Mary Jane is set to take a larger onscreen role in Spider-Man: Far from Home, and that will put added emphasis on her key issues, especially those early silver age appearances.
Gwen Stacy may come and go in the movies, but Mary Jane Watson is Peter Parker's constant. While we didn't see a version of her character in Sony's Amazing Spider-Man franchise, she has been brought back into the fold in the MCU films. So far in the trailers for Far from Home, it is clear that Marvel Studios is building the romance between Peter and MJ, which will increase her role in future Spider-Man movies. That's why you'll want to be on the lookout for these key issues for Mary Jane.
The bonus for collecting MJ's keys is that it's a relatively cheaper option if grabbing up the major Spider-Man keys is out of your reach. She is an integral part of Spider-Man's history, and following her story is key to what makes Peter Parker the man he is.
This is a classic 1960's Spider-Man cover with J. Jonah Jameson dressed in a robotic suit, and it's both cheesy and glorious at the same time. What's more important is that MJ has her cameo first appearance, though she's only named and her face is not shown. Still, it counts as her first, and it's an essential part of the Mary Jane collection.
After being teased for months, readers were given their first full look at Mary Jane in 1966. Although it was simply a one-page cameo, she uttered the classic line, "Face it, Tiger. You just hit the jackpot." After all these decades, she is still tied to those famous words.
Not only does this issue feature the first full appearance of Mary Jane as well as her first date with Peter, but it's an early Rhino appearance. With all the speculation about Spider-Man's rogue's gallery coming to the MCU, it seems logical that Rhino will get his moment on the big screen. That makes this issue twice as important to add to your collection.
It wasn't until 1975 that Peter and Mary Jane shared their first kiss. What has made this issue more popular is that it lines up with what we're seeing in the Far from Home trailers. In this issue, the two kiss as Peter is readying to board a plane for Europe, which is where the new movie happens to be set. When this moment plays out on the big screen, you'll see more collectors on the hunt for ASM #143.
After nearly 20 years, MJ revealed that she knew all along that Peter was Spider-Man. It took until this 1984 issue for her to make that statement and show readers that she's not as oblivious to his second life as she may have seemed in her earlier days. Again, we are seeing a budding onscreen relationship between MJ and Peter, and this will no doubt be featured in the MCU very soon.
