With great charm, comes great responsibility.
Spider-Manmay be your friendly neighborhood superhero who’s constantly web-slinging villains, but Peter Parker has had his fair share of lovers tangled up in his web as well.
Peter Parker has always been considered a nerd, an outcast, and a self-professed wallflower. Super strength, speed, and reflexes are just a few of the many enhancements he’s acquired as Spider-Man, but he also gained another power: confidence.
The late co-creator and Marvel Chairman EmeritusStan Leedescribed the character to theChicago Tribuneas someone who’s “got a lot of problems, and he does things wrong.” One of those things? Relationship woes.
Peter’s not only had his hands full fighting crime but juggling romance in everySpider-Manmovie since 2002. In fact, this is also a recurring theme in the Marvel comic books, dating back to 1962’sAmazing Fantasy, No. 15.
Spider-Man’s a lover, not a fighter, but will fight for what — and who — he loves. Between balancing life as a regular student and fighting crime as his alter-ego superhero, Peter’s heart is pure.
FromKirsten Dunst’s portrayal of Mary Jane Watson toEmma Stone’s take on Gwen Stacy, here’s a breakdown of everySpider-Manmovie love interest and the actresses who’ve played them over the years.
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While Brant works as a secretary at the newspaper, Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker works as a photographer. Their relationship is fairly professional in the beginning, but the two grow closer inSpider-Man 3(2007). However, nothing ever comes of their relationship due to Jameson’s intervention.
The role of Betty Brant was something of a “consolation prize” after Banks was considered too old to play Mary Jane Watson in the firstSpider-Manfilm. Banks said that as “a nobody” with “no expectations of even being in that movie,” the role of Betty felt more like a favor to the actress.
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Considering themultiverse plotlinein 2021’sSpider-Man: No Way Home, fans had wondered if Banks' and Rice’s characters would cross paths in the film, but this theory didn’t come to pass.
Sony Pictures
It’s clear Ursula has a crush on Peter, but it becomes increasingly evident inSpider-Man 3(2007), particularly when he and Mary Jane call it quits. Her father is often strict toward Peter, but Ursula is sweet on him in more ways than one — she offers him chocolate cake and cookies!
Tovah, who also starred inShameless,American Horror Story,The Shield,You’re the Worst,How to Get Away with Murder, andThe Magicians, did havesome fans cheering her character Ursula onas an endgame love interest for Peter.
Bryce Dallas Howardplays Gwen in 2007’sSpider-Man 3, while Emma Stone plays the character in 2012’sThe Amazing Spider-Manandits 2014 sequel. Gwen is the daughter of NYPD Captain George Stacy and is a classmate of Peter Parker.
In the 2007 film, Peter dates Gwen during the symbiote takeover to make Mary Jane jealous. All goes awry in a jazz club one night; the two split, and Howard’s Gwen never returns.
In bothThe Amazing Spider-Manmovies, fans fell in love with the chemistry between Stone’s Gwen and Andrew Garfield’s Peter. (It also helped thatthe two actors dated in real life.) Her character is fearless compared to Mary Jane, as she wants to help defeat the Lizard, Electro and the Green Goblin.
When Peter learns that Liz’s father is Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), a villain who’s been stealing alien technology to build a powerful arsenal of weapons, he’s shocked. Liz and her family leave New York during her father’s trial, and her character is never to be seen in the MCU again.
Spider-Man: Homecomingserved as Harrier’s first big-budget production. In an interview with PEOPLE, the starteased herHomecomingcostarand Spidey’s fellow love interest Zendaya for being “like an 80-year-old woman trapped in a 21-year-old body.”
Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst inSpider-Man(2002).Columbia/Marvel/Kobal/Shutterstock
Peter never makes it easy for Mary Jane,especially after going steady. She often finds herself as the damsel in distress, falling victim to the likes of the Green Goblin inSpider-Man,Doctor Octopus inSpider-Man 2, and the SandmaninSpider-Man 3. Amid the rollercoaster ride of a relationship, the two are in love.
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Zendayaplays MJ in MCU’sSpider-Man: Homecoming,Spider-Man: Far From Home, andSpider-Man: No Way Home. Don’t get the initials confused with Mary Jane though, as they stand for Michelle Jones in this case – a completely different character.
In these films,MJ and Holland’s Peter Parkerare socially on the same level. They share a similar sense of quirky humor, intelligence, and courageous instincts. When she figures out that Peter is Spider-Man, she helps him plot against Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).
The two became an official couple in 2019’sSpider-Man: Far From Home, and their relationship continued inSpider-Man: No Way Home. However, Peter’s sacrifice to save the world and the multiverse at the end of the movie causes everyone, including MJ, to forget who he is. But while Spider-Man must learn to live alone, starsZendaya and Holland are dating in real-life.
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The two immediately form a solid relationship, which evolves into something more throughout the film. The 2023 sequel,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, sees thetwo characters reunitedbefore taking on a new adventure across the multiverse.
Both Moore and Steinfeld are set toreprise their respective rolesas Miles and Gwen in 2023Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The new film sees the pair team up to save every universe of Spider-People when a new villain poses a new threat to all of them, while meeting a new group of Spider-People known as the Spider-Society along the way.
source: people.com
