Hands down Spider-Man is everyone’s favorite and admired web-slinger. Throughout numerous comics, various film adaptations, and cartoons, Peter Parker’s adventures, and death-defying victories are recounted. Often his love life gets overshadowed by his masked life.
Although the mainstream media only managed to deliver a few of Spider-Man romantic interests, in the comics it is truly a web of romances. Few of the stories end in tragedy, whereas few make it down the aisle, here are the top 10 romantic interests in Spider-Mans life according to the comics.
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10. Liz Allen
Every Superhero’s love life is incomplete without high school crushes. Liz Allen was a fellow student at Midtown High School, smart, pretty, and dated the school’s resident hunk, Flash Thompson. However, Liz’s feelings changed towards Peter Parker after he started dating her best friend, Betty Brant. Although Peter and Liz became close friends, they never lost feelings for each other.
9. Debra Whitman
It is the kind of love, which drove Debra Whitman into insanity. Introduced in 1979, Debra was a secretary in the biophysics department o Empire State University, where Peter Parker went to college. Eventually, the two began dating, but the relationship never really lasted long because Peter would often miss their dates due to Spiderman duties.
Frustrated by this, Debra married an abusive man which drove her to insanity. This led to her believing that Peter was Spider-Man, but no one believed her. Later Peter admitted to her that he was indeed Spider-Man.
8. Cissy Ironwood
Peter Parker first met Cissy in Marvel Team-UP issue 79. Although she makes her real debut in the next issue when she and Peter were attacked by a werewolf. Cissy’s father, Dr. Daniel Ironwood invented an anti-matter bomb that the Soviet Super-Soldiers wanted to get their hands on it.
Spider-Man and Hulk were able to stop the soldiers, but unfortunately, Dr. Ironwood died in the battle. After her father’s death, Cissy left New York and returned home to Montana ending the Parker-Cissy chapter.
7. Carlie Cooper
After the events of One More Day, Carlie Cooper a crime scene investigator and a friend of Gwen Stacy started dating Peter Parker. However, saving the city came in the way of their relationship.
After being turned into a spider monster by Jackal, Carlie discovered that Peter is Spider-Man. Angered by secrecy Carlie broke up with Peter despite that she was the first to realize that something was weird when Doctor Octopus took over Peter’s body.
6. Betty Brant
Betty Brant was working as J. Jonah Jameson’s secretary at the Daily Bugle when she met Peter. Also, Betty was the first women Peter ever dated and Betty blamed Spider-Man for her brother’s death. Although the two dated for a short period of time, Betty still holds a special place in Peter’s life.
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5. Felicia Hardy
It is none other than Black Cat. Black Cat started as a criminal but because of her attraction towards Spider-Man, she then became a hero. For a much longer time, Peter found himself attracted to her and was stuck in a love triangle between Mary Jane and Black Cat. Despite choosing Mary Jane, Spider-Man still found herself attracted to Black Cat. Toxic love is hard to resist anyway!
4. Kitty Pryde
The relationship between Kitty Pryde and Peter Parker is of spontaneous love. Being two teenage superheroes, they discovered to have a lot in common and started dating. Despite being the power couple, deep down Peter knew his heart belonged to Mary Jane.
Soon the excitement faded out, and Peter and Kitty realized they weren’t meant to be. Soon they parted ways and Peter rekindled his relationship with Mary Jane and as for Kitty, she started hanging with X-Men.
3. Anna Maria Marconi
Although the romance between them seems to be tragic, it grew into something beautiful. After taking over the body of Peter Parker and learning why Peter sacrificed so much to be a hero, Doctor Octopus decided to give up his evil ways and become the “Superior Spider-Man.”
He met Anna, who was a student at Empire State University where Otto/Peter enrolled to get his doctorate. Soon they started dating and Anna’s belief drove him to become a better man. When Norman Osborn captured Anna Maria, Otto gave up control of Peter’s body to save her. Anna Maria learned the truth and the romance between the two ended.
2. Mary Jane Watson
The love of Spider-Man’s life, Mary Jane Watson. Mary Jane is smart, beautiful, and courageous and has a memorable relationship with Peter Parker in the comics. They were set up by their aunts and ended up walking down the aisle.
They also had a child who was stolen by Norman Osborn at birth and Mephisto erased their love and marriage. However, destiny brought them back together as Perer and Marr Jane fell in love all over again.
1. Gwen Stacy
Though Peter Parker married Mary Jane, his first love will always be Gwen Stacy who faced the most tragic death in the comics. Green Goblin kidnapped Gwen and brought her to the top of either the Brooklyn Bridge or the George Washington Bridge- and then tossed her off the side when Spider-Man showed up.
Spider-Man shot a web that connected to Gwen’s foot. Although it stopped her from falling into the ocean below, but it also appeared to snap her neck, killing her. It was the love that killed her, and the guilt of Gwen Stacy’s death will always hang over Peter Parker, just the same way as Uncle Ben’.
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