Actually that list of Things Mary Jane Watson Did In The Spider-Man Films Other Than Being Kidnapped deserves a post of its own-
- Defends Peter against the bullies at school (one of whom is her boyfriend) on more than one occasion.
- When
cornered by men in an alley (a scene I could have done without, but
let’s go with it) kicks and hits them. Side note: it would not have
mattered, nor made her responsible for the men’s actions, had
she not.- Is in a relationship with Flash that’s clearly sucking for her. She breaks up with him. No-one rescues her, she does it herself. Same side-note applies, just replace ‘men’ with ‘Flash’.
- Is in an abusive situation at home. She leaves home. No-one rescues her, she does it herself. Same side-note also applies.
- Does a terrible job to make ends meet. Clearly hates it but carries on. (This is an achievement. Don’t fight me on that one.)
- Achieves her dream of acting on stage, even if only for a short while.
- Models on billboards all over NYC
- On
being fired from her dream job, continues to work as a singer (i.e.
she’s not giving up on her ambitions). Is clearly good at it.- Whacks Venom in head. He had it coming.
This is my favorite post ever.
She also visits her loved ones in the hospital when they’re hurt (she brings Aunt May flowers, she hurries to Harry’s side) which shows her capacity to love others and not be closed off, and her capacity to forgive when it comes to Harry.
She also spends Spiderman 2 contemplating whether she wants to marry John Jameson, which isn’t treated like a silly girl decision, but a choice she must make to be happy. She leaves Jameson and shows up in Peter’s doorway, making a proclamation of love and continuing to put herself out there and fight for what she wants, even if Peter rejects her. She made that decision for her.
And it should not be overlooked that in Spiderman, after being thrown off a bridge and flung around, she climbs down Peter’s web to safety even though she’s scared because he isn’t able to fight Goblin and get her down to safety.