Summary
- Spider-Man's love interests have complicated love lives due to his dual identity and heroic responsibilities.
- Peter Parker has dated several women, including Liz Allan, Betty Brant, Mary Jane Watson, and Gwen Stacy.
- Some of Spider-Man's romances have tragic endings, such as Gwen Stacy's death, while others have an on-again, off-again dynamic, like his relationship with Black Cat.
Notable Spider-Man love interests like Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy take center stage in the majority of Spidey projects. However, Peter Parker is quite the active dater when he isn't married or spending his free time web-slinging and crime-fighting as a friendly neighborhood superhero.
Spider-Man's love interests and romances don't always reach their normal conclusion or last beyond a few dates. Thanks to his dual life, Peter Parker's girlfriends have a complicated love life that includes heroic responsibilities, tragedies, and even demonic manipulations. Thankfully, Parker never stopped trying to find the right woman in both his civilian and superhero identities.
Updated on July 20, 2023, by Scoot Allan: After a controversial split with MJ, Spider-Man and Black Cat reignited their romance in the current run of Amazing Spider-Man. Peter Parker has dated more than a few women since his first date in high school, including other costumed heroes as the web-slinging Spider-Man. While he usually found his way back to Mary Jane, the list of Spider-Man's girlfriends in Marvel Comics is longer than most realize.
Liz Allan
First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy #15 (June 1962) by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Stan Goldberg, and Artie Simek
Peter Parker went to high school with Liz Allan, though she was dating high school bully and football star Flash Thompson. However, Peter Parker helped tutor Liz, which kicked off a crush on the "bookworm." Liz and Flash had a double date with Peter Parker and Betty Brant, though nothing developed romantically between the high school classmates.
Liz Allan has a long and dark history with Peter Parker and Spider-Man. After learning about the return of Red Goblin, Allan used the resources of Alchemazx to create a powerful new symbiote that she bonded with to become Misery in order to protect her family. While Peter Parker and Liz Allan never actually dated, they have never potentially been closer.
Betty Brant
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #4 (June 1963) by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Sam Rosen
The first love of Peter Parker's life, Betty Brant, debuted as J. Jonah Jameson's assistant and later became a star Daily Bugle reporter. The two quickly noticed each other while working together at the Bugle despite Peter's young age.
Their friendship started immediately, and they soon explored their romantic attraction in Amazing Spider-Man #9 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, leading to Peter asking Betty to his high school prom. However, Peter's attraction to his classmate, Liz Allan, and the arrival of another beautiful but mysterious woman in his life eventually led to a strictly platonic friendship with Betty.
Mary Jane Watson
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #42 (August 1966) by Stan Lee, John Romita, Sr., and Sam Rosen
Artists kept Mary Jane Watson's face hidden from readers until she arrived at Peter's doorstep for a dreaded blind date set up by their aunts. Of course, Peter had unknowingly "hit the jackpot" and they went on their date in the next issue. MJ's lifestyle was initially a bit too much for Peter, causing them to go their separate ways.
They found each other again and married in 1987's The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 by David Michelinie, James Shooter, Paul Ryan, Vince Colletta, and Bob Sharen. Mephisto, during "One More Day," erased their marriage, but the couple recently reunited during Nick Spencer's run before separating once more during Zeb Wells's run.
Gwen Stacy
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #31 (September 1965) by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Sam Rosen
When Peter first met Gwen Stacy at Empire State University, they weren't exactly fond of each other and actually had feelings for other people. However, as Gwen's character made more appearances and developed under John Romita, Sr.'s visual storytelling, they found similar interests.
Peter and Gwen started dating in Amazing Spider-Man #53 by Lee, Romita, and Mike Esposito when they attended a scientific demonstration together. Their relationship continued to grow, and they prepared for a long life together. Unfortunately, Gwen was tragically killed during an epic battle with the Green Goblin in "Turning Point" and "The Night Gwen Stacy Died."
Cissy Ironwood
First Appearance: Marvel Team-Up #80 (January 1979) by Chris Claremont, Mike Vosburg, Gene Day, Petra Goldberg, and Denise Wohl
One of the short-lived, oft-forgotten Spider-Man girlfriends was Priscilla "Cissy" Ironwood. Peter and Cissy enjoyed a successful date night attending a play. However, a werewolf who Spider-Man later discovered to be Doctor Strange interrupted the play, cutting their first date short.
A Soviet general later kidnapped her scientist father and Cissy Ironwood to further establish her character. Cissy and Peter would go on a couple of dates during their relationship, though Cissy seemed to fizzle on Peter and his busy lifestyle. She was quickly replaced by his new flirtatious friend, Glory Grant, though the pair never actually dated.
Debra Whitman
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #196 (June 1979) by Marv Wolfman, Al Milgrom, Frank Giacoia, Jim Mooney, Bob Sharen, and John Costanza
Debra Whitman debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #196 but appeared more frequently in Spectacular Spider-Man where she and Peter began to date after issue #46 by Roger Stern, Mike Zeck, Bruce Patterson, and Petra Goldberg. While their romance was brief, Deb appeared as a recurring character in one of the best Spider-Man cartoons.
Unfortunately, Whitman's tragic past with an abusive husband, along with growing instability and suspicions about Spider-Man's identity, ultimately led to their break-up and caused her to leave New York. After Civil War revealed Peter's secret identity, she released an exaggerated "tell-all" book about their relationship.
Felicia Hardy/Black Cat
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #194 (April 1979) by Marv Wolfman, Keith Pollard, Frank Giacoia, Ben Sean, and John Costanza
Black Cat was the first romantic interest in Peter's life that he originally met as Spider-Man. While they dated and even became costumed partners, Spider-Man was hesitant to return Felicia's affection initially due to her criminal past as a cat burglar.
After Black Cat's injury in Spectacular Spider-Man #76 by Bill Mantlo, Al Milgrom, Jim Mooney, and Bob Sharen, he decided to reveal his secret identity to Felicia. Their relationship grew as Black Cat gained powers to fight alongside Spider-Man. Peter and Felicia have shared a close on-again off-again relationship that has recently returned in the comics.
Captain Jean DeWolff
First Appearance: Marvel Team-Up #46 (March 1976) By Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito, Dave Hunt, Janice Cohen, and John Costanza
Peter Parker's wall-crawling alter-ego didn't always have the best relationship with the police, although he developed a close friendship with Captain Jean DeWolff after they worked a few cases together. Unfortunately, Sin-Eater murdered DeWolff to kick off his killing spree in one of Spider-Man's darkest stories.
Spider-Man investigated DeWolff's apartment hoping to find a clue about the Sin-Eater. Instead, he discovered a drawer of clippings that included a picture of him with his former partner Black Cat cut from the photo. He learned of DeWolff's feelings for him far too late, leaving Spider-Man to imagine a potential relationship with his lost friend.
Jill Stacy
First Appearance: Spider-Man #76 (November 1996) by Howard Mackie, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Richard Starkings, Liz Agraphiotis, and Comicraft
Gwen Stacy wasn't the only member of that family who got close to Peter Parker. Gwen's cousin Jill Stacy returned to New York and started taking classes at Empire State University with Mary Jane. When a stalker kidnapped MJ and staged her death, Jill got closer as she tried to help Peter Parker with his grief.
While the two went on a couple of dates, Peter Parker never fully accepted that Mary Jane was dead and the romance fizzled. Jill kept attempting to initiate a relationship with Peter, but she backed off after MJ resurfaced. Jill disappeared shortly after.
Sarah Rushman/Marrow
First Appearance: Cable #15 (July 1994) by Jeph Loeb, David Brewer, Will Conrad, Keith Champagne, Matt Banning, Marie Javins, Richard Starkings, and Comicraft
Spider-Man encountered the X-Man known as Marrow a couple of times in costume, and the two characters unknowingly got a bit closer in the Spider-Man/Marrow one-shot by Scott Lobdell, Ale Garza, Pierre-Andre Dery, and Steve Buccellato. S.H.I.E.L.D. brainwashed Marrow to hunt Life Model Decoys, which created the civilian cover identity of Sarah Rushman.
She met the recently single Peter Parker while in this brainwashed state, and the two hit it off and went for coffee. However, Spider-Man eventually discovered the truth about Marrow's S.H.I.E.L.D. programming and helped free her from their control. This ended her time as Sarah Rushman and their fledgling relationship.
Ultimate Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat
First Appearance: Ultimate X-Men #21 (October 2002) by Mark Millar, Adam Kubert, Danny Miki, Dave Stewart, and Chris Eliopoulos
While the Ultimate version of Spider-Man began his relationship with MJ Watson much earlier in the new continuity, they separated and Peter dove into his superhero role to forget about his troubles. He teamed up with the Ultimate X-Men on a couple of occasions, where Kitty Pryde developed a crush on the wall-crawler.
They went on their first date in Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1 by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Brooks, Jaime Mendoza, Scott Hanna, Dave Steward, and Chris Eliopoulos. Kitty Pryde even created a new masked costume allowing her to adventure alongside Spider-Man. Kitty was one of the more popular superpowered Spider-Man girlfriends who many fans wish stayed with Peter.
Michele Gonzales
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #3 (March 2009) by Marc Guggenheim, Fabrizio Fiorentino, Pat Olliffe, Kris Justice, John Livesay, Serge LaPointe, Chris Chuckry, Allen Passalaqua, and Rus Wooton
After Peter Parker's marriage was mystically erased by Mephisto, he was once again unleashed on the dating world with a few new love interests. None were quite like his roommate Michele Gonzales, however, seeing as how they didn't really like each other.
Michele was initially critical of Peter but a drunken one-night stand in Amazing Spider-Man #601 by Mark Waid, Mario Alberti, and Andres Mossa, and further manipulation from a disguised Chameleon, led to a very brief romantic (mostly one-sided) relationship. Peter's refusal to accept the relationship led to a painful breakup several issues later.
Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel
First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes #13 (December 1967) by Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, Paul Reinman, Stan Goldberg, and Sam Rosen
While it never really became an actual romantic relationship, Spider-Man and the future Captain Marvel began to develop a flirtatious attraction toward each other while serving together on the New Avengers. Peter Parker and Carol Danvers went on their first civilian date in Ms. Marvel #47 by Brian Reed, Mike McKone, Rob DiSalvo, Derec Donovan, and Chris Sotomayor.
They followed it up with a costumed team-up but they never really felt the romance on their date. When the Venom symbiote briefly bonded with Ms. Marvel during the Siege event, it taunted Spider-Man with Carol's feelings for the wall-crawler.
Carlie Cooper
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #545 (September 2007) by J. Michael Straczynski, Joe Quesada, Danny Miki, Dean White, Richard Isanove, and Chris Eliopoulos
Peter Parker first met Carlie Cooper after her friend Lily Hollister (the supervillain Menace) began to date Harry Osborn. Due to her work as an NYPD forensics technician, she soon became involved in Spider-Man's activities.
Peter and Carlie's first date occurred in Amazing Spider-Man #642 by Mark Waid, Paul Azaceta, and Javier Rodriguez, and they officially started dating several issues later. Carlie eventually broke up with Peter after deducing his identity after Spider-Island. She remained a close ally to Spider-Man and even became friends with Mary Jane after leaving New York for a brief period.
Silver Sable
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #265 (March 1985) by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Josef Rubinstein, Bob Sharen, and Phil Felix
While Silver Sable and Spider-Man worked together for years, their relationship was strictly business for most of their career. However, after planting a kiss on Spider-Man as a reward from the country of Symkaria during a mission to stop a nuclear device from destroying the embassy, things changed. Silver Sable developed feelings for Spider-Man but kept them to herself.
When they faced certain death at the hands of the Sinister Six during the "Ends of the Earth" storyline, Silver Sable attempted to reveal her true feelings to Spider-Man. Unfortunately, he got close to MJ again, and he politely cut Sable off before she said too much.
Anna Maria Marconi
First Appearance: Superior Spider-Man #5 (March 2013) by Dan Slott, Giuseppe Camuncoli, John Dell, Edgar Delgado, Antonio Fabela, and Chris Eliopoulos
When Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus took over Peter Parker's body and stole the show as the Superior Spider-Man, he also found a new love in fellow Empire State University student Anna Maria Marconi. She appeared as his tutor before they went on their first romantic date in Superior Spider-Man #10 by Dan Slott, Ryan Stegman, Cam Smith, and Edgar Delgado.
Their relationship continued to grow and ultimately helped redeem Otto. After Green Goblin resurfaced and kidnapped Anna Maria, Otto relinquished Peter's body back to him, so the original Spider-Man could save her. Marconi continued to work alongside Peter even after she discovered the man she loved had truly been Otto.
Cindy Moon/Silk
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #1 (April 2014) by Dan Slott, Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado, and Chris Eliopoulos
Another of Peter Parker's romantic interests that never quite developed into a full relationship was Cindy Moon, who was transformed by the same spider that bit Peter, leading her to become the costumed crime-fighter Silk.
After her first full appearance in Amazing Spider-Man, Peter and Cindy discovered an animalistic attraction that developed into uncontrollable passion when they were in close proximity to each other. The pair never let their spider-based connection develop into anything further, choosing to remain friends and allies during the original Spider-Verse comic event.
Lian Tang
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #1 (October 2015) by Dan Slott, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith, Marte Gracia, and Joe Caramagna
After the creation of Parker Industries, Peter and Spider-Man went "worldwide" and he began operating out of his new headquarters in Shanghai. While there, he dated scientific designer Lian Tang, who helped him design a new Spider-Mobile.
However, it was eventually revealed she was covertly working for Zodiac in order to gain help for her sick mother's treatments. Spider-Man eventually forgave Lian for her betrayal and she came to his assistance as Spider-Rider near the fall of Parker Industries, but their short-lived romantic relationship never recovered.
Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird
First Appearance: Astonishing Tales #12 (March 1972) By Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Buscema, Neal Adams, John Romita, Dan Adkins, Jon Costa, and Sam Rosen
During Peter Parker's time as a wealthy CEO, he developed a few business relationships with S.H.I.E.L.D. that required Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird (wearing a new uniform created by Parker) to serve as a full-time superhero liaison. As Spider-Man and Mockingbird worked closer together, their mutual attraction developed into what looked to be a promising romantic relationship.
Spider-Man and Mockingbird shared their first kiss in Amazing Spider-Man #789 (October 2017) by Dan Slott, Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, Marte Gracia, and Joe Caramagna. Peter's fall from grace following the collapse of Parker Industries forced the couple to live together prematurely, and they soon broke up after discovering little in common besides their work.
Yuri Watanabe/Wraith
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #600 (July 2009) by Dan Slott, John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson, Dean White, and Joe Caramagna
Captain DeWitt wasn't the only police officer Spider-Man grew close to over the years. He developed a respectful friendship with George Stacy before his death and later missed out on a potential romantic relationship with DeWitt. Spider-Man started working closely with Captain Yuri Watanabe as well, though she eventually turned on him as Wraith to get revenge on Mister Negative.
While Spider-Man and Yuri Watanabe's relationship stayed mostly professional in the comics, there was a bit more flirtation between the two crimefighters in 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man video game on the PS4. With Watanabe's teased return as Wraith in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, it's possible that could further the teased romantic potential between Yuri and Spider-Man.