Marvel has finally revealed that the iconic Mary Jane Watson will officially become a superhero, using her newfound powers to fight crime as Jackpot, debuting in Amazing Spider-Man #31.
MJ Watson was first made famous from her former marriage to and on-again-off-again romance with original Spider-Man Peter Parker. She is one of Marvel’s most prominent and beloved female characters, and has acted as a hero many times in the past (with and without powers). However, Mary Jane’s new Jackpot persona still represents a major turning point for the character as a heroic vigilante.
Marvel revealed that Amazing Spider-Man #31 – a special over-sized issue with multiple creators – will feature a story from writer Celeste Bronfman and artist Alba Glez introducing MJs new Jackpot persona. The story will debut MJ’s “Casino card dealer” inspired costume designed by the talented Humberto Ramos, which perfectly compliments her “slot machine” based abilities.
Mary Jane’s Newfound Powers Explained
Amazing Spider-Man #25 shows MJ, trapped in another dimension, fall in love and raise children with a man named Paul. Though they join Peter in the fight against the evil Rabin, she ends up leaving him, which pushes him into Felicia Hardy’s arms. Mary Jane’s new and impressive powers first debuted in Mary Jane & Black Cat #1 when Felicia Hardy’s Black Cat witnesses MJ using superpowers to defeat some demonically charged objects, saving her family. It was revealed that her Jackpot abilities stemmed from a special bracelet that Paul developed that utilizes the powers of symbols to randomly generate a power for the user. This means that sometimes MJ gets completely useless powers. Humberto Ramos’ new costume design for MJ features her power bracelet prominently, while evoking images of a slot machine and Casino dealer, a sexy yet unique heroic outfit.
Marvel’s announcement of MJ’s new codename and heroic identity includes a teaser that her role as Jackpot will feature in a future yet-to-be-announced limited series. Her story in ASM #31 will see, “MJ come to terms with the heartbreaking tragedy that occurred to her family in recent issues before taking to the streets to help others in need!” The “tragedy” this is referencing could be alluding to the controversial and confusing decision to have Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel die to save her, or to Mary Jane and Paul’s adopted children disappearing after it was revealed they were manifestations created by Rabin. Mary Jane has always been an important and beloved part of the Spider-Man franchise, regardless of her relationship status. Now, it is very exciting to see to the powerful female character acting as a bona fide hero. While MJ has been a powered hero before by using the Iron Spider armor, getting powers during the Spider-Island event, and acting as Spinnerete in the Battleworld universe, it is rare for her to get an independent, non-Spider connected persona.
Why Mary Jane’s New Superhero Name is “Jackpot”
Not only have there already been two heroines named Jackpot connected to Spider-Man, Sara Ehret and Alana Jobson, but “jackpot” was one of the first words MJ ever spoke in Marvel Comics. In her debut in 1963’s The Amazing Spider-Man #42, she tells Peter, “Face it Tiger… You just the jackpot!” Regardless of whether Mary Jane and Peter Parker are currently dating, they will always have a lot of love for each other, and the codename “Jackpot” is the perfect nod their first time meeting on panel.
The illustrious Mary Jane Watson has always been an icon, but her new role as the hero Jackpot marks the beginning of a new era for the Spider-Man love interest, making her a legit street level superhero for the very first time in main Earth-616 comics.
