Mary Jane Watson (2002 film series character)

Mary Jane Watson is a fictional character in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film series. She is based on the comic book character Mary Jane Watson and is portrayed in the film series by Kirsten Dunst. In the films, Mary Jane is Peter Parker's next-door neighbor, childhood crush and primary love interest. Though she truly only loves Peter, Mary Jane dates other men throughout the trilogy due to his absence. Despite his strong feelings for her, Peter initially declines a relationship with her in order to keep her safe, but in Spider-Man 2 (2004) after Mary Jane discovers that Peter is Spider-Man, she enters a relationship with him despite the risks to her safety. Despite criticism of her character for adhering to the damsel in distress archetype during the trilogy, Dunst's interpretation of the character has been generally well-received.