Beyond The Spider-Verse Needs To Feature 1 Spider-Hero Who’s Never Appeared Onscreen

The franchise expanded from six Spider-People in the cast of Into the Spider-Verse to around 280 Spider-Heroes, 95 of whom are named, in Across the Spider-Verse. While that might seem like a big number, it’s nowhere near the number of Spider-Heroes in the multiverse.

What’s more, the filmmakers confirmed in an interview with Collider that they would introduce even more characters and Spider-People in the final part of the Saga. This opens a whole world of possibilities. Rumors suggest Japanese Spider-Man and 90s Spider-Man may appear. However, it would also be great to add unexpected choices.

The perfect choice would be MJ’s Spider-Woman from Earth-8545, who appeared in the Exiles comics. The only version of Mary Jane Spider-Woman to appear in a movie or TV show is in Ultimate Spider-Man, but she has an entirely different backstory and personality.

The Into The Spider-Verse Franchise Has Featured Many Underrated Spider-People

Earth-8545’s variant of Spider-Woman has mostly been forgotten with time, as she only appeared in nine comics, two of which were extremely minor roles. This would make her a less obvious candidate than, say, Silk or Venom. However, this wouldn’t be the first time that the Spider-Verse Saga featured underrated Spider-Heroes.

Into the Spider-Verse was the first time Peni Parker and her robot SP//dr from Earth-14512 appeared onscreen. Similarly, Across the Spider-Verse was the first movie or TV appearance for Pavitr Prabhaka’s Spider-Man India, Margo Kess’s Spider-Byte, Pter Ptarker’s Spider-Rex, Charlotte Weber’s Sun Spider, and Maybelle Reilly’s Lady Spider.

The very concept of Spider-Verse allows for so much flexibility and discretion in character selection. The only loose requirements are Miles, Gwen, and Peter. If there were ever a time and place to reintroduce the Exiles version of Spider-Woman, it would be in Beyond the Spider-Verse. It wouldn’t feel forced or out of place since there are hundreds of Spider-People in the movies now.

Why Mary Jane Watson’s Spider-Woman From Exiles Is A Perfect Addition

If Beyond the Spider-Verse included Exiles’ MJ, they would introduce a Spider-Hero version of the iconic character that gets to be a webslinger without the Peter Parker baggage. The character has a great personality, and she's a badass. She has survived the Vi-Lock War and worked with the Avengers. Her experience as a team player would make her a great ally for Miles Morales and his friends.

The Exiles' Mary Jane Watson is also more than capable of holding her own in a fight, which could add to the action sequences. Plus, she appeared in the Spider-Verse comic book, so it would feel completely appropriate for her to be a part of the Spider-Verse Saga.

What's more, MJ deserves her own hero arc that's completely separate from her Peter Parker romance. Far too often, Mary Jane Watson is treated more like a prop or plot device in Peter’s story than a person. She’s the “damsel in distress” or the “prize to be won,” both of which are reductive. Or, she’s a flirty, party girl stereotype. Rarely is she integral to the actual storyline.

Along the same lines, the only version of Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Verse movie franchise not married to Peter Parker is the teen in Gwen Stacy’s band on Earth-65. The only noteworthy Spider-Hero version of the character is Spinneret, who has a Spidey family with Peter and Annie Parker. Mary Jane Watson deserves her own moment in the same way Gwen Stacy does.

MJ’s Spider-Woman Would Add Some Sapphic Representation Onscreen

Marvel has come a long way when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation in comics, but it’s still fairly limited onscreen. The MCU, Marvel's primary on-screen representation, has taken out many queer moments, and most of the ones that remain occur in the TV shows rather than on the big screen. We occasionally see an LGBTQ+ side-character, but they’re rarely the hero.

Because Into the Spider-Verse is made by Sony, they aren’t beholden to Disney’s puritanical rules. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse already contain heavily allegorical moments that speak to the queer experience. They could take it a step further by including a canonically queer character.

Exiles’ MJ is the best choice because she’s the first Spider-Woman who was confirmed a lesbian from the start. Ultimate Spider-Woman’s Jessica Drew, who’s usually credited as the first LGBTQ+ Spider-Hero, debuted three years after Exiles’ Spider-Woman. Rather than Peter Parker, this version of MJ falls in love with Mariko Yashida, aka Sunfire. Their star-crossed romance is so heartfelt.

Mary and Mariko’s romance would be great Sapphic representation. It wouldn’t take anything big to include this. They’ve had other Spider-Heroes reference their families and relationships. It would simply take MJ referencing her girlfriend, Sunfire, or a flashback to them together. Alternatively, she could be shown flirting with a woman. It’s very simple, but it would mean a lot.

Peter B. Parker & Mary Jane Watson’s Spider-Woman’s Interactions Could Be The Funniest Part Of Beyond The Spider-Verse

Exiles’ MJ Spider-Woman has so few appearances that her personality is mostly interpretation. The defining traits are her sense of humor and her cynicism. While she’s relatively friendly, she also has a bit of snark to her. Essentially, this version of MJ is Peter B. Parker from Into the Spider-Verse, except a little flirtier with women.

However, Peter B. Parker changed between Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse. He still has a sense of humor, but he’s less self-deprecating. He’s much more of an optimist and a hopeless romantic now that he’s back with his Mary Jane Watson. His cynicism is pretty toned down.

If they kept MJ’s key personality traits when bringing her to the screen, I could see her and Peter B. Parker bouncing off one another in a very entertaining way. MJ’s snarkiness would get under the skin of Peter B. Parker. Meanwhile, Peter B. Parker’s dad jokes and optimism would drive MJ nuts.

Their interactions could be comedy gold, especially since neither of them would know how to handle the other. Exiles’ MJ is nothing like Peter B. Parker’s wife in personality or sexuality. Similarly, Peter B. Parker doesn’t have six arms and isn’t a vi-lock.

Ultimately, it’s clear. Exiles’ MJ would be an asset to both the story and the comedy. She provides a fun interpretation of a beloved character and positive representation. In every respect, Mary Jane Watson from Earth-8545 would be a perfect addition to Beyond the Spider-Verse.