Ever since the undoing of Peter Parker and Mary Jane's marriage, Spider-Man was stuck in a bit of limbo. Fans had seen Peter Parker go from high school to college to married man. The natural progression of the character should've seen him become a parent before too long.
Unfortunately, the editors at Marvel didn't want to age Spidey too much, otherwise, he might lose some mainstream appeal. So, the marriage was broken and Spider-Man's role as a parent was shelved. However, there were several alternate universe stories where Peter grew up and actually had children who also grew up to be heroes.
Updated on June 29, 2022 by Scoot Allan: The recent relaunch of The Amazing Spider-Man surprised fans by introducing a couple of new children into Mary Jane's life. However, this was complicated a bit by the revelation that she was no longer with Peter Parker after a tragedy in their past. The pair had a few children who appeared in alternate realities — a bittersweet reality for fans who wanted to see Spider-Man's kids in the mainstream continuity.
15 Mary Jane Was Pregnant In Marvel Universe Vs. The Punisher
The heroes of an alternate Earth fell victim to a vicious plague in Marvel Universe vs. The Punisher. Spider-Man was the first to be infected and turned into a murderous cannibal. Most of the world followed him until the planet was overrun with infected. Five years later, Frank Castle found a new mission to hunt down infected heroes and villains.
Now known as Patient Zero, Spider-Man hired The Punisher to find Mary Jane along with a group of the last uninfected humans. Mary Jane was pregnant with Patient Zero's baby but was held by The Kingpin. Punisher made short work of the cannibalistic villains and Patient Zero, leaving MJ and her unborn child alone.
14 Mephisto Erased A Possible Child From Reality In One More Day
Following Spider-Man's unmasking during the Civil War event, he was targeted by some of his greatest villains. Aunt May was hit with a sniper bullet intended for Peter Parker, and he wasn't able to save her life using conventional means.
In one of Spider-Man's most controversial storylines, the demon Mephisto contacted Spider-Man and offered to save Aunt May's life. However, he demanded Peter and Mary Jane's love and marriage. They eventually agreed. Mephisto then revealed their decision resulted in the loss of their future unnamed daughter as well.
13 Benjamin "Benny" Parker Was Peter And MJ's Son In J.J. & Henry Abrams' Spider-Man
In the Spider-Man mini-series from J.J. and Henry Abrams, Spider-Man retired from his crime-fighting career. After a mysterious new villain named Cadaverous killed Mary Jane Parker, Peter was forced to raise his son Benny alone.
Throughout the first issue of the series, Benny slowly came to grips with the fact that he inherited his father's spider powers. With a little push from his great-aunt May, Benny found out his father was Spider-Man. This led him to take up the mantle himself when Cadaverous returned.
12 Richie Parker Was Peter And Gwen Stacy's Son From The House of M Reality
During House of M, Scarlet Witch created an alternate reality where mutants ruled over humans. In this new world, Peter Parker had convinced the public he was actually a mutant. Becoming an extremely popular celebrity, Spider-Man married the love of his life, Gwen Stacy.
The two lovers had a son named Richie, named after Peter's father Richard. Upon learning the House of M reality was actually fake, Peter became devastated. Losing his new family felt like having his heart torn out, and the wall-crawler was eager for revenge.
11 An Alternate Peter And Mary Jane Had A Daughter Named Maybelle
2015's Secret Wars event re-explored popular storylines in bold new ways after a new Battleworld was formed from the remnants of various alternate realities. The Civil War event never ended in one universe, leading to a lengthy war between superhumans. Spider-Man fought with Captain America as one of his best warriors in "The Blue," which fought against "The Iron."
However, Peter and Mary Jane had been split up during the war, and she was forced to live in "The Iron" territory. She stayed there with her and Peter's young daughter, Maybelle. Named after Aunt May, Maybelle was forced to live without her father for years. They were eventually reunited after the two factions finally came together.
10 Spider-Man Had A Daughter Named Tanya Parker Who Married Hawkeye In Old Man Logan
In the twisted alternate reality first seen in the "Old Man Logan" storyline, most of the world's superheroes, including Spider-Man, had been killed. Before his death, however, Peter Parker had several children including his daughter Tanya Parker.
It's unclear exactly who Peter Parker had the child with, but Tanya went on to marry the much older Hawkeye. After having a daughter named Ashley Barton, the two divorced. Tanya then became an auto-mechanic and befriended the benevolent Ultron Eight.
9 Ashley Barton Was Peter Parker's Granddaughter From Old Man Logan's Time
Peter Parker's grandchild in the "Old Man Logan" timeline, Ashley Barton, would go on to become Spider-Bitch. Ashley formed a team of superheroes in hopes of overthrowing the Kingpin. The team failed, and Ashley was taken to be executed.
After Ashley's father Hawkeye saved her, she brutally murdered Kingpin and then tried to do the same to her own father. Years later, she gave up this grudge. She decided to take up her grandfather's ways and become a hero. She later became known as Spider-Woman when she appeared in the Spider-Geddon crossover event.
8 Spider-Man 2211's Daughter Robin Borne Became Hobgoblin 2211
Peter Parker first met his counterpart from 2099 at the same time he met the Spider-Man of 2211, Max Borne. A Timespinner from the future, Max worked with an organization that protected the timeline. When Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 switched places in the timestream, Spider-Man 2211 had to get involved.
Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 were being attacked by the Hobgoblin from Max's time, and Max Borne's battle with his enemy moved across the timestream. Hobgoblin 2211 was actually his daughter, Robin Borne. She wanted to manipulate events in the past to change her present. She was ultimately erased from the timeline due to a Retcon Bomb from her future.
7 Miguel O'Hara's Son Carried On As The Spider-Man Of The Future
Spider-Man 2099 spent some time in his own timeline as well as in the present day. Miguel O'Hara was forced to splice his genetics with a spider's DNA, which gave him unique abilities similar to Peter Parker's. When he was trapped in the past, Miguel met a woman named Tempest Monroe.
While Tempest was transformed into one of his deadliest villains, Miguel would eventually meet their son, Gabri O'Hara. Gabri created a high-tech suit based on his father's original costume and became a time-traveler who worked alongside other heroes like Captain America 2099.
6 Benjy Parker Was The Youngest Child Of Peter And Mary Jane In The MC2 Future
Marvel's MC2 universe depicts the events of the Clone Saga going a bit differently. Instead of having a miscarriage, Mary Jane gives birth to her and Peter's first child, May "Mayday" Parker. The pair also has a second child named Benjamin, although May always calls him Benjy.
Benjy begins to display superhuman powers while still an infant. While this causes many comedic moments for the family, it also comes with many challenges as well. Benjy is targeted by the Carnage symbiote as well as the Inheritors during Spider-Verse. After the death of his parents, he's taken and raised by an alternate-reality Uncle Ben.
5 Claire Parker Followed In Her Father's Footsteps In The Spider-Man: Life Story Continuity
In the universe of Spider-Man: Life Story, Peter and Mary Jane have two children. Claire Parker she proves to be quite the successor to Peter. Clearly a very independent spirit, Claire has everything it takes to be a superhero.
Peter marvels at how mature Claire is at such a young age, comparing her to his younger self who had much more to learn. By the last issue of Spider-Man: Life Story, Claire becomes Spider-Woman and joins the fight against Doctor Doom's forces.
4 Benjy Parker Was The Younger Brother Of Claire From The Spider-Man: Life Story Continuity
Peter and Mary Jane's other child in Spider-Man: Life Story, Benjy, proved to be incredibly heroic. When an older, retired Peter traveled to New York in the hopes of protecting his family, they were attacked by the energy vampire Morlun.
During the fight between Morlun and the two Spidey children, Benjy realized Morlun was vulnerable while feeding on his victims. In a sacrificial act, Benjy allowed Morlun to begin feeding on him, leaving the villain vulnerable for Claire to deliver a fatal blow. Benjy survived but was left paralyzed from the attack.
3 An Alternate May Parker Bonded With The Alien Symbiote To Become Venom In Earth X
A futuristic, dystopian Marvel universe, Earth X introduced an older Peter Parker who didn't have it so good. Sometime after the death of his wife Mary Jane, Peter's daughter May Parker bonded with the Venom symbiote.
Instead of Spider-Girl, this version of May became Venom. Her enthusiastic bonding to the symbiote created a rift between May and her father, who believed May was being influenced by the alien. Eventually, the two reconciled after they both joined the NYPD which was in desperate need of superhuman officers.
2 Anna-May "Annie" Parker From Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows Eventually Became Spiderling
In the Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows reality, Peter and Mary Jane formed a crimefighting team with their daughter Anna-May "Annie" Parker. Annie, going by the name Spiderling, proved to be an extremely effective member of the team.
In addition to the many powers she inherited from her father, Annie had one unique ability. Her spider-sense was advanced to the point where Annie could actually see visions of incoming dangers that would come in the future. She became the multiversal Patternmaker, which allowed her to manipulate reality to create powerful armor during the Spider-Geddon event.
1 May "Mayday" Parker Became Spider-Girl In The Alternate MC2 Future
May "Mayday" Parker of the MC2 universe was the original child of Spider-Man and Mary Jane. Following her debut in an issue of What If...?, Mayday began appearing in her very own Spider-Girl series, Mayday gave readers a new look at the Spider-Man story from the perspective of a young woman.
Just like Peter, Mayday had to balance her double life as a high school student and superhero. Hoping to live up to the legacy of her father, Spider-Girl defended New York and fought many powerful supervillains. She eventually took the name Spider-Woman after years of operating as a costumed hero.