| 1 | [[WMG:[[center:[-'''[[Characters/SpiderManTrilogy Main Character Index]]'''\ |
| 2 | '''Main Characters''' ([[Characters/SpiderManTrilogySpiderMan Spider-Man]]) | [[Characters/SpiderManTrilogySupervillains Supervillains]] ([[Characters/SpiderManTrilogyGreenGoblin Green Goblin]] | [[Characters/SpiderManTrilogyDoctorOctopus Doctor Octopus]]) | [[Characters/SpiderManTrilogyOthers Others]] | [[Characters/SpiderManTrilogyExtracanonical Extracanonical]]-]]]]] |
| 3 | ---- |
| 4 | |
| 5 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | !Main Characters |
| 8 | [[folder:Peter Parker / Spider-Man]] |
| 9 | [[index]] |
| 10 | ->[[Characters/SpiderManTrilogySpiderMan Has his own page.]] |
| 11 | [[/index]] |
| 12 | [[/folder]] |
| 13 | |
| 14 | [[folder:Mary Jane Watson]] |
| 15 | !!ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson |
| 16 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/movie_mj.jpg]] |
| 17 | [[caption-width-right:330:''"Go get 'em, tiger."'']] |
| 18 | !!!'''Played by:''' Creator/KirstenDunst |
| 19 | !!!'''Voiced by:''' Cat O'Connor (first game), Creator/KariWahlgren (third game), Claudia Motta (''Spider-Man'' 1 & 2, Latin American Spanish dub), Creator/LilianaBarba (''Spider-Man 3'', Latin American Spanish dub), Creator/MarieEugenieMarechal (European French dub), Aline Pinsonneault (Canadian French dub), Sylvia Salusti (Brazilian Portuguese dub) |
| 20 | !!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/SpiderMan1'' | ''Film/SpiderMan2'' | ''Film/SpiderMan3'' | ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'' [[note]]Archive footage from ''Film/SpiderMan2''[[/note]] |
| 21 | |
| 22 | ->''"Everybody needs help sometimes, Peter. Even Spider-Man."'' |
| 23 | |
| 24 | The GirlNextDoor and the love of Peter's life. Mary Jane was Peter's ChildhoodFriend before getting involved with him romantically. Throughout the trilogy, she provides Peter with morale and support and is often the DamselInDistress during the climax of each movie. |
| 25 | ---- |
| 26 | * AbusiveParents: Her father is... not a model parent. A lot of Mary Jane's emotional issues and her FatalFlaw of being overly self-conscious stem from her father treating her terribly and destroying her self-esteem growing up, which negatively affects many of her choices throughout the trilogy long after she breaks away from his influence. |
| 27 | * AdaptationalAngstDowngrade: ZigZagged. In the comics, MJ's mother passed away in her late teens but in these films, she's shown to still be alive. However, in the second film Madeline is mentioned to be sick, implying that she might still pass away. |
| 28 | * AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: |
| 29 | ** MJ in the mainline comics was generally the most sorted out of Peter's circle despite her issues--a fiercely independent SelfMadeWoman who refused to let anyone or anything dictate her life and immediately dumped Flash and Harry when they became clingy, never looking back. MJ in the films is more profoundly affected by her DarkAndTroubledPast and had a problem with controlling, manipulative male figures; she even had borderline abusive partners in Flash and Harry before reclaiming the agency she was previously denied. This is likely because unlike in the comics where MJ's father abandoned her family by her early teens, here she lived with him until moving out and didn't consistently have someone like Aunt Anna who would have given her more support, so his actions left a more palpably harmful mark throughout her adolescence. |
| 30 | ** MJ's Ultimate Marvel counterpart also lived with her father longer, but her ordeal was at least mitigated by her having a reliable social circle, particularly Peter. In the films, MJ couldn't confide in any of her high school friends or then-boyfriend about her dysfunctional family, and while she and Peter were friendly with each other, she didn't really start opening up to him until towards the end of senior year, making her much more emotionally isolated during this time. Also, Ultimate MJ's mother kicked her father out while she was still in high school, which didn't happen in the movies until much later. |
| 31 | * AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: |
| 32 | ** She's the very first character introduced in the trilogy (Peter was narrating). In the comics, MJ was famously TheGhost, then TheFaceless prior to her introduction. |
| 33 | ** She's also Peter's first introduced love interest in the films and his first girlfriend in general, whereas in the comics, Peter had been with Betty Brant, Liz Allan, and Gwen Stacy by the time he and MJ finally got together. |
| 34 | * AdaptationalWimp: Another thing that got lost by turning her into a CompositeCharacter. Not only is MJ rarely kidnapped in the comics, but when she is, she's a DamselOutOfDistress more often than not, sometimes even ending with a RescueReversal. However, she gets kidnapped so many times in these films that, for people not familiar with her comic book counterpart, she's a poster girl of the DamselInDistress trope. Only in ''Spider-Man 3'' does she more resemble her comic book counterpart when it comes to how she handles her captivity.[[note]]Ironically, she was more of an ActionSurvivor / HeroicBystander in the original script for ''Spider-Man 1'', as MJ helps Spider-Man in the final battle by jamming one of Goblin's bombs into his glider. Raimi had also promised Dunst she wouldn't have to be the damsel in the third film, and made her a DamselOutOfDistress to compensate for the ExecutiveMeddling.[[/note]] |
| 35 | * AdaptationDistillation: In the films, Mary Jane’s CharacterDevelopment beyond a free-spirited party girl, which brought her and Peter closer together, was kickstarted after graduation when she abandoned her prior familial and social concerns that were holding her back and moved to the city to pursue an acting career. In the comics, she left home around the same time for similar reasons after her mother's death but kept up this persona for a few years until her friend Gwen Stacy’s death. |
| 36 | * AdaptationDyeJob: Mary Jane has green eyes in the comics but is blue-eyed in the films due to being portrayed by Creator/KirstenDunst. |
| 37 | * AdaptationPersonalityChange: |
| 38 | ** Since she's a CompositeCharacter of herself, Liz Allan, and Gwen Stacy, this Mary Jane is more emotional, vulnerable, sensitive, neurotic, and less self-secure than the tough-as-nails survivor hiding behind a mask of superficial cheerfulness that is closer to comics MJ. Mary Jane in the mainstream and Ultimate Marvel comics was known for being very witty and charming, and generally eases up Peter when he gets too serious in addition to being the first of Spider-Man's girlfriends to match his unique gift for the snark. |
| 39 | ** Her complicated love life isn’t due to CommitmentIssues like her comic counterpart, who didn’t want to sacrifice her dreams and have a turbulent marriage like her mother and sister, and even turned down Peter’s first two proposals. This Mary Jane on the other hand is happy to settle down once she starts building her career[[note]]Likely because a CareerVersusMan situation would be less of an issue at the start of the 21st century than when MJ was introduced in the comics[[/note]], fairly early in her adulthood at that, with her conflict being finding someone who truly respects and can connect with her. |
| 40 | ** In the comics, Mary Jane is a GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak[=/=]TomboyWithAGirlyStreak – a fashion mogul and actress who [[ProudBeauty takes pride in her appearance]], but also dresses casually when not working and is OneOfTheGuys, a sports fanatic, and an ActionGirl who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Here, her active and tomboyish qualities are greatly lessened while her [[GirlyGirl girliness]] is played up; she tends to dress femininely even outside her modeling and acting, and seems to prefer the company of her female friends (e.g. her GirlPosse and BestFriend Louise). |
| 41 | * AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: In the comics, she was best friends with Gwen Stacy to the point where MJ still misses Gwen long after she died. Here, the two never met until the third film and only interacted twice, and don't become close with one another beyond acquaintances. |
| 42 | * AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Discussed and Subverted in the novelization. Peter wonders if this trope explains why MJ would be attracted to the resident JerkJock Flash Thompson, but it's soon revealed there's more to it and she's not happy in their relationship at all. After breaking up with Flash, MJ makes sure to avert this with her subsequent love interests. |
| 43 | * AllWomenLoveShoes: She and Louise are shown shoe shopping at Barneys New York in ''Spider-Man 2.1''. |
| 44 | * AlternateSelf: |
| 45 | ** Has an equivalent on [[Characters/MCUMichelleJones Earth-199999]] named Michelle Jones-Watson. |
| 46 | ** Her cameo in ''Across'' gives her counterparts on [[Characters/SpiderManSpiderVerseSupportingCharacters Earth-65B, Earth-616B and Earth-1610B]]. |
| 47 | ** Her [[ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManRenewYourVows Earth-18119 counterpart]] also [[Characters/SpiderManSpiderVerseSpiderSociety briefly appears as a member of the Spider-Society]]. |
| 48 | * AmicableExes: |
| 49 | ** Played with for Harry; while MJ is on good terms with him in ''Spider-Man 2'', he's not completely over their breakup. In ''Spider-Man 3'' though, unbeknownst to her, he comes to resent her relationship with Peter [[spoiler:until becoming amnesiac. During this time, MJ grows closer to Harry while she and Peter are having a rough patch until being turned down by her again regains his memories and he tries manipulating her. In the end, after Harry helps save MJ and pulls a HeroicSacrifice protecting Peter from Venom, they fully reconcile before his death.]] |
| 50 | ** While her breakup with Flash was very sour, the {{novelization}} of the second film implies they made amends at some point since MJ invited him to her wedding. |
| 51 | * BareMidriffsAreFeminine: A couple times during high school, she wears crop tops that expose her lower stomach. |
| 52 | * BeneathTheMask: Mary Jane is introduced as a stereotypical popular girl who has it all and is focused on enjoying life, while seemingly ignorant of Peter and what a bully Flash really is (more so in the original script and supplementary material). Of course, this is mainly from Peter's POV. It’s eventually revealed that she's not as content with her status as she appears to be and is a more complicated woman with baggage and serious goals for more out of her life. |
| 53 | * TheBigDamnKiss: Her upside-down kiss with Spider-Man is legendary. InUniverse, she even treasures it as the "perfect kiss" and admits in the novelization that while it may not have been her FirstKiss, it is her most passionate one. ''Across the Spider-verse'' even reveals that it's a Canon Event, a major milestone in the life of a spider-person on the same level as the spider bite and losing a loved one. |
| 54 | * BurgerFool: She takes up a job as a waitress in order to make ends meet while pursuing her dreams of being a famous actress. Unfortunately for her, she has to put up with being sexually harassed by sleazy customers and getting constantly berated by her FatBastard MeanBoss. She's understandably ashamed of working there because of this and because she's afraid of what Harry might think if he finds out about it. |
| 55 | * ButtMonkey: Is she ever! |
| 56 | ** In ''Spider-Man 1'', she's mistreated by most of the men in her life and goes through two rough relationships, puts up with a menial job and [[MeanBoss unsympathetic employers]] in her aspirations to become an actress, is nearly killed ''three times'' (twice due to [[ContrivedCoincidence wrong place, wrong time]]), and ultimately turned down by Peter, the one person she's been able to lean on, just as she grasps her romantic interest in him. |
| 57 | ** While things begin looking up for her in the [[BreatherEpisode second film]] (aside from being a DamselInDistress once more), ''Spider-Man 3'' is where she really gets put through the wringer. Before being captured ''again'' (this time by Venom), she loses her Broadway role to an understudy, her boyfriend engages in a public flirtation with another woman, Harry threatens her into breaking up with Peter, and Peter (due to the symbiote) shows her up and embarrasses her at the jazz club she's working at ''before'' accidentally hitting her. ''Sheesh''. |
| 58 | * TheCameo: While she doesn't physically appear in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'', her image is used when Miguel O'Hara is explaining Canon Events to Miles Morales. |
| 59 | * CelebrityParadox: The first movie's novelization mentions ''Film/InterviewWithTheVampire'', the film which served as Dunst's breakthrough as a child actress. Doubles as ActorAllusion. |
| 60 | * CharacterDevelopment: In the first two films, Mary Jane struggles between what her heart wants and what she thinks she should have, a conflict that stems from her low amount of self-esteem and the abusive upbringing her father gave her. When it comes to her love interests, she often tends to go for guys who have impressive showings either through wealth or fame. But she eventually comes to realize these relationships are hollow and loveless, and that she's better off with someone who truly loves her for who she is and makes her happy, which she finds in Peter. She learns to stop letting her insecurities and her troubled past hold her back from having a happy and fulfilling future. |
| 61 | * CharacterTic: She tends to pull her coat around her when self-conscious or upset. The ''Spider-Man 1'' novelization mentions that she also brushes her hair back when nervous. |
| 62 | * TheCharmer: MJ gets along with most people thanks to her charisma when she's confident enough. |
| 63 | * CompositeCharacter: She's a composite of Peter's love interests: |
| 64 | ** The opening section has her being Liz Allan. Like Liz, MJ in the movies is a classmate and longtime crush of Peter's who is [[SingleGuySeeksMostPopularGirl much higher on the social ladder]] and dates Flash Thompson and Harry Osborn (who in the comics Liz later married). MJ in the comics only met Peter after he graduated high school, and while she did date Flash and Harry, that was OnTheRebound after her initial relationship with Peter ended owing to him preferring Gwen Stacy at the time, and if anything, she was the one chasing after him until their first serious relationship began. |
| 65 | ** Sam Raimi also modeled her on Gwen, notably her more serious and melancholy personality and GirlNextDoor persona. Gwen in the comics went through several personality shifts (some of which were inspired by MJ's popularity), but she also dated Flash and Harry before choosing Peter. Likewise, MJ gets to be the damsel that Goblin drops from the bridge albeit Peter saves her. Her outfit when introduced in the trilogy even mirrors Gwen's during the aforementioned bridge scene in ''ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied'' -- [[MythologyGag black headband]], [[IconicOutfit purple blouse]], [[{{Foreshadowing}} and long green coat]]. |
| 66 | ** Of course, she is still largely MJ in the fact that she loves Peter and Spider-Man, is comfortable with the idea of dating a superhero (something comics Gwen would never have been), constantly chooses the poor Peter over her rich suitors (Harry, John Jameson), gets jealous and insecure whenever other girls give Peter attention (Raimi's Gwen in the third film), uses a lively and charming facade to mask her pain, and is a struggling scrapper and aspiring actress/model who constantly has to deal with SlutShaming from her father, her employers, Norman Osborn, and others. |
| 67 | *** There is also some Ultimate MJ influence since the ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' comics were developed at the same time as the first movie. Notably, she and Peter have known each other since childhood along with the fact that, while pretty and popular, she isn't the seemingly unattainable bombshell she is in the Mainstream Marvel comics. Ultimate MJ was also targeted and thrown off a bridge by the Green Goblin, though survived. |
| 68 | *** This MJ also takes a lot of cues from her counterpart in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' in having endured an abusive boyfriend(s) in addition to her father which complicates her relationship with Peter, being initially unaware of his SecretIdentity as Spider-Man and thus put off by his flaky nature, taking Gwen Stacy's role as the GirlNextDoor and Green Goblin's hostage at the bridge, being a recurring DamselInDistress, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking having blue eyes]] instead of [[AdaptationDyeJob green]]. |
| 69 | * TheConfidant: After she learns about his secret identity and the struggles of being a superhero at the end of the second film, Mary Jane tries to act as a confidant in the third film and be someone Peter can turn to for emotional support, the way he's generally tried to support her, but he shuts her out. |
| 70 | * DamselInDistress: Ends up getting kidnapped by villains in ''every'' film. It's lampshaded in the first one alone. |
| 71 | -->'''Spider-Man:''' [[DoomMagnet You have a knack for getting in trouble!]]\ |
| 72 | '''Mary Jane:''' [[BigDamnHeroes And you have of a knack for saving my life!]] |
| 73 | * DamselOutOfDistress: |
| 74 | ** While she does ultimately have to be saved from falling by Peter (with aid from [[spoiler:Harry]]), MJ actually gets out of danger repeatedly during the climax of ''Film/SpiderMan3'' (dodging falling bricks, jumping out of a suspended taxi and swinging on a web to avoid a falling truck crushing her, and hanging on for a good while), and even saves Peter from Venom at one point. |
| 75 | ** Also in ''Film/SpiderMan1'', she puts up a good fight against some would-be rapists until they pull a knife on her. |
| 76 | * DarkAndTroubledPast: Mary Jane was raised in a broken home with a verbally, emotionally, and possibly physically abusive [[AlcoholicParent alcoholic]] father who destroyed her self-worth growing up. |
| 77 | * {{Deuteragonist}}: The second most important character in the trilogy after Peter himself. |
| 78 | * DudeMagnet: Over the course of the trilogy, she had dated a total of four people (Flash, Harry, John, and Peter), three of them vying for her attention in the first film alone, and there are also a lot of men who are attracted to her. |
| 79 | * ExpositoryHairstyleChange: In ''Spider-Man 2'', MJ's hair starts off naturally let down at Peter's birthday party. As their friendship is strained and she becomes more guarded, her hair is usually seen pulled back or up. When MJ considers giving Peter another chance, she lets her hair down again but styled, and it gets messed up after she's thrust into his secret life and finds out he is Spider-Man. At the end after MJ leaves her wedding to be with Peter, her hair starts to come loose from its updo, signifying her opening her heart to him once more. |
| 80 | * FatalAttractor: In addition to her boyfriends, she unfortunately caught the attention of a [[WhiteGangbangers gang of attempted rapists]], [[StrawMisogynist Norman Osborn]]/[[JekyllAndHyde Green Goblin]], and [[PuppeteerParasite Eddie Brock]], who all tried to assault and/or abducted her. |
| 81 | * FatalFlaw: The first film establishes that Mary Jane often tries to hide inner turmoil behind a cheery smile. Thanks to her father's abuse, she has little faith in her talents or lack of and is very self-conscious about what she does for a living and who she dates. This trait catches up to her in the later films as Mary Jane struggles to open herself up and acts impulsive and self-destructive in her relationships; she nearly rushes into her and John's wedding in ''2'' despite her conflicted feelings out of a desire to prove that she's happy and in ''3'', when Mary Jane gets unceremoniously fired from her dream gig, she's too proud to tell Peter the truth right away. |
| 82 | * FieryRedhead: Mary Jane is one of the most famous examples of this trope. |
| 83 | * FlowersOfFemininity: MJ often wears floral patterns and accessories befitting her GirlNextDoor nature, most apparent with her wardrobe in the first film and her later stage costumes. A brief glimpse of her room in her family home shows that she keeps rose water vases on her windowsill. |
| 84 | * GeekyTurnOn: She's impressed by "Harry"'s trivia on the lab spiders and later, quickly cheered up by Peter detailing the theater's acoustics to explain her performance's applause. If the ''Spider-Man 1'' novelization is any indication, she thought highly of Peter's intellectual nature, unlike most of her circle, [[GiveGeeksAChance way before they started dating]]. |
| 85 | * GirlNextDoor: Referred to as such by Peter since they live next to each other and grew up together. She even provides the page image. |
| 86 | * GirlNextDoorTurnedSuperstar: By ''Spider-Man 2'', two years after Peter [[JustFriends rebuffed her love confession]] after almost losing her to the Green Goblin, Mary Jane is an up-and-coming model/actress and starring in a successful off-Broadway show, while Peter is trying to balance working odd jobs and going to college (and secretly fighting crime as Spider-Man). While Mary Jane still loves him, is still friends with him, and even suspects his secret, she pursues a relationship with astronaut John Jameson because [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies Peter keeps pushing her away]], subverting the trope since he is actively ''not'' pursuing her. However, she [[RelationshipUpgrade finally gets together with Peter]] after discovering his secret identity. |
| 87 | * GirlPosse: Had one in high school, being the [[BlondeBrunetteRedhead Redhead to their Black and Brunette]]. |
| 88 | * GirlinessUpgrade: In the comics, Mary Jane’s ensemble consists of [[{{Shorttank}} jeans, shorts, t-shirts]], [[TankTopTomboy tank tops, and jackets]] in addition to fashionable dresses. In the films, she wears skirts, dresses, and otherwise feminine tops more often, and generally sports a softer look than her comic book counterpart even on the occasions she wears pants and shirts. |
| 89 | * GotOverRapeInstantly: In ''Film/SpiderMan1'', Spider-Man saves Mary Jane from a group of men attempting to gang-rape her. She immediately has no problem giving him an upside-down kiss afterwards and the assault is never mentioned again. |
| 90 | * GracefulLadiesLikePurple: She wears a dark purple peacoat several times and violet loungewear in the second movie. |
| 91 | * HatesBeingTouched: A subtle example. In the first film, she shies away from her boyfriends when they try to kiss her, a sign of her doubts and unhappiness. But with [[OneTrueLove Peter]], MJ is the one to reach out to him and initiate their kisses when professing her feelings for him, showing that she truly loves him. She seems to have moved past this by the second film. |
| 92 | * HeadTurningBeauty: Obviously; it's ''Mary Jane Watson''. As if to drive the point home, she’s introduced with close-ups in each film and has no shortage of admirers, with her beauty noted in-universe by many. Peter gets so [[DistractedByTheSexy distracted]] by the sight of her that he's tripped up in the first film and nearly crashes his motorbike in the second, and even Harry is starstruck around her at first. On a less positive note, it only takes a single glance for Goblin and a gang of thugs to begin [[VillainousCrush lusting]] after her. |
| 93 | ** In ''Spider-Man 2'', MJ even mentions that her face was approved to headline a perfume ad campaign at her modeling job, with many billboards and posters of her scattered throughout the city. |
| 94 | * HeroicBystander: |
| 95 | ** She ''attempts'' to be this during the final showdown in ''2'' by hitting Doc Ock with a wooden plank to help Spider-Man. However, he blocks the attack and throws her aside. |
| 96 | ** A more successful one during the FinalBattle in ''3'', where she drops a cement brick on Venom's head, saving Peter and buying him enough time to break free of Venom's grip. |
| 97 | * HiddenDepths: She made an elegant [[UsefulNotes/{{Qipao}} cheongsam]] to wear at the Oscorp Unity Day Festival, indicating skill in fashion design. |
| 98 | * HourglassPlot: In ''1'' and ''2'', she was the unattainable perfect girl for Peter, while in ''3'', Peter is the popular superhero who attracts the eye of younger and more prettier girls while MJ is having doubts about her career and the future of their relationship. |
| 99 | * {{Hypocrite}}: Zigzagged. In ''3'', she chastises Peter for recreating their upside-down kiss with Gwen in a public showing. Not only was MJ dating Harry at the time of "[[MemeticMutation that kiss]]", but she even kept it a complete secret from him. Not to mention that as an actress, odds are she has to do performative kissing with other men as well[[note]]which Peter even uses to justify his kiss with Gwen in the novelization, expecting MJ to also understand[[/note]]. Then again, MJ's gripe seems to be more about ''how'' he kissed Gwen. |
| 100 | ** Related to the above, MJ really isn't one to talk about being "considerate", since she abruptly left John at the altar in the second movie, having cheated on him with Peter beforehand. Similarly, despite dating Peter in ''3'', she would later go on to kiss Harry from momentary impulsiveness, weakening her argument even more in hindsight. |
| 101 | ** Played straight in regards to getting mad at Harry for not standing up to Norman for bad-mouthing her in the first movie, since she ''did'' cheat on him with Spider-Man. |
| 102 | * ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe: A tragic version and deconstructed. Due to her troubled background and self-worth issues, MJ considers (or is made to consider) herself lucky that any man would want her so she is [[LoveMartyr quick to defer to her boyfriends in spite of their disparagement]]; MJ initially caves to expectations with Flash and tries to live up to Harry's high-class standards, only to endure loveless, shallow relationships with them until being forced to realize they don't like her the way she thought. While she learns better, these insecurities persist even with men she has genuine feelings for; MJ believed the intelligent Peter wouldn’t give a party-girl like her the time of day (despite the [[EveryoneCanSeeIt obvious]]) and her later career difficulties in the face of his success made her worry over their future. She also wanted to marry John partly because in theory, he'd be the perfect husband to her. MJ eventually takes the plunge and decides to be with Peter, but it's clear she still has some issues to work through. |
| 103 | * IJustWantToBeLoved: Deep down, Mary Jane is desperate for happiness and an escape from her abusive circumstances, yearning for genuine love and appreciation. At first, she thinks the only way to find this is by maintaining a popular image and dating men of status and importance, seeking to please them in hopes of an ideal relationship even if it goes against her own desires. This also drives her to obtain success in her professional life, but means she CantTakeCriticism. Thankfully, as MJ experiences real, unconditional love from Peter, who’s always cared about her, she comes to realize that she deserves more, ultimately getting together with him and pursuing the life she really wants. MJ says as much when confessing that she loves Peter at the end of the first film: |
| 104 | -->'''Mary Jane:''' There's only one man... who's always been there for me. Who makes me feel... like I'm more than I ever thought I could be. That I'm just... ''me''. And that's okay. |
| 105 | * ImpossiblyLowNeckline: Mary Jane is clearly well-endowed and tends to wear low-cut tops that show a hint of cleavage in the first film. Also whenever she dresses up in ''Spider-Man 2'' and ''3'', best seen with her wedding gown. |
| 106 | * InformedFlaw: Her singing. Mary Jane's actress, Kirsten Dunst, is a good singer and delivers a lovely performance in the third movie whenever she sings, but is critically panned in-universe for her Broadway performance. In part justified because her singing is heard from the front row with Peter, who's meant to be oblivious to MJ's professional problems and one of the reviews remarked that "her voice hardly carries past the first row." |
| 107 | ** The novelization seems to support the critics, as Peter wonders if the theater's sound system is making her voice sound reedy and thin, and isn't convinced by his acoustics explanation for the lukewarm applause she garners. However, it's implied MJ is improving through her singing at the jazz bar, where she starts to get better reviews by the end. |
| 108 | * InnocentBlueEyes: Unlike her [[SignificantGreenEyedRedhead green-eyed]] comic book counterpart, this MJ sports beautiful, bright blue eyes. |
| 109 | * InsecureLoveInterest: |
| 110 | ** The first novelization shows that MJ was insecure about her and Harry's class differences while they dated, so she tried to impress him with her dressmaking and social skills, and at first obliged his requests to make a good impression on his father after everything he does for her. |
| 111 | ** In ''3'', when her career goes on the skids and she sees Peter (as Spider-Man) flirting and interacting with Gwen, MJ starts feeling jealous that Peter could trade her in for a younger model which, given the bullying and constant insults she faces throughout the films for her looks, is understandable. |
| 112 | * JerkassBall: Holds this big time in the second film, in which she doesn't take the time to listen to Peter's explanations as to why he couldn't show up to her plays. Not to mention abruptly leaving her fiancé John Jameson at the altar. |
| 113 | * JerkassHasAPoint: |
| 114 | ** In ''2'', while she could stand to be more sympathetic towards Peter's struggles, MJ's impatience with his erratic behavior and unwillingness to trust him aren't without reason; Peter attempts to suddenly reintegrate himself into her life by promising to see her play and then seemingly bails on her, only giving a vague tangent over the phone in response. After MJ's engagement, he insists on giving their feelings for each other another go despite her trepidation, and when she eventually agrees to hear him out, he inexplicably pulls away from her yet again. Learning that Peter is indeed Spider-Man at the end finally gives her some perspective on his actions. |
| 115 | ** In the same movie, MJ being [[NoSympathy uncaring]] towards Peter for just missing her play makes her come across as somewhat selfish, but it is worth noting that she mentions Aunt May (whose financial situation is far worse than Peter's, as she is about to lose her house) and her mother (who is sick to the point that it is implied she is almost bedridden) watched her play, even her [[AbusiveParents abusive]] jackass of a father made it once (though not to watch her performance), while Peter hasn't and the only excuse he keeps using is that "there was a disturbance", which is extremely vague. The novelization adds that she reserved a prime seat for Peter to encourage him to come. From that point of view, her frustration with Peter is somewhat valid. |
| 116 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: In the second film, she acts more snappy and peevish, but she’s still a sweet girl deep down. |
| 117 | * LaughOfLove: |
| 118 | ** In ''Film/SpiderMan1'', following the famous kiss-in-the-rain scene between Spider-Man and Mary Jane, she giggles as the hero swings off. This is a MythologyGag and an inversion of their BigDamnKiss in the comics (''Amazing Spider-Man'' #142) when it was Peter who gave the laugh of love. |
| 119 | ** In ''Film/SpiderMan2'', Mary Jane is laughing happily as she runs to Peter's place in her wedding dress, as she's realized that he's the one she truly loves. |
| 120 | * {{Leitmotif}}: She shares a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBE43uw45CA tender, humble, and earnest love theme]] with Peter that underscores many of their scenes together throughout the trilogy; growing progressively stronger in the first film as they create a genuine bond. It's most prominent during their iconic alleyway kiss, their second kiss after [[spoiler:Norman's funeral]], the climax of the second film when Peter sends her to be with John, and the stargazing scene early in the third film. |
| 121 | * LifeOfTheParty: It's never shown in the films[[note]]Aside from when she talks with her friends about a party as they're driving together[[/note]], but the first novelization confirms she was known as a party girl in high school. |
| 122 | * LiterallyLovingThyNeighbor: With Peter. Their family's houses are next to each other and their rooms even mirror each other. |
| 123 | * LittleBlackDress: OncePerEpisode -- at the Thanksgiving dinner in ''1'', the gala she attends with John in ''2'', and during Peter's failed marriage proposal in ''3''. |
| 124 | * LockedOutOfTheLoop: The third film shows her unaware of the reasons why Peter's friendship with Harry has fallen apart, meaning Peter never explained what happened with Norman or that he was the Green Goblin. Though in the second novelization, she knows Harry blames Spider-Man for his father's death, but not why or the extent of his hatred. |
| 125 | * LoveMartyr: The novelization explains that MJ grew up in a household where love was hard to come by, so she dated [[JerkJock Flash]] because at least he paid attention to her, even if it wasn't the right kind, and somewhat alleviated her stressful home life by gaining Philip's approval. It took her years to realize that this kind of "[[DomesticAbuse love]]" wasn't healthy and stop putting up with their abuse. She nearly repeats the pattern with [[RichBastard Harry]] due to him convincing her of his sincerity until being subjected to the Osborns' true egotistical, scornful natures, which leads her to finally begin moving away from this trope and not rely on people undeserving of her time and effort for self-actualization. |
| 126 | * LoveRevelationEpiphany: When MJ thought she was going to die at the hands of Green Goblin at the bridge, all she could think about was seeing Peter again, causing her to realize he was the one for her all along. |
| 127 | * LovesMyAlterEgo: She initially fell for Spider-Man rather than Peter. Unlike other versions, this example moves and impresses Peter because she expressed it when everyone in New York was slamming him for being a menace (led by Jameson) and Peter was seriously thinking that [[VillainHasAPoint Goblin had a point]] about saving a bunch of ingrates. The fact that [[WhatYouAreInTheDark MJ expressed her affection and gratitude for Spider-Man]] when the rest of society didn't [[RestoredMyFaithInHumanity restores Peter's faith in being a superhero]]. The fact she did it with what is certainly Peter's FirstKiss only sealed the deal. Of course, by the end of ''1'', she ends up loving Peter but he then rebuffs her, which upsets her in the second film until she learns the truth. |
| 128 | * LovingAShadow: |
| 129 | ** A mutual problem with Flash and Harry, who only liked Mary Jane because of her reputation and treated her like a [[TrophyWife trophy]]. It’s indicated her relationships with them were mainly brought on from her feeling validated by their attention and [[DistractedByTheLuxury their wealth providing a respite from her daily life]]. |
| 130 | *** The novelization reveals MJ was basically pressured by her father into going out with Flash, leaving it doubtful if she ever really liked him; Peter speculates that she mainly dated Flash for "protection" and her father's approval. |
| 131 | *** MJ was also drawn to Harry when he presented himself as a kindred spirit who could understand her on a deeper level until he proved unable to live up to his words. After their fallout at Thanksgiving, MJ admits she's unsure as to why she went out with Harry in the first place, and probably just liked that ''he'' liked her. In the third novel, even as she reconnects with an amnesiac Harry and is reminded of his tenderness, MJ reflects that she was never ''in love'' with him. |
| 132 | ** Downplayed with [[NiceGuy John]], as Mary Jane was genuinely happy with and cared about him. However, she ultimately acknowledged that she was just settling for John and didn't love him the way she should've, wanting to marry him to prove something. Her heart wasn’t ready for a such a commitment when she was still thinking about Peter. |
| 133 | * MadeOfIron: MJ gets slammed into concrete balustrades hard enough to break them, smacked around by Doctor Octopus and Venom, and takes multi-story falls, all without any injury. |
| 134 | * MeaningfulName: In the official novelization, it’s noted that Mary Jane ''Wat''son has a million-''watt'' smile. |
| 135 | * MoralityPet: In ''Spider-Man 1'', when Peter is in a bad mood about Jameson's shenanigans to the point that he wonders if maybe Goblin has a point about the people wanting to tear down a hero, MJ's support for Spider-Man and her kiss of thanks restores his heroic spirit to the point that he outright rejects and fights Goblin the next time, infuriating him. In ''Spider-Man 3'', after all the terrible things Peter does under the symbiote's control, it's striking Mary Jane that gets him to snap out of it, since she's the person he cares about the most and he's fully aware that he's treating her like how all her jerk boyfriends and her own father did. |
| 136 | * MsFanservice: Most of MJ's outfits [[FormFittingWardrobe accentuate her figure]], particularly her chest and legs, and are rather striking. Perhaps the most famous is her SexySoakedShirt during her and Spidey's upside-down kiss. Her formal wear is always done up elegantly and makes her look stunning. |
| 137 | * NiceGirl: In the first movie, Mary Jane is kind, flirtatious, outgoing and vivacious, if a bit more troubled than she lets on. She has her moments in the other two as well, whenever she's not [[{{Tsundere}} stressed out]]. [[spoiler:She attends Norman's funeral to support Harry]] despite her sole interaction with Norman at Thanksgiving having him humiliate her and lead to her and Harry's breakup, and tries to comfort Peter when he's struggling with [[spoiler:Sandman's role in his Uncle Ben's death.]] |
| 138 | * NightmareFetishist: Oddly enough, MJ expresses that she ''loves'' creepy, disgusting spiders early in the first movie during the field trip. She's at the front of the line observing the genetically-engineered cluster, and is even the one to point out the missing spider. |
| 139 | * ObliviousToLove: Mary Jane is possibly the only one unaware that Peter Parker has been head-over-heels for her since childhood. It isn’t until his indirect LoveConfession near the end of the first film that this finally dawns on her, and spurs her to accept her own growing feelings for him. According to the novelization, MJ began liking Peter as well after their graduation, but had trouble expressing it partly because she was unsure if he reciprocated. |
| 140 | * TheObstructiveLoveInterest: She comes off as this in the second film. Though it's not by choice since she's totally okay with Peter being Spider-Man. He, however, thinks she can't handle it so he keeps putting off telling her. |
| 141 | * OddFriendship: In the ''Spider-Man 2'' novelization, she hits it off with J. Jonah Jameson of all people while dating his son thanks to her ability to keep up with his humor and [[LargeHam general demeanor]], and they even have a friendly debate on Spider-Man. After she dumps John though, Jameson instantly dislikes her. |
| 142 | * OfficialCouple: With Peter at the end of the second movie, though the third film leaves them at a MaybeEverAfter. [[spoiler:Peter confirms in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' that they were eventually able to make it work.]] |
| 143 | * OneTrueLove: She and Peter shared such a deep love and connection with each other that they never found with anyone else, and no matter how much they tried, it was impossible for either of them to move on from their feelings or let the other go. [[spoiler: Peter reveals in ''No Way Home'' that while he and MJ faced many complications over the years, and continue to do so, they remained together.]] |
| 144 | * OnTheRebound: Mary Jane confesses how much she's started to love Peter at the end of the first film and shares TheBigDamnKiss with him, but he rejects her affections and refuses to tell her why (secretly, he thinks it's best if she keeps her distance due to him being Spider-Man). Mary Jane holds out hope that he might change his mind and they could become more than friends for the following two years (during which he apparently tries to avoid her) until she finally gives up and decides to move on with her life by seeing a new guy, John Jameson. At which point, Peter decides to win her attention back. MJ is quite rightly annoyed with his terrible timing and unintentional mind games, so she treats him quite coldly and tries to convince both herself and Peter that she truly loves John. However, as the movie stretches on, MJ is forced to acknowledge that the spark between her and Peter still exists and John really is just a rebound. |
| 145 | * PinkMeansFeminine: She wears pink, flowery outfits during several iconic action scenes in the first movie, including all her encounters with Spider-Man (her blouse at the school fight, her cheongsam at the Unity parade, her dress in the alleyway encounter, and her loungewear at the bridge battle), highlighting her role as the LoveInterest and DamselInDistress. Her old bedroom also has a predominantly pink theme. It's less overt in the second film, but MJ wears a pink embroidered skirt at Peter's birthday and blush pink costumes for her play, once again with floral patterns. |
| 146 | * PoorCommunicationKills: She's quite guilty of this in the third film. |
| 147 | ** Much of the conflict between her and Peter could have been avoided if MJ had just ''told him'' about her dismissal from her Broadway role earlier. Instead, whenever Peter brings up the bad review, she just smiles awkwardly and doesn't correct him. Thus, Peter's attempt to take their relationship to the next level is derailed due to her pent-up shame and insecurities, which comes out of nowhere and seems like an overreaction from his point of view. MJ continuing to keep Peter in the dark only makes things [[FromBadToWorse worse]] between them when he finds out about her recasting from Harry of all people. |
| 148 | ** Related to the above, MJ never tries talking to Peter about how he's getting a slight big head from riding the high of Spider-Man's fame, which is causing her to feel neglected by him. As a result, she ends up losing her temper with Peter at a special dinner over him publicly kissing Gwen, leaving him [[InnocentlyInsensitive struggling to understand what he did wrong]]. By the time she ''is'' willing to talk to him, Peter is too wrapped up in his own issues regarding his Uncle Ben's death, which only further dissuades MJ from reaching out to him and spurs her to open up to Harry in his stead. |
| 149 | ** When breaking up with Peter under coercion from Harry, MJ doesn't try to convey to him, either during or after their conversation, that Harry regained his memories and threatened to hurt Peter if she didn't listen to him, even though Harry was nowhere close enough to overhear them. While Peter's response to her actions was in no way justified, MJ could've saved both of them the subsequent heartbreak and betrayal by preventing him from getting the wrong idea about what went down between her and Harry. |
| 150 | * PostKissCatatonia: After kissing Spider-Man, MJ is so stunned her movement is slowed. It happens again after she kisses Peter, which is the first thing that clues her into the connection between him and Spider-Man. |
| 151 | * RedheadInGreen: The opening of ''1'' has her in a green overcoat and later at the hospital, she wears a bright green sweater. In ''3'', she wears several dark green dresses and sweaters. |
| 152 | * ScreamingWoman: No one in the Raimi trilogy screams more than Mary Jane Watson, but that's because she's the prime target for the villains as a means to hurt Spider-Man or lure him out. |
| 153 | * SecretKeeper: At the end of the first film, after their [[TheBigDamnKiss Big Damn Kiss]], Mary Jane starts to suspect Peter might be Spider-Man. During the climax of the second film, she finally learns Peter's secret identity, and for the entirety of the third film, is fully aware of his double life as a vigilante. |
| 154 | * SexySlitDress: Her qipao at the World Unity Festival flatters her figure and has slits on both sides, [[LegFocus exposing her]] ''[[LegFocus entire]]'' [[LegFocus legs]] as she's dangling from the balcony and going swinging with Spider-Man. |
| 155 | * SexySoakedShirt: [[MaleGaze Famously so]] during the infamous upside-down kiss in the first film. It happens again in the climax of the second film when she's kidnapped by Doc Ock, since the FinalBattle takes place near the bay area. |
| 156 | * SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: |
| 157 | ** Mary Jane loves Peter so much because he's always supportive and kind to her, actually cares for her as a person, and never tries to make her feel like she has to be someone else (it's also undoubtedly why she developed a crush on him as Spider-Man). Peter acting uncharacteristically aggressive and douchey because of the symbiote naturally drifts him and MJ apart, during which she gravitates towards Harry after he TookALevelInKindness. Fortunately, she reunites with Peter when he overcomes the symbiote's influence and is willing to work out their issues with her. |
| 158 | ** MJ was also engaged to [[UnderstandingBoyfriend John]] and it's clear their relationship ending had nothing to do with him. |
| 159 | * SmoochOfVictory: After saving her life twice, and receiving only smears for his heroism, MJ rewards Spider-Man with a passionate snog. |
| 160 | * SoBeautifulItsACurse: Just like in the comics, Mary Jane's beauty frequently draws negative and unwanted attention, causing her to be slut-shamed, objectified, exploited, and even endangered, particularly in ''Spider-Man 1'': |
| 161 | ** Her father berates her as a pretty face good for nothing else, her first two boyfriends only care about her for aesthetic reasons, and the father of one of said boyfriends deems her a GoldDigger trying to use her looks to get access to the family's money. |
| 162 | ** She is sexually harassed by sleazebag customers at her waitressing job and nearly assaulted/killed when some unsavory individuals (Green Goblin, the four gang members, Venom in ''Spider-Man 3: The Black'') take an interest in her. |
| 163 | ** A soap opera casting director [[note]]who's biased due to being the aunt of MJ's other boyfriend[[/note]] turns her away for a role despite her potential, claiming she would be better off "finding some nice guy to settle down with to take care of [her]", and in ''Spider-Man 3'', she attracts a large audience when cast as the leading lady in a Broadway musical, only for critics to accuse her of using her looks to compensate after her singing doesn’t live up to expectations. |
| 164 | * {{Socialite}}: She's able to mingle with the upper-class when attending high-society events. |
| 165 | * StepfordSmiler: Apparent in the first film when she rushes out of her house in tears from a row with her father, then perks up like nothing happened when her friends arrive to take her to school. Later, she forces a sunny demeanor when Flash picks her up for a date immediately after having an emotionally raw conversation with Peter about her rough upbringing and future dreams. Peter even observes in the novelization how MJ uses a party-girl facade to mask her true feelings around others. Deconstructed in the later films, as seen in FatalFlaw. |
| 166 | * SympatheticAdulterer: Zigzagged. Throughout the trilogy, MJ has cheated on: Harry with Spider-Man in the first film, as she kissed the hero after he saved her prior to the dinner with Norman which ended their relationship; John with Peter in the second film, as while they never did anything physical, she had been emotionally cheating on him at times and even asked Peter to kiss her; and Peter with Harry in the third film where she actually did kiss him, though [[MomentOfWeakness immediately regretted it]]. However, she and Harry were on the rocks well before the dinner since while he cared about her, he was often insensitive and superficial, as he criticized MJ's dress, was controlling of her (especially in front of Peter), and failed to properly stick up for her against Norman. In the third film, Peter (as Spider-Man) publicly kissed Gwen, which upset her, and was developing an ego that was made worse due to the influence of the symbiote. Her actions in the second film are less sympathetic though as John was shown to be nothing but supportive of her. |
| 167 | * TakeThisJobAndShoveIt: In a flashback in the ''Spider-Man 2'' novelization, she finally has enough of waitressing at Moondance when Enrique tries to make her apologize for retaliating against a customer who groped her, causing John to step in, and quits even though she’s not yet going steady in her desired profession, saying this trope word for word. |
| 168 | * TextileWorkIsFeminine: The ''Spider-Man 1'' novelization reveals MJ to be a decent seamstress as she handcrafted the Chinese cheongsam she wore at the Unity parade, painstakingly choosing how it would fit her. |
| 169 | * ThrowTheDogABone: [[spoiler:''Spider-Man: No Way Home'' reveals that after quite a while, she and Peter managed to make it work. Given the long list of misfortunes they suffered, it was a well-deserved break.]] |
| 170 | * TookALevelInJerkass: In most of the second film, Mary Jane is a lot colder to Peter due to his inability to be open with her like before, and her doubting his intentions. She also agreed to marry John partly to make Peter jealous and ends up leaving him at the altar. |
| 171 | * {{Tsundere}}: In the second and third films. Though from her perspective at the time, it's Peter who comes off as this. |
| 172 | * UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo: The first movie begins with Peter having an obvious crush on her. By the end, as MJ starts falling for him, he [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies realizes the dangers of being Spider-Man's girlfriend]] and friend-zones her. Happens again in the second movie when after Peter decides to quit being Spider-Man, he tries to pursue her again. But by the time MJ begins reciprocating his feelings once more, he ''again'' believes that he is making a mistake. This time, however, she chooses to be with him, even if it means putting herself in danger. |
| 173 | * VaporWear: Her respective SexySoakedShirt scenes in the first two films show that she doesn't wear bras. |
| 174 | * WhatBeautifulEyes: After Peter catches her and her lunch, she marvels at his bright blue eyes upon seeing them for the first time without his glasses on and asks Peter if he got contact lenses. |
| 175 | * WomanScorned: She is pretty upset with Peter rebuffing her affections at the end of ''1'' and this cools off their relationship in ''2''. It's implied that her dating John Jameson is partly [[OperationJealousy a ploy to make Peter jealous]] and own up to how he feels about her. She also repeatedly calls him out for his mixed messages in giving obvious signs of being in love with her while also stiffing her and then claiming they'd be BetterAsFriends. In ''3'', she also blows up at Peter when she sees him kissing Gwen at a charity function. |
| 176 | [[/folder]] |
| 177 | |
| 178 | [[folder:Harry Osborn / New Goblin]] |
| 179 | !!Harry Osborn / New Goblin |
| 180 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/harry_osborn.jpg]] |
| 181 | [[caption-width-right:330:''"If only I could cause you the pain that you've caused me..."'']] |
| 182 | [[caption-width-right:330:[[labelnote:Click here to see Harry as the New Goblin]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/new_goblin.jpg[softreturn]''"You knew this was coming, Pete!"''[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 183 | !!!'''Played by:''' Creator/JamesFranco |
| 184 | !!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JoshKeaton (first and second games), Creator/ArturoMercadoJr (Latin American Spanish dub), Creator/PhilippeValmont (European French dub), Antoine Durand (Canadian French dub), Clécio Souto (Brazilian Portuguese dub) |
| 185 | !!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/SpiderMan1'' | ''Film/SpiderMan2'' | ''Film/SpiderMan3'' |
| 186 | |
| 187 | ->''"Spider-Man will pay. I swear on my father's grave Spider-Man will pay."'' |
| 188 | |
| 189 | Harry Osborn is the son of Oscorp CEO Norman Osborn and eventually takes up the mantle of the New Goblin. Was Peter's best friend before he finds Spider-Man with the body of his dead father. Now Harry won't stop at anything until he avenges his father. |
| 190 | ---- |
| 191 | * AdaptationDyeJob: He has his actor's brown eyes in this version. In the comics, he has blue eyes. |
| 192 | * AdaptationNameChange: Instead of carrying over the Green Goblin name from his father like in the comics and most adaptations, this Harry instead opts to call himself the New Goblin. {{Justified|Trope}}, as his armor in the movie is mainly black with some parts in a very dark green tone which would make the name ''Green'' Goblin unfitting for the movie depiction of the character. |
| 193 | * AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the comics, Harry was a fop who still wound up with the "cool" crowd at college due to his money and status. Rather than being Peter's cool rich friend, Harry was the loser whose girlfriends either dumped him to be with Peter (Gwen) or were Peter's rebounds (MJ). He also became a drug addict (which ended his relationship with MJ in the comics since she didn't want to be anywhere near a train wreck). By casting Franco, Harry appears to be legitimately cool (which never was the case with his comic book counterpart) and an actual romantic rival for MJ's affections with Peter which wasn't the case in the comics. This characterization of him (aside from his romantic interest in MJ, although later storylines reveal that him and MJ did secretly date before Peter and MJ hooked up) was possibly inspired by his similarly cool appearance in ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan,'' which had been running for well over a year by the time the first movie came out. |
| 194 | * AdaptationalAttractiveness: Harry isn't usually depicted as particularly handsome in the comics, but the film series casts PrettyBoy Creator/JamesFranco for the role and didn't downplay it. |
| 195 | * AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In the comics, Peter and Harry met and befriended each other in college while in the Raimi trilogy, as with many other adaptations of the Spider-Man-mythos, they are changed to be high-school friends. |
| 196 | * AdaptationalHairstyleChange: In the comics, Harry has cornrows combined with a widow's peak like his father. This Harry, on the other hand, has slightly curly hair that's slicked back. |
| 197 | * AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: He dated and was close friends with Gwen Stacy and married Liz Allan in the comics. In the movies, he never interacted with either of them whatsoever. |
| 198 | * AdaptationalVillainy: In the comics, Harry's decision to become the new Green Goblin after his father's death was partly because of being psychologically unstable after being a drug addict for some time. In the movies, it is fair to say he is far more knowing what he does when he helps Otto Octavius in his plan to redo his dangerous experiment and takes the goblin formula only for {{Revenge}}. To be fair, Octavius strong-armed Harry into helping with said experiment, while "hallucinations" about the Green Gobin likely had a role in the latter. |
| 199 | * TheAlcoholic: Implied. After his father's death, particularly in the second movie, Harry is usually seen with a drink in hand and is shown visibly drunk a few times. |
| 200 | * AllThereInTheScript: He is never referred to as the "New Goblin" in ''Spider-Man 3'', only in promotional material and merchandise. |
| 201 | * AntiVillain: It's clear that Harry's problems stem primarily from his father, even before the latter became the Green Goblin. In fact, when suffering from amnesia, Harry became a genuinely nice person to others, with it later solidified after deciding to help Peter and MJ from Venom and Sandman. |
| 202 | * TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Becomes this near the end of the third film after finding out that Peter didn't really kill his father, along with realizing just how much of a crappy friend he actually was to him.]] |
| 203 | * AttackAttackAttack: His entire fighting style in the third film just amounts to this in his two attempts to murder Peter. Justified as Harry is just starting out as a villain (which means he lacks experience and is mostly just driven by the Green Goblin's words inside his mind), and deconstructed as Peter is smart and experienced enough as a fighter (since he's been Spider-Man for over three years and has already fought against two ''very'' dangerous villains) to take advantage of this weakness. |
| 204 | * AvengingTheVillain: Mistakenly assumes Spider-Man to have murdered his father and swears revenge. Attempts this in the third film. |
| 205 | * BigBadEnsemble: He provides the page image with Sandman and Venom. He's out to kill Peter during the first half of ''Film/SpiderMan3'', but is overshadowed by the latter two. |
| 206 | * BigBadSlippage: The death of his father and hatred for Spider-Man slowly corrupts him into becoming a major villain in both Spider-Man 2 & 3. |
| 207 | * BigBadWannabe: |
| 208 | ** He becomes this in ''Film/SpiderMan2'', as he wants Spider-Man dead while Doc Ock is the real threat. Ock brings Spider-Man to Harry out of a deal to get tritium, but he can’t kill him when he discovers that it’s Peter. |
| 209 | ** Falls into this again in the third movie. After trying to kill Spider-Man in the beginning he's quickly defeated and ends up developing amnesia. After recovering he resorts to simple emotional revenge, trying to get him and Mary Jane to break up, before being defeated by a Venom-enhanced Peter. |
| 210 | * BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:In the third movie, just as Sandman is about to land the final blow on Spider-Man, a pumpkin bomb lands on the left side of the former's face and explodes. Seconds later, Harry shows up on his glider to help Spider-Man against Sandman and Venom.]] |
| 211 | * BigSHUTUp: Unsurprisingly, when Peter tries to convince New Goblin that he didn't kill Norman in their first fight, the latter isn't having it. |
| 212 | * BitchInSheepsClothing: In a sense towards Mary Jane as a boyfriend, at least in the ''Spider-Man 1'' novelization. He puts on on a charming and understanding facade to win her over, and essentially takes advantage of what he learned from Peter about her home life [[ManipulativeBastard to make her trust him]]. In reality, Harry wants MJ for largely self-serving reasons. The novel of ''Spider-Man 3'' completely subverts in the end, where he encourages MJ and Peter's relationship before dying. |
| 213 | * BladeBelowTheShoulder: He utilizes a contracted, triple-bladed arm guard on his right arm in his attempt to kill Peter in the third film. The blades later get broken off by Peter in their second fight. |
| 214 | * BoringButPractical: When Harry inhales the gas that turns him into the New Goblin and gains powers like his father the first time, the camera pans across three different masks; Norman's old goblin mask, a scarier-looking upgraded ''golden'' mask, and a ski mask and face-plate combo. Harry chose the third, which, while not as sinister in appearance as the first two, is far more flexible and actually allows him greater range in facial movement (and easier to unfold to reveal his face, as shown when he fights Peter the first time) thanks to having a simpler design. |
| 215 | * BreakTheHaughty: After suffering an utterly humiliating defeat from Peter in their last fight and getting horribly disfigured in the process, he's left a broken, defeated wreck sulking in his penthouse. Finding out how his father truly died and being reminded of how much his friends love him finally helps Harry let go of his vendetta against Peter. |
| 216 | * CainAndAbel: The Cain to Peter's Abel. While he and Peter aren't biologically related, their bond is considered to be close as siblings despite their differences, along with Norman seeing Peter as a son due to their shared perchance for science. Even the scene in ''Spider-Man 2'', where Harry was about to kill a comatose Spider-Man just as he took off his mask, is reminiscent of various paintings of Cain slaying Abel. |
| 217 | * ChangedMyMindKid: He initially rebuffs Peter's pleas to help save Mary Jane from Venom and Sandman, but later shows up in the nick of time to save him. |
| 218 | * CombatPragmatist: Like his late father, Harry is not above using sneak attacks, advanced weaponry, and psychological warfare in his quest to murder Peter twice in the third film. |
| 219 | * ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames: He's never referred to as the Green Goblin after taking his father's equipment. Promotional materials give him the moniker "New Goblin." |
| 220 | * CoolBoard: As New Goblin, Harry rides a streamlined, snowboard-shaped goblin glider (known as the ''Sky Stick'' in the promotional materials). |
| 221 | * CoolSword: He uses a contractible laser sword in his two attempts to assassinate Peter, but is ''not'' a MasterSwordsman since he all does with it is just trying to repeatedly slash and stab at the latter (and failing at it as well). |
| 222 | * CripplingOverspecialization: Like his late father, the lion's share of Harry's strength as New Goblin relies on his relentless use of pragmatism, advanced weaponry, and mind games (to an extent). When losing the element of surprise and being deprived of his blades, [[EvilIsNotAToy not to mention his lack of ruthlessness compared to Norman]], he gets notably curb-stomped by a more snarky Peter (who's also much more vengeful and stronger from the symbiote) in their second fight. |
| 223 | * CurbStompCushion: In the second fight with Peter, Harry gets a few punches in, but not enough to stop an enhanced Spider-Man from brutally pummeling him into submission. |
| 224 | * CurtainsMatchTheWindow: His hair and eyes are both brown. |
| 225 | * DeadAlternateCounterpart: To the version from [[Characters/TheAmazingSpiderManSeriesSupervillains Earth-120703]] and the version from ''Spider-Man: Freshman Year.'' |
| 226 | * DeadPersonConversation: His dead father appears as this in the second and third films. Crosses over with MaybeMagicMaybeMundane. |
| 227 | * DealWithTheDevil: [[spoiler:His deal with Octavius causes the latter to abduct his former girlfriend, leads to him finding out that the man he thinks killed his father is actually his best friend, and nearly gets the city destroyed.]] |
| 228 | * DeathByDisfigurement: Double Subverted. [[spoiler:He suffers facial burns and an EyeScream in his second and final fight against Peter, but didn't die until the final battle with Peter against Venom and Sandman.]] |
| 229 | * DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler:Dies in MJ's arms with Peter nearby after being fatally stabbed by Venom.]] |
| 230 | * DidntThinkThisThrough: Attempts to get revenge on Peter by forcing Mary Jane to break up with him under a death threat, and then brags about kissing her before trying to kill him. Apparently, he forgot that the person who he was trying to get revenge on was, well, Spider-Man, who's not only more experienced but has also become much more vengeful after getting the symbiote. A thorough ass-kicking and a bomb to the face later, and Harry learns his plan may not have been his best idea. Even before the fight, he has a VillainBall moment where after he feigns concern for Peter, he immediately blows his cover by smugly winking at him through the window. |
| 231 | * DidntSeeThatComing: |
| 232 | ** Near the end of their first fight in ''3'', he really didn't expect Peter to be able to blindside him by throwing one his Razor Bats back at him as a distraction and created a web line to trip him. |
| 233 | ** Their second fight is really a big wake-up call for Harry. At the start, he seems to have a surprised expression when Peter (who's now pissed off and enhanced by the symbiote) immediately starts throwing punches after his taunt about Mary Jane, and possibly due to the amount of strength being exerted against him. Then, as a last DesperationAttack to kill him, he tries to fling a pumpkin bomb at Peter when his back is turned, only for Peter's SpiderSense and anticipation of such a dirty tactic allows him to easily perform a CatchAndReturn. |
| 234 | * DiscOneFinalBoss: He opens the third movie by trying to kill Peter, but develops EasyAmnesia after their first fight. He eventually recovers but has since been overshadowed by Sandman and Venom. |
| 235 | * EasyAmnesia: Forgets a good chunk about Norman and the events of the first and second movie after sustaining a head injury. This actually causes him to become much nicer in attitude, likely from being freed of his father's influence. Sadly, said amnesia would later be reversed. |
| 236 | * EntitledBastard: Harry is from a rich family, neglected by his father, and expects stuff to come his way. He became upset at MJ for expressing anger at Norman's attitude, slapped Peter in public (if partly from being drunk), and struggled to reconcile with learning about Norman's actions as a terrorist. Even before that, Peter and MJ reflect on Harry's utter ignorance about life for poor people and his subtle classism. |
| 237 | -->'''MJ:''' I think he'd hate the idea of my waiting tables. He'd think it was low or something.\ |
| 238 | '''Peter:''' It's not low. You have a job. You know, Harry doesn't live on a little place I like to call Earth. |
| 239 | * EyeScream: [[spoiler:He becomes blind in his right eye in the third film as a result of his pumpkin bomb disfiguring his face.]] |
| 240 | * FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Becomes an antagonistic force toward Spider-Man after the first film, albeit still caring about the latter's alter ego enough to back off from trying to kill Peter when unmasking him and discovering his SecretIdentity in ''2''. By the third film, he was committed to getting revenge on Peter for his father's death, until circumstances allow the two to reconcile.]] |
| 241 | * FacialHorror: [[spoiler:In the third film, he gets the right side of his face disfigured by a pumpkin bomb he tried to throw at Peter, only to have it thrown back at him.]] |
| 242 | * FalseFriend: Downplayed, since he did genuinely care about Peter and MJ as friends, even if he did take them for granted at times, especially in the second film. Ultimately, the third film would completely subvert this; after losing his memory and his personality resetting back to how it was in the first film but now without Norman's influence, Harry is far happier and has a more genuine friendship with Peter and Mary Jane. After his memory returns, he's back to being a villain but ultimately decides to let go of his anger and [[spoiler:sacrifices his life to save Peter, reaffirming their friendship.]] |
| 243 | * FatalFlaw: His WellDoneSonGuy motivations and EntitledBastard behaviour greatly damage his friendship with Peter while making things difficult between him and Mary Jane. [[spoiler:Tragically, he finally overcomes these flaws in the third film when he decides to help Peter fight Venom and Sandman, only to die in Mary Jane's arms after saving Peter's life.]] |
| 244 | * {{Foil}}: He and Peter are opposites in many ways. Harry comes from a fairly wealthy background while Peter's financial issues are a frequent concern for him and his family. Harry is distant with his father, Peter has a loving relationship with his aunt and uncle. [[spoiler:Harry's father's death made him an orphan and gradually filled him with a constant desire for revenge, while Peter's uncle's death inspires him to be Spider-Man.]] |
| 245 | * ForgottenFallenFriend: Averted. [[spoiler:Even after many years, Peter ''never'' forgot about Harry and still considers him his best friend. In ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', he sadly recalls the circumstances of Harry's death when Ned asks him if he has a best friend like the other Peters.]] |
| 246 | * FreudianExcuse: It's clear that much of his troubles stems from his relationship with his father. Heck, even after Norman died, the Green Goblin somehow manifested into Harry's subconscious, causing him to take a dark path towards revenge. Notably, when freed from this, he acted much nicer in general, ultimately leading to DeathEqualsRedemption. |
| 247 | ** The novel version of the third movie illustrates how severe the Green Goblin's influence was over Harry, causing him to feel extremely stressed out prior to becoming the New Goblin. In fact, it is heavily hinted that Harry subconsciously felt remorse how far he had fallen, even pondering Peter's words and Norman's actions as a terrorist. |
| 248 | ** His sudden cruelty during the middle of the second movie is clearly in no small part from how badly Octavius' experiment failed, especially since people were injured or killed from it. It was already likely a lot of pressure being CEO at such a young age, but such an incident would be a nightmare for any sane person (indeed, the second novel reveals Harry is potentially facing lawsuits for funding Octavius). |
| 249 | * GadgeteerGenius: Possibly. He appears to have had a hand in his gear as the New Goblin, hence possessing a hoverboard-like version of his father's glider, a collapsible mask, a combination of the Goblin's pumpkin bombs and razor bats. Likewise, he is shown injecting himself with the Goblin formula. |
| 250 | * GenerationXerox: Took up his father's mantle and became the New Goblin, then [[spoiler:perished]] the same way as the former, albeit in a different context: [[spoiler:Both got stabbed by their own glider which was supposed to be for Spider-Man, but where Norman was trying to attack Spider-Man and was HoistByHisOwnPetard when Spidey moved out of harm's way, Harry died pulling a HeroicSacrifice when Venom tried to attack Peter with it.]] |
| 251 | * GetOut: Tells Peter this when he shows up at his home and asks for his help in saving Mary Jane from Venom and Sandman. He later changes his mind. |
| 252 | * GoodThingYouCanHeal: Thanks to the improved performance enhancer, Harry is able to heal somewhat faster than a normal human. [[spoiler:However, it's unknown if he could heal a burned-out eye and the rest of the scar on the right side of his face.]] |
| 253 | * GoodScarsEvilScars: In ''Spider-Man 3'', [[spoiler:the explosion caused by his pumpkin bomb after Peter threw it back at him caused his right side of his face to be disfigured, making him look like Spider-Man's own Two-Face but it's a subversion because it's only after becoming scarred and losing his good looks that Harry becomes a decent person once more.]] |
| 254 | * GreenAndMean: In the third film, he dons a green-and-black costume and an arsenal that's mostly colored green which he uses to try and kill Peter. He loses the mean part at the end when he decides to help Peter fight Venom and Sandman. |
| 255 | * HandicappedBadass: [[spoiler:Is blinded in his right eye after a pumpkin bomb thrown by symbiote-powered Peter explodes next to his face in the third film.]] |
| 256 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Goes from good to bad at the start of ''Spider-Man 3'', then turns good again after suffering amnesia, then returns to villainy when his memories return, and finally [[spoiler:becomes good once more after coming to his senses towards the end of the film.]] |
| 257 | * HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:He gets impaled by his own glider while saving Peter in the third movie.]] |
| 258 | * HiddenDepths: Despite everything, Harry never completely succumbed to the Green Goblin's influence like Norman did. In fact, he ultimately rejected it to save Peter and MJ. |
| 259 | ** While he isn't a science whiz like Peter or Norman, Harry does show a large degree of academic and social intelligence. |
| 260 | *** In the first film, when he was trying to impress Mary Jane by using Peter's scientific facts, Harry is able to recite them ''word-by-word'' despite not being very interested in listening to them beforehand. |
| 261 | *** In the second film, he was able to rise to the management level of his late father's company in only 2 years, after his father got expelled from that same company in disgrace. |
| 262 | *** By the time of the third film, he was able to self-teach himself how the advanced Goblin tech works. |
| 263 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: In his two failed attempts to assassinate Peter, it involves him being brutally defeated with his own gadgets being flung back at him with the latter's webbing. |
| 264 | * {{Hypocrite}}: |
| 265 | ** In his drunken rant against Peter in the second movie, he basically accuses him of being a FalseFriend and for "stealing" Mary Jane from him. It's quite ironic considering how Harry pursued a relationship with MJ in the first movie without even telling Peter, outright keeping it a secret. In the first novelization, Harry asked MJ out when she wanted to see Peter, meaning he at least suspected that she returned Peter's feelings yet chose to interfere and make a move on her anyway. |
| 266 | ** In the third movie, he goes on and on about how Peter "murdered" his father and finds it unforgivable. This is especially telling after finding out that Norman was the Green Goblin, who also nearly put his own son's life at risk and killed plenty of people in the first movie. To double the hypocrisy, instead of simply revealing Peter's secret identity and having him convicted through legal means, Harry decides to ''murder'' Peter in retaliation as the New Goblin. To be fair, it's clear that he isn't in his right mind at all, with the novel illustrating just how badly the Green Goblin was corrupting Harry. |
| 267 | * IfICantHaveYou: In the third movie, he ruined Peter and Mary Jane's relationship, the former for killing his father and the latter for breaking his heart a second time (which also led to him regaining his memory). The novel shows him ultimately subverting this in the end, encouraging MJ to cherish Peter. |
| 268 | * InadequateInheritor: Played with. While he doesn't seem to have Norman's science skills, Harry is likely the better businessman. Also, whereas Norman completely succumbed to the Green Goblin's influence and terrorized New York, Harry did not completely give into madness as the New Goblin, which likely contributed to his less destructive acts of villainy and eventual turn as a hero. |
| 269 | * IncompletelyTrained: It's implied that he never got familiar with the Goblin tech during the time skip between Spider-Man 2 and 3, and is seen taking the improved version of the performance enhancer right before he dons his New Goblin persona to assassinate Peter in the same night. As one would expect, his lack of experience compared to Spider-Man (who's been an active hero for years and already fought and defeated the original Goblin) in the third film only highlights this. |
| 270 | * {{Irony}}: [[spoiler:He dies in a similar way to his father but out of a desire to save Peter rather than wanting to kill him.]] |
| 271 | * ItsAllAboutMe: He had this throughout the films, but it hits like a freight train in the third movie with his entire vendetta against Peter. While Harry's not unjustified in seeking vengeance for Norman's death (Peter ''did'' keep him LockedOutOfTheLoop for 2 years and didn't bother to try and convince Harry of what really happened even when his secret identity was revealed at the worst possible time), he keeps [[SelectiveObliviousness framing the tragedy in his mind]] as a ''deliberate and malicious murder in cold blood'' and [[IRejectYourReality refuses to believe otherwise]] until near the end of the film. The novel version explains this to stem from the Green Goblin's influence, causing Harry to suffer a serious slippage in sanity. |
| 272 | * JerkassHasAPoint: |
| 273 | ** While pursuing a relationship with MJ behind Peter's back was a rather dishonest and dickish move on Harry's part, he wasn't wrong that Peter technically never ''did'' make a move on her due to his shyness. Never mind the fact that he did encourage Peter to ask MJ out first, and the lack of initiation and poor communication on his end was interpreted as a green light for Harry. |
| 274 | ** While his drunken rant at Peter for being a FalseFriend by "stealing" Mary Jane from him as well as betraying the memory of his late father by not helping him turn in Spider-Man is both cruel and hypocritical, Harry's grievance isn't without some truth from a certain point of view. Plus, during Octavius' failed experiment, Peter did leave the scene without telling Harry, which probably made him even more upset at Peter's "flakiness". |
| 275 | *** Downplayed with Mary Jane. While there's nothing wrong with Peter being a supportive friend to her when her relationship with Harry is rocky, he should've realized that he was toeing the line between platonic supportiveness and romantic intimacy (the iconic "kiss under the rain" scene notwithstanding), leading to a very, ''very'' awkward moment as Harry walked in on them holding hands, even if Mary Jane had unofficially broken up with him by that point. However, she was equally responsible for initiating this, so it's not fair for Harry to place the blame solely on Peter (all while [[NeverMyFault disregarding his own actions]] which drove Mary Jane away). |
| 276 | *** Then there's the ''whole ordeal'' with Norman's death that Peter can't really help Harry catch Spider-Man without revealing his SecretIdentity and Norman's own DarkSecret that he was the Green Goblin. As far as Harry could see it, Spider-Man killed an "innocent man", and Peter's lack of supportiveness to help catch the web-crawler for over ''two years'', all while monopolizing on Spider-Man's image in the newspapers, would be seen as a sort of betrayal to Norman's death. |
| 277 | ** His resentment at Mary Jane after regaining his memories as the New Goblin isn't exactly unwarranted, since she instigated their kiss before spurring Harry away again. |
| 278 | ** Just before their second fight in the third film where Harry is deliberately [[IShallTauntYou provoking]] the symbiote-influenced Peter about how he was the better boyfriend for MJ and how good it was to make out with her, he wasn't wrong with pointing out how the latter failed to be there for her emotionally with the way that he kisses Gwen Stacy in the same way that he did with MJ for a publicity stunt[[note]]Since the event was ''before'' the symbiote latches on and starts to corrupt him along with Harry being kinder from his amnesia, Peter doesn't have any excuses to refute such a claim[[/note]]. |
| 279 | ** Finally, his utter ''refusal'' to believe that Peter didn't kill his father in ''3'' isn't without reason as Peter ''did'' keep Harry LockedOutOfTheLoop about Norman's DarkSecret, leaving him to stool around in his vengeful obsession for ''two whole years'' (and on another note, is still legally guilty at worst of negligent homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and assistant suicide in Norman's death). Even with Harry's [[SanitySlippage growing insanity]] and the prompting from his [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane ambiguous hallucination]] of Norman, Peter's actions of keeping Harry in the dark (mainly due to his guilt and request from Norman to protect his friend) in the first and second films can be viewed as NotHelpingYourCase. |
| 280 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Even prior to losing Norman, Harry had his moments of jerkassery, such as when using one of Peter's fun facts to impress Mary Jane. That said, he did stick up for Peter against the likes of Flash and other bullies, as well as genuinely being nice to him in private. He also gets defensive when MJ called his dad a "creep" because she overheard him insulting her and, well, being a legitimate creep, but at the same time, he was just trying to be a good son. Character flaws aside, he does appreciate his friendship with Peter and Mary Jane, which is especially showcased in the third movie during his time having amnesia and [[spoiler:at the end where he sacrifices his life for them.]] |
| 281 | * KickTheDog: When Peter implores his aid in the third film’s climax after their fight, Harry initially claims Peter doesn't deserve his help, despite Mary Jane being an innocent victim in this situation trapped by two supervillains. That said, this was partly from feeling defeated and despairful, with a deleted scene even showing him tearful afterwards. |
| 282 | * KnowWhenToFoldThem: After two failed assassination attempts on his former friend, getting his ass embarrassingly handed to him, and gaining scars that disfigured his once handsome face, Harry wisely backed off afterward. |
| 283 | * LaserGuidedKarma: Considering his overall behavior and poor treatment of his best friend and ex-girlfriend throughout the second and third film, he finally gets a sound beatdown by the same ExtremeDoormat of a "friend" he treated poorly who's going through a JerkassBall, getting his own "attacked in the heart" when Peter states that [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Norman never loved him for being an embarrassment]], ''and'' getting his own pumpkin bomb blown up in his face for good measure. |
| 284 | * LegacyCharacter: [[spoiler:Takes his father's equipment and becomes the New Goblin. Good thing he ultimately spurned said legacy.]] |
| 285 | * LikesClarkKentHatesSuperman: He swears revenge on Spider-Man after thinking the latter killed his father, but continues to consider Peter his best friend over the course of ''Spider-Man 2''. Things get very complicated once he finds out Peter and Spidey are the same person. |
| 286 | * LockedOutOfTheLoop: The Osborns' butler knew all along that Norman/the Green Goblin was killed by his own glider, not by Spider-Man, but for some reason, he decides to wait until ''after'' Harry is disfigured by Peter with one of his own pumpkin bombs to tell him as such. |
| 287 | * LonelyRichKid: Norman being a distant father, who had a bad marriage, and his own fame as a scientist caused problems for Harry, who got expelled from a number of high schools before going to a regular high school where he met Peter and MJ. Him being an outsider is what brought him and Peter together even if they otherwise don't have much in common. |
| 288 | * LovingAShadow: Despite his claims throughout ''Spider-Man 1'' of how much Mary Jane means to him (to the point of expressing a desire to one day ''marry'' her in the tie-in comic at Thanksgiving), it’s implied he was more interested in her popular girl persona; he takes MJ out on lavish dates and tries to make her look good in front of his circle but doesn’t seem to care much about her life beyond this. In the novelization after Norman’s funeral, Harry outright admits that he mainly pursued MJ to impress his father and she isn’t right for him. Even his bitterness over her breaking up with him has more to do with Peter. However, the third film reveals he did have genuine feelings for MJ in high school, which were complicated by his self-doubts and ParentalIssues. |
| 289 | * MadeOfIron: He can endure blows from an enhanced [[LightningBruiser Spider-Man]] while retaliating to an extent. That said, he did gain EasyAmnesia from having his head smashed against a metal pipe, starts spitting out blood from getting kicked through the window by a symbiote-influenced Peter once, and probably got knocked out from the pumpkin bomb exploding in his face [[spoiler:but also gets blinded in the right eye and a massive burn scar.]] |
| 290 | * MissingMom: His mother never made an appearance, but is implied to have been divorced from Norman a while before the events of the first film. The novel for the third film confirms that Harry became an orphan when Norman died, meaning that she wasn't in their lives by that point. |
| 291 | * MoralMyopia: |
| 292 | ** He somehow expects Mary Jane to still be in a relationship with him after not only failing to defend her from his father's horrible and public misogynistic insults, but he then outright tells her that his father needs no defense and that she has no say in it. He later feels betrayed when she shows affection to Peter. That said, Harry did try to call her beforehand, so maybe he felt some guilt for his actions. Likewise, he already reconciled with MJ by the start of second movie, as well as initially encouraging Peter to respond to her affection. |
| 293 | ** At the end of ''Spider-Man 2'' and the start of ''Spider-Man 3'', Harry is still furious about Norman being "killed", but is apparently unable to accept that Norman was a terrorist who tried to kill everyone else in New York, including him and MJ that one time. Unsurprising, since its clear that he is facing sanity issues at that time. |
| 294 | * MovieSuperheroesWearBlack: Super''villains'' do so too, apparently: His Goblin-armor is primarily black with some green parts which are notably darker than his comic book costume or the armor his father wears in the first movie. This [[JustifiedTrope justifies]] his CodeName [[AdaptationNameChange being changed]] from ''Green'' Goblin to ''New'' Goblin as this Goblin is barely even green. |
| 295 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He has a guilty look on his face in ''Film/SpiderMan2'', when he realizes that he sicced Doctor Octopus on his own best friend, after he finds out that Peter and Spider-Man are the same person. He also gets this reaction when he finds out through Peter that Mary Jane is in danger and Doctor Octopus has captured her. |
| 296 | * NeverMyFault: |
| 297 | ** His bad relationship and eventual breakup with Mary Jane. He was far from an ideal boyfriend, to the point of unintentionally making her feel ashamed about being working-class (as per Peter and MJ's conversation about her job at the diner which MJ insists she keeps from telling Harry), as well as having taken his father's side when he insulted her in public. |
| 298 | ** Not to mention how he later accuses Peter of "stealing" MJ in the second movie, if partly from being drunk. |
| 299 | ** Subverted by the end of the third film. It's implied that [[HeelRealization Harry realizes]] his [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone horrible behavior of how he had treated his former best friend and girlfriend]] and not only teamed-up with Peter to save MJ from Venom and Sandman but also took the fatal blow meant for the former, [[RedemptionEqualsDeath reconciling his friendship with them before dying]]. |
| 300 | * NiceMeanAndInbetween: From a multiversal point of view in regard to Peter Parker's best friend, this Harry Osborn is the in-between to the nice of [[Characters/MCUCitizensNewYorkCityMidtownSchoolOfScienceAndTechnology Earth-199999's Ned Leeds]] and the mean of [[Characters/TheAmazingSpiderManSeriesSupervillains Earth-120703's Harry Osborn]]. Despite everything that happened, he ultimately reaffirms his friendship with Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, saving them at the cost of his own life. |
| 301 | * NonIndicativeName: His alter-ego in ''Spider-Man 3'' is known as the "New Goblin", despite there not being anything remotely goblin-like about his costume. |
| 302 | * OhCrap: He gets this reaction in ''both'' of his defeats by Peter in the third film. The first is where he momentarily gets blinded with an exploding Razor Bat flying right back into him before realizing that he's flying ''straight'' into a web-line that Peter made to trip him. The second time is where he tries to make one last desperate attempt to kill Peter by throwing a pumpkin bomb from behind, only for the latter to easily predict such a telegraphed move, as well as his SpiderSense kicking in, and [[CatchAndReturn catch the bomb with his webbing to throw it right back at Harry]] where it then ''explodes right in his face''. |
| 303 | * OnlyInItForTheMoney: Implied. Otto genuinely wanted to help people but Harry seemed more interested in being even more "filthy rich". |
| 304 | * ParentalNeglect: By his father... and whenever he is paid attention to, it's with a strict attitude and even outright belittlement. It's implied that he wasn't very close to his mother, whom exited his life long before the first movie. |
| 305 | * PetTheDog: |
| 306 | ** In the beginning, Harry values Peter enough to defend him from bullies (a rather genuine fact he pointed out in their second and final brawl), and compliments him after he effortlessly trounces Flash. Also, he is shown to be excited at becoming roommates upon heading to college, and after learning Peter was fired by Dr. Connors, Harry suggests his father get him a new job. |
| 307 | ** While he does end up dating MJ, he still asked Peter to go and talk to her first. Only when Peter declines, does he decide to go hit on her. He [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this after the parade. Even in the second film when he feels Peter "stole" her from him, he has to point it out to Peter on his birthday that MJ seems to like him while Pete is being ObliviousToLove. It's also worth pointing out that he and MJ likely helped Aunt May organize said party. |
| 308 | ** While it ended up spiraling downhill, Harry tried to put in some effort as MJ's boyfriend. When they were attacked by the Green Goblin at the Unity Festival, he was genuinely worried for her safety and tried to save her before being knocked out. He later called to check up on MJ and was relieved to hear she was safe, even declaring that he would buy her a gift and take her out afterwards (if showing slight jealousy when she praises Spider-Man for saving her and growing insistent when she declines his gestures). Likewise, though pretty lacking overall, Harry briefly tried to refute his father's sexist insults towards MJ at the Thanksgiving dinner, showing more backbone towards Norman than usual. |
| 309 | ** During his father's funeral, he genuinely tells Peter that he's thankful for him and that he considers him the only family he has left. |
| 310 | ** Upon learning that Peter needed to write a college paper on Doctor Octavius, Harry personally arranges a meeting for him. In fact, when Octavius slightly expressed disinterest in helping Peter, Harry gave a subtle warning to make him cooperate. |
| 311 | ** Despite his lingering feelings for MJ, he remains supportive of her acting career, with MJ mentioning he sent her roses after seeing her play, and doesn't try to get between her and John Jameson, even attending their wedding, quite a contrast from his behavior in the first film. The latter is even more notable since he learnt Peter and Norman's secret identities prior to the wedding ceremony. |
| 312 | ** He tells Doc Ock to not harm Peter despite their friendship being strained from the belief of the latter not taking a pro-active stance against Spider-Man. Near the end of the film after the reveal of Peter Parker and Spider-Man is one and the same, Harry starts to have doubts about his father's death until Norman appears in his mind to convince him otherwise. |
| 313 | ** In the beginning of the third film, Harry is shown attending MJ's debut on Broadway, even gifting her a large bouquet of flowers afterwards (though how much of this was to congratulate her or show up Peter is dubious). |
| 314 | ** Somewhat subverted after his brutal loss against the symbiote-influenced Peter in their second fight. Even if Harry couldn't kill him, he can still spite Peter by revealing the latter's secret identity as Spider-Man to the public, which would effectively ruin Peter's life and endangered any of ''his'' loved ones (being an influential CEO of Oscorp would allow Harry to do just that). But never seems to go through it, being too despairing to do so. |
| 315 | ** After losing his [[EasyAmnesia memories]] in the third movie, he openly admits to a nurse that he'd [[{{Foreshadowing}} lay down his life]] for [[TrueCompanions Peter and MJ]]. |
| 316 | * TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Symbiote Peter gives him one. |
| 317 | -->'''Harry:''' You gonna kill me like you killed my father?\ |
| 318 | '''Peter:''' I'm done trying to convince you.\ |
| 319 | '''Harry:''' You took him from me. He loved me.\ |
| 320 | '''Peter:''' [[LittleNo No]]. [[BrutalHonesty He despised you]]. [[DisappointedInYou You were an embarrassment for him.]] Look at that [[LoserSonOfLoserDad little Goblin junior.]] Gonna cry? |
| 321 | * RedeemingReplacement: He ultimately chooses to be a heroic version of the Goblin once he finds out that Peter didn't really kill his father. |
| 322 | * RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Figuratively took a bullet meant for Peter and was able to make amends to his estranged friends before succumbing to his wounds.]] |
| 323 | * RedemptionPromotion: He becomes significantly more competent after he leaves his hatred behind and helps Peter against Sandman and Venom. |
| 324 | * TheResenter: Deep down, he always resented Peter for being his father's favorite and "stealing" Mary Jane. He lashes out and gets drunk at a party in ''2'' where he slaps Peter in public. The fact that he doesn't apologize or make an excuse for having too much to drink afterward all but cements this fact. |
| 325 | -->'''Harry:''' ''[to Peter]'' Don't act like you're my friend. You stole MJ from me. You stole my father's love. Then you let him die because you didn't turn in the freak. Isn't that right? ''[slaps him]'' Huh? Isn't that right? Huh, brother? ''[slaps him again]'' |
| 326 | * RomanticFalseLead: He's in a serious relationship with Mary Jane for the bulk of the first film. However, their lack of compatibility and Harry's classism and shallowness cause her to grow more distant from him until she calls it off in the final act, all while becoming closer to Peter. |
| 327 | * RousseauWasRight: Despite problems with entitlement, envy, and vengeance, Harry is still a good person by default. Best shown when he suffers amnesia in ''3'', where he's completely a nice guy. |
| 328 | * SanitySlippage: A very gradual version which starts off as an obsessive resentment of Spider-Man at the end of the first movie and beginning of the second, then begins manifesting itself as binge drinking and worsening into [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane hallucinations]]. Ironically, this is all ''before'' taking the Oscorp steroids he takes at the beginning of ''3'', though they didn't exactly help. |
| 329 | * ShipperOnDeck: Despite having a thing for MJ himself, he does encourage Peter to go after her, both in the first movie and the second movie. In fact, in the first movie, he doesn't hit on her, until [[SociallyAwkwardHero Peter]] himself rejects the notion of him going and talking to her first. |
| 330 | * SingleTear: He sheds a single tear after initially turning away Peter in the Editor's Cut and again [[spoiler:as he dies after TakingTheBullet for Peter.]] |
| 331 | * SketchySuccessor: He took up his father's mantle as the second Goblin in ''3'', and while he's shown to be much more dangerous through his excessive use of weapons and unrelenting anger, he's less of a threat to Peter than this father overall, and the improved performance enhancer doesn't even the odds. That said, he does significantly well against Sandman, so it might have been a subconscious thing. |
| 332 | * SmarterThanTheyLook: As noted in HiddenDepths, he may not be as scientifically-inclined as his father or his best friend, but he's still surprisingly intelligent in a different way, being a great businessman and a quick learner. |
| 333 | * SmugSnake: Has a problem with this in the third film where he threatens MJ that he will kill Peter unless she breaks up with him. [[SarcasmMode Yeah, it's not as if Peter has had way more experience in fighting superpowered people or kicked his father's ass with little effort in their final fight, and "didn't" just so happen to defeat him as well despite not wanting to fight back]]. When he actually fights Spidey the second time, and this ''time'', with [[TheDogBitesBack Peter having enough of his entitled behavior]] along with being influenced by the symbiote it... [[HoistByHisOwnPetard doesn't end]] well [[EyeScream for Harry]]... [[KnowWhenToFoldThem at all]]. |
| 334 | * SoLastSeason: In the third film, Harry finally takes on Peter using an improved performance enhancer and upgraded versions of his father's weapons from the first film. Peter's experience since defeating Norman, coupled with Harry's [[EvilIsNotAToy lack of underhanded means like his father used in the first movie]], allows Peter to make a quick work against his estranged best friend. |
| 335 | * SuperReflexes: Along with gaining enhanced physical abilities from the improved performance enhancer, he's able to fly and maneuver at extreme speeds on the [[CoolBoard Sky Stick]], and manages to hold his own against a symbiote-influenced Peter for a brief while. |
| 336 | * SuperHearing: He can hear Mary Jane's break-up with Peter from a good distance away, and was able to hear Peter standing behind him despite the latter stealthily arriving at the balcony prior to their second fight. |
| 337 | * SuperStrength: After taking the improved performance enhancer, Harry gains superhuman strength that is enough to hoist Peter in the air with one hand and keep his grip on him long enough to cut him across the chest with his arm blades, punch through a brick wall and rip out a huge chunk of it with little leverage, and can go toe-to-toe with a rage-fueled, symbiote-enhanced Peter in their second fight. |
| 338 | * SuperToughness: The improved performance enhancer gives Harry a high level of durability. He narrowly survives being tripped by the ''neck'' from flying right into a web trap at high speeds, getting his head smashed into a metal pipe, and crashing onto the floor from a high height. That said, he still needed to be taken to a hospital as the damage left him unable to breath, getting EasyAmnesia for a while. Also, the [[spoiler:right side of his face and eye]] were left damaged after tanking a pumpkin bomb, as well as the implication that it knocked him unconscious. |
| 339 | * TakingTheBullet: He shields Peter with his own body when Venom tries to stab him with the Sky Stick. It also provided Peter the opportunity to put an end to the symbiote once and for all. |
| 340 | * TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:As the New Goblin in the third film, though not as efficiently badass as his father and with the symbiote-addled Peter snarking at him. Played straight as a hero though, allowing him to stop Sandman.]] |
| 341 | * TookALevelInJerkass: After Octavius' failed experiment in the second film, he's much more bitter in attitude, at one point reacting poorly when a man tries to congratulate him for something. He also becomes a jerkass towards Peter after getting drunk and yells out his resentments towards Peter for being his dad's favorite, accusing him of betraying Norman by protecting Spider-Man for the profit of taking his newspaper photos, and for "stealing" Mary Jane. |
| 342 | * TookALevelInKindness: He's nicer than he has ever been when he gets short-term amnesia in the third movie and positively heroic after getting scarred and told by the family butler of how Norman really died. |
| 343 | * {{Tritagonist}}: The third most important character in the trilogy after Peter and MJ. |
| 344 | * TragicBromance: His friendship with Peter is this, as the trilogy shows them develop from being each other's OnlyFriend in high school to becoming enemies in the third before Harry's redemption and death. In the first film, the two have an OddFriendship due to their different financial backgrounds and interests, but cracks in their friendship appear due to their LoveTriangle with Mary Jane which enhances Harry's insecurities about Peter's closeness with Mary Jane and his relationship with his father. In the second film, while they appear at first to still be close with Harry even introducing him to Otto Octavius, Harry carries huge resentment towards Peter who he sees as having stolen Mary Jane from him and is protecting his father's murderer. This culminates in him telling Doc Ock to use Peter to capture Spider-Man for him in return for the material he needs for his experiment despite the dangers it poses, only to be horrified when he learns that his best friend is Spider-Man. In the third film, Harry becomes the New Goblin and tries to kill Peter, only to suffer from amnesia due to an injury caused from the fight which allows the two to be friends again like in the first film. However, once his memory returns he starts getting revenge on Peter again, which leads to a fight between them which Peter wins and due to the symbiote, he belittles Harry over his relationship with Norman. At the end of the third film, however, Harry learns the truth about Norman's death and ultimately comes to realize how much he loves Peter and Mary Jane, choosing to join Peter in the fight against Venom and Sandman. He then gives his life saving Peter, with both of them forgiving each other for their mistakes before Harry dies. In ''No Way Home'', it turns out that even years after Harry's death, Peter never developed a friendship as close or as meaningful as the one he had with Harry. |
| 345 | * TragicVillain: Harry could have been a better person under different circumstances, and is conflicted between his loyalty to Peter and his father before being DrivenToVillainy by his grief, anger, depression, and perceived betrayal from those closest to him. Ultimately, he dies as a TragicHero when sacrificing himself for Peter. |
| 346 | * TurnOutLikeHisFather: By the third movie. His butler even compares them in the second movie. [[spoiler:Subverted in the end though.]] |
| 347 | -->'''Harry:''' Good night, Bernard.\ |
| 348 | '''Bernard:''' Your father only obsessed over his work.\ |
| 349 | '''Harry:''' ''[irritated]'' Good night, Bernard. |
| 350 | * TwoFaced: [[spoiler:Downplayed, but the right side of his face is left scarred from being caught in the blast radius of an exploding pumpkin bomb.]] |
| 351 | * TwoGuysAndAGirl: Peter, Harry, and Mary Jane. |
| 352 | * TheUnfavorite: Norman constantly compares him to Peter in an unfavorable manner despite Peter not being his son at all. |
| 353 | * UngratefulBastard: |
| 354 | ** Justifiably, when Spider-Man saves his life in the second film, Harry flat-out tells him that this doesn't change anything. He even believes that Spider-Man did it just to humiliate him. |
| 355 | ** Even after he found out that his father was the Green Goblin, Harry still tries to take revenge against his former friend for "supposedly" murdering him despite Peter's efforts to conceal the truth about Norman's crimes. This is averted near the end of the third film though. |
| 356 | * UnskilledButStrong: As the New Goblin, Harry has all the same abilities and gadgetry the original one had which allows him to take on Peter in the third movie. Deconstructed, since his lack of experience as a fighter ends up biting him in the ass throughout the entire film. In the first fight against Peter, Harry only had the advantage because he attacks out of nowhere and Peter wasn't trying to fight back and manages to incapacitate Harry through a web trap. Their second fight really highlights just how out of depth he really is against a [[TheDogBitesBack symbiote-influenced Peter]] regardless of his [[CombatPragmatist pragmatism]] and was brutally defeated with a pumpkin bomb exploding in his face. He does much better as a hero though, [[spoiler:only being stopped via getting fatally wounded saving Peter from Venom.]] |
| 357 | * UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: |
| 358 | ** In the first film, he tells Norman that MJ basically dumped him and clearly loves Peter. He had no idea at the time that his father was the Green Goblin and ''looking'' for ways to target and hurt Peter after figuring out he was Spider-Man. The entire final battle of the film lands squarely on an unaware Harry's shoulders as a result. |
| 359 | ** He repeats this again in the second film when he wants the missing Spider-Man in exchange for giving Doctor Octopus the tritium he needs, and points the man towards Peter for finding him -- despite declaring he doesn't want Peter harmed, it's clear that he still underestimated Ock's murderous insanity in the problem, not even realizing Mary Jane was kidnapped or that his deal threatens to destroy the city until Peter tells him this ''to his face''. |
| 360 | * VillainousBSOD: Suffers this after the symbiote-powered Peter scarred his face with his own bomb. When Peter later pleads with him to help him save MJ, Harry tells him to get out out of sadness and anger. By that point, he's too bitter to do anything. Learning the truth from Bernard got him out of it. |
| 361 | * VillainTeamUp: [[spoiler:Sort of, in the second movie. Though not exactly a true villain yet, Harry has been pretty vocal that he would get revenge on Spider-Man if given the chance, and as such, strikes a deal with Octavius to exchange Spider-Man for the tritium Octavius needs to fuel his reactor.]] |
| 362 | * WellDoneSonGuy: Always wanted his father's approval, and much as he resented and felt stifled by Norman's treatment, he continued to take his side over that of his best friend and girlfriend. His actions in the next two films as the CEO of Oscorp and the New Goblin are all his attempts to make his father proud. Thankfully, Harry moves past this in the end. |
| 363 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:The last time he’s mentioned in the junior novelization, he’s in his penthouse, wondering what to do. Also counts as SparedByTheAdaptation.]] |
| 364 | * WhatTheHellHero: Though not a hero per se in the first film, Harry is (''pretty'' justifiably) on the receiving end of this from Aunt May during Thanksgiving dinner when MJ lashes out at him after hearing Norman's disparaging comments about her and Harry ends up defending his father rather than her. |
| 365 | -->'''MJ:''' [[SarcasmMode Thanks for sticking up for me, Harry]].\ |
| 366 | '''Harry:''' You heard?\ |
| 367 | '''MJ:''' ''Everyone'' heard that creep!\ |
| 368 | '''Harry:''' That creep is my ''father'', all right? If I'm lucky I'll become half of what he is, so just keep your mouth shut about stuff you don't understand!\ |
| 369 | '''Aunt May:''' ''[shocked]'' Harry Osborn...! |
| 370 | ** Technically, MJ lashing out at Harry in the first place can also be considered this, at least when ignoring how she cheated on him beforehand with Spider-Man. |
| 371 | * YouKeepUsingThatWord: While it's certainly not PlayedForLaughs, Harry goes on and on about how Peter "murdered" his father to the point of a RunningGag in the third film, even in a LameComeback after getting his ass handed to him in their second fight. The way Harry frames it as if Peter intentionally killed Norman with malicious intent, which is completely inaccurate (at best, Peter would be legally guilty of negligent homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and assistant suicide), and seeing how hopeless it is to convince him otherwise, along with the Symbiote's influence, Peter just gives up. |
| 372 | ** The novel version shows the Green Goblin continuously telling Harry that he was "murdered" by Spider-Man, which would explain why Harry himself believes this to be the case. |
| 373 | * YouKilledMyFather: He believes Spider-Man murdered his father. Until his butler reveals the truth. |
| 374 | * YoungAndInCharge: He is around the same age as Peter and MJ, making him 20 or 21 years old in the second film. Yet he is apparently the new CEO of Oscorp after his father's death. |
| 375 | [[/folder]] |
| 376 | |
| 377 | !The Parker Family |
| 378 | [[folder:May Parker]] |
| 379 | !!May Parker |
| 380 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/movie_aunt_may.jpg]] |
| 381 | [[caption-width-right:330:''"At least we get the toaster."'']] |
| 382 | !!!'''Played by:''' Creator/RosemaryHarris |
| 383 | !!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MindySterling (second game), Ángela Villanueva (Latin American Spanish), Monique Martial (European French dub), Françoise Faucher (Canadian French dub), Nelly Amaral (Brazilian Portuguese dub, ''1''), Selma Lopes (Brazilian Portuguese dub, ''2'' and ''3'') |
| 384 | !!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/SpiderMan1'' | ''Film/SpiderMan2'' | ''Film/SpiderMan3'' |
| 385 | |
| 386 | ->''"I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams."'' |
| 387 | |
| 388 | Peter's aunt, who struggles with life after the death of her husband. |
| 389 | ---- |
| 390 | * AdaptationDyeJob: In the comics, May was blonde when she was younger while the ''Film/SpiderMan1'' novelization reveals she was a brunette. |
| 391 | * AdaptationalJobChange: In the novel, it's explained that she was once a frontline nurse, which isn't a job any of the comic versions have had. |
| 392 | * AdaptationPersonalityChange: |
| 393 | ** On her views of Spider-Man. In the comics[[note]]until she finds out Peter is Spider-Man, pre-''ComicBook/BrandNewDay''[[/note]] and most adaptations, she is afraid of Spider-Man and, like Jameson, thinks he's a menace. Here, May dislikes Spider-Man by reputation until he saves her from Doc Ock, after which she quickly comes to see him as a real hero[[note]]Even before that in the second novelization, she acknowledges he saved Mary Jane and stopped Green Goblin[[/note]]. The opposite goes with her views of Doc Ock, who she thought was a nice man (and almost married him) in the comics. |
| 394 | ** In the first film, she says a prayer before going to bed, and the novelization reveals she believes that God had a reason for having Ben die. The comic book May wasn't shown to be an especially religious person. |
| 395 | * AdaptationalSkill: She has medical knowledge due to having once been a frontline nurse, as revealed by the novelization. |
| 396 | * AgeGapRomance: A likely unintentional one due to the novelization, but May was a frontline nurse during WWII which usually had volunteers as young as 21. The US entered the war in 1941 and assuming she joined young, her date of birth is anywhere from 1920 to 1924 with it being possible that she's even older. Ben confirms he's 68 years old during the first film, which was also kept in the novelization, meaning he was born in 1934 and at least ten years younger than May if not more. The second novelization mentioning that she once tried to flirt with Frank Sinatra at a concert, who's popularity was primarily in the 1940s, supports this idea. |
| 397 | * AmbiguousSituation: There are a few hints throughout the trilogy that May knows Peter is Spider-Man, such as her otherwise unprompted speech on heroism that convinces Peter to come back to the job, but she never outright confirms it. |
| 398 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: She’s a sweet old lady and a loving aunt, but she ''will'' deck you if you make her angry enough. Just ask Doctor Octopus. |
| 399 | * CombatMedic: The novelization of the first film reveals that she used to be a frontline medic in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and still has enough first-aid knowledge to stitch up a cut on Peter's arm. |
| 400 | * CombatPragmatist: {{Defied|Trope}} for others, played straight for herself. When Doctor Octopus tries to bait Spider-Man and stab him with a blade hidden in one of his tentacles, she expresses being sickened by the foul play. She then proceeds to clock Octavius in the head, saving Spidey's life. |
| 401 | * CoolAunt: She and her late husband are Peter's loving {{Parental Substitute}}s. |
| 402 | * CoolOldLady: She's always cheery, upbeat and rarely shows a negative side. |
| 403 | * DamselOutOfDistress: When Doc Ock takes her hostage, she completely loses it and attacks the man after seeing him preparing to use an underhanded tactic against Spidey. |
| 404 | -->'''May:''' [[BewareTheNiceOnes Shame on you!]] |
| 405 | * TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: She becomes this with Mary Jane in ''3'', who she never appears with on-screen but is confirmed to still keep in contact with. |
| 406 | * FormerTeenRebel: It's implied in the ''Film/SpiderMan2'' novelization that May was more sexually open in her youth, once trying to flirt with Music/FrankSinatra at a concert. |
| 407 | * GoodOldWays: She's quite old-fashioned in her mannerisms. In the first novelization, Peter notes that May's diction (even when she [[CurseOfTheAncients swears]]) can sound straight out of a Creator/MarkTwain novel and she disapproves of the violence and crudeness in sports that Ben watches. Regarding her sense of style, May insisted Peter [[OutdatedOutfit dress smartly for school despite its impracticality]], only relenting on him wearing sneakers instead of Oxfords in his senior year, and has him carry handkerchiefs in his formal suits. She's also scandalized by Spider-Man's fangirls' revealing clothing and seductive natures in the second novelization. |
| 408 | * GrannyClassic: She's a great cook, she can knit, and she often wears her hair in a bun. |
| 409 | * HappilyMarried: To Ben. In ''Film/SpiderMan3'', she reflects on Ben's proposal while she's giving Peter her engagement ring. |
| 410 | * HiddenDepths: |
| 411 | ** Despite her gentle and fragile demeanor, May used to be a [[CombatMedic frontline nurse]], a job not for the faint of heart. She seems to retain these skills, using a first-aid kit to treat Peter's wound at Thanksgiving. |
| 412 | ** The second novelization reveals she once aspired to be an actress. |
| 413 | * HighClassGloves: With her dress at Peter's graduation. |
| 414 | * InSpiteOfANail: She and her counterpart from Earth-120703 both ended up becoming nurses, though at different points in their lives. |
| 415 | * MeaningfulEcho: [[spoiler:Her words to Peter about sometimes having "to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most" are echoed by her nephew when he successfully persuades Octavius to help him save New York.]] |
| 416 | * {{Nephewism}}: Peter is actually her brother-in-law's son. |
| 417 | * NeatFreak: She keeps a tidy house and is slightly annoyed by Peter's messy room. Taken further in the novelization, where it's revealed May actually wrapped her and Ben's furniture in plastic until Peter came to live with them, and has a meticulous routine in preparing for bed, even straightening her hospital blankets. |
| 418 | ** That said, when Norman notes Peter as "a bit of a slob", Aunt May didn't seem to mind, showing that this is a downplayed case overall. |
| 419 | * NeverMessWithGranny: Don't let her old age fool you, [[RetiredBadass she was a frontline medic]] during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and she's not above physically attacking you if you vex her enough. Doc Ock knows firsthand how that was like. |
| 420 | * NiceGirl: She's shown to be a very kindhearted, generous, and supportive person. Even after Norman badmouthed MJ (with Harry making things worse) in the first movie, May is shown to have forgiven him by the next sequel, mentioning the man to Harry as a form of genuine compliment. |
| 421 | * NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Prior to the series, May takes in her husband's nephew and raises him like a mother. [[spoiler:In a sense, this indirect led to her husband dying. She also gets targeted by the Green Goblin after the latter discovers Peter's secret identity.]] |
| 422 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: She briefly snaps at Peter in the beginning of the second movie when he gently tried to refuse the birthday money she gave him, being stressed by her financial state and grief over Uncle Ben's demise. To her credit, May immediately apologizes to Peter for this. |
| 423 | * OohMeAccentsSlipping: Being played by a British actress, her natural accent tends to slip through in a few places. |
| 424 | * OutOfFocus: In ''3'', May has noticeably lesser screentime than the last two installments. |
| 425 | * ParasolOfPain: Hits Doc Ock with her umbrella during her DamselOutOfDistress moment. |
| 426 | * ParentalSubstitute: She and her late husband took care of Peter after his parents died. She's also a motherly figure to both Harry and Mary Jane, who were implied to have less-than-ideal relationships with their own mothers. |
| 427 | * RetiredBadass: The ''Spider-Man 1'' novelization reveals she was a field nurse during World War II. |
| 428 | * SecretSecretKeeper: [[ImpliedTrope Possibly]]. It would explain her tone during her almost completely unprompted speech about heroes to Peter (which serves "unwittingly" as a pep talk for him to resume being Spider-Man), as well as her forgiving him for abandoning her at the bank after Ock's attack. |
| 429 | * ShipperOnDeck: For Peter and Mary Jane, of course. She is pleased while secretly listening to Peter open up to Mary Jane at the hospital, and later encourages her nephew to let the latter know how much he cares about her. May even gives Peter her wedding ring to propose to Mary Jane in the third film, and counsels him when their relationship hits a roadblock. |
| 430 | * StunnedSilence: Her reaction in the second film when learning from Peter what his actual role in Ben's passing was. |
| 431 | * SupremeChef: May is a talented cook, often baking homemade goodies for Peter to cheer him up, and later preparing an entire Thanksgiving feast. For her nephew's birthday in the second film, she made all the party food, including the cake and fruit punch, herself. |
| 432 | * TextileWorkIsFeminine: She's shown knitting in the first film. The novelization reveals May would make Peter sweaters and the balaclava from his [[CheapCostume first suit]] was a 14th birthday gift from her. |
| 433 | * ThouShaltNotKill: After being informed of Sandman's supposed murder by Spider-Man, May tells Peter that Spider-Man doesn't kill people and states her own belief that it isn't for them "to say whether a person deserves to live or die." [[spoiler: This later influenced his decision to spare [[AlternateSelf Norman Osborn]] in ''No Way Home'' by stopping his MCU counterpart from attempting a similar action that he tried to do against Flint Marko.]] |
| 434 | * TrueBlueFemininity: She often wears blue flowery dresses in the first film, particularly for special occasions. |
| 435 | * TruerToTheText: Outside of her different view of Spider-Man, this May Parker is much more faithful to her comic book counterpart than all of the other live-action versions of the character. |
| 436 | * TwoFirstNames: "May" and "Parker" are both applicable as given names. |
| 437 | [[/folder]] |
| 438 | |
| 439 | [[folder:Ben Parker]] |
| 440 | !!Ben Parker |
| 441 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/movie_uncle_ben.png]] |
| 442 | [[caption-width-right:330:''"These are the years when a man changes into the man he's going to become for the rest of his life. Just be careful who you change into."'']] |
| 443 | !!!'''Played by:''' Creator/CliffRobertson |
| 444 | !!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/BlasGarcia (Latin American Spanish dub, ''Spider-Man''), Arturo Casanova (Latin American Spanish dub, ''Spider-Man 2'' & ''Spider-Man 3'') Creator/MarcCassot (European French dub), Denis Mercier (Canadian French dub), Jomeri Pozzoli (Brazilian Portuguese dub) |
| 445 | !!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/SpiderMan1'' | ''Film/SpiderMan2''[[note]]hallucination[[/note]] | ''Film/SpiderMan3''[[note]]flashbacks[[/note]] | ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'' [[note]]Archive footage from ''Film/SpiderMan1''[[/note]] |
| 446 | |
| 447 | ->''"WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility. Remember that, Pete. Remember that."'' |
| 448 | |
| 449 | Peter's uncle, a former electrician who attempts to teach his nephew a valuable lesson about responsibility, only to be tragically killed. |
| 450 | ---- |
| 451 | * AdaptationDyeJob: A mild case; in the comics, Ben originally had brown hair during his youth but the ''Film/SpiderMan1'' novelization states he had reddish brown hair. |
| 452 | * AdaptationalJobChange: He was a senior electrician who got laid off, while in the comics, he was a textile worker before retiring. |
| 453 | * AesopCollateralDamage: Peter's aesop comes at the expense of Ben's life. |
| 454 | * AgeGapRomance: A likely unintentional one due to the novelization, but May was a frontline nurse during WWII which usually had volunteers as young as 21. The US entered the war in 1941 and assuming she joined young, her date of birth is anywhere from 1920 to 1924 with it being possible that she's even older. Ben confirms he's 68 years old during the first film, which was also kept in the novelization, meaning he was born in 1934 and at least ten years younger than May if not more. |
| 455 | * TheAllegedCar: His 1988 Oldsmobile Delta constantly needed repairs, but Ben refused to replace it, citing its durability. The novelization reveals it [[TragicKeepsake originally belonged to his brother]]. |
| 456 | * AlternateSelf: He's mentioned in ''No Way Home'' along with his [[Characters/TheAmazingSpiderManSeriesMainCharacters Earth-120703]] counterpart while he has more on [[Characters/SpiderManSpiderVerseSupportingCharacters Earth-1610B and Earth-65B]]. Most of them [[InSpiteOfANail died]], teaching their nephews that with great power comes great responsibility. |
| 457 | * ArcWords: One more time; "WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility." |
| 458 | * CoolOldGuy: He's very doting and always positive. |
| 459 | * CoolUncle: He and his wife are Peter's loving {{Parental Substitute}}s. |
| 460 | * DeathByAdaptation: In the comics, he died when Peter had been Spider-Man for quite a while. Here, he died the night after he started being called Spider-Man. |
| 461 | * DeathByOriginStory: Which triggered Peter becoming Spider-Man. |
| 462 | * {{Determinator}}: While he eventually dies, given the timeframe it took for Peter to get back, it's implied that Uncle Ben continues to cling onto life until he sees his nephew one last time. |
| 463 | * GoodParents: He's not actually Peter's father, but he sure did a fine job of molding him into a kindhearted person. |
| 464 | * HappilyMarried: To May. |
| 465 | * ILetGwenStacyDie: His death greatly affected Peter. |
| 466 | * {{Nephewism}}: Peter is actually his brother's son. What exactly happened to Peter's biological parents is never mentioned in the films. |
| 467 | * NiceGuy: A CoolOldGuy who's a great father figure to his nephew and a loving husband to his wife. |
| 468 | * NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler:When Flint Marko tries to carjack him at gunpoint, Ben senses the thief's conflicted and hesitant nature. Rather than just let him take the car, he shows sympathy for Flint and tries to convince him to put down the gun and go home. Unfortunately, Dennis Carradine arrives at the scene and startles Flint, causing him to pull the trigger and fatally shoot Ben.]] |
| 469 | * ObnoxiousInLaws: The novelization reveals that Ben's mother had hated May, to the point she was incredibly rude to May when they first met. |
| 470 | * ParentalSubstitute: He and his wife took care of Peter after his parents died and Peter outright says that Ben is his father. |
| 471 | * PresentAbsence: His influence on Peter is felt throughout the trilogy as it was he who inspired him to become Spider-Man. |
| 472 | * SpiritAdvisor: To Peter in ''2''. |
| 473 | * TwoFirstNames: "Ben" and "Parker" can both be used as first names. |
| 474 | * WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility: Tries to instill Peter this in their last conversation, which Peter rudely rebuffs. After he's killed, Peter sticks by this motto and decides to use his powers for good. |
| 475 | [[/folder]] |
| 476 | |
| 477 | [[folder:Richard & Mary Parker]] |
| 478 | !!Richard & Mary Parker |
| 479 | !!!'''Played by:''' N/A |
| 480 | !!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/SpiderMan1''[[note]]novelization, mentioned[[/note]] | ''Film/SpiderMan2''[[note]]novelization, mentioned (Mary only)[[/note]] |
| 481 | |
| 482 | Peter's mother and father who died when he was four years old, leaving him to be raised by Ben and May. |
| 483 | ---- |
| 484 | * AffectionateNickname: In the novelization, Ben calls his brother Ricky. This is [[AdaptationNameChange different from the comics]], where his nickname was Richie in the mainstream continuity and Ray in ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan''. |
| 485 | * AllThereInTheManual: Their fates are revealed in the ''Spider-Man'' novelization. |
| 486 | * DeathByOriginStory: Like in the comics, they died in a plane crash when Peter was little. |
| 487 | * DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Peter thinks highly of them even years after their deaths. |
| 488 | * MythologyGag: Their jobs as spies and the plane crash which killed them being an assassination arranged by the Red Skull is acknowledged in the novelization of the first film, where a four-year-old Peter justifies this by showing Ben comic books of ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and explaining his parents were too special to just die by accident. |
| 489 | * TwoFirstNames: Their first names "Richard" and "Mary" and their last name "Parker" are all usable as first names. |
| 490 | * UnnamedParent: Peter's mother isn't named, but in the comics her name is Mary. |
| 491 | [[/folder]] |
| 492 | |
| 493 | !''Daily Bugle'' Staff |
| 494 | [[folder:J. Jonah Jameson]] |
| 495 | !!J. Jonah Jameson |
| 496 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/movie_j_jonah_jameson.jpg]] |
| 497 | [[caption-width-right:330:''"He doesn't want to be famous? Then I'll make him '''in'''famous!"'']] |
| 498 | !!!'''Played by:''' Creator/JKSimmons |
| 499 | !!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JayGordon (first and second games), Creator/HumbertoSolorzano (Latin American Spanish dub), Creator/JeanBarney (European French dub), Pierre Chagnon (Canadian French dub), José Santa Cruz (Brazilian Portuguese dub) |
| 500 | !!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/SpiderMan1'' | ''Film/SpiderMan2'' | ''Film/SpiderMan3'' |
| 501 | |
| 502 | ->''"Who is Spider-Man? He's a criminal that's who he is! A vigilante! A public menace! What's he doing on ''my'' front page?"'' |
| 503 | |
| 504 | |
| 505 | Peter's boss at the ''Daily Bugle''. Cantankerous and loud, he seeks to "stop Spider-Man from commiting crime". |
| 506 | ---- |
| 507 | * AdaptationalHeroism: While still a loud and cantankerous jerk, J. Jonah Jameson doesn't have his comic incarnation's habit of funding super villains to arrest and unmask Spider-Man. He also completely opposes the idea of writing fake stories to incriminate superheroes, especially Spider-Man. That said, the comic version eventually stopped with both after [[spoiler:learning about Peter's identity and becoming his supporter in 2017]]. |
| 508 | * AdaptationalJerkass: A subtle example, but his whole [[FreudianExcuse impetus]] for hating Spider-Man in the comics revolved around his wife being murdered by a masked man. This incarnation's wife is alive and well, meaning he's just badmouthing Spider-Man solely for the sake of sensationalism. |
| 509 | * AesopAmnesia: PlayedForLaughs. Right after realizing he was wrong to frame Spider-Man a menace in ''Spider-Man 2'' and admitting he was indeed a hero after the wallcrawler vanished, he would immediately change back into his old anti-Spider-Man-rants when the latter returns and steals his costume back from Jameson's office. |
| 510 | * AlliterativeName: |
| 511 | ** Three names, all begin with '''J'''s. Doubles as AlliterativeFamily. |
| 512 | ** The novelization of the first film lampshades this, as he defends the name "Green Goblin" on the grounds that alliteration makes names easier to remember[[note]]Which was Creator/StanLee's reasoning for doing this as a trademark of his[[/note]]. The text proceeds to describe how [[HypocriticalHumor Peter Parker disagrees with this]], while Betty Brant calls up J. Jonah Jameson about a call for him from famous scientists [[ComicBook/MisterFantastic Reed Richards]] and [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]]. |
| 513 | * BerserkButton: Has a lot of these, but one button you ''shouldn't'' press is deceiving him into publishing falsified information. When he fires Eddie Brock after humiliating him and his paper with photoshopped images, he's ''[[TranquilFury dead serious]]'' compared to the times he's [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity "fired"]] Peter. |
| 514 | * BigEgoHiddenDepths: The ''Film/SpiderMan1'' novelization shows he's surprisingly self-aware despite his cocksure demeanor, secretly acknowledging himself as an unscrupulous and sensationalist editor trying to keep the ''Bugle'' afloat. However, he refuses to give up his newsman principles, which is why he withholds Peter’s name from the Green Goblin. |
| 515 | * BreakoutCharacter: His screen time increases throughout the trilogy and he has become widely regarded as the definitive version of the character in all forms of media, thanks to Creator/JKSimmons' excellent performance, which is so iconic that he's [[PigeonholedVoiceActor reprised the role in other Marvel projects]] such as ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'', ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012'', and even the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. And even if he doesn't appear, his voice and mannerisms are at least ''emulated'' by others (like in ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', where Darin De Paul admitted to taking heavy influence from Simmons' version). In fact, the reason Jonah never appeared on-screen in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'' is because the filmmakers felt that no one could live up to Simmons in the role. |
| 516 | * ButtMonkey: Bad things tend to happen to him a lot. |
| 517 | * CigarChomper: Introduced this way, and is seen smoking later on as well. |
| 518 | * TheCynic: PlayedForLaughs. Peter points out that the problem with him is that he doesn't trust anyone. Jameson only counters that he trusts his barber. |
| 519 | * DaEditor: Like always. |
| 520 | * DeadpanSnarker: He snarks at almost every opportunity he has. |
| 521 | -->'''Betty:''' Boss, your wife is on the line. She says she lost her checkbook.\ |
| 522 | '''Jameson:''' Thanks for the good news! |
| 523 | * DotingParent: He believes his son is a "real hero" and boasts about John's accomplishments at any opportunity. It's actually quite heartwarming, considering how grumpy he usually acts towards others. |
| 524 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: His page quote is his very first line of dialogue in the series, and it tells you everything about what he thinks of the titular hero. |
| 525 | * EveryoneHasStandards: |
| 526 | ** In the first film, the Goblin attacks him to know the identity of the photographer who takes pictures of Spider-Man. Jameson, despite being obviously terrified, refuses to sell Peter out and instead claims his work comes by mail. |
| 527 | ** In the second film, he actually comes to express remorse when Spider-Man disappeared from the public, of which cause New York's crime rate to skyrocket and Dr. Octopus to threaten everyone. As much as he antagonized Spider-Man, Jameson probably didn't think it would actually cause him to quit for good. It would also explain why [[HereWeGoAgain he reverted to his usual self when Spider-Man returned.]] |
| 528 | ** In the third film, he issues a full retraction after firing Eddie for creating fake photos of Spider-Man committing a robbery and is absolutely furious at Eddie over it; even the retraction article details Jameson's brief but genuine apology over the matter despite retaining his attempts to defame Spider-Man. He may rely on biased journalism, sensationalism and other questionable methods to make things difficult for the web-crawler but he draws the line at outright lies and fabrication. |
| 529 | * GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: Towards Peter, despite him being a freelance cameraman. |
| 530 | ** "Fires" Peter a number of times for whatever reason, only to rehire him within a few seconds afterward. |
| 531 | --->'''Jameson:''' ''[to Peter]'' Where were you, photographing squirrels? You're fired.\ |
| 532 | '''Betty:''' Chief, the planetarium party.\ |
| 533 | '''Jameson:''' ''[realizes his mistake]'' Oh, right. ''[to Peter]'' You're ''un''-fired, I need you. Come here. |
| 534 | ** Averted with his firing of Eddie; Jameson actually means it, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness and his attitude makes that very clear.]] |
| 535 | --->'''Jameson:''' ''[enraged over Eddie's fake photos]'' Pack your things. Get out of my building.\ |
| 536 | '''Eddie:''' I was just-\ |
| 537 | '''Jameson:''' ''[with utter rage]'' YOU'RE FIRED!!! |
| 538 | * GetOut: |
| 539 | ** Kicks Hoffman out of his office and tells him this after what's presumably another one of his useless and boring ideas to advertise the ''Daily Bugle''. |
| 540 | ** As Eddie Brock found out from above, whenever Jameson tells you this when you're fired, you ''know'' he's serious about it. |
| 541 | * GoodOldWays: In the first novelization, he complains how newspapers are losing money and blames it on the fact that the older generation are dying while the younger generation would rather learn about the world through television or the internet, that is if they even care to do so. He also believes that heroism was killed [[NewMediaAreEvil because of the internet]] while claiming the only real heroes are those in the history books like the founding fathers or "[[{{Foreshadowing}} some schmuck with bad timing who falls into it by accident]]". Norman politely disagrees with him and in regards to the last comment, notes that pretty much defined the word "hero". |
| 542 | * GreenEyedMonster: The same as his original comic version. The end of the first novelization reveals he's secretly jealous of how selfless and compassionate Spider-Man is. It would explain why he dressed up as Spidey in ''Spider-Man 2.1''. |
| 543 | * GrumpyGrowler: Jameson's cantankerous personality is complemented perfectly by J. K. Simmons's deep, gruff voice. |
| 544 | * GrumpyOldMan: To the freaking core! |
| 545 | * HeyYou: This is practically how he calls people. |
| 546 | * HiddenHeartOfGold: Despite being a {{Jerkass}} most of the time, he is still a good person deep down. Perhaps one of the most notable examples would have to be him immediately lying to the Green Goblin to protect Peter's identity in the first film, even while the Goblin ''[[NeckLift chokes him]]''. Another example is his fury when he finds that Eddie Brock printed a forged photo framing Spider-Man of robbery and actually prints a retraction ''apologizing'' to Spider-Man despite his dislike of him. |
| 547 | * {{Hypocrite}}: Mary Jane points out that despite Jameson's belief in the law, he takes advantage of Spider-Man's inability to sue him for libel without revealing his identity to sell papers. Jameson [[HypocrisyNod concedes this]] but believes he's above the rules because he's keeping Spidey's power in check. |
| 548 | * IgnoredEpiphany: He starts to have a JerkassRealization in the second movie when Mary Jane is captured, bemoaning the fact that Spider-Man could have stopped it from happening had he not driven him away. Then Spidey returns (and steals back his costume), and Jameson goes right back to his old self. |
| 549 | * InspectorJavert: ''Firmly'' believes that Spidey is "up to no good". It's hinted in ''Spider-Man 1'' and confirmed in supplementary materials that he doubts the hero's intentions and believes he has something to hide since Spider-Man wears a mask, unlike Jameson's open reporting and other public servants (police, firefighters, lawyers, etc.) who show their faces and take responsibility for their actions. That said, deep down, he does seem to be aware that Spider-Man is a hero, but is too proud to admit it, at least when the situation isn't serious enough. |
| 550 | * IRejectYourReality: As usual, he refuses to acknowledge that Spider-Man is hero, no matter how many times his employees tell him otherwise. |
| 551 | * ItsAllMyFault: Uttered verbatim when Mary Jane gets kidnapped by Doctor Octopus as he feels that it happened due to driving Spider-Man away. He takes it back a few seconds later when Spider-Man steals his costume back from under his nose. |
| 552 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: An arrogant, stubborn and pompous skinflint who micromanages his employees, although he does have a decent side. Best shown in the first movie, when right after harshly shutting down Peter, as soon as the Goblin chokes him to get the information who is responsible for the photos of Spidey, he bravely refuses to reveal that despite facing certain death. |
| 553 | * LargeHam: You ''will'' know when he's on-screen, largely when he starts yelling about Spider-Man. |
| 554 | * LaserGuidedKarma: After two movies of selfish, dickish behavior, karma starts to catch up Jameson in the third film with his own subtle HumiliationConga -- Betty drives him up the wall buzzing him about taking his pills, Eddie tricks him and humiliates him with a fake story, Peter strong-arms him into finally giving him a proper job at the ''Bugle'', and a little girl scams him for a camera during the climax (charging extra money for the film). |
| 555 | * LastNameBasis: He calls everybody by their last name except his own family and Robbie. |
| 556 | * MeanBoss: Is constantly seen yelling and berating his employees. |
| 557 | * MoralityPet: About the only person we see him being nice towards is his son John. He also acts affiable towards Robbie as well. |
| 558 | * MotorMouth: When he gets going. |
| 559 | * TheNicknamer: Comes up with the supervillain names for both Green Gobin and Doctor Octopus. For the latter, Hoffman initially comes up with "ComicBook/DoctorStrange", and Jameson admits that it's good... [[MythologyGag but realizes that it's already taken.]] |
| 560 | * NervesOfSteel: You have to hand it to the guy for not giving up Peter's identity as Spider-Man's photographer whilst in a choke-hold by the Goblin. |
| 561 | * NonActionGuy: He's not combat-proficient obviously. |
| 562 | * OddFriendship: In the ''Film/SpiderMan2'' novelization, he ends up bonding with Mary Jane while she and John are dating, impressed by her ability to match his barbs and sense of humor. He's even willing to tolerate their differing views on Spider-Man. Of course, this goes out of the window after Mary Jane leaves his son at the altar, as Jameson [[OpinionFlipFlop instantly declares he never liked her.]] |
| 563 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: |
| 564 | ** In the second film, when it seems like Spider-Man ''really'' isn't coming back, he shows actual remorse for dragging the hero's name through the mud. |
| 565 | ** He's generally a sensationalist hell-bent on taking Spider-Man down, but when Eddie Brock's fake photograph debacle is exposed, he is genuinely pissed about it and fires Eddie immediately - and unlike the times he's "fired" Peter, ''he means it'', showing that he still cares about publishing the truth despite his yellow journalist colors. |
| 566 | * PetTheDog: He has his moments: |
| 567 | ** He protects Peter's identity from the Green Goblin while he's being strangled. In fact, the novelization reveals he takes protecting his sources very seriously, having gone to jail twice in the past for it. |
| 568 | ** When Peter asks for double the money for some photos, Jameson is taken aback but ultimately agrees. |
| 569 | ** When he and Hoffman were trying to make up a supervillain name for Otto Octavius and Hoffman suggests ComicBook/DoctorStrange, Jameson actually concedes that it's a good name, but unfortunately it's taken. |
| 570 | ** Has a JerkassRealization when Mary Jane is captured and it appears that Spider-Man isn't there to save her. |
| 571 | ** Prints out a retraction apologizing to Spider-Man when Eddie Brock hands in forged photos. |
| 572 | * PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Implied in the ''Spider-Man 2'' novelization when he refers to Creator/OscarWilde as a "fruit"[[note]]A G-Rated insult for a gay person[[/note]]. Like with Peter's match against Bonesaw, it's probably just a simple remark without any deep meaning. |
| 573 | * TheScrooge: Jonah is one heck of a miser; he strives to pinch every single penny he can on any occasion from paychecks to his own son's wedding. To his credit, said wedding looked reasonably well-payed, if likely in no small part from his wife's actions. |
| 574 | -->'''Jameson:''' ''(to his wife on the phone)'' You spend any more on this thing, you can pick the daisies off my grave! |
| 575 | * SelfMadeMan: The second novelization reveals he started out as a paperboy and worked his way up to operating New York's premiere newspaper. |
| 576 | * SignatureLaugh: When he cackles at Peter's demand to pay him in advance: it's frequently subjected to MemeticMutation. |
| 577 | * TranquilFury: When it's revealed that Eddie Brock brought in forged photos of Spider-Man, Jameson [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness quietly tells him to pack his things]] before angrily firing him. |
| 578 | * TwoFirstNames: "John", "Jonah", and "Jameson" can all be used as first names. |
| 579 | * UngratefulBastard: Spider-Man just saves J.J. from the Green Goblin just when the latter is about to stabbed him. What's Jameson's response? Accuse Spidey and Goblin of being accomplices. |
| 580 | * VerbalTic: Tends to start certain sentences with "what?" when talking to his underlings. |
| 581 | * WackyParentSeriousChild: While he and his son didn't share many scenes together, their personalities clearly reflect this trope. Jonah is a HotBlooded LargeHam whose brashness is PlayedForLaughs while John is laid back. |
| 582 | * WhatYouAreInTheDark: When the Green Goblin blows his office apart and threatens his life for information on Spider-Man's photographer, Jameson does nothing but stand his ground and insist the photos come anonymously in the mail and he doesn't know who sends them. He risks his life for not only someone he met a few days ago, but someone who he knows is right in the next room. |
| 583 | * WorthyOpponent: The ''Spider-Man'' novelization shows him to be this for Norman Osborn, who can match his verbal shots. |
| 584 | [[/folder]] |
| 585 | |
| 586 | [[folder:Joseph "Robbie" Robertson]] |
| 587 | !!Joseph "Robbie" Robertson |
| 588 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/movie_robbie_robertson.png]] |
| 589 | [[caption-width-right:330:''"We sold out four printings. Every copy."'']] |
| 590 | !!!'''Played by:''' Creator/BillNunn |
| 591 | !!!'''Voiced by:''' Jeff Coopwood (second game), Charlie Robinson (third game), Andrés García (Latin American Spanish), Luc Florian (European French dub), Marc Bellier [''Spider-Man 3''] (Canadian French dub), Eduardo Dascar (Brazilian Portuguese dub) |
| 592 | !!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/SpiderMan1'' | ''Film/SpiderMan2'' | ''Film/SpiderMan3'' |
| 593 | |
| 594 | ->''"You know we're gonna have to print a retraction now."'' |
| 595 | |
| 596 | A longtime employee at the ''Daily Bugle''. |
| 597 | ---- |
| 598 | * AlliterativeName: '''R'''obbie '''R'''obertson. |
| 599 | * BenevolentBoss: He is a ReasonableAuthorityFigure compared to Jameson, as he treats employees like Peter with respect; and unlike Jameson, considers Spider-Man to be a hero. Robbie even proposed headlines affirming such, but they were rewritten by Jameson. |
| 600 | * DemotedToExtra: He is not as important as his comic book counterpart and most versions. |
| 601 | * EveryoneHasStandards: The novel for the third movie showed him getting upset at Eddie's forged photo of Spider-Man commiting a crime. |
| 602 | * GentleGiant: He's 6'4 and he's shown to be a really NiceGuy and a BenevolentBoss. |
| 603 | * TheLancer: He is TheConfidant of Jameson and his ''de facto'' NumberTwo at the ''Bugle''. |
| 604 | * TheMentor: In the novelization, Robbie subtly helps Peter navigate the ''Bugle'' by negotiating his freelance pay with Jameson for Spider-Man's photos. He also gets Peter other assignments, such as the World Unity Festival. |
| 605 | * NiceGuy: He sticks up for Spider-Man and acts as a buffer between Peter and Jameson at work. |
| 606 | * NonActionGuy: He's obviously not proficient in combat. |
| 607 | * NumberTwo: The highest ranking person in the ''Bugle'' next to Jameson. |
| 608 | * OnlySaneMan: He's this to the other people in the ''Bugle''. Jameson is a sensationalist and a miser, Hoffman is bad at his job and is almost entirely useless, and even Betty isn't above trolling Jameson at times. Robbie, on the other hand, is the most reasonable and fair person in the ''Bugle''. |
| 609 | * OutOfFocus: Robbie is usually one of Peter's closest friends at the ''Bugle''. Here, he usually gets a line or two, and that's it. |
| 610 | * SecretSecretKeeper: Similar to the comics, it's strongly implied early in the second movie that he's figured out the truth. When Peter explains where he just came from, Robbie observes that Spider-Man also happened to be there and gives him a glance. |
| 611 | * TokenBlackFriend: He is Jameson's OnlyFriend in work, or at least the closest person he has for one. He's also OutOfFocus relative to his other appearances, and is one of few black characters seen. |
| 612 | [[/folder]] |
| 613 | |
| 614 | [[folder:Ted Hoffman]] |
| 615 | !!Ted Hoffman |
| 616 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/movie_hoffman.png]] |
| 617 | !!!'''Played by:''' Creator/TedRaimi |
| 618 | !!!'''Voiced by:''' Roberto Mendiola (Latin American Spanish), Creator/AlexandreGillet (European French dub), Louis-Philippe Dandenault (Canadian French dub), Creator/AlexandreMoreno (Brazilian Portuguese dub) |
| 619 | !!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/SpiderMan1'' | ''Film/SpiderMan2'' | ''Film/SpiderMan3'' |
| 620 | |
| 621 | The ad manager of the ''Daily Bugle''. |
| 622 | ---- |
| 623 | * AllThereInTheManual: Though it's not stated in the movies, the novelization for ''Spider-Man 2'' mentions that he's the ad manager for the ''Daily Bugle'', hence why J. Jonah Jameson is always consulting him about ideas for headlines and supervillain names. |
| 624 | * AllThereInTheScript: His first name is never said in the film, only in the novelizations and other supplementary material. Also TheDanza. |
| 625 | * BehindTheBlack: For some reason, Jameson never seems to notice Hoffman until the dude is in the frame. |
| 626 | * ButtMonkey: Most of his scenes involve him receiving the short end of the stick of J. Jonah Jameson's anger. |
| 627 | * CanonForeigner: He was created for the films. |
| 628 | * GiverOfLameNames: When Jameson tells him to run out and copyright the name "Green Goblin", he proposes "the Green Meanie" instead. Jameson angrily [[GetOut shows him the door.]] |
| 629 | ** Subverted when he comes up with the name of Doctor Octopus, only for Jameson to later [[GladIThoughtOfIt subconsciously claim the idea as his own]] and shoo Hoffman away. |
| 630 | *** Played with for another name he suggests for Octavius: he suggests ComicBook/DoctorStrange, which Jameson [[PetTheDog admits is a good name]], but it can’t be used because it’s taken. |
| 631 | * LastNameBasis: Throughout the film, he's only ever referred to by his last name. See AllThereInTheScript. |
| 632 | * OffscreenTeleportation: The moment JJ calls his name he is instantly there, even when it's obvious he's nowhere nearby. |
| 633 | * PluckyComicRelief: Whenever he appears onscreen, always expect an incoming joke or gag involving him. |
| 634 | * ProfessionalButtKisser: To J.J., kinda by necessity, as he doesn't want to be fired. |
| 635 | * PromotionToOpeningTitles: Being part of the film series from the very beginning, he is finally included in the opening billboard (OBB) of ''Spider-Man 3''. |
| 636 | * RunningGag: He instantly appears whenever J. Jonah Jameson shouts his name. At one point, he appears ''as soon as Jameson calls him'', to which Jameson reacts with a [[LampshadeHanging disturbed]] DoubleTake. |
| 637 | * StealthHiBye: Mostly the 'Hi' part. Hoffman always seems to appear the femtosecond Jameson yells his name. |
| 638 | * TotallyRadical: His campaign to make the ''Bugle'' more appealing to younger audiences might have worked... in 1957. |
| 639 | [[/folder]] |
| 640 | |
| 641 | [[folder:Betty Brant]] |
| 642 | !!Elizabeth "Betty" Brant |
| 643 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/movie_betty_brant.jpg]] |
| 644 | !!!'''Played by:''' Creator/ElizabethBanks |
| 645 | !!!'''Voiced by:''' Bethany Rhoades (second game), Creator/RachelKimsey (third game), Creator/GabrielaGuzman (Latin American Spanish), Odile Cohen (European French dub), Natalie Hamel-Roy (Canadian French dub), Teresa Cristina (Brazilian Portuguese dub) |
| 646 | !!!''Appearances:'' ''Film/SpiderMan1'' | ''Film/SpiderMan2'' | ''Film/SpiderMan3'' |
| 647 | |
| 648 | ->''"Welcome to the ''Daily Bugle''."'' |
| 649 | |
| 650 | Jameson's secretary at the ''Daily Bugle''. |
| 651 | ---- |
| 652 | * AdaptationalDyeJob: Unlike her comic counterpart who has brown eyes, she has her actress' blue eyes in this version. |
| 653 | * AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: In the comics, Peter dated Betty for a while, before pursuing other romantic interests. Even though there is a slight hint of sexual tension between them in the films, they never get together. |
| 654 | * AlliterativeName: '''B'''etty '''B'''rant. |
| 655 | * AllLoveIsUnrequited: Obviously has a crush on Peter, who is head-over-heels for Mary Jane. |
| 656 | * DeadpanSnarker: Shows signs of being one when dealing with Eddie. |
| 657 | -->'''Betty:''' What's that smell?\ |
| 658 | '''Eddie:''' That's a little something called Nice and Easy. What's on you?\ |
| 659 | '''Betty:''' It's called Go Away. |
| 660 | * DemotedToExtra: None of her characterization from the comics made it into the trilogy with the exception of being Peter's potential love interest, and even that isn't as prominent compared to the source material. |
| 661 | * GirlFriday: To Jameson. |
| 662 | * JerkassToOne: She understandably does not like Eddie, being repulsed by his sleazy nature. The novel shows this even more, especially after he created fake photos of Spider-Man commiting a crime. |
| 663 | * LaughOfLove: In ''Film/SpiderMan3'', she laughs nervously when Peter, who's under the symbiote's influence, starts hitting on her at the ''Daily Bugle''. |
| 664 | * NiceGirl: She's frequently kind and supportive to Peter, even reassuring him at one point when she sees that he's feeling down. |
| 665 | * NotSoAboveItAll: |
| 666 | ** Despite her professional demeanor around J. Jonah Jameson, she's barely able to keep herself from laughing when she, Robertson and Hoffman are spying on the man [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext gallivanting around in the Spider-Man suit in his office]]. |
| 667 | ** In the third movie, Betty is visibly turned on by Peter while he's under the influence of the symbiote. |
| 668 | * PromotionToOpeningTitles: Being part of the film series since the beginning, she is finally included in the opening billboard (OBB) of ''Spider-Man 3''. |
| 669 | * SciFiBobHaircut: She sports a bob in a sci-fi heavy superhero movie. |
| 670 | * SexySecretary: To the point that both Peter (with the symbiote) and Eddie hit on her as much as they can in the third film. |
| 671 | [[/folder]] |
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