Secret Identities

So it’s the interesting things you find out from your family here and there.

Take my father’s side of the family. I’m not real close to them, but they’re the “nerdy” side of my family. They’re were I get my love of comics and cartoons and crazy stuff like that. My aunt Kathy owns the entire first run of Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles (and procured for me the entire first run 3-issue limited Voltron series back in the 80’s!). My aunt Kim watches South Park religiously. My father and I spent our time at Christmas together discussing the need for a live action Doctor Strange movie.

I guess we come by it honestly. After all, my grandmother was Mary Jane.

NO, SERIOUSLY. SHE WAS MARY JANE.

She grew up across the street from a gentleman by the name of Steve Ditko. Yes, THAT Steve Ditko. Her name was Mary Jane. She was a red head.

Want more? She and Steve, the kind of geeky comic guy, didn’t end up together. She married my grandfather…who was in the military. Also, Mary Jane was never supposed to be Peter Parker’s love interest, it was MEANT to be Gwen Stacy. That was changed after readers liked the spunky GIRL-NEXT-DOOR more.

My family has discussed this time and time again and the only conclusion we can come to is that yes, Virginia, my grandmother was probably the basis for Mary Jane Watson-Parker.

Sadly, this does not mean I have radio active spider powers. I know.

I checked.