Designed and drawn by John Romita Sr., her entrance is regarded as one of the most iconic introductions in comic history, owing it to its build-up, her hyper-vibrant red hair and beauty, and her introductory line, "Face it, Tiger... you just hit the jackpot!".

Mary Jane Watson is mentioned in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 (August 1964), and is initially used as a running joke of the series, as Peter Parker's Aunt May repeatedly attempts to set her unwilling nephew up on a date with her.

[2] Peter David wrote in 2010 that artist John Romita Sr. "made the definitive statement of his arrival by pulling Mary Jane out from behind the oversized potted plant [that blocked the readers' view of her face in issue #25] and placing her on panel in what would instantly become an iconic moment".

[22] Following a series of traumatic experiences involving Peter's absences and his costumed alter ego endangering his Aunt May, a spiritually exhausted MJ leaves New York for several months.

They live there peacefully for several months, adapting happily to normal life after an accident causes subtle damage to Peter's genetic structure that disrupts his ability to use his powers.

Mephisto accepts these terms, and in the revised timeline, which begins at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man #545, and is further explained in the following issues, MJ and Peter were never married but instead "dated seriously for years".

She would later attain spider-powers herself and come to the aid of defenseless citizens, her prolonged contact with Peter during their relationship granting her a degree of immunity that protected her from Adriana Soria's mutative side-effects of the transformation.

[49] Octavius, as Peter, continues to date Mary Jane after this, but she begins noticing distinctly different character traits displayed by him, such as a heavy intake of alcohol and his rude behavior towards his loved ones.

Later, she catches up with Betty Brant and Harry Osborn, and the three discover that businessman Augustus Roman is actually the powerful being known as Regent who is imprisoning heroes and villains to add to his own strength.

[59] As she and Peter resume dating, Mary Jane is encouraged by a returning Carlie Cooper to join a special support unit for associates, friends and partners of superheroes run by Jarvis called The Look Ups.

Mary Jane takes Janine to the Daily Bugle, but they are confronted by the Queen Goblin, aka Doctor Ashley Kafka, Ben's psychiatrist, infected with all of the sin of Norman Osborn.

Weeks pass, and after completing a session at her apartment, Mary Jane asks Peter if he'd like to stay with her, not just for today, but for good, believing the time has come once more to share their lives together.

Unbeknownst to MJ, the mutant terrorist organization Orchis has laced her aunt's supply of Krakoan medicines with a kill code which turns Anna into a feral beast with murder on her mind.

[100] Coping with severe depression over the loss of Owen and Stephanie, Mary Jane is visited by Felicia Hardy, fresh off of ending her own relationship with Peter, she convinces MJ to use the technology of her special watch to help others in need.

The John Romita Sr.-drawn panelintroduced a vivacious redhead (based on Ann Margaret, incidentally) who would eventually become not just the most important person in Peter Parker's world, but a comics superstar on her own.

"[117] Cole Kennedy of CBR.com wrote, "In a panel that would be recreated in Spider-Man comics for decades to come, Mary Jane makes her first full appearance with the famous line: "Face it, tiger, you just hit the jackpot."

"[118] Darby Hart of Screen Rant asserted, "Mary Jane Watson has been one of the most significant characters in the world of Spider-Man since her debut and has grown far beyond the standard girlfriend or damsel in distress stock figure that was common in comics at the time of her inception in the 1960s.

[citation needed] Following adventures in which she was pursued romantically by Sub-Mariner and Xanadu, Mary Jane learned that Marvella II had been given a theatrical release, and that she was to commence a publicity tour across the nation.

[volume & issue needed] In the follow-up series, Mary-Jane uses a modified version of the armor she used in the fight against Regent, which now replicates Spider-Man's powers and allows her to assist her family as Spinneret.

In this reality, Mary Jane ended up contracting cancer prior to the Terrigen Mists unlocking the Celestial Seed inside of humanity, which granted the entire species superhuman abilities.

In the final confrontation between the heroines and Enchantress, MJ and Millie save the day when they distract her long enough for Clea to magically bind and gag her, effectively neutralizing her spell-casting abilities.

After a violent battle with several 1602 versions of the Green Goblin, the Lizard, and Bullseye, the two find happiness with each other and presumably wed. On a final note, a preserved sample of Peter's blood is found 400 years later and becomes the basis for the Super-Soldier formula that would create Captain America.

[volume & issue needed] After her husband becomes the first infected in an exposure of a chemical that turns humans into cannibalistic brutes, Mary Jane and Aunt May try to take refuge at a safe haven offered by a priest, though she is kidnapped by Stilt-Man.

As Daemos brings the Parker home crashing down around them, Mary Jane hands over Baby Benjamin to her daughter and instructs her to keep him safe, while she elects to stay behind and assist her husband in delaying the Inheritor.

This was intended by the original Spider-Girl creative team as an 'out' for their loyal long-term readership, implying that the Mayday featured in the Spider-Verse event was herself just one of many similar variants and not necessarily the 'original' that Marvel had promoted for twelve years.

[151] In the UK based Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine, which is aimed at considerably younger readers, Mary Jane is Peter's love interest, but possesses no existing knowledge of his dual identity.

Spider-Man, Agent Venom, and Iron Goblin manage to subdue them and use Curt Connors' Lizard formula to mutate them into reptilian humanoids which freed them from the Spider Queen's control while the Vision removed the bombs from them just before they exploded.

[157] In the alternative future seen in Spider-Man: Reign, Mary Jane died of terminal disease due to prolonged exposure to Peter's radioactive body fluids, her last words being "Go..." as he leaped out of a window to respond to sirens.

However, with the coming of the Sinner Six (and thanks to some encouragement from the tentacles of the now-deceased Doctor Octopus), Peter reclaims his original suit from Mary Jane's coffin and returns to his life as Spider-Man.

[volume & issue needed] Mary Jane decides to actively pursue a career in broadcast journalism, and she begins a series of on-location webcast reports in New York with Peter as her cameraman.