4 Reasons Why Fans Hated Mary Jane In Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy
Why was MJ so annoying?
Sam Raimi 's Spider-Man trilogy is rightfully considered one of the most iconic adaptations. While the trilogy was a massive success, and Tobey Maguire has become the one and only Spidey for many people, there was one character that fans couldn't stand: Mary Jane Watson.
Mary Jane was Peter's love interest in the trilogy. She was portrayed by Kirsten Dunst and appeared in all three movies.
While acknowledging that Kirsten Dunst is just an actress, and she portrayed Mary Jane in the way the character was written, let’s look back at some reasons why fans hated MJ in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
She was too whiny
One of the biggest complaints about Mary Jane was that she was too whiny. In almost every scene she appeared in, she was complaining about something.
Whether it was her career or her relationship with Peter, she always seemed to be unhappy. Fans found her constant whining to be annoying and grating.
She wasn't faithful
In the comics, Mary Jane is known for being Peter's true love. However, in the movies, she wasn't always faithful to him.
In Spider-Man 2, she almost marries John Jameson, despite still having feelings for Peter. This made fans feel like Mary Jane wasn't a good match for Peter and that he deserved someone who truly loved him.
She was too damsel in distress-ish
Another issue fans had with Mary Jane was that she was always getting kidnapped or put in danger. While this is a common trope in superhero movies, it happened to Mary Jane in every movie.
Raimi absolutely managed to make those movies great, but using the “damsel in distress” cliche three times is just lazy writing.
She was too selfish
Mary Jane's character arc in the trilogy was centered around her desire to be a famous actress. While there's nothing wrong with having goals and aspirations, fans felt like Mary Jane was too selfish.
In Spider-Man 3, there's a scene where people around MJ start clapping, and she assumes they are clapping for her, but turns out they are actually clapping for Spider-Man. You can see that MJ is feeling a bit irritated or maybe even a little jealous of it.