Spider-Man and Mary Jane’s relationship is one of the most famous and beloved partnerships in comic books. They made each other better people, and watching their growth from immature kids to genuine role models was nothing short of spectacular. Of course, they were famously ripped apart in the despicable “One More Day” storyline, and things haven’t been the same for either character since. Nowadays, Peter has a revolving cast of love interests that never last for more than three arcs, and MJ has just gotten out of her despised relationship with Paul. The stage is set for a brand new romance, and unfortunately, it’s not the one fans wanted.
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Venom #252 saw MJ and her new DNA-bonded companion Venom team up with the brand new symbiote duo of Rick Jones and Toxin, and Agent Anti-Venom, Flash Thompson. After months of working together to keep S.C.A.R. off Venom’s back and Dylan safe, Flash and MJ have gotten pretty close, and Venom is pushing things to the next level. MJ and Flash are gearing up to start dating, and while it makes sense in the story, this is the last thing that MJ needs right now.
A New Partnership Born of Teamwork
Throughout All-New Venom and the first few issues of Venom starring MJ, Flash has been someone that the redheaded hero could lean on. He brokered the deal between S.C.A.R. and Venom to keep Dylan out of prison and has repeatedly risked his life to make sure that nobody finds out MJ’s secret identity. His newest contribution came in issue #252, where Venom and the brand new Captain Spider went up against the new S.C.A.R., this time run by the longtime Spidey-villain Doctor Octopus. Doc Ock had Captain Spider on the ropes and was about to take him in when MJ realized they just had to turn public opinion in their favor to stop S.C.A.R. for good.
After deciding to finally admit that the entire relationship between Venom and MJ has revolved around Peter, the two disguised as Spider-Man and leapt into the fray. Since the public justifiably loves Spider-Man and hates Doc Ock, they easily turned the people to their side. The evil doctor kept trying to expose that they were Venom, but the timely arrival of Luke Cage and Agent Anti-Venom provided the credibility that the duo needed to throw Octavius’s reputation in the gutter. Flash used Otto’s apparent supervillain relapse to claim leadership of S.C.A.R., after which Venom thanked Flash and suggested that he and MJ get some coffee sometime. Both agreed, although MJ futilely insisted that it wasn’t a date.
A Brand New Relationship, Same Old Problems
Based on everything that went down in this issue and the way MJ and Flash have been interacting so far, it looks like the two are going to become an item in the near future. The setup in the comic has been good, and they have genuinely good chemistry, but there’s one major problem with MJ getting into a relationship right now. Frankly speaking, this is not what her character needs. While she used to be one of the most loved characters in Marvel, nowadays, fans are very divided on MJ, and that problem would only be exacerbated by getting into another relationship.
Basically, MJ’s character was dragged through the gutter in Amazing Spider-Man (2022). She threw away her relationship with Peter for Paul, who is one of the most universally hated characters of all time. A lot of fans still haven’t forgiven her for the way she acted during that run, and while I’m far more of the opinion that it was Marvel Editorial’s fault and MJ does not deserve the blame for their butchering of her character, it’s clear that her character needs more work before fans are ready to forgive her.
Mary Jane’s career as Venom is the perfect way to get back in the fans’ good graces. It inherently ties her to one of Marvel’s other most popular characters and the Spider-Man mythos once again, and gives MJ the chance to see what the superhero life is like after being just outside of it for so long. It’s the perfect chance for her to grow alongside Venom, and for both of them to become fan favorites once again in a new partnership that is wrought with pain that they will need to overcome. It necessitates character development, and nothing adheres fans to a character more than that.
However, if MJ starts dating Flash before she’s been given the chance to grow as a hero on her own, then the fans might just latch onto the fact that even after she dumped Paul, she refuses to go back to Peter. While it’s an important part of both of their histories and characters, MJ is more than her relationship with Peter, and seeing her act as an independent hero trying to learn the ropes has been a lot of fun. Adding a new relationship, which inherently comes with drama that could upset the very delicate balance between MJ and Venom’s development, could be too much, too soon. MJ still has to grow into her own wings, and often, characters dating while trying to change can wind up dragging everyone down.
I’m willing to give Al Ewing a chance with this one, although I am definitely staying cautious about what’s going to happen with MJ’s development. At the end of the day, what’s important is that the story is good and the characters act like themselves, so regardless of what happens, let’s stay optimistic for that outcome.
Venom #252 is on sale now!
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