All Spider-Man Love Interests From MJ to Gwen Stacy That Appeared in Live-Action Marvel Movies
Characters like Spider-Man and Batman have such strong popularity that even their supporting cast becomes instantly recognizable to the public. And over 60 years, Spider-Man love interests have stayed on fans’ minds for as long as Peter Parker. However, this article will only focus on Spider-Man love interests in the Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland Spider-Man movies.
Honorable mention: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ teased Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat
Surprisingly, one of the most prominent romances in Spider-Man’s life came from a (sometimes) villain. In the comics, Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat, has a unique relationship with Spider-Man. She’s one of the few characters that can leave the webhead at a loss of words when she frequently flirts with Peter.
In Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Black Cat was teased by having Felicia Hardy act as Harry Osborn’s (Dane DeHaan) assistant. Star Wars: Rogue One’s Felicity Jones played her.
#4 Sami Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 3’ referenced the first Spider-Man love interest, Betty Brant
Superman made balancing everyday work and superhero work a staple of the genre. However, few superheroes such central characters at their workplace like Peter Parker. J. Jonah Jameson pushes around several employees like Robbie Robertson and Betty Brant.
Betty Brant was the first Spider-Man love interest. However, their relationship seemed doomed to fail, especially after she blamed Spider-Man for her brother’s death.
In Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, when the Venom symbiote altered Maguire’s Peter personality, he and Betty became extremely flirty during the infamous jazz montage. However, the reference did not go beyond the quick moment.
#3 ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ changed Liz’s last name from Allen to Toomes
Spider-Man: Homecoming gave Tom Holland his first solo Spider-Man movie. It also brought a new Spider-Man love interest that does not see as many adaptations as Gwen Stacy or MJ. Liz Allen formed something of a love triangle between Peter and Flash Thompson. However, their feelings never lined up, and they never became official.
Spider-Man: Homecoming shook things up, changing her origin and even her name. While she played the part of Peter’s high school crush, she was now the daughter of Adrian Toomes, aka The Vulture (Michael Keaton).
#2 The Spider-Man love interest Gwen Stacy made a massive impact on comics as a whole
Gwen Stacy has been dead in comics for almost 50 years at this point. In fact, the phrase “Nobody stays dead except Bucky, Uncle Ben, and Jason Todd” has changed instead to include Gwen (and Batman’s parents). However, her effect on Spider-Man and Marvel comics is still felt.
Marvel created her as the Spider-Man love interest instead of MJ. However, her death marked a tonal shift in the comic industry, leading to many darker and more mature stories hitting shelves.
She appeared in the Raimi trilogy and The Amazing Spider-Man movies. In Spider-man 3, she only appears to cause friction between Peter and Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). However, in The Amazing Spider-Man, Gwen gets far more development, making her death in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 all the more tragic.
And she has at least found a second chance through multiverse heroes like Spider-Gwen and Gwenpool.
#1 Mary Jane Watson became the definitive Spider-Man love interest after Gwen died
Mary Jane Watson, or MJ for short, became the most famous Spider-Man love interest after “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” storyline. Peter Parker and MJ have encountered their rough patches, including literally selling their love to the devil (Mephisto) to save Aunt May, but the two have always come back to each other.
She’s the only Spider-Man love interest to have an actor in all three Spider-Man iterations. Dunst played the struggling actor in the Sam Raimi movies. Shailene Woodley would have played her in a deleted scene from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, appearing after Gwen’s death.
Finally, the current MJ, now called Michelle Jones, owes a more sarcastic take on the character to Zendaya.
With the MCU Peter facing uncertainty after Spider-Man: No Way Home, who knows what Spider-Man love interest might come next.
