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scans_daily
Peter and Mary Jane have the "I know you're Spider-Man" talk in the middle of Central Park. There's nothing about how she found out. She talks about her parents and her sister.
On this board, I've mentioned a few times that Mary Jane's father was an abusive alcoholic. It appears I was partially wrong.
Some context. After Peter has to push Mary Jane out of his apartment because the Puma is attacking him, Mary Jane admits she knows he's Spider-Man. Two issues later, Peter is wondering how he can convince Mary Jane she's wrong, and if he should even try.
Peter proposed to Mary Jane in AMAZING #183. She turned him down in AMAZING #184. And he didn't know she knew he was Spider-Man. Marv Wolfman wrote those issues, but I don't know where "Peter tells MJ he's Spider-Man" would have fit in. Unless he thought he could hide it from her even if they were married. Either Peter Parker is dumb or comic books are weird. Or both.
I *thought* Philip Watson was supposed to be an abusive alcoholic, but there's nothing about alcoholism here. I was mixing up Philip with the hundreds of abusive alcoholic fathers in the Marvel Universe.
This is a little puzzling. So, Mary Jane was "faking it"? I get MJ not wanting to tell her friends about her problems, but this is a bit much.
This doesn't *quite* mesh with other stories that say Philip divorced Madeline and abandoned his family.
It could be normal continuity errors, or she doesn't remember her childhood as well as she thinks she does. (Both Stephen King and Deadpool have said that about people not really remebering their childhoods!)
We see Mary Jane with Aunt Anna (her father's sister) and when she first saw Peter. Nothing about "The night Ben Parker died, I saw Peter run into his house and then I saw Spider-Man climb out of the window."
As I've said elsewhere, I like to think Mary Jane can be honest with Anna. May knew Mary Jane at least a little bit, and I’m sure Anna knew Peter well enough. There could even be some “MJ is moving to the area and doesn’t know anyone her own age” logic on Anna’s part. May thinks “housewife” because that’s how she rolls.
Some on this board have said Mary Jane is more empathetic than her "party girl" image lets on, and Anna thought that would be good for Peter.
Mary Jane explains a bit about Gayle marrying her high school boyfriend, Timmy.
Mary Jane realizes Timmy might not want kids the way Gayle does. When Gayle gets pregnant with their second child, Timmy leaves her.
This gives new meaning to Peter saying "You wouldn't care if your mother died" to Mary Jane after Gwen Stacy's death. Of course, we didn't know anything about Mary Jane's family at the time.
All this was before AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #42. The "Parallel Lives" graphic novel might clarify it.
So, and then what? Mary Jane moves in with Aunt Anna then gets her own place in New York City somewhere?
Does she become a student at Empire State University with Peter, Harry and Flash? Some parts of Spider-Man history are unknown to me.
"Get your kicks risking your neck." Mary Jane could guess Ben Parker's death was why Spider-Man suddenly went from performer to crime-fighter. Even if she *didn't* know Peter blamed himself for Ben's death. (Place comment on Peter Parker's never-ending emotionally-stunting guilt complex here.) Peter doesn't tell her about the radioactive spider and the burglar until AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #275, via an AMAZING FANTASY #15 reprint.
Gayle and Phillip showed up again in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #291 and #292 in somewhat complex "Phillip got Gayle to steal a rare manuscript for him, but she got caught" story. That also has Mary Jane accepting Peter's marriage proposal, even though they hadn't been dating at the time.
Gayle and Phillip also appeared in SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #218 and #219. Gayle wasn't angry at Mary Jane for leaving her, knowing that Mary Jane had to live her own life. Phillip was working as a journalist and said he hated himself for abandoning his family. (Not hitting Gayle over her dance lessons?)
In the 2002 Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie, a (drunk?) Philip Watson shouts at Mary Jane "You're always going to be trash, just like her!" I am not sure if he was talking about Gayle or not, since Mary Jane's family isn't a big issue in the Raimi Spider-Man movies.
Phillip was mentioned again in ONE MOMENT IN TIME. Mary Jane says her father was abusive and Peter being Spider-Man is like that, in that in saving lives he puts his loved ones in danger. But Joe Quesada wrote that so let's all just sigh sadly.
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Date: 2018-12-10 07:38 pm (UTC)