Spider-Man is one of Marvel's most popular heroes, which is perhaps why so many characters have taken on the Wall-Crawler identity over the years. Most recently, with Peter Parker being stranded in space, Norman Osborn took on the challenge of becoming New York's Spider-Man. However, he isn't the only one who's decided to take up the mantle.
Aside from the former Goblin, Marvel Comics now has another Spider-Man: Mary Jane Watson's Venom. It was revealed earlier this year that Watson—who is the current host of the Venom symbiote—would become the new Web-Slinger through a preview of Venom #252. Following that, a leak from Venom #251 surfaced, showing MJ embracing her new identity. However, the events leading up to that new role were a mystery. Fortunately, they're a mystery no longer.
Venom #251 is now out, and it reveals exactly what prompts Mary Jane and her heroic symbiote to become Spidey.
How MJ and Venom Become the New Spider-Man
The issue begins with Senator Krask trying to convince Mayor Luke Cage to bring Otto Octavius onboard as part of New York's Symbiote containment program. Luke Cage refuses to listen to the pitch (you know, on account of Octavius being a killer who's tried to destroy the city mutliple times). This prompts Octavius and Krask to storm out of his office (not before threatening Cage's current mayoral position, of course).
After that, the issue jumps to Mary Jane filming a commercial for a carpet cleaner. During her break, Venom hears sirens—it's a villain by the name of Blue Streak, who has stolen some money and is streaming his escape on social media. Before rushing in to help stop the baddie, however, MJ and her symbiote companion have a slight problem: Venom is a fugitive.
In order to blend in, Venom decides to shapeshift into Iron Man. After MJ points out that Iron Man would never be seen swinging on webs like they do, Venom pops out a pair of roller skates—a fun callback to Iron Man history— and sets in pursuit of his social media-obsessed target.
Unfortunately, Venom gets shot in the face, and the baddie starts to quite literally roll away (he's also on roller skates, you see). His trek toward freedom is a short one, though, as he's stopped by Rick Jones, who's now the host of the symbiote Toxin (long story). As Jones attempts to catch Blue Streak, Doc Ock and his task force, S.C.A.R. (which stands for Simulated Cephalopod Armed Response) arrive at the scene. Rick identifies himself as "Captain Spider" to Octavius, after which he is brutally subdued.
Watching from afar, MJ and Venom agree they can't leave Rick to be captured, but they also can't jump in as Venom, given the city's aversion to the symbiote. Due to this—and partially inspired by Rick's "Captain Spider" moniker—MJ realizes that, instead of looking like symbiotes, they need to look like the good guys. In fact, she says, they need to look like, "the goodest guy we know" *(Awwwww).
Thus, the transformation begins. As Octavius starts torturing Rick and Toxin, MJ's Venom appears, and, in a callback to the opening dialogue of Tobey Maguire's first Spider-Man, she says: "Who am I? You sure you want to know? Because if somebody said it was a happy story... somebody lied. Who am I?..."
Finally, she proudly declares, "I'm Spider-Man!"
And so, Marvel's new Spider-Man is born.
Mary Jane being Spider-Man is a fascinating concept. For starters, it's rare to have a superhero with a triple identity—this is Mary Jane Watson as Venom, as Spider-Man. There is also the matter of her relationship with Peter. Look, no matter how many people come between them, we know Peter and MJ love each other. Thus, exploring her taking on the identity of one of the most important people in her life may lead to some insightful character introspection as the story progresses.
On another important note, Luke Cage is determined to speak to the new Venom, so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to the individual he was after now being Spider-Man. Given how engaging All-New Venom has been so far, it will be exciting to see where this new Web-Slinger goes from here.
What do you think about Mary Jane and Venom's transformation into the new Spider-Man? Are you enjoying where the story is going? Drop your thoughts in the comments!