Perhaps the most well-known comic book couple, besides Clark Kent and Lois Lane, is Peter Parker and Mary Jane. While many younger fans were introduced to MJ via Kirsten Dunst in the 2002 movie Spider-Man, most were introduced to her through the comic books that immortalized the arachnid hero. There have been plenty of ups and downs with the two, not the least being Harry Osborn’s decline with drugs, Gwen Stacy’s death, and Mephisto’s controversial deal. The couple has had several legitimate hurdles and tragedies.
Other hurdles have seemed pointless, especially given what they've been through together. Fans have been so invested and frustrated with this comic book relationship because there are so many breakups to sort through when going over Spidey's past. Many of these reasons for breaking up can range from immature teenage antics to truly tragic events.
8 Peter Parker Retreated From Mary Jane In A Cocoon
It's understandable why Spidey was upset given that the Chameleon created fake copies of Peter's parents. The psychological damage from Doppelgängers who pose as one's deceased parents is unfathomable. But Peter's reaction seemed illogical, given that he decided to withdraw from MJ to bury himself in his cocoon.
This put a great strain on their relationship, as MJ only came back for Peter after leaving him and reconnecting with her own family. They eventually got back together, but Peter's abandonment of MJ left a sore spot open in their relationship during the entirety of the following Clone Saga.
7 MJ And Peter Briefly Dated Then Stopped To Date Their Friends
MJ displayed a lot of growth and maturity over the years. But in her early years, Mary Jane was a wild child who made her first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #42 by Stan Lee and John Romita. Many cite Mary Jane's appearance with her iconic line "Face it, Tiger. You hit the jackpot!" Peter and MJ dated in the following Amazing Spider-Man #43, but they stop dating each other as Peter's college friends, Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy, entered the picture.
There's always the risk of messiness when friends start dating other friends in a close-knit group, which is what happened here. Though they had different personalities, Peter and Mary Jane were a better match than MJ was with Harry. After MJ broke up with him, Harry went into a drug-induced spiral, proving their relationship wasn't a good idea in the first place.
6 Peter Made A Hasty Marriage Proposal in Amazing Spider-Man #182
By this time, Mary Jane and Peter had been through a lot. The drama with Harry's substance use and the death of Gwen Stacy was pivotal to their relationship. Mary Jane grew closer to Peter during the latter incident. In Amazing Spider-Man #182 by Marv Wolfman, Ross Andru, Mike Esposito, and Glynis Wein, Peter proposed to Mary Jane using a cracker jack box that had a real diamond inside of it.
While Peter thought he had game, Mary Jane turned him down because even though there was chemistry between the two, she didn't want to be held down. While the cracker jack proposal wasn't a smooth move, Mary Jane's rejection of her true feelings for Peter out of fear of commitment seemed immature.
5 Mary Jane Rejects Peter's Proposal Again Before Eventually Accepting
Given their complicated relationship, the second proposal couldn't have had an easy path. When MJ returned to New York, Peter proposed again. Mary Jane is hesitant to accept as she had a family issue in Pittsburgh. Mary Jane's sister Gail was being framed for something her father, Phillip, had done.
Eventually, Mary Jane goes back to Peter and accepts his proposal which led to their marriage in David Michelinie's Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21. While the hesitation may have kept readers on the edge of their seats, Mary Jane's continued indecisiveness seemed pointless in hindsight.
4 Mary Jane Couldn't Hold Peter's Secret Anymore
Peter revealing his identity to the world in Civil War caused numerous issues for the friendly neighborhood spider-hero. The worst may be Aunt May's life being endangered by a stray bullet which brought about Peter's deal with Mephisto. After Peter and Mary Jane's relationship is erased, Peter contacted Doctor Strange to help to erase the whole world's memory of Peter's identity in Amazing Spider-Man #641 by Joe Quesada, Paolo Rivera, Danny Miki and Richard Isanove.
Strange granted the wish, but Peter protected MJ from the spell's effects at the last minute. MJ scolded Peter for shielding her from the spell and decided that she can't bear the brunt of having a relationship with Spider-Man any longer. Fans have criticized MJ for not getting back with Peter even though he wiped the slate clean with Strange's spell. But there's also ample criticism of Peter for impulsively shielding her from the spell in a moment some view as selfish.
3 Mary Jane Falls For Otto Octavius And Then Dumps Peter
The Superior Spider-Man series had a creative angle on the legendary supervillain Doc Ock, who transferred his consciousness into Spider-Man's body and switched Peter into his dying body. However, fans were not happy with the attempt to revitalize Spider-Man's relationship with MJ while Otto Octavius took over Peter.
As they started dating again, MJ realized that something was off with her former beau. Peter was eventually restored to his own body, and he explained what happened. MJ decided she couldn't see Peter anymore because his life was too chaotic. This ridiculous breakup falls completely on MJ, who decided to take Peter back when he was under Octavius's control but rejected him when he was back to his old self.
2 Mephisto Erasing Spider-Man And MJ's Marriage Was Unpopular
If one examines this breakup, Peter and Mary Jane had a very good reason, if not the most legitimate. After Aunt May takes a stray bullet and is on the verge of death, Peter and Mary Jane agreed with the dark lord Mephisto to erase their marriage in exchange for her life. The conclusion of "One More Day" in J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada's Amazing Spider-Man #545 led to the biggest controversy in Spider-Man comics.
Not only was there outrage from fans, but esteemed critics in widely read newspapers also bashed this storyline. Many were not only heartbroken by this breakup, but they also felt it didn't make sense. While Peter and MJ had a good reason to break up, the comics' creators did not.
1 Fans Hate Peter And MJ's New Breakup Even Without Knowing The Reason
Zeb Wells's new Amazing Spider-Man has teased a new breakup the past year between MJ and Peter. MJ has a new love in her life named Paul and served as a step-mom to Paul's kids. Peter had cut off every relationship in his life due to a catastrophe he caused. Everything has been intentionally vague for a while and fans will reportedly learn of the reason for the breakup in the March issues of ASM.
Whatever the reason, fans are upset that they're going through this again. Some fans on Reddit are joking that this is about the 6000th time they will break up. Fans also felt incredibly led on by John Romita Jr's cover of Amazing Spider-Man #2 as they believed that issue would've provided the reason. Suffice it to say whatever the actual reasons are, some fans will not be satisfied.