to push her over the edge with his threats against her family and killing him was a significant divergence from her moral center. For her to commit such an act, even to protect her family, feels like a violation of her fundamental character. If Marvel wants to return Venom to its Lethal Protector roots, MJ is the wrong host because of her established identity as a caring person who often has to keep Peter from crossing the moral event horizon.
The worst part of the decision to have Mary Jane become a killer anti-hero isn’t that it’s new; it’s the fact that, at its core, it feels incredibly overdone. The hook for this new character arc is whether it was her conscious choice or the Venom symbiote’s influence that pushed her over the edge. Unfortunately, the premise of either narrative avenue has been done to death, and once again show that Marvel is completely out of ideas on what to do with MJ as a character.
If it’s the case that it was the Venom symbiote that drove Mary Jane to kill Torment and become more bitter, then Marvel will just be reprising one of its most basic and often used Venom premises. The Venom symbiote is infamous for corrupting its hosts and making them give in to their darkest impulses. This has been done with Peter Parker, Eddie Brock, Flash Thompson, and every single person who wasn’t already a cold-blooded killer. Still, Peter never went as far as killing someone while wearing the suit, so MJ going down that path seems ridiculous. Despite its character development, the Venom symbiote always seems to corrupt its host’s mind. Having Marvel do the same story again makes the whole thing feel superfluous.
If it’s the case that the Venom symbiote didn’t corrupt MJ and it was all of her own accord, the results will be even worse. To have the most compassionate and understanding non-superhero Marvel character become a ruthless anti-hero is absurd. Additionally, Peter’s suspicion that MJ murdered Torment and her callousness towards the subject make it so that they are once again on bad terms. While it’s already become established that Peter and MJ will never remarry, what’s truly frustrating is how they must continuously hold some form of animosity towards each other. Instead of just letting Peter and MJ be platonic friends so they can move on with their lives, Marvel is dead set on keeping this bad blood between them, which has become increasingly forced.
In truth, Marvel has had no idea what to do with Mary Jane as a character ever since “One More Day,” and her marriage to Peter was retconned. Since that event, Marvel has been aimlessly trying to find a place for MJ in its universe. Every idea they’ve had for her, from becoming Iron Man’s assistant, getting married to Paul, becoming a superhero, and gaining the symbiote, has all felt disjointed and random. And with this new development of MJ embracing Venom’s previous role as a Lethal Protector, it’s hard to say if Peter will ever forgive her once he figures out what she has done. Even worse, MJ may not even care if that’s the case. In Marvel’s latest attempt to add intrigue to MJ’s character, it may have unintentionally done irreparable harm.
Mary Jane is perhaps Marvel Comics’ greatest tragedy. She has gone from one of Marvel’s most upbeat and relatable characters to someone Marvel is desperately trying to keep relevant without putting any real work into naturally advancing her character. The ending of “Death Spiral” was the final nail in MJ’s coffin, as she’s no longer the person fans have adored for decades. Instead, she’s just the latest in a long line of Venom anti-heroes with no originality or focus.
What do you think? Leave a Comment below and join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
