Harry and Norman Osborn’s first ever on-panel (Amazing Spider-Man #37) interaction sets, shall we say, a certain tone for their interactions.
It’s bad.
I mean its *really* bad.
For context, Norman was at the time being written specifically as an Ayn Rand-ian ‘parasite’, a man who had only gotten where he was through theft and guile, and the writer wasn’t one for giving nuance to characters he was portraying as bad guys.
But still.
Harry is nothing but on his father’s side, and Norman is just… there’s no other word for it. Mean. He’s mean an abusive.
It sucks.
Harry: “I don’t get it, why would Spider-Man try to burn down your plant?”
Norman: “Don’t believe everything you hear, Harry. It wasn’t Spider-Man! Someone else was behind this!”
Harry: “But who?”
Norman: (internally) “I can’t tell the kid how I cheated Professor Stromm out of his inventions and then railroaded him into jail when he began to threaten me? It has to be Stromm who’s after me!”
Harry: (continuing his previous thought) “Wouldn’t it be somethin’ if Spider-Man is trying to work a protection racket?”
To say they’re not exactly friends from the start would be an understatement. Pete’s usual standoffishness is only made worse because Aunt May is sick at the time.
Harry reacts about as well as you expect, calling him a square, and trying to prank him. He extends the olive branch, at Gwen’s behest, inviting Peter out for a coke; but Peter blows him off for Spider stuff as is his pattern.
As an aside, the way Ditko draws Harry’s face in this issue makes him look like a skeleton.
[ID: two comic panels of Cindy Moon. 1: she is shown from behind as she sits and looks at various monitors that show Felicia Hardy. The narration box over the panel reads “She’s my problem.” 2: she is shown resting her cheek on her hand. /end ID]
SO many problems would be solved if Marvel just made Peter Parker polyamorus.
Oh he can’t choose between MJ and Felicia? Who cares, MJ and Felicia know and like each other and both respect each others relationship with Peter. Both of them understand boundaries. Both of them want Peter to be happy.
Just make him FUCKING POLY MY GOD I doubt Felicia would care and I think at this point in her friendship with Felicia MJ would be more comfortable with it
Fuck it, I’d take Cindy/Felicia/Peter polycule too.
The callous and dismissive way some people respond to others talking about the harassment they face in fandom reminds me of how growing up, people would say things like “getting bullied builds character!” and “(they) just pick on you because they like you!”
As in, it is untrue and unhelpful, the bullies and the people who enable them just don’t want to take responsibility for their ilk and do their part to stop it
💖 Mary Jane constantly uses the most up to date, cutting edge hippy slang. Hippies were genuinely considered dangerous counter culture at the time. Violent and sexual! Mary Jane is being portrayed as ultra modern.
💖 “I never thought a tiger who wore his hair so short could be so dreamy!”
💖 She doesn’t usually go for “straight” (normie) guys. Loves that Pete has a motorcycle.
💖 Independent and vivacious, taking drama lessons. Tries to get shy old stick in the mud Peter to dance with her in the living room. Aunt May tried to set them up because she thinks Peter needs to lighten up!
💖 Sees that there’s a supervillain on the rampage, and wants Peter to take her to go see it as part of their date! MJ is bold, adventurous. and kind of a weirdo! <3
💖 Handles (mild) rejection well and has her own life going on. When Peter says he isn’t available for a date the next day, she just moves on because she has tons of cool shit going on in her life!
💖 Calls Pete slang pet names of the time constantly. Tiger, Dad, Son…
Mary Jane is basically the original ‘manic pixie dream girl’ but in the best way possible.
Honestly, anon, this is really common, and not surprising, especially with the way the raimi films reduce and change Mary Jane’s characterization. No offense to the writers, and no offense to the actress but that’s basically not the MJ I know from the comics, or from any of the cartoons.
You probably don’t know this, but in the comics, the original backstory of the relationship is that Aunt May is trying to set Peter up on a blind date with her best friend’s niece.
Peter assumes that aunt May’s best friend’s niece is not going to be someone he wants to date (assumes she will be prudish, boring, etc, basically worries aunt May is setting him up with a dud.)
He spends LITERAL YEARS of the comic avoiding meeting Mary Jane. Literally avoiding it. Dodging the issue, and never seeing her.
And then when he finally meets her?
She’s a vivacious, feminist (in the 70s) knockout, who’s directly coded as a sexual swinger and just all around gorgeous person.
She’s wonderful. She’s amazing.
She and Peter have the most vibrant, ridiculous relationship imaginable.
Mary Jane ABSOLUTELY wears the pants in the relationship. Its’ practically canon that 70s Peter is getting pegged on the regular.
I will be pulling up some panels of wonderful, amazing Mary Jane.
