Mary Jane Watson

**Played By:** Jennifer Damiano, Rebecca Faulkenberry, T.V. Carpio
 **Featured In:** Bullying By Numbers, No More, D.I.Y. World, Bouncing Off The Walls, Rise Above 2, NY Debut, Picture This, If the World Should End, Spider-Man!, Turn Off The Dark, Say It Now (I Just Can't Walk Away), Deeply Furious, Love Me Or Kill Me, Finale: A New Dawn

Mary Jane Watson is a major character in Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. In later shows, she was the main female character of the show. She is the primary love interest for Peter Parker.

## History

### Version 1.0

Mary Jane Watson was a popular student at Queens High School, written for a comic made by the Geek Chorus. She dated Flash Thompson, a popular jock, but felt pity for Peter Parker, a student at the school who was bullied for being a geek and an outsider. While Parker felt hopeless for being an outsider at school, Watson felt hopeless having to worry about an abusive father at home and wanting more. One day, when Watson and her classmates were at Oscorp on a field trip, Parker was bitten by a special spider that gave him incredible abilities. Parker tried to use his powers selfishly when he saw Watson and Thompson in a car together. Little did Watson know Parker was indeed the superhero Spider-Man, who had been swinging around solving crimes throughout Manhattan. She became impressed with Parker when she learned he was taking pictures for the Daily Bugle of the wallcrawler. Parker and Watson spent time together at graduation together, Parker left to investigate Oscorp after Norman Osborn and his wife Emily were seemingly killed. As it turned out, Norman had lived and became a green monster called the Green Goblin. The Green Goblin sought revenge on Spider-Man, believing he stole his research. He kidnapped Spider-Man and Watson, learning the truth about Parker's true alias. Parker saved Watson, who was dangling from the side of the Chrysler Building, about to fall to her death, after a fight with the Green Goblin that commenced mid-air. The Green Goblin accidentally killed himself, after being stuck to a web on a piano that he had pushed off attached by Spider-Man. Watson asked Spider-Man who he was, but he quickly left, as Arachne, the world's first spider, and mentor to Spider-Man, observed from the Astral Plane. Watson and Parker entered into a relationship, and she became impatient when Parker was late to dates. Unbeknownst to her, Parker's Spider-Man responsibilities took time away from the situation. Watson was angered when Parker missed the opening of her show, The Fly. This caused Parker to quit being Spider-Man. Arachne, who had gained feelings for Parker, was deeply unhappy, as she had wished for him to join her in the Astral Plane. Arachne created illusions of the Green Goblin and the Sinister Six returning despite previously dying while using her powers to make people think they were causing destruction around the world, along with a blackout. She hoped Spider-Man would make a comeback, but this wasn't to be. Parker felt guilt, but Watson promised to always be by his side. Parker then proposed to her. Arachne then grew jealous of Watson, stealing shoes to impress Parker. Arachne tried to threaten Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson into publishing positive stories about Spider-Man for a change, but this did not persuade Parker. Finally, she created illusions of the Green Goblin kidnapping Watson along with Swiss Miss and Carnage. Parker finally returned as Spider-Man but had no powers. Still, he was able to vanquish the Sinister Six. He was unable to save Watson, who the Green Goblin dropped to her death. Just as Spider-Man followed after her, Arachne revealed her plans to Parker. He learned Watson was being suffocated to death in a webbed cocoon, with Arachne only agreeing to free her if Parker either killed her or joined her in the Astral Plane forever. Unable to kill, Parker reluctantly agreed to join Arachne. Moved by Parker's love for Watson, he realized she would never truly be his, and allowed both he and Watson to be free. Arachne's selfless deed allowed her to go to heaven on the noose she had hanged herself on centuries ago. Watson finally learned Parker's secret and agreed to stand behind him as Spider-Man.

### Version 2.0

Growing up, Mary Jane Watson was a popular student at Queens High School, and was the next door neighbor of Peter Parker. After temporarily dating jock Flash Thompson , Watson developed a romantic interest with Parker. The two dated after graduating high school, and Watson became obsessed with the superhero Spider-Man, not realizing he was Peter Parker. Watson became frustrated with Parker hen he'd always show up late to dates, not knowing about his vigilante double life. The Sinister Six went on a rampage one night, when Parker chose to stay with Watson, rather than save the city as Spider-Man. She was saved by Spider-Man when Swarm attacked the city. Parker had a nightmare that involved the Green Goblin dropping Watson off a bridge, with Spider-Man unable to save her. Watson was upset with Parker when he failed to attend the premiere of her Broadway play, "The Fly", causing him to give up being Spider-Man. Parker spent more time with Watson, until the Green Goblin threatened him, forcing him to become Spider-Man again. The Green Goblin kidnapped Watson and tied her to the Chrysler Building 1000 feet above the ground, with the rope about to snap. Spider-Man defeated the Goblin and saved Watson. Watson deduced that Parker was Spider-Man, and the two began a life together as Spider-Man swung away to answer a siren call.

## Trivia

-The role of Watson was considered a secondary part in the original version of the show, as Arachne was a more prominent character. Once Arachne was scaled down in the second and final version, Watson became the leading female character.

-Evan Rachel Wood, who worked with director Julie Taymor on her film *Across the Universe (2007)* was originally cast in the role, but left due to scheduling conflicts. Taymor instead cast Jennifer Damiano from *Next To Normal.*